talyazax.bsky.social @talyazax.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Some news: After almost 11 years on staff, today is my last day at @forward.com. I've been so lucky to work in this one-of-a-kind newsroom. I'll share more on my next steps soon. In the meantime, here are some brief reflections on what this glorious place gave me.forward.comThe most important thing I'll take away from 11 years at the ForwardI've worked here for a third of my life. The people I've worked with have made it wonderful 1110
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialJoel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 26/06/2026I wrote about the Goldman vs. Lander primary, and why I think people are misconstruing what actually happened. It wasn’t a debate between antisemitism and non-antisemitism, but two visions of what fighting antisemitism looks like for American Jews. forward.com/opinion/8341...forward.comThe biggest Jewish issue in New York's most Jewish primary wasn't really IsraelThe race was really a contest over which strategy for fighting antisemitism American Jews should bet on 35811
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialArno Rosenfeld @arnorosenfeld.bsky.social · 07/04/2026EXCLUSIVE: I spoke with Mahmoud Khalil about Hamas, Zionism and what "free Palestine" means to him "This is what we should aspire for: to get a place where there’s no more conflict, no more killing in that place and its open to anyone who wants to call it their home." forward.com/news/817276/...forward.comMahmoud Khalil wants to reassure youThe Columbia protest leader on Hamas, Zionism and why Jews shouldn’t fear a 'free Palestine' 39235
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialAlyssa Katz @alykatzz.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Come work with me at @forward.com! We're looking for a managing editor to work with our phenomenal team.forward.comEmploymentThe Forward is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, citizenship status, color, race, national origin, disability, disability status, gender, pregnancy status or... 088
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialThe Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 22/02/2026Public debate, of late, has turned into a gaudy game of winners and losers—but a new play based on the 1993 face-off between Dr. Anthony Fauci and the AIDS activist Larry Kramer affirms the quiet frictions of principled disagreement, Talya Zax argues:bit.lyThe Most American Form of TheaterA new play upends the contemporary notion that public debate needs to be a blood sport. 0314
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialAlyssa Katz @alykatzz.bsky.social · 19/02/2026My colleague @talyazax.bsky.social checked in with sometime adversary/sometime friend Abe Foxman, the longtime past ADL leader, on the legacy of Jesse Jackson. Foxman said: "We have to learn that people can change their minds and hearts."forward.comHow Jesse Jackson changed his mind about Jews — and what Abe Foxman made of itThe late civil rights leader 'was the guy who couldn't pass the synagogue without going in,' the longtime ADL director said in a new interview with the Forward 023
talyazax.bsky.social @talyazax.bsky.social · 03/02/2026I ❤️ Muppetsforward.comThe Muppets are my rabbi, and they should be yoursA one-off "Muppet Show" special, guest-starring Sabrina Carpenter, contains deep spiritual lessons. A full reboot should follow. 011
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialEmily Tamkin @emilyctamkin.bsky.social · 27/12/2025For my last piece of 2025, I wrote about reading Arnošt Lustig and hoping against hope for @forward.com forward.com/opinion/7938...forward.comThe Holocaust survivor writer who can help us through this ominous eraArnošt Lustig, a Czech Jewish writer, survived the Holocaust and incorporated its horrors in his writing — but came out hopeful all the same. 073
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialThe Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 23/12/2025For 100 years, Ireland’s Abbey Theatre has shown that a publicly funded troupe can deliver cultural riches and hard truths. Talya Zax on the instructive history of the institution that inspired America’s Federal Theatre Project:bit.lyThe Pro-Democracy Case for a National TheaterFor 100 years, Ireland’s Abbey Theatre has shown that a publicly funded troupe can deliver cultural riches and hard truths. 04110
talyazax.bsky.social @talyazax.bsky.social · 03/10/2025Looking forward to talking about this race with my colleagues @arnorosenfeld.bsky.social, @jacobkornbluh.bsky.social and @juliemmoos.bsky.social — join us! 062
talyazax.bsky.social @talyazax.bsky.social · 19/09/2025As of this month, I've worked at @forward.com for 10 years. In that time, a number of extremely Jewish things have happened to me. Here, to celebrate, are my top 10 — featuring (maybe) Rachel Weisz, a marriage proposal, and a shocking bagel incident.forward.comThe 10 most Jewish things to happen to me in 10 years at the ForwardTalya Zax has worked at the Forward, the premier American Jewish publication, for a decade — here's what it's taught her. 030
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialEmily Tamkin @emilyctamkin.bsky.social · 12/08/2025I wish, @talyazax.bsky.social forward.com/culture/7621...forward.comIs Taylor Swift's new album about the tortured lives of artists in communist Russia?Taylor Swift's announcement of her album "Life of a Showgirl" featured surprise appearances by Marc Chagall, El Lissitzky and Ruth Asawa. 061
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialThe Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 10/08/2025In Xenobe Purvis’s novel, a brood of odd siblings might be turning into dogs, Talya Zax writes. Why should that be so scary?bit.lyLiterature’s Enduring Obsession With Strange SistersIn Xenobe Purvis’s novel, a brood of odd siblings might be turning into dogs. Why should that be so scary? 1121
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialThe Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 11/08/2025In Xenobe Purvis’s novel, a brood of odd siblings might be turning into dogs, Talya Zax writes. Why should that be so scary?bit.lyLiterature’s Enduring Obsession With Strange SistersIn Xenobe Purvis’s novel, a brood of odd siblings might be turning into dogs. Why should that be so scary? 0181
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialEmily Tamkin @emilyctamkin.bsky.social · 28/07/2025For @forward.com, I wrote about how we know that Israel has been withholding food as a military tactic because Israeli officials have said versions of “we are withholding food as a military tactic” for the entirety of the war and pretending otherwise is willful ignorance forward.com/opinion/7586...forward.comIs starvation in Gaza really Israel's fault? The facts are clearRising starvation in Gaza may have a number of factors. But Israel's wartime policies on humanitarian aid are inarguably among them. 191491547
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialPhilip Bump @pbump.com · 30/06/2025With ICE on the brink of receiving a massive increase in its budget, I delineated some of the things it has been doing with the money it already has. Gift link: wapo.st/4lv53Wh 10504283
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialEmily Tamkin @emilyctamkin.bsky.social · 25/06/2025For @forward.com, I wrote about the NYC mayoral election and how treating the fight against antisemitism in politics as a series of pop quiz questions or gotcha moments does nothing to make Jews safer and in fact leads to people taking antisemitism less seriously forward.com/opinion/7320...forward.comZohran Mamdani's victory proves it: The 'gotcha' mode of fighting antisemitism has to goZohran Mamdani won New York City's Democratic mayoral primary despite allegations of antisemitism — a new playbook is needed. 25719
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialThe New Yorker @newyorker.com · 19/06/2025When the writer @alistairkitchen.bsky.social was stopped by Customs and Border Protection last week, after flying to Los Angeles from Melbourne, a border agent told him, “explicitly and proudly,” why he’d been pulled out of the customs line. nyer.cm/wVpy0on 13253116
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialArno Rosenfeld @arnorosenfeld.bsky.social · 18/06/2025📊The new Quinnipiac poll asked voters about antisemitism — and it turns out the more that a group believes antisemitism is a serious issue, the less likely they are to approve of how Trump is approaching it. 29680142
talyazax.bsky.social @talyazax.bsky.social · 10/06/2025Finally, someone brave enough to ask just how much of Zohran's platform is a response to the Absolute Bagels 10-cent toasting fee 040
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialEmily Tamkin @emilyctamkin.bsky.social · 02/06/2025For @forward.com, I wrote about the cycle of the exploitation and dismissal of antisemitism and Jewish safety forward.com/opinion/7248...forward.comThe two things I fear most after the horrifying attack on Jews in BoulderThis latest violence against Jews will bring us deeper into a cycle where concerns of antisemitism are alternately dismissed and exploited. 26523
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialThe Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 05/05/2025In a new stage production of "The Picture of Dorian Gray," the famed titular character is trapped in a performance unlike any other, Talya Zax writes:bit.lyThe Most Infamous Narcissist in Literary History Gets a SmartphoneA new stage production of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" conveys the cost of posturing online. 0869
talyazax.bsky.social @talyazax.bsky.social · 30/04/2025So honored to have received this nod from Poynter! I loved writing the brief piece about Richard Serra that earned it — read here: forward.com/culture/art/... 022
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialThe Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 23/04/2025Why do novelists love to imagine great historical figures as detectives? Talya Zax on how these murder-solving characters let readers glimpse the minds of geniuses:bit.lyWould You Trust Mozart to Solve a Murder Mystery?Why novelists love to imagine great historical figures as detectives 1235
talyazax.bsky.social @talyazax.bsky.social · 21/04/2025I loved writing about what Pope Francis' love for this Chagall painting suggested about his worldview 020
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialEmily Tamkin @emilyctamkin.bsky.social · 11/04/2025Chag Sameach forward.com/opinion/7119... 194
Reposted by @talyazax.bsky.socialLouis Keene @keene.la · 27/03/2025The Forward is tracking the known ICE arrests for pro-Palestinian campus activity. The number currently stands at nine: forward.com/fast-forward...forward.comCampus arrest tracker: Who has been detained for 'anti-semitic' or 'pro-Hamas' activity?ICE has detained Mahmoud Khalil and other students and professors at Columbia University, Brown, Georgetown, on 'pro-Hamas' allegations. 13227
