The Forward is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York. Originally the leading daily newspaper in Yiddish (Der Forverts), it is today a weekly news magazine published in three language versions, namely Yiddish, English and Russian. Each version is effectively an independent publication with its own contents.

The Forward traditionally had socialist leanings and was a significant participant in the activities of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union; Benjamin Schlesinger, a former president of the ILG, became the General Manager of the paper in 1923, then returned to the Presidency of the union in 1928. The paper was also an early supporter of David Dubinsky, Schlesinger's eventual successor.

As the influence of the Socialist Party in both American politics and in the Jewish community waned, the paper later joined the American liberal mainstream. The English version has some standing in the Jewish community as an outlet of liberal policy analysis.

Following decades of relentless decline, the Yiddish version has recently enjoyed a modest revival as courses in the language have become more popular among university students. The recently founded Russian version caters to the Russian Jewish community in New York that has arrived primarily during the 1990s.

The most well-known writer in The Forward was Isaac Bashevis Singer, who received the Nobel Prize in literature.

External links

• Yiddish Forward (http://yiddish.forward.com)
• The Forward (http://www.forward.com)
• Russian Forward (http://russian.forward.com)