Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
“The two leading lusts of the Jew’s life are lechery and money.” So wrote the improbably named Telemachus Thomas Timayenis in his 1883 anti-Semitic opus The American Jew: An Expos\xc3\xa9 of His Career. As Forward editorial director J.J. Goldberg says in his interview in this issue, stereotypes are frequently unfair, but very rarely unfounded. It seems improper, then, that seventeen years on this magazine has dedicated at least two of its covers to sex and none to money.
A thought experiment. Imagine that it turns out that Glenn Beck is right, and that President Obama is a closet socialist. Further, imagine that upon reelection in 2012, Obama announces a series of reforms – call it a Four Year Plan – to narrow the gap between rich and poor, and that the keystone of the plan is a marginal tax rate of 99% on income over $100,000. A few machers and their lawyers would figure out how to game the system, but the broader communal affluence that sets us apart from nearly every other American ethnic group would disappear. Given such a scenario, what would it mean to be an American Jew in 2030?
In the aftermath of the revelation that Bernard Madoff’s investment fund was a tremendous Ponzi scheme, the Jewish community adopted a customarily defensive pose. Afraid that Madoff’s religious affiliation would encourage anti-Semites, community spokesmen worked to disassociate him from the Tribe. David Harris, the executive director of the American Jewish Committee, complained to the New York Times in a December 13th letter that their coverage of Madoff had placed “a striking emphasis on his being Jewish,” and pointed out that no one was talking about the religion of Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who had been accused of corruption the same week.
There are three types of great magazines, in print or online: those that uniquely interpret the historical moment for their readers, those that enable a circle of writers to interpret the historical moment, and those that do both.
Hilltop Jam Band Aharit Hayamim Plays Jewlicious, 92YTribeca
A Call to Action
While the American Jewish Left was busy losing the debate over Gaza, Israeli parliamentarians tried to kick the major Arab parties out of the Knesset. American Jews must focus on supporting the democratic rights of all Israelis, before it's too late.
Are there still any Jewish terrorists in North America?
How Your Free Trip Helps Netanyahu Become PM
Birthright has implicated a generation of young Jews in billionaire Sheldon Adelson's damaging political adventures.
Why the Jewish Establishment Should Stay Out of the Chabad House