Editor’s Note

Criticizing their political party would mean betraying the identity that has defined most American Jews since the days of FDR.

When England took a 1-0 lead early in the second half, I felt a sense of cosmic justice. Sixty years is a long time. Argentina won it the last time. Maybe it was England’s turn.

Just like any emotion or any label, hate can be denied. What is much harder to deny is one set of rules for the world and another for the Jews. That’s not an emotion. It’s an action.

Israel, and everything it has accomplished, has given Judaism a spine. After two millennia of insecurity and persecution, Israel shows us a way of being Jewish that is the opposite of weakness.

I can imagine many Israelis rolling their eyes: OK, where’s he going with this? When is he telling us what he really came here to say?

Can you imagine telling someone about a sport where after 90 minutes, a team only manages three shots on goal? It’d be like going to a Bruce Springsteen concert and only hearing three songs.

Mamdani used flowery language throughout his speech to soften a blow-by-blow of grievances against the country that made him famous.

In the midst of our parties and barbeques, Shabbat is God’s birthday present to America to remind us that we still live in the greatest country on earth.