Jewish Institutions, Oppose Bannon – or Millennials Will Leave You Behind

By Marc Daalder December 8, 2016

Over the past three weeks, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Steve Bannon for chief strategist has drawn a lot of attention. Bannon has been accused of turning conservative website Breitbart News into a home for neo-Nazis and the alt-right movement, of being a racist, a white supremacist, and even an anti-Semite. At the same time,…

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Steve Bannon: Sympathy for White Supremacists in the White House

By Jackson Richman November 16, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump has started to select members for his upcoming cabinet. Two positions have already been filled: Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus as chief of staff and Breitbart News Executive Chairman Steve Bannon as chief strategist. The former is a sane and solid choice, based on his experience in the GOP establishment, while…

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IfNotNow’s protest at the ADL ended with 17 arrests — and stronger connections to Judaism

By Chloe Sobel April 22, 2016

IfNotNow’s “Liberation Seder” in New York on Wednesday began with a march from Bryant Park to the lobby of the Anti-Defamation League’s office building, and ended with the arrests of 17 protesters. The New York action was one of five that took place from April 19-21 held by the Jewish anti-occupation group. IfNotNow was founded…

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HaaretzQ addresses some questions; raises more

By Chloe Sobel December 16, 2015

Perhaps nothing characterizes the divisions I see in American and world Jewry better than the list of opening and closing keynote speakers at HaaretzQ, a conference on Israel hosted by Haaretz and the New Israel Fund in New York Sunday. The day kicked off with speeches from Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, MK Tzipi Livni of…

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Do Jews need to worry about the RFRA?

By Jackson Richman June 24, 2015

Does a kosher bakery have the right to refuse to bake a wedding cake for an intermarried couple? If the bakery is in Indiana, the answer might be yes. Indiana’s passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in March caused an uproar, especially among LGBTQ rights activists, who argued that it could encourage discrimination…

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Netanyahu’s ‘Jewish’ State Is an Affront to Judaism

By Hannah Ehlers March 26, 2015

It is no great surprise that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu was reelected last week. He is a skillful politician and an astute campaigner. What did surprise some, however, including many American Jews and American Jewish communal institutions, were the various statements Netanyahu made during the last days and hours of his campaign. The day…

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Such opposition. Very Jew-hate. So overblow. Wow.

By Jonathan Katz August 1, 2014

An article by Amanda Borschel-Dan in the Times of Israel has described American youth as moving with “lightning speed” towards anti-Semitism. The proof in the nationalist pudding, it seems, is a lessening support for Israel among American youth. It seems that non-Jewish teenagers and young adults associate Israel a little too much with the over…

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Insult and Injury: the Difference

By Derek M. Kwait May 22, 2014

  Here’s why I usually hate Twitter: We will never get to the bottom of the big issues facing humanity—poverty, disease, warfare, Israel on campus—without a long dialogue held in good faith between dissenting viewpoints. In other words, getting to the bottom of the world’s ills will take more than volleying 140-character spitballs with a…

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If Jewish Organizations Want to Secure the Jewish Future, They Need to Stop Alienating It

By Derek M. Kwait May 6, 2014

Hannah Silverfine’s experience with a Jewish education that taught only a very narrow definition of “pro Israel” is not only a problem in the Reform Movement.  I agree that a good argument can be made for teaching children why support of Israel is important first, then leave the messy stuff for when they’re old enough…

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Jewish Students to AMCHA: Leave Us Alone.

By Zev Hurwitz April 10, 2014

With the release of the University of California’s campus climate survey results, the Anti-Defamation League and the regional pro-Israel watchdog AMCHA Institute pounced on the results, which indicated that life for Jewish students on UC campuses is less than perfect. The results, announced last month, show Jewish students self-describe as some of the most uncomfortable…

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Why the Protect Academic Freedom Act Must be Stopped

By Derek M. Kwait February 11, 2014

On January 28, a bill passed in the New York State Senate punishing universities that use state funds in support of academic groups, such as the ASA, that boycott Israel. Universities transgressing this ban would lose all state funding. It was fought relentlessly by civil rights groups, unions, academic institutions, and many Jewish groups. It…

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How Urban Outfitters is, and is not, like the Sex Pistols [Sensitivity]

By pkessler April 26, 2012

Urban Outfitters recently released a shirt whose insignia bears a resemblance to the Star of David bearing the word JUDE that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust. The ADL wasted no time in condemning the Philadelphia based clothing brand, saying that it is not the first time they have marketed clothing considered offensive….

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Bibi’s Independence Day message; Transgendered Jews; Urban Outfitters offends, and more [Required Reading]

By pkessler April 26, 2012

Yom Ha’atzmaut Sameach! [JTA] Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu wishes constituents a happy independence day. For those who don’t speak Hebrew, the cat and parrot at the end should make it clear that even for Hebrew speakers, this message is bizarre. Click the embedded link for the English version, as well as an insightful discussion about…

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It’s time for… Spot the “Big Lebowski” Reference!

By Ben Sales March 18, 2011

Your concerned New Voices editors enjoy reading Jewish news to find out about issues and events involving our fellow MOTs. But even more than that, we enjoy scouring Jewish publications for the occasional reference to the greatest movie–nay, latter-day holy text–of all time: The Big Lebowski. So now, faithful readers, we challenge you: Can you…

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A Wake Up Call

By akinman December 29, 2010

“Who’s Hitler?” That is what my friend was asked the other day by a coworker while finishing up work. At first, I thought it was a joke. Then, I realized he wasn’t smiling. Literally in shock, I continued to ask my friend how could someone be so uninformed. He continued to surprise me by responding,…

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