Well that was fun!
I’ve managed to interview a few people over the years; everyone from infectious disease specialists, to most recently poker champion Daniel Negreanu. All of them have been a joy to write.
People have encouraged me to ALSO use modern technology, and utilize my voice to record some, and I’m proud to say my first VIDEO interview went incredibly well!
I had a very easy, natural conversation, with Five For Fighting’s John Ondrasik. He has come out so strongly in support of Jews, that it was such an honor to have this time with him.
We talked about his kids, Israel, American education, and he even publicly agreed to perform at the upcoming planned Nova festival in June, so someone make sure this gets to the right people!
I hope you’ll watch, and agree that this is worthy of being one of my Chosen Links:
https://youtu.be/BE7OZF8ejvc
The photo this week is self-explanatory, not of Israel, but my Zoom call with John.
ARTICLES/THREADS:
1. I’m really proud of this article I just published. The backstory is that my friend Jams Warburg sent me a short article from ABC News, and couldn’t believe how much media bias was found within that one short piece. As I was reading it, I was reminded of the old games you’d play as a kid, looking for the mistakes in the back page of the magazine. And it inspired this article that I hope you’ll like as much as I do. Thank you to Seth Isenberg, Jonny Pell, and Noah Bleichfor finding key errors I was able to correct:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/blogs/368216/games-without-frontiers
2. My amazing, incredible, inspiring sisters-in-law Karin and Rikki, as previously mentioned, were creating a healing retreat for 120 Nova survivors. I couldn’t reveal the dates or location, because of their safety, but it happened, and was amazing! Here are the words of Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, who attended:
“When an Israeli nonprofit asked the 2,000 survivors of the Nova Festival what they needed most after the October 7th massacre, the response was – we desperately need a break. A break from the sirens. A break from the rockets and an opportunity to be in a different setting, meet new people, and just be. To heed that call, a small and mighty group of passionate American and Israeli leaders, led by Karin Hepner and Rikki Hepner, Israeli therapists and Camp Ramah, quickly came together to create the Orot Healing Retreat.” I’m so proud of my family, and I’m so grateful it went wonderfully:
https://rabbiyonah.substack.com/p/i-can-breath-again
3a. Debbie Lechtman has a very strong following on Instagram, with her profile called Rootsmetals. She gives a country by country analysis of the Mizrahi Jews. Truthfully I’ve always confused and conflated Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews. There is crossover, but Mizrahis by definition are specifically from the east. So the analysis here covers how those particular regions treated the Jews, mostly within the first half of the 20th century. Spoiler alert: pogroms and terror against the Jews is a common theme; and this thread takes you through Yemen, Jordan, Iraq and more. No surprise that they needed Israel as a Jewish haven, as much as the rest of the Jewish population:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Im8ukRpzV/
3b. The same thread, but in a more legible format:
https://www.rootsmetals.com/blogs/news/expulsion-of-mizrahim
4. I honestly can’t tell if Sarah Tuttle-Singer is actually thanking her non Jewish allies, or if it’s wishful thinking, with there not being nearly enough of them. But yes, each and every time someone tells me they are praying for Israel, and stands for us, I feel seen. Each time someone tells me they are scared for how pervasive antisemitism clearly is, I feel less alone:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3OIrTat7HY/
5. Becket Adams does a good job breaking down the sloppy work of a Washington Post journalist, who was at one point credited as high up as their Baghdad Bureau Chief. Louisa Loveluck is her name, and extreme media bias bordering on negligence was her game. Writing this opinion piece for The Hill, Becket Adams gives numerous examples of her of her flawed journalism, not the least of which involved her parroting the Hamas statistics.
“At least four published corrections, one of which is a repeat, one casual war-crime allegation, one lengthy editor’s note, and all that in just four months. That seems like an awful lot for a foreign correspondent, let alone one who once held the title of bureau chief.” Yeah, this is more than just a one time slip up:
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4459125-you-should-question-much-of-what-you-read-about-the-war-in-gaza/
6. An excellent thread by the always well-informed John Spencer, expert in Urban Warfare. Since there have been accusations of Israel attacking hospitals, he clarifies that there have been many instances where hospitals have justifiably been attacked. He goes into detail with many of these examples, and explains that without question Israel is not in violation, given how Hamas entrenches itself in hospitals, and throughout the civilian population. “IMO, the danger is creating a perception of the laws of war that would encourage terrorists or law of war violators that hospitals are untouchable and thus their use by these law violators would increases and the very protections put in place to shield these sites and groups will actually put them in increasing danger.” In other words, stop saying Israel can’t enter these Hamas-exploited hospitals, because you are actually enabling Hamas to use those sacred spaces in the future:
https://twitter.com/SpencerGuard/status/1758170907502145877
7. Amanda Howe is a proud wordsmith, and a gem to read. She is tired of sitting by and watching the double standard of the people who shout empathy to those in Gaza, but not include those in Israel, who were initially and are continuously attacked. “Israel is one for forgiveness. Look at its strong relationship with Germany. When the time is right, Israelis and Palestinians will have to learn how to put the past behind them. They need to ditch their governments and let go of decades of pain. This people’s land, this person’s house or village. It has to stop. Neither side is going anywhere so dialogue, forgiveness, compromise and future is the only way. But let’s give them time. Meanwhile let’s stop stoking the fire and increasing the division.”
I loved this piece so much that I’ll share yet another fabulous passage, pointed at those protesting around the world. “Spray paint your banners with words that make sense and are achievable. Ensure your call to action is one that promotes peace for both sides. Stop turning on victims and making them the perpetrators. Acknowledge the pain, loss and horrors that both populations have experienced because your woke, socialist-baked ideal of simply supporting the underdog is ludicrous. When you shout about the evil of the Israeli government, save some of your breath for the Palestinian government as well.” So damn good, I’ll be following her:
https://thecontentedlady.wordpress.com/2024/02/09/jews-do-count/
8. Avi Mayer, the former Editor-in-chief of Jerusalem Post, does a really great job reiterating what I’ve often discussed, the flawed numbers. The casualty count that is more often than not reported as fact, has its false logic spelled out. “Rather than proving Israeli recklessness or bloodlust, the low civilian casualty ratio in Gaza is a testament to the IDF’s professionalism and battlefield ethics—as reflected in its remarkable success in targeting combatants while limiting harm to civilians—and that must be reflected in any serious discussion of casualty figures from the current war.” Bonus points for how he handles the first troll mocking his post:
https://twitter.com/AviMayer/status/1757062758103752833
9. My dear cousin Ruth Ebenstein has written an essay about how to pray for the hostages, regardless of your religious level. It reads like poetry. “Direct your supplications to the dark, damp subterranean tunnels holding hostages. We can shine our invocations to perforate the darkness with pinholes of light. Radio stations dedicate songs and uplifting messages to hostages in hopes that they are listening. Fill the sound waves with the conscience of your caring.” She also concentrates prayers for the hostages, who fortunately have been released, because they are in need of healing and will be for a long time:
https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/pb-daily/how-to-pray-for-hostages
10. Lt Colonel Peter Lerner reveals footage, showing how much of the medical establishment in Gaza was and is used by Hamas. “The ambulances were part and parcel of the attack, the medical staff were part of the operational plan to attack, and the terrorists rode in ambulances on their approach to the massacre…Hamas’ strategy is a testament to how Israel acts. Hamas KNOW we don’t attack hospitals, so they hide and act from hospitals. Hamas KNOW we don’t attack UN facilities, so they dig tunnels beneath and conceal their intelligence capabilities beneath. Hamas KNOWS we don’t attack ambulances, so they ride in ambulances.” It’s truly perverse:
https://twitter.com/LTCPeterLerner/status/1758543726262042904
11. This story is a must-read. Jehad Al-Saftawi moved to America from Gaza 7 years ago. His family remains, but his home certainly does not. He tells the brutally honest story about how Hamas were digging tunnels under their house, in spite of their protests.
“Our home, and far too many in our community, were flattened alongside priceless history and memories. And this is the legacy of Hamas. They began destroying my family home in 2013 when they built tunnels beneath it. They continued to threaten our safety for a decade—we always knew we might have to vacate at a moment’s notice. We always feared violence. Gazans deserve a true Palestinian government, which supports its citizens’ interests, not terrorists carrying out their own plans. Hamas is not fighting Israel. They’re destroying Gaza.” That might be the conclusion, but you definitely want to read his enthralling story.
It’s written with more balance than almost any American article you’ll read. When he clarifies the death toll numbers, he acknowledges October 7th as barbaric; and here’s something you rarely see, he even acknowledges that Gazans are not the only ones displaced during all of this, so are many thousands of Israelis. And he puts the blame mostly on Hamas, though acknowledges the Israeli government as a harder one to make peace with. Damn good article, if he’s reading this, I thank him:
https://time.com/6693896/hamas-tunnels-gaza-home-ruin/
12. As proud as I was to see a touching commercial during the Superbowl about antisemitism, I was waiting to see and read about the inevitable backlash. Welcome to the world today, where hate crimes are at insanely high levels, as everyone starts to conflate Jews with Israel. It’s at the point where a commercial that doesn’t even allude to the country, is still accused of promoting the Zionist agenda.
The ADL presents its findings, including many people using a hashtag of “Hitler was right”, and attacking the man behind the ad Robert Kraft, for being an Israel supporter. It’s so predictable at this point, and it’s incredibly sad how many feel this way in Western Civilization:
https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/posters-x-attack-fcas-super-bowl-ad-urging-people-stand-antisemitism
13a. This is an incredible piece of history I was not aware of. Most of us are familiar with the Marrano population, also known as Conversos, or Crypto Jews. They famously were forced to leave, convert or die, and chose a 4th path. They converted but always remained Jewish in secret.
I never knew about Mashad, Iran. In 1839, a barbaric pogrom ravaged Mashad, and the surviving Jewish population was given the options to convert or die. Some of these Jews chose to convert to Islam, and secretly remain Jewish. The things they went through to maintain the ruse over the generations are terrible, but fascinating. “Families kept dogs and cats, so they could feed them the Muslim meat they bought while they themselves ate kosher meat, ritually slaughtered in secret and smuggled home under the women’s chadors…to keep their children from intermarrying, children were betrothed at a young age, so if Muslims came asking for their hand, they would be told the girls were already engaged.” Thank you to “The Persian Jewess” for telling the story:
https://twitter.com/persianjewess/status/1756740933469733094
13b. Reading that tweet, Keren Hajioff tells how she and her family are Mashadi Jews!
https://x.com/kerenhajioff/status/1756797560809779659
14. Meir Ben Shabbat has years of Israeli national security expertise, and he writes this article about what needs to happen for Israel to actually be…secure.
He explains that it’s obvious Biden and the allies to Israel all have a vested interest in this war ending as soon as possible, to end the media and polling headaches it creates for them. They want to show success one way. Israel NEEDS certain things to happen as prerequisites for any sort of peace that’s actually helpful to their safety. Here are the road blocks he sees:
“Firstly, Iran – the hand that rocks the cradle and the prime cause of most of the tensions in the region – will be able to continue to operate without being held in check or having to pay any substantial price for its actions. Secondly, Hezbollah – without the physical removal of its men and ensuring they remain stationed back deep in the Lebanese hinterland – it will not be possible to guarantee the safe return of the residents of northern Israel to their homes. Thirdly – Gaza – though Hamas has incurred severe damage to date, it is still far from being completely routed. Ending the war in such a situation will ensure the rapid recovery of the Gaza-based terrorist organization, essentially making it the effective ruler there.” He finishes off by emphasizing the need for Israel to be a source of deterrence for future attacks, as they once were. Very good piece:
https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/without-a-total-victory-in-gaza-there-can-be-no-new-regional-order/
15. Sara Stein writes an extremely compelling and detailed piece, which had me in full agreement…until the conclusion where I respectfully disagree. She goes into painstaking detail, about the dumpster fire that is Gaza education. Just hate-filled indoctrination after indoctrination about Israel and Jews. It’s in their geography, their math, and is ingrained in their learning from childhood. We know this from recent evidence of UNRWA-led school textbooks and teachers. So I certainly agree that that’s a massive problem, for now and the entire next generation, even if we get the texbooks changed tomorrow, which we won’t.
However, I may not have a solution at hand, but taking back Gaza at this point is a bridge too far. It would make the remaining Palestinians who DON’T hate Israel, however many or few that may be, radicalize against us. And setting aside all other reasons, it would completely eradicate any and all international community support. You think we don’t have any? We might be used to annoying critiques from our allies but they are still providing plenty of moral and financial support. We cannot completely isolate ourselves, or Iran will have nothing left to hold it back from a full fledged attack. No way. I agree with all evidence given, it’s a horrible situation with many problems and very few solutions, and I feel like an ass voicing dissent when I don’t live there; it’s arrogant of me. But this is a case where a theoretical solution just cannot be the actual one:
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/pa-unrwa-terror-textbooks-time-for-israel-to-reclaim-gaza/
16a. The previous article feels like a good segway into one of my very favorite Israel analysts, Shmuel Rosner. There was apparently a conference about Gush Katif, specifically whether Israel should take it back and re-settle it. Rosner puts the idea to rest by reiterating that even Netanyahu has made it clear that neither he nor his right wing government will do such a thing.
The biggest part of the population that supports this idea is the religious and ultra-orthodox population, but that’s the same population that for the most part is not doing military service, which is exactly what a resettlement would entail. “The religious and ultra-Orthodox are also the main supporters of opening a second front against Hezbollah in the north. And of course, the case of the ultra-Orthodox is especially interesting: these are youngsters who would not do the fighting, as they are exempted from military service. When they are asked whether an equal share of the security burden is an ideal they believe in, their answer is no. And yet, they are trigger-happy as they come on settlement policies and war in the north.” So again, it ain’t happening. Move on:
https://jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain/367678/rosners-domain-back-to-gush-katif/
16b. He then brings up the point of Biden sanctioning the 4 settlers for alleged violence. It’s not about any consequences for those individuals that’s of the highest relevance, though you should note that it DOES appear to be affecting them, with some banks freezing their assets. The more global ramification, is the guilty before proven innocent reality, that it appears Israel has entered. “It means that the U.S. administration does not trust Israel to investigate, report, persecute and prevent settler violence against Palestinians.”
He also brings up the reactions of anger from the Israeli right, and praise from the Israeli left, as both being counterproductive:
https://jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain/367916/rosners-domain-sanctioning-settlers-it-is-a-big-deal/
16c. Einat Wilf and Adi Schwartz wrote a book years ago called “The War of Return”, and Rosner brings up its topicality today. For Palestinians to move forward, the book talks about them needing to come to terms with their “right to return”, as other refugees around the world have done over the years, decades and centuries. What we’ve seen from the so-called humanitarian organization UNRWA recently, is proof positive that they have been spending years reinforcing the right to return, and enabling and teaching them to resist, and NOT stop fighting Israel.
“When UNRWA takes care of schools and medicine in Gaza, all expenses are paid by you. It’s not because there’s no money in Gaza to fund these activities; it is because Hamas takes that money and uses it for other purposes, such as arming itself, digging tunnels, firing rockets. UNRWA is an agency whose work gets Hamas off the hook of having to provide for the population of Gaza. Hamas is engaged in violence, while UNRWA keeps the people of Gaza fed, clothed and schooled. That’s a convenient arrangement for all parties involved. Hamas has free hands to do what it wants to do, UNRWA has a mission that keeps it viable…There are less corrupt and less political aid agencies that can replace UNRWA, such as USAID, the World Food Program, and other groups that already have functioning operations in certain Palestinian areas.” Instead of getting them out of refugee status, the UNRWA reinforces it perpetually.
https://jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain/368133/rosners-domain-the-unrwa-obstacle/
17. This is a really important report. Joseph Braude and his Center for Peace Communications (CPC) is creating a “Voices From Gaza” project, to see what people on the ground are actually thinking if given the chance. Because there certainly is nothing free about the press there. So they are interviewing people in Gaza, and getting some fascinating insight. “The civilians’ rebuke of Hamas contradicts both the extreme-left perception that the terror group’s murderous “resistance” is an expression of the will of the Palestinian people, and the idea held by some on the far right that there are no innocent people in Gaza and everyone is affiliated in one way or another with the terror group.” It seems reasonable to say that Israel really IS trying to “Free Palestine”….from Hamas:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-covert-interviews-gazan-civilians-rail-against-hamas-for-wrecking-their-lives/
18a. I don’t think anyone has consistently been in my column as much as Fern Reiss. Week after week, she provides such great and clear journalism. This is about Rafah. Should Israel be there right now? Most of their allies including the US certainly aren’t happy about it. But the rescue of two hostages and the constant finding of Hamas paraphernalia under schools continues to back up the idea that they need to be there. “Wall Street Journal notes: “Rafah is the last bastion of Hamas, and its militants are sheltering among civilians there, according to Israel.” We know they are there, we know hostages are there, let’s just hope whatever they need to do can happen quickly:
https://fernmusing.substack.com/p/war-day-130-rafah-and-beyond
18b. I like the comparison. Fern compares Iran and its proxies, to parents and their progeny. In other words, if your kids break it, you buy it. We are not naive to the fact that Iran has sponsored and trained their proxies, to reign terror on the Western world and Israel. These Houthis and other groups are their kids, they should be responsible for their actions. But right now, the world is not holding Iran accountable for the actions of their children:
https://fernmusing.substack.com/p/war-day-131-proxies-and-parenting
18c. Fern with her always-fantastic Sunday round-up, full of news you’ll want to read, with source material linked:
https://fernmusing.substack.com/p/war-day-135-sunday-news-roundup
19. Hillel Fuld shares a poem by Howard Klineberg, about Jews getting nothing but silence from the world when being attacked, but being anything but silent when we actually fight back. “So World, when you criticize us for defending our heritage and our ancestral homeland, we the Jews of the world do exactly what you did, we ignore you.”
https://twitter.com/HilzFuld/status/1757752107820564899
20a. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib has told us the tragic story of his innumerable family members who have been killed, and yet his continued efforts to find balance in his critiques of both sides. He has bridged friendships that to most people would not even be possible, including with me. And here, he tells his amazing story of coming to the United States:
https://twitter.com/afalkhatib/status/1757213660194484529?t=rIfzDYVvPSgsNaYeeZTrFQ&s=08
20b. Ahmed writes a fascinating thread, about the Hamas base found underneath the UNRWA headquarters. Yet another example of Hamas endangering their citizens, and taking all money, and diverting it for their own agenda against Israel. “Hamas specifically and deliberately placed this base underneath the UN agency’s primary administrative building in Gaza because it knew the Israeli military would not strike the compound, which is currently still standing despite being surrounded by largely destroyed buildings — proving Hamas right…Iran and Hezbollah have helped Hamas significantly in developing and expanding its intelligence and counterintelligence (CI) capabilities for use against Israel but, more damningly, against Gazans and opposition to the Islamist group’s oppressive rule.”
He explains how people would hear and feel the digging underground, but were threatened or paid to not say anything. And the work to build those tunnels came via cheap labor.
https://twitter.com/afalkhatib/status/1756553224386228611
20c. This update is tremendous. It covers SO much ground, and all of it is interesting. As I’ve said to Ahmed on the phone, in texts, and on X, I have tremendous respect for him being so utterly reasonable, given the damage that has been wrought on his own family. I cannot and would not even want to imagine myself in his situation, nor how I would feel. But I do not assume I would have his fortitude, nor desire to build as many bridges as he maintains. He has family members still stuck in the Amal hospital at Khan Younis. I wish and pray for them to be safely evacuated, and hope my post reaches the right eyes and ears as a result. He also gives his takes on Hamas, Lebanon, potential Palestinian leadership, and antisemitism. So many things in one post, I strongly recommend it:
https://twitter.com/afalkhatib/status/1758188036184293712
20d. Read the post by Ahmed, and this comment by IDF Spokesman Peter Lerner. My goodness. Ahmed passionately explains how tragic it is that the Palestinians didn’t get a state many decades ago, and although he ascribes some fault on Israel, he focuses on the many things that the Palestinian leadership completely screwed up, thus dooming his people to be permanent refugees:
https://twitter.com/LTCPeterLerner/status/1758940522717077628
21. Great article by Yaara Segal, shifting the focus away from Hamas for a moment, and putting a magnifying glass to Fatah and the PA. If they are who we expect to take over after Hamas, then can we at least get an honest look at their track record. “The Palestinian leadership’s failure to hold general elections for the past two decades is…a solid indication of the PA’s incapability to evolve.” If America and much of the world are expecting a “revitalized PA” to take over, the question is, what does that actually mean, and is that even possible to expect?
The problem starts at the top, and that’s Abbas. He is well aware of his dismal support by the people, and he is finding any way he can for decades to avoid elections. “If the Americans are expecting the Palestinians to hold general elections in the upcoming weeks or months, they will be sorely disappointed. If they believe that Abbas and his team in Ramallah are going to wake up one morning and make a 180-degree turn and introduce real changes to Palestinian governing bodies, they are gravely mistaken. Abbas wants to maintain a tight grip on the PA, and he is well aware that democratic, economic, and administrative reforms would undermine his standing and empower his political rivals and opponents.” Changes to the PA are going to need to be made with a hammer, not a paintbrush, and time will tell if Israel’s allies will be patient enough to actually see that through:
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-785979
22a. Kylie Ora Lobell writes a JJ cover story about Jewish singer Matisyahu, who’s taken quite a journey during his almost twenty years of fame. Over a decade ago, he became less religious, and shaved his famous beard. But when push has come to shove, he keeps getting back to his Jewish roots. In 2015, he stood up to the BDS pressure in Spain, and refused to cowtow. And after October 7th, he has been back to Israel, and standing up against antisemitism.
He expresses a similar sentiment to John Ondrasik (in my aforementioned interview), when he is frustrated that more artists and singers haven’t stood up for Israel. Especially Jewish ones. ““They won’t speak up and it’s sad and unfortunate, but I don’t necessarily blame them because I see them as ignorant and victims of this society we live in right now that’s convinced them that the Jewish people and Israelis are perpetrators,” he said. “For those people, it’s really sad and unfortunate, and it sucks for us, but for the Jewish people that have been to Israel and know the land and people and have a connection with it and aren’t using their voices, I assume they’re scared. That is frightening because it feels like Nazi Germany.”
https://jewishjournal.com/cover_story/367929/singing-for-his-people/
22b. I enjoy seeing Mayim Bialik continuing to show up for us. She, Dr. Michael Berenbaum and Rabbi Noah Farkasgiver a talk about antisemitism. Mayim discusses her own fears. “The actress said she does Zoom calls with other Jewish celebrities like Noa Tishby and Sacha Baron Cohen and they talk about how to stay safe in this heated environment, when they receive so much hatred for supporting Israel or for simply being Jewish. “Jewish celebrities do talk outside of the public sphere because they are terrified,” she said.”
https://jewishjournal.com/community/367567/milken-hosts-talk-on-antisemitism-featuring-mayim-bialik-rabbi-noah-farkas-and-dr-michael-berenbaum/
23a. I do love getting into the writing and brain of my friend Tabby Refael. She flips the script, and tells us to stop focusing on all of the negative hatred we get about Israel. We already know that, many hate us, they remind us daily. But along with that negative energy seems to be massive amounts of positive passion that we give each other. Look at the all of the outpouring of love we have banded together with, and sent packages, prayers and even ourselves to Israel. “Are there any WhatsApp worldwide chats that are filled with the sole mission of coordinating 24-hour prayers on behalf of any other country? Is there the equivalent of a Jewish Tehillim (Psalms) group on WhatsApp or social media, exclusively for Catholics, that is solely devoted to assigning prayers to average people, from Peru to Madrid, rather than to clergy, on behalf of the safety and flourishing of The Vatican?” She point out that other protests are against us, hating us, anti-Israel and the like. Our protests are not anti anything but hate. We are pro-Israel, and all about flowering support on those who need it thousands of miles away:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/367937/what-if-israel-is-the-most-loved-country-on-earth/
23b. In my previous “Chosen Links” column, I got into great detail about recent city council meetings being bombarded with anti-Israel sentiment, and calls for ceasefires against Israel but not Hamas. Tabby alludes to the many places this has been happening, from California to Chicago. She then pivots, and reminds us of the love and support we are getting from Beverly Hills. Just as with her previous column, we cannot just focus on the negative, of which is there is plenty, we have to appreciate and embrace the positive. Here in Southern California, we have a city that is proudly embracing Israel and Jewry.
On the lawn of the Beverly Hills City Hall an installation of 1,400 Israeli flags were put up. “Maintaining the flag installation as a safe space includes the presence of 24-hour security, a real-time, around-the-clock watch center, drones and even signs describing the area as a sacred place. The city has a zero tolerance for “anything that’s illegal,” according to Bosse. “That was key. We will never cower; we will provide a safe space for others to walk by that sacred space,” she said.” I will loudly and proudly say thank you to the city, and to its mayor Lili Bosse:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/368179/why-more-american-jews-should-thank-the-city-of-beverly-hills/
24a. Dan Schnur talks about the possibility that a mutually beneficial solution could present itself for both Biden AND Netanyahu. Does Bibi really want to have his decades-long legacy be left with the bitter taste of October 7th, as well as his legal woes? Coming up with a 2-state solution right now does not seem like a win/win for Israel, but what if there was a way to achieve a greater peace in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia? Could that be the final thing he does? Certainly Biden has every incentive to get it done for his own political purposes. But the Saudis seem to be putting any deal as dependent on a 2-state solution, so does that kill it?
“It’s tempting to summarily dismiss the possibility of Netanyahu even considering such a proposal. But first consider a few potentially relevant factors to keep him from rushing to a decision. Constructive negotiations along these lines could hasten the end of the war, which would not only benefit the safety and security of the Israeli people, but also allow their flagging economy to rebound. It also seems like the most plausible path for a release of the remaining hostages, whose time in captivity could otherwise continue indefinitely. Both would accrue mightily to Netanyahu’s immediate political benefit. But a Saudi deal would also lay the groundwork for his grand finale, allowing him to leave the stage as the leader who brought long-awaited peace to Israel. All the ugliness of the last few years would become barely-mentioned footnotes, and Netanyahu would get to tell his story the way he believes it should be told.” This might just be wishful thinking, but if the first step is motive, then that should be there without question:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/367939/bibis-legacy/
24b. The previous article is an interesting segway for Schnur to discuss these two leaders butting heads and interests. Biden is increasing his public frustration and rhetoric against Israel, and most specifically Netanyahu. And we have been watching this happen like a simmering volcano, knowing long ago that every step of support given to Israel, erodes another chunk of Biden’s Progressive voters. And election season is nigh.
“The Gaza war has taken on almost symbolic value to Biden’s progressive detractors, who seem to be channeling their frustration with the president’s pace of action on immigration policy, climate change, police reform and other liberal priorities into far more confrontational protest against him on the Middle East. Biden needs these voters in November, and since he is not about to abandon Israel altogether, a two-state solution might give him the ability to square that political circle. But Netanyahu, whose poll numbers have dropped precipitously since Oct. 7, clearly sees a significant political benefit in being seen by the Israeli people as leading the resistance to an international call for a Palestinian state. More than three-quarters of war-scarred Israelis oppose a two-state solution, and Netanyahu regards his leadership of that opposition as a key to his political survival.” If this is a game of Chicken, it may be the inevitable elections that casts the final vote:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/368146/are-bibi-and-biden-heading-for-a-showdown/
25. Josh Feldman gives the perspective that no matter how much international pressure is applied to make peace, Israel simply will not stop until they dismantle Hamas, and release the hostages. “Israelis are well aware of the consequences of occupying another people. Israeli mothers don’t want their children risking their lives standing at West Bank checkpoints or raiding Palestinian homes in the middle of the night. But as long as they view it as necessary to guarantee their safety, no amount of international pressure can force them to act otherwise. When, despite Israeli security fears, outsiders insist on working toward Palestinian statehood, they come across to Israelis as either naive about the Middle East, indifferent to Israeli safety, or both.” Israelis constantly straddle the fine line between not caring about international pressure, and actually needing to care. The next few months will be quite telling:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/367845/nows-not-the-time-to-talk-about-a-palestinian-state/
26. Daniel Kaufman wants to help Israel win back the PR war, which we have been losing for as long as I can remember. His 3-point plan includes, “Never approximate our statistics and casualties”. Even I am guilty of this, saying things like “approximately 1200 were killed” instead of the more powerful 1,228 he calculates. “Lean on the generalized nature of Hamas’s statistics”. I’ve brought this up many times before, the numbers their “Ministry” provides are a mile past flawed. “Change the dialogue”. Don’t be on the defensive when we are being attacked, shine a spotlight on the lies being told. “Our job as defenders of Israel is to redirect the conversation.”
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-pr-war-3-points-for-the-state-of-israel-and-everyone-else/
27. Honestly I found this to be interesting and kind of a fun read. The history of why our American elections are held on the “Tuesday following the first Monday in November.” Because now that is affecting the timeline on American pressure on Israel, so Rafael Medoff takes a look at the history of Election Day.
“Why November? America was largely agrarian in the early 1800s. Spring and early summer were the planting season, so farmers were too busy to vote. Same for late summer and early fall, when harvesting took place. The choice of November was a way to squeeze in electing the president between picking cucumbers and the first signs of frost. Why Tuesday rather than another day? Once again, agricultural considerations. Many farmers brought their crops to market on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays. So lawmakers decided Tuesday would make sense for voting.” Really cool info:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/367888/should-israels-fate-be-decided-by-a-u-s-law-from-1845/
28. Dr. Sheila Nazarian talks about the problems with DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), and suggests we adopt the model DTALE (Diversity of Thought and Life Experience). “Many of DEI’s most vocal critics, including myself, make these arguments precisely because we understand the enriching effect of diversity—but diversity in its true form, as a mosaic of varied and unique personal histories from all walks of life, not the DEI form, which diminishes diversity to an “Oppression Olympics” judged only through race and progressive politics.” Wheras she explains that DTALE is, “the precise opposite of DEI because it emphasizes the value of a wide spectrum of opinions and political persuasions, rather than dictatorially enforcing the value of a single strain of progressive thought and discarding any dissenting beliefs.” She also gives a brief version of her family’s last minute escape from Iran, just before her father was to be murdered by the regime:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/367867/dtale-can-replace-dei/
29. Thane Rosenbaum explains the fractures and divisions between groups of Jews, Muslims and Democrats, are “leading to disasters because the wrong factions of each seem to have the upper hand, and louder voice.” Biden has been overwhelmingly supportive (even now that he’s throwing criticism across the seas) but how long will that last? “A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed referred to the Muslim enclave of Dearborn — Squad member Rashida Tlaib’s congressional district—as “America’s Jihad Capital…That doesn’t mean that Dearborn is a hotbed of terrorist activity. But neither is it necessarily Islamophobic to express concern when local Muslim clerics are invoking the same death chants as the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza and the Ayatollahs of Iran.” This headline-grabbing description caused controversy, but what should be causing at least half the conversation is not the choice to label it that way, but the activity and speeches being reported from there. If even half of it is true, then there is a tremendous amount of support for Hamas and jihadism within that state, no matter how you dress it:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/367973/houses-hopelessly-divided/
30. Noam Schimmel lectures at UC Berkeley, and boy are there a lot of anti-Israel things to report. One lecturer after another after another, each removed and uninvited, when students find out that they are, gasp, Zionists. “Dan Kalb, a progressive environmental advocate and longtime Oakland City Council member, had been invited to address a course called Environmental Problem Solving, something he’d done in previous years. However, after October 7 some students searched his social media posts. Thirty students then sent a letter to the instructor accusing Kalb of “spreading pro-Israeli propaganda, which often equates pro-Palestinian voices as ‘antisemitic.’” The instructor regretfully indicated it would be best if Kalb not come…“If someone wants to go speak about climate change — they are an expert on climate change — what the hell does Israel or Zionism have to do with that?” Kalb said. “Why not put a yellow star on our sleeve? How about we do that too?” I wish I could say this is the only example given of this happening in Berkeley, but it’s one of several:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/367974/disinvited-excluded-discriminated-against-jews-at-uc-berkeley/
31. A truly fascinating man and story. Micha Koubi recently spoke about him time interrogating the notorious Yahya Sinwar. This was years ago, when he was imprisoned, before being part of the huge prisoner release for Gilad Shalit. Koubi explains that he warned not to release Sinwar, as he saw him as truly evil, and capable of doing great continuous harm. “He gave us information but also promised, ‘I will be released and at the right time and when I’ll be ready, I will enter Israeli communities with my soldiers and we will kidnap, rape and murder your people, we will do everything.’ He wasn’t ashamed and spoke about it proudly.” Koubi believes that Sinwar is responsible for the majority of the October 7th atack. Ayala Or-el reports:
https://jewishjournal.com/community/367977/micha-koubi-former-idf-special-forces-member-lectures-on-hamas/
32. Matthew Schultz writes a really interesting piece. He is in Israel, and finds out that he has been paying dues, as part of a coexistence group between Jews and Muslims. He goes to it looking for a renewed wish of hope and optimism. What he finds is mostly a room full of people with positive sentiments, full of hope, but without any real plan to get from A to Z. “But while the crowd was high on energy, the speakers were low on substance. They talked about ending the war, but had as little to say about the day after the war as Netanyahu. What mattered to them was that the fighting stopped, but no one had anything to say about the inevitable implications of an immediate ceasefire. Would Hamas return to power? Would they start planning their next Oct. 7? Would the people of the Gaza envelope be able to return to their homes? Would we just end up in another war in two years? Nothing. Just vague calls for “a new way forward.” Fascinatingly, he finishes not with a deeper spiral of hopelessness, but rather choosing to appreciate that there are those in the world who choose to see the good in each other, even if we can’t see that through their eyes:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/368182/on-losing-faith-in-peace/
33. Nate Miller has a communications firm in LA called Miller Ink. He frequently speaks to influencers and celebrities, and consequently gets insight into the culture of celebrities. He decries the years of us failing to advocate for Israel, and losing the PR war. But he does see strong signs that moving forward, things are going to improve. “The shock and horror of Hamas apologists and propagandists taking over our schools, streets, and institutions in the wake of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust has sparked a surge of activism, energy and conviction like I have not seen in 20 years in this space. Since Oct. 7, I’ve been flooded with inquiries from college students and professionals eager to figure out how they can make a difference for Israel and the Jewish people full-time. In many cases, they are looking to give up lucrative careers in tech or law or finance to do so.” I certainly hope he’s right, and things just had to get worse before they get better:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/368154/oct-7-exposed-a-decades-long-failure-in-israel-advocacy-the-coming-years-will-be-very-different/
34. Gil Troy continues to be awesome, and continues to feed my starved need for optimism. He coaches us to try to filter out the noise. The noise of the Squad members and their followers who scream chants against Israel. The noise of our own sliver of Jews, who chant with Susan Sarandon for a ceasefire, but say nothing about Hamas. “Focus on the overwhelming majority of the American people still appalled by October 7, who understand that the only way to prevent another calamity is by crushing Hamas militarily. These are the Silenced Majority, who feel pro-Israel but don’t quite know how to show their support. Call them the Fetterpeople – people like Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senator, John Fetterman, who refuse to let illiberal liberals ruin genuine liberalism with their anti-Zionist agenda. And these are the patriots who notice that the pro-Palestinians merge their anti-Americanism with their Anti-Zionism.” Thank you Gil, it’s time to focus less on the negativity, and more on how to activate the potential allies we have already sitting around us:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/368155/american-jews-must-mobilize-americas-silenced-pro-israel-majority/
35. Judy Gruen is an accomplished author, having written several books, and has thus seen the publishing industry without its makeup, warts and all. She speaks my love language, and discusses this via the Oscar nominated comedy “American Fiction”. In the movie, the intelligent author, who happens to be black, only finds success accidentally, by playing into the tropes of what is expected by a Black Writer. She felt kinship with the frustrated, fictitious character on the screen. “While Jewish authors publish loads of books each year, I’ve noticed that most hew to genres “acceptable” to mainstream publishers. Holocaust novels still sell, yet few Jewish novels or memoirs grapple with what it means to be a practicing Jew in secular society today. Religious Jewish life had been expected to die along with the six million in the Holocaust, yet the opposite happened. Religious Jewish life has flourished in astounding ways, changing the face of modern Jewry. Outside of Orthodox book publishing, these important stories have gone wanting.” She also explains how anti-Zionist attitudes have pervaded the book industry, leading to cancelations, review-bombing, and other things negatively affecting careers:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/368181/jewish-writers-must-defy-the-publishing-industrys-narrow-genres/
36. Continuing the theme of Oscar-nominate films, Suzanne Socken discusses “The Zone of Interest”. In an unusual move, the film follows the life of a Nazi commander, and his family. I warn that this article discusses many of the details of the film, and as such I recommend watching it before reading. But without spoiling anything, Socken concludes, “The film suggests that, while it is easier than we might imagine to ignore evil in real time, it is even easier to forget those evils once they slip quietly into the shadows of history. And that is when “Never Again” becomes “Now.”
https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/film/368183/the-zone-of-interest-and-the-peril-of-banality/
37. Shout out to Hillel Neuer and UN Watch, who I have written so much about. He exposed the UNRWA fiasco after a hot tip by Eitan Fischberger, and Hillel deservedly has a cover story in this most recent Jewish Journal. Karen Lehrman Bloch takes us through his accomplished life, and excellently reports:
https://jewishjournal.com/cover_story/368185/why-the-un-hates-this-man/
38. Michael Oren has years of history as the Israeli Ambassador to America, and he writes a pretty scathing article about the world, INCLUDING America’s condescending theory of “linkage”. In a nutshell, he explains that it is the concept of blaming all of the woes of the Middle East on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Furthermore, it shoves most, if not all of the blame on Israel and its settlements. He mentions Obama, Kerry, and Condoleezza Rice as all subscribing to this attitude.
“A half million Syrians could be massacred in recent years, hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and Sudanese can be killed, but for the disciples of linkage Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians remains the nucleus. Forget, too, that the signing of the Abraham Accords without the creation of a Palestinian state definitively disproved linkage. That dogma, defying all logic and flying in the face of thirty years of facts, calls to mind another irrational, myth-based belief: Jew-hatred. For what is antisemitism but the insistence on saddling the Jews with the responsibility for all of society’s ills, plagues, and wars? Similarly, by regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict as the nub of all Middle Eastern violence, and the Jewish state as that conflict’s core, linkage is itself linked to the world’s oldest hatred.” As I said, a scathing, and fascinating take:
https://claritywithmichaeloren.substack.com/p/the-core-conflict-and-the-jews
39. David Daoud, of the FDD (Foundation for Defense of Democracies) watches the speech by Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, and gives us his informed takeaways. “Primary takeaway: Hezbollah won’t cease fire on the southern front w/o a ceasefire in Gaza. Second takeaway: Israel’s recent strikes on Hezbollah/Hamas leadership has them rattled, and they’re advising to take precautions. Third takeaway: Lebanon, Hezbollah are coordinating positions on ceasefire talks and demands.” He also provides the speech itself, with his translation:
https://twitter.com/DavidADaoud/status/1757418227188060387
40a. Salo Aizenberg, of HonestReporting, explains in this thread how NGOs and media are decrying Israel’s incursion in Rafah war crimes violating the Geneva Convention. He then gives blow by blow why that’s utter nonsense. “In an effort to save Hamas, fake NGOs are warning of war crimes in Rafah in advance. What is notable is that NGOs & UN never cite which specific Geneva law is being violated – because they are making it up.” His work is indispensable:
https://twitter.com/Aizenberg55/status/1757420666075115550
40b. Aizenberg also uses this thread to trash the report by so called “Amnesty”, that Israel had no business entering Rafah, and that they are targeting civilians. “That’s all the evidence fake NGO Amnesty can muster in trash report devoid of one shred of verifiable evidence that these were not military targets when hit in Dec & Jan. Amnesty never assesses that maybe Hamas used these sites for attacks, weapons, hideouts, tunnels etc.” It must be an exhausting job having to defend Israel against so many organizations, especially when they don’t even pretend to see both sides:
https://twitter.com/Aizenberg55/status/1757776004653682957
41. Elad Simchayoff, from Channel 12 News, breaks a truly deflating story. A film festival was planned in Barcelona. The owner was proudly going to host, and believes in showing cultural diversity. However, protests got so bad, that he feared for the safety of his business, employees, and family. Here is a portion of the owner’s letter. “As you can imagine it was not a conversation… My family and workers are afraid of the consequences…As you know, I didn’t want to cancel the festival, so for us is very important the defense of the cultural diversity. But the price that we are going to pay is too high. And the most important… I see no future. Next year will be the same thing and the next too.” See the thread by Elad for full details:
https://twitter.com/Elad_Si/status/1757757535325442251
42. Jonathan Freedland writes for The Guardian, and expresses that even if you disagree with Israel, the way people take it out on JEWS around the world is pure antisemitism. “More deeply, they hold to the idea that…the Jewish people need one place, a haven, where they can govern, and defend, themselves…Too few are willing to concede that, whatever actions they take, diaspora Jews will feel the consequences too…It comes with an extra layer of dread: the knowledge that we will be blamed.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/16/jews-uk-attack-palestine-antisemitism-labour-britain
VIDEOS:
1. This is truly distressing to watch. State Senator Scott Wiener is Jewish, and has shown his support in politics for Israel. Want to know the personal consequences? Watch this compilation of aggressive, loud and proud harassment of him, on the street, at the airport, and everywhere he goes. Disgusting how many people cross lines, and common decency boundaries these days:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3Qvc48NONj/
2a. Did you watch the Superbowl commercial about antisemitism yet? It’s sad that it’s needed, but as every poll shows, if you’re Jewish, you’re likely experiencing more antisemitism than any time in your life. Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, has created an organization called Stand Up To Jewish Hate, which has produced some powerful commercials. None a higher profile than this of course.
Dr. Clarence Jones was the attorney and draft speechwriter to MLK. I will separately share a great video conversation between these two older men. But here is the commercial, which some criticize as “All Lives Matter” and taking away part of the Jewish spotlight. But if you watch it in the context of their other videos, and given Dr. Jones being part of it, I think it’s wonderful.
Thank you Miha Schwartzenberg for posting the correct one:
https://twitter.com/mihaschw/status/1756856433910411485
2b. This is what is being mistakenly shared as the Superbowl commercial. It is also from Stand Up to Jewish Hate, but it’s from almost a year ago. Worth seeing, but isn’t the commercial that’s causing much of the chatter:
https://youtu.be/2R1ZVygVHwk
2c. Now having watched those, please take in this fantastic discussion between Kraft and Jones. I loved every second of it. Two older men, from different backgrounds, brought together by their frustration at the hatred and silence they are witnessing complicit around the world. Dr. Clarence Jones was on the front lines with Martin Luther King, and wrote the first few paragraphs of his most famous speech. He speaks about how he walked around talking to the white people protesting alongside them, and that the vast majority were Jews who had lost family in the Holocaust. He told MLK, the white people might look alike, but there are huge differences that separate some from the pack.
Jews have always been an “other”, even when we look white. And Dr. Jones says that without the Jewish community there would never have been success for their civil rights efforts. He discusses the Rabbis and individuals who played crucial roles, and how he saw it all. And now he is sickened by the rise in antisemitism around the world. Well worth the watch:
https://youtu.be/0qMs-MVyclI
3. Wow, did this really happen? Before the Superbowl, the State of Israel paid for a commercial to air during the big game. So in Israel, during the game, this commercial aired, about bringing the dads home who are held hostage. By the end of the game, two fathers were rescued. Marina Medvin reveals this:
https://twitter.com/MarinaMedvin/status/1756897549556891771
4. I shared a clip from this last week, but now got the chance to watch the entire thing, and I definitely recommend it. Douglas Murray has been a truly inspiring ally throughout the war, for us who care about Israel. He has been on the front lines almost the entire time, other than briefly going home for Christmas.
Douglas is usually battling it out in interviews, where he has a very caustic wit, and can come across obnoxious, and clever. This was great because you see a softer side of him, in a non hostile environment where he just gets to talk, and no arguments are needed. He is so inspired by the youth of Israel stepping up. He’s so disgusted by the reporting by other media, who aren’t even on the ground when criticizing what’s happening. A good interview performed by Michael Dickson, from StandWithUs Israel:
https://www.youtube.com/live/qbViCdykqXo
5. I also bring this wonderful organization up in my Spotlight this week. 2024NewVoices encourages, and brings in celebrities and influencers, to show their public support against antisemitism. Founded by Samantha Ettus, in collaboration with not only Ginnifer Goodwin, but also Debra Messing, Mandana Dayani and Brett Gursky – this group has added so many new faces of both Jews and allies speaking up. If we care about reaching the younger generations, then things like this are crucial. We need artists to reach followers of the arts. We need positive influencers, to reach those being negatively influenced:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2cyWlgxybV/
6. I’ve shared posts from Shai Da multiple times, but this is the first time I was able to WATCH him speak. He’s been the one voice speaking up loudly among the hatred in Columbia University, and he keeps shining a light on their actions and silence over antisemitic acts and hate speech. As he says during this speech, he thinks Palestinians should have a right to their own self determination and home, but SO DO ISRAELIS, and the biggest problem today, is the number of people who don’t believe Israel has a right to even exist anymore. It’s come to that level of extreme. He may be scared, but he gives a good speech to the crowd at the university:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3WcH3-tglb/
PODCASTS:
1. This comes straight out of Israel, in English, and it reminds me in a strange way of Only Murders in the Building. Because these are not people who were friends; they are neighbors in Tel Aviv, who got together after literally meeting ON October 7th, to start their own form of journalism. Check out Amy Sapan and Dor Komet in their “October 7” podcast. It’s funny, it’s sad, and it’s real:
https://pod.link/1711919631
2a. Rabbi Leo Dee is a marvel. I’ve shared one of his interviews in the past, and I continue to be astounded by his clarity, compassion, and even optimism. It is amazing when you realize this man had his family torn from him in the most savage and brutal way, exactly 6 months prior to October 7th. Yes on April 7, 2022, his wife and two daughters were murdered in a terrorist attack. Today he finds a way NOT to be blinded by hatred, as most of us would likely be in such a hellish scenario, but to clearly explain what’s happening in Israel, and what needs to happen. He feels that peace can be achieved.
Here I share a wonderful thread extrapolated from his podcast with Humanitypov:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3QR819NbmS/
2b. I encourage you to listen to the 1 hour podcast itself. It is between Rabbi Dee and Dr. Azi Jankovic, a great pairing:
https://humanitypov.buzzsprout.com/2299414/14434821-leo-dee-unwra-trained-terrorists-murdered-my-wife-and-daughter-now-here-s-what-we-need-to-do-about-it
3. Phyllis Zimbler Miller has a very helpful and interesting episode of her Never Again podcast. This time Dr. Michael Berenbaum gives Phyllis an updated analysis of the war. He astutely says that the more Hamas is pushing for a ceasefire, the closer we know Israel must be to achieving success of neutralizing them. He also discusses how countries including Egypt, continue to say what they want privately, and it’s VERY different from what they say publicly.
There is also talk about the division in the Israeli government, and the division in the American government, impacting everything including aid being conditional to other things. He discusses Ukraine, and the four Hamas battalions in Rafah. Even the weather and its impact on the war is mentioned. A helpful update:
https://youtu.be/wJEh8USZ_nQ
SPOTLIGHT:
I still picture the actress Ginnifer Goodwin as the youngest wife in “Big Love” (shout out to the late, great, Bill Paxton!). Others commonly know her as Snow White from “Once Upon a Time” But I’m going to have to alter my association with her to a proud Jewish woman, unafraid to speak up when most do not.
She spoke up for Jewish women who were raped. She spoke up against antisemitism. She helps bring in new celebrities to speak up for the cause, on 2024NewVoices:
https://www.instagram.com/2024newvoices
She even just showed off her Bat Mitzvah photos. It’s such a great page to follow, and I’m proud to Spotlight her this week:
Follow Ginnifer Goodwin here:
https://www.instagram.com/ginnifergoodwin
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
My friend Daniella Platt has a cousin who was tragically killed, and the family now asks that people help contribute to setting up a library in his memory, in Kiryat Arba, to honor his love of reading.
I asked Daniella to tell us a little something about him.
“My cousin’s son, Ori Shani, was on active duty on Oct 7th. He went to replenish ammunition after a life-saving battle, and was hit by a grenade. He saved so many lives. Ori saw Hamas Training, possible breaches in the fence, feared an attack was imminent, and reported his concerns. This makes the tragedy all the more infuriating. Ori was the “baby of the Shani family” and he leaves behind a little baby of his own. I asked the family how I could help. This was what they came up with”.
Please have a look, and consider any donation to establish this library, and keep his memory alive:
https://giveback.co.il/project/77626
PayPal Yishai1989@gmail.com
For more information, or to meet the family, you can email Daniella at daniella.platt@gmail.com
ON A LIGHTER NOTE:
1. This short is fabulous! Ari Frenkel writes, directs and stars in “The Jews!”, a short she released a few months ago, and I somehow missed until now. It’s a man wandering the streets and experiencing Jew hatred, and it walks the fine line of a serious topic, but done funny, yet elegantly. It also makes its points clearly, without hitting you on the head with it. Just an overall very good short, on an excellent topic. Great job Ari!
https://youtu.be/FZau4VfmVg0
2. Oh how I enjoy the Lewis Black levels of angry yelling, with our pissed off representative Michael Rappaport. He created a commercial for Lifeshiftr.com, and claims this was supposed to be a Superbowl ad, I believe only released on the internet. It’s a great plug to bring the hostages home, paid for by The Hostages and Missing Families Forum. He acts calm when it starts, but fear not, you’ll get the Michael you know and love:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3GBt7htdso/
3. I showed this clip to my nephew a month ago, and it holds up really well. Amy Schumer created this sketch for her last season of her show. “Workplace Harassment”, a setup we have seen hilariously on “The Office”, and it goes into full-on Jew-harassment mode. This is long before October 7, it brings up what we see to be so true today, everyone can be triggered by the slightest affronts, but if a Jewish person takes offense at antisemitism, they are being oversensitive. The results here are hilarious:
https://youtu.be/GSXAunl-AsM
4a. What do Judy Blume and Hamas have in common? The Daily Brine just hilariously and perversely connected them:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3V8lV3NirB/
4b. Oh snap, America, you got served:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3XdTxNtVdU/
5. Here “Lyle Culpepper” joins Susan Sarandon in singing for a ceasefire. The best way to achieve peace is with a globalized intifada. 😂
Oh, and happy birthday to Lyle’s alter ego L.E. Staiman. Or is it the other way around…
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3a2HK5LZ_4/
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
1a. The American Jewish Committee (AJC) completed their national survey at the end of last year. So the events of October 7th already were in play. They once again got responses from both American Jews, and the general American public, and compared the data. The good news is that the general public is increasingly aware of the antisemitism here. The bad news is… Antisemitism is only getting worse.
This site is quite user friendly, and you can look at the results from both surveys, the comparisons, and read their analysis:
https://www.ajc.org/AntisemitismReport2023
1b. Ted Deutsch, the CEO of the AJC, writes a good piece analyzing what needs to come next. “Two things need to happen right now: The White House must appoint a national coordinator to help lead the interagency process that is working to implement the strategy and guarantee that its benchmarks for government and societal action are being met. Simultaneously, Congress must enact legislation to ensure the comprehensive execution of every action item outlined in the strategy to protect Jews in this country.” Less talk, and more action is needed:
https://www.ajc.org/news/the-national-strategy-to-counter-antisemitism-must-be-enforceable-opinion
2. Eitan Fischberger, who brought the UNRWA Telegram story to Hillel Neuer and UN Watch, shares the further headcount of Hamas involvement. “Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reveals that approx. 1,468 UNRWA workers are active in Hamas and PIJ, and 30 of them actively participated in the Oct. 7th massacre.” Photos are shared. This is such a miscarriage of justice that needs to not be brushed off:
https://twitter.com/EFischberger/status/1758528676243628505
3. Some won’t like me sharing anything that shows Israel in anything but a glowing light, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best way to gain trust is to give trust. Nobody is perfect, and that includes Israel. And I appreciate Shayan Sardarizadeh, who reports on fact checking in Middle East reporting. Yes he has found a ton of fabricated and false reports on the anti-Israel side, but it’s important that he also find when there are errors on Israel’s side, even if they were merely from sloppy fact checking, like this:
https://twitter.com/Shayan86/status/1757032141454446758
4. Moustafa Ayad works at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). He reports that ten pages on Facebook that are supposed to be independent news on Islamic countries, are actually “copy-and-paste versions of official Islamic State releases.” Oy:
https://twitter.com/MoustafaAyad/status/1757258485543080415
5a. Hillel Neuer of UN Watch and Eylon Levy, drive this point home. It is not relevant that UNRWA say they vet their members to avoid terrorist organizations. Why? Because they have admitted that they do not consider Hamas a terrorist organization!
https://twitter.com/HillelNeuer/status/1758049397965717709
5b. Great tweet/comment by Alex Zeldin, and look at the backpedaling by the UNRWA, about not calling them a terrorist group:
https://twitter.com/JewishWonk/status/1758196724328222972
WHAT I’M ENJOYING THIS WEEK:
Curb Your Enthusiasm! It’s back, and it’s supposedly its final season, but I REALLY hope that isn’t true. Ever since Seinfeld ended, the fans were treated not long after to the man behind the scenes. We always heard that George Costanza was based on Larry David, and now Larry was front and center. Years could pass between seasons, and we still knew it was coming, and if some were better than other, all would still put smiles on our faces. I need relaxation, to help fuel the fire of my passions. Movies, TV, music, poker, traveling, Dodgers baseball, these are a handful of “trivial” things, that if I didn’t have, I would not be able to do my more important things in life, such as nursing, or…this.
David Suissa discussed this very thing, and even used “Curb” as a prime example of what helps him smile, even when watching reruns:
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/editors-note/367649/the-case-for-wasting-time/
And that’s why I’m actually going to do something I almost NEVER do, and buy merchandise. Apparently there’s gear created by Hamsa Club’s founder Kevin Abner, using the logo of the show, but instead saying “Curb Your Antisemitism”. Just seeing it worn by some Jewish celebrities made me smile, and I’m going to pay it forward and combine what I’m enjoying this week, with my passion, because I don’t mind if the lines get blurred sometimes.
Brian Fishbach reports on the story:
https://jewishjournal.com/community/367744/curb-your-antisemitism-is-in-style-as-tv-series-finale-looms/
And here’s the link where I’m making my purchase:
https://hamsaclub.com/
Boaz Hepner works as a Registered Nurse in Saint John’s Health Center. He moonlights as a columnist, where his focuses are on health, and Israel, including his Chosen Links section of the Journal. He is a Pico/Robertson native, and lives here with his wife Adi, and children Natalia and Liam. He can be found with his family enjoying his passions: his multitude of friends, movies, poker and traveling.
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