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Jewish Journal

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November 4, 2020

Two Thoughts on the Election

Leave a Comment / Commentary, Judaism, Opinion /

I have, consciously and intentionally (and to the dismay of some of my friends and congregants), kept my Facebook page, and certainly my position as congregational rabbi, as non-partisan as possible. I stubbornly but proudly hold on to the notion that we can and must navigate this moment without sloughing off friends and acquaintances and citizens with whom we disagree, vehemently, about the state of all things American. I said in my Yom Kippur sermon that we should dare not descend to the place that assumes that those who support things and people we consider to be unsupportable are either morons or monsters. Our considering them that way has contributed to some of the morass in which we find ourselves.

I am committed to the notion that the synagogue in which I serve will never have a blue/red litmus test for who is counted in a minyan (literally or figuratively), who is treated with respect, and who gets care and attention from the clergy. I keep my thoughts and comments about this slice of American politics within mostly private exchanges with small groups of friends, colleagues, congregants, as I rue the ugly explosions when this material is dealt with on Facebook. I cringe when the phenomenon evokes from so many people (yes, on all sides) some of the very traits, stances, inflexibilities, judgments, and crass disrespect for which they (rather defensibly) critique their opponents.

Having said that, here are two thoughts on our current reality:

1) Fraudulent Votes: I am perplexed at best, outraged at worst, that we are living through a moment in which a sitting U.S. President boldly says that the notion of continuing to count all votes for the first time is, itself, a fraud and an embarrassment. It is possible to posit that recounts and ballot-dumps are real and thus represent a fraud. But if that were happening (it is rather patently not), then it would be fraudulent and an embarrassment. But that is not what the president said or insinuated.

The president said that the counting of the votes itself is fraudulent! He stated, “We were about to win this election…” but then the vote-counters had the audacity to continue to count votes. Yes — and the Yankees were about to win game 5 of the ALDS, and then baseball had the audacity to play the bottom of the 8th inning and Aroldis Chapman had the audacity to throw a clunker to Brosseau. (Too soon?) Yogi Berra was correct, in a totally non-schtick way. It really “ain’t over until it’s over,” and certainly not until all the ballots are counted for the first time. If that said count goes against the candidate I supported and voted for, I will be disappointed and demoralized, but I will accept the will of the people. The very statement that counting votes is fraudulent and an embarrassment to America is, itself, reeking of fraud and irredeemably embarrassing to America.

How did it come to be that saying that every vote should count is an intensely partisan notion? And how do we support a candidate who doubles down on questioning not just the far-fetched notion of true voter fraud, but even the notion that the votes, themselves, should all be counted?

2) Spiritual Resistance: On an entirely different note, praying, today, felt like an act of spiritual resistance. Davening the liturgy felt like traveling an uplifting and prescient archipelago of wisdom from our sages, as if their ability to speak to their moment was also an ability to speak to every moment. Here are a few short examples from my personal davening this morning.

On an entirely different note, praying, today, felt like an act of spiritual resistance.

From the pre-P’sukei D’Zimra rabbinic texts (Peah 1:1): one thing that has no measurement is גמילות חסדים, acts of loving-kindness. To quote my friend and teacher, Rabbi Shai Held, whom I believe was quoting/paraphrasing the Rambam: to act with חסד/hesed, loving-kindness, is to be more gracious and loving to someone than she or he deserves. And there is no limit to the amount of חסד we should put out in the world. Amen.

From just after Birkot HaShahar (morning blessings): we ask that God save/spare us from arrogance and also from evil men. Amen.

From just after that section. ומותר מן הבהמה אין/umotar min ha’adam ayin. Compared to You, God, we have no advantage over the beasts. So much of humanity is folly and nothingness. We are worthless (insert joke here). And, in the next paragraph, אבל אנחנו עמך בני בריתך/aval anahnu amkha b’nei britekha.  We are the people of Your covenant. And so we aspire to rise above our humble nothingness to do something of merit, because we are connected to You. Amen.

From the last of the 13 hermeneutic principles of biblical interpretation of Rabbi Yishmael: imagine two verses (or any entities) that contradict one another. An immovable object against an unstoppable force. Deadlock. Unbreakable tie. A system paralyzingly split. Until, until… another verse comes along and is מכריע / makhria, determinative. For at some point, you must move forward. Even if it is just by one vote. The see-saw always tilts. Amen.

From Psalm 30: בערב ילין בכי, ולבקר רינה/ba’erev yalin bekhi, v’laboker rinah. At night, weeping lingers. By morning, there is some joy. Amen.

The slight, subtle pause that many who lead davening do in the opening verses of Psukei D’Zimra. After the words כי כל אלהי העמים אלילים / ki kol elohei ha’amim elilim (for all the gods of the [other] peoples are [merely] god/idols.) PAUSE. וה׳ שמים עשה/vadonai shamayim asah.  But God created the heavens. Lest we confuse the One God from false divinities. Lest we be seduced into worshipping the wrong one. Amen.

Psalm 100. עבדו את ה׳ בשמחה באו לפניו ברננה/ivdu et hashem b’simha. Worship God with joy. Come before God with exultation. Today. Even today. Especially today. Amen.

From the end of the Ashrei, Psalm 145: קרוב ה׳ לכל קוראיו/karov Adonai l’khol kor’av.  God is close to all who call upon God. But then, a qualifier…לכל אשר יקראהו באמת/l’khol asher yikra’uhu ve’emet.  To all who call upon God with/in truth. Truth matters. Amen.

Maybe the most important one (for me at least), today, as we choose another flawed human to lead us. אל תבטחו בנדיבים בבן אדם שאין לו תשועה/al tivtehu vin’divim, b’ven adam sh’eyn lo teshuah.  Do not put your trust in nobleman, in people who cannot give true salvation. No person is a Messiah. No candidate can offer ultimate salvation. Only the Holy One can. Through us, yes. But through all of us, combined. No one’s candidate is the true savior. Amen.

From Psalm 149: לאסר מלכיהם בזקים ונכבדיהם בכבלי ברזל/lessor malkheihem b’zikim v’nikhb’deyhem v’khavlei barzel.  God binds some kings in shackles and some noble ones in chains of iron. Sometimes, those in authority who abuse it must pay the price. Amen.

From Psalm 150. כל הנשמה תהלל יה/kol haneshama t’hallel yah.  Every soul and breath has the potential to praise God. If we choose it, we can live every moment as a spiritual one, connected to the transcendent. Aiming for transcendent good. And the same potential exists in every person we meet. Amen.

From the Song by the Sea towards the end of Psukei: עזי וזמרת יה ויהי לי לישועה/ozi v’zimrat Yah, vay’hi li lishua.  God is/was my strength and my song, and will be my salvation. Amen.

And the last one, from the first extended blessing before the Barekhu: וכולם מקבלים עליהם על מלכות שמים זה מזה/v’khulam m’kablim aleyhem ol malkhut shamayim ze mizeh. And all of them (the angels, celestial servants) take upon themselves the yoke of the heavens, zeh mizeh, collaboratively, one from the other. ונותנים רשות זה לזה/v’notnim reshut zeh lazeh. And they give one another permission and blessing. They share the spiritual space. The angels modeling for us the hardest thing to do right now. To continue to share spiritual and communal and national space with those we cannot understand, with those who support people and ideas we loathe. To do so without sacrificing our own morals and principles, and also without sacrificing all in life who are activated differently. To do that, בנחת רוח/b’nahat ruah, with a pleasing spirit, is our most vaunted spiritual task. I invite you to attempt to do that with me. Amen.

I thank my spiritual ancestors for their trove, for speaking to me, pushing me, goading me, holding me, and nourishing me across space and time. And for reminding me why I pray.

Take another close look at our liturgy. There’s amazing stuff there.

Wishing love and peace to all. Yes, to all.

Two Thoughts on the Election Read More »

RespectAbility, Ruderman Foundation Joins Disability Activists in Condemning ‘The Witches’ Movie

Leave a Comment / Entertainment, News /

Jewish disability awareness and education organizations RespectAbility and the Ruderman Family Foundation, together with prominent members of the disability community have condemned the depiction of characters in Warner Bros’ remake of “The Witches.” RespectAbility said the use of physical impairments in the characters’ hands in the movie is not only offensive to those with limb differences but can have damaging consequences.

In the film, based on Roald Dahl’s 1983 novel of the same name, Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway), is shown with hands that are similar to the limb abnormality ectrodactyly. Also referred to as “split hand,” it involves the deficiency or absence of one or more central fingers of the hand or foot.

“The decision to make this witch look scarier by having a limb difference – which was not an original part of the plot – has real-life consequences,” RespectAbility’s Vice President, Communications Lauren Appelbaum said. “Unfortunately, this teaches kids that limb differences are hideous or something to be afraid of.”

“The decision to make this witch look scarier by having a limb difference – which was not an original part of the plot – has real-life consequences.” — Lauren Appelbaum

RespectAbility regularly advocates for more authentic portrayals of disabilities on screen as well as the hiring of people with disabilities behind the camera.

Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, also weighed in on the film’s controversy by noting the lack of representation on and off camera. He said the film,”shows the importance of inclusive hiring practices for roles in front and behind the cameras, and for enhancing representation within organizations in the entertainment industry.”

The Jewish organization works closely with studios and frequently calls on actors, directors, writers and executives to work to make Hollywood more inclusive. In January, they wrote an open letter encouraging entertainment leaders to audition more actors with disabilities and cast qualified performers with disabilities, thereby improving their visibility and expanding overall talent pools.

“A diverse and inclusive production team and cast can and should provide important contributions to create a tolerant and accessible environment,” Ruderman added. “It can lead to a filmmaking culture with similar values.”

Writer, director and disability advocate Ashley Eakin said in a statement that mistakes like those in “The Witches” prove that “our voices are needed now more than ever.” Eakin, who has limb differences, recently graduated from RespectAbility’s lab for entertainment professionals with disabilities and said that disabilities are frequently falsely represented in television and film. She said all she is asking for from creatives and executives is to challenge the stereotypes “we have seen for decades, with the hope of building a better culture than the one I grew up in.”

She added, “In Hollywood, there has been a long unfortunate legacy of disfigurement/disabilities being a characteristic of a villain or something scary. But to see it in 2020 – and tacked on something inconsistent with the source material is so disheartening. We have to speak up about these issues because apparently, a large group of people aren’t hearing us.”

British Paralympic swimmer Amy Marren was one of the first to call out Warner Bros. Activist and speaker Nicole Kelly also shared her thoughts on the film. Paralympic Games also condemned the film adding the hashtag #NotAWitch to celebrate and normalize disability.

A petition on change.org titled “We are not monsters: Boycott The Witches remake” was created on Nov. 4 by Marinda Bethay.

“My son has ectrodactyly,” Bethay said.  “He has one finger on each hand and is missing toes on each foot. He’s a great kid. He’s smart, kind, funny, strong-willed and sassy. He’s a regular kid who happens to be missing some digits. What he is not is evil and grotesque. His limb difference does not make him a monstrosity.”  She went on to say, “We have dealt with chronic stares and constant questions since birth, which is now just a fact of life for us… Now I have crippling anxiety about what his peers who have seen this movie might say. Are kids going to point at him in public and call him a witch? ”

In Studio City, Jennifer Manley was looking forward to watching the spooky Halloween movie with her 13-year-old son, Grover. Grover was born without a fully-formed right hand and after hearing about the controversy, she told the Journal she was hesitant to watch.

“I’m second guessing whether we might watch it or not,” Manley said. “The thing about Grover, some of this stuff just goes over his head. He is somebody who is extremely confident and proud of his uniqueness…He thinks so highly of himself he wouldn’t see that movie, ‘The Witches’ and think, ‘Oh I feel bad about myself because of that.’”

Manley added that positive and casual representation can exist and is always nice to see in TV and film. Specifically she noted Season 9 of “The Great British Bake Off” when one of the contestants, Briony Williams, “had a hand similar to Grover’s. It was like ‘Oh, cool. Let’s watch this.”

While Grover may not be aware of the negative impact the film displays, Manley does wonder how it will affect him as he gets older. Still, she said she would rather they watch the film together and discuss the controversy and the movement that came from it so it can be an opportunity to show how things are changing.

“I think it’s so important that we are talking about it and that there is this mobilization. Not only are people saying it is wrong, they are offering solutions,” she said. “People and society can really label disability as ‘bad’ or ‘scary.’ When I look at my son I just see whole. His hand just looks different but it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong. That’s the language we have always worked on.”

According to RespectAbility, Warner Media recently hired a new team to ensure inclusivity. In a statement to Deadline,  Nov. 4 they said, “We the filmmakers and Warner Bros. Pictures are deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in THE WITCHES could upset people with disabilities, and regret any offense caused.”

The studio added, “In adapting the original story, we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the cat-like claws that are described in the book. It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them. This film is about the power of kindness and friendship. It is our hope that families and children can enjoy the film and embrace this empowering, love-filled theme.” 

Anne Hathaway made an apology on Instagram Nov. 5 while also teaming up with The Lucky Fin Project. She also told fans to check out their page and the #NotAWitch hashtag so that others can gain a more inclusive perspective on limb difference.

“I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches,” the actress wrote.

“Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for. As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened.”

She continued: “I particularly want to say I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I’ll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down.”

For the past few years RespectAbility has helped studios by providing consultations on scripts, conducting training for writers, producers, marketing and PR teams, and providing connections to experienced individuals with disabilities ready to work on a film.

Said Appelbaum, “The disability market is valued at $1 trillion, creating opportunity and incentive for the entertainment industry to stop treating disability as a negative but to showcase people with disabilities for what they are fully capable of.”

UPDATE: This story was updated on Nov. 5 to include a statement from the Ruderman Family Foundation and on Nov. 6 to include a statement from Anne Hathaway.

RespectAbility, Ruderman Foundation Joins Disability Activists in Condemning ‘The Witches’ Movie Read More »

RJC Says Trump Won Historic Gain of Jewish Vote in Webinar

Leave a Comment / News, United States /

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) held a post-election webinar on November 4 claiming that President Donald Trump won a historic amount of the Jewish vote for as a Republican on November 3, particularly in Florida.

The webinar, hosted by RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks and National Chairman Norm Coleman, featured pollsters Jon Lerner and John McLaughlin discussing exit polling data. Lerner started with exit polling data from Basswood Research and McLaughlin Associates showing that Trump garnered around 30.5% of the Jewish vote. He said that similar data from The New York Times and Associated Press substantiate their findings.

“No Republican presidential candidate has gotten as high [among Jewish voters] as President Trump did this year since 1988, and in fact, Republicans hit a low point in 1992 with 11% of the vote,” Lerner said. “Four years ago, [Trump] only had 24%, so this is a substantial increase both for President Trump himself as compared to four years ago and by any sort of measure of historical account for Republican presidential performance among Jewish voters, so very gratifying for the RJC and the Trump campaign.”

Lerner added that exit polls showed that Trump won 41% of the Jewish vote in Florida, a state that has a significant Jewish population. Several news outlets have projected that Trump won Florida.

President Donald Trump gestures to Vice President Mike Pence on election night in the East Room of the White House in the early morning hours of November 04, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The McLaughlin Associates polling data showed that the main issue that drove Jewish voters was the character of the candidates at 47.3%, followed by the economy at 20.3%, the COVID-19 pandemic at 19.1% and Israel and foreign policy at 8%.

Of those in the 8% category, Trump won 87% to 6%, Lerner said, declaring that category as “nearly a shutout.” He added that Trump also won 71% to 17% among Jewish voters that cared about the economy, but Biden won overwhelmingly among Jewish voters whose main issues were the pandemic and the character of the candidates.

McLaughlin also pointed out that about a third of eligible Jewish voters voted on Election Day; of those voters, Trump won 51% to 41% among those voters.

about a third of eligible Jewish voters voted on Election Day; of those voters, Trump won 51% to 41% among those voters.

“It was really an important part of the Trump effort that we saw the surge in the last few days of the campaign where we knew if we could get that vote out on Election Day, that the president would win and it was important to him winning Florida,” McLaughlin said. “I know working for Lee Zeldin that it was important for him to get out that vote in New York and I’ve had other candidates win in areas where the president was able to win and they did so standing on the shoulders on President Trump where he either had coattails or he actually built a foundation that he could win.”

During the Q&A, a reporter asked the pollsters about J Street’s exit poll, which showed that 77% of American Jews voted for former Vice President Joe Biden and only 21% voted for Trump. Lerner said that while he hadn’t looked at J Street’s poll, he speculated that J Street undercounted Orthodox Jews in their survey. McLaughlin said the J Street survey had 51% of its demographic as liberal where as the McLaughlin poll only had 41%.

RJC Says Trump Won Historic Gain of Jewish Vote in Webinar Read More »

Mysterious Medieval ‘Escape Tunnel’ Found Beneath Jerusalem Museum (VIDEO REPORT)

Leave a Comment / Israel, News, Wires /

THE MEDIA LINE — Archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious tunnel hidden beneath the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City at the Tower of David Museum that may have been used by Crusader knights to escape during battle.

It is the first time in decades that archaeologists are conducting extensive excavations at the museum, which is currently undergoing a massive $40 million facelift.

Mysterious Medieval ‘Escape Tunnel’ Found Beneath Jerusalem Museum (VIDEO REPORT) Read More »

Hizbullah Delays Formation of Lebanese Government

Leave a Comment / News, Wires, Worldwide /

THE MEDIA LINE — Lebanese President Michel Aoun tasked former prime minister Saad Hariri on October 22 with forming a government, but the powerful Hizbullah movement has been delaying the process.

Hariri, whose previous government resigned a year ago in response to popular protests, obtained the support of a majority in parliament in a recent consultative session. If he succeeds in his mission, he will head his third government since 2009.

Marc Saad, spokesman to the international press for the Christian Lebanese Forces party, told The Media Line that the process of forming a government had not changed in years.

“Hizbullah not only has the biggest role and the biggest say, the organization is literally running the show while watching for the smallest details to ensure its interests are secured,” he said.

“Hizbullah not only has the biggest role and the biggest say, the organization is literally running the show while watching for the smallest details to ensure its interests are secured.”

The delay does not really matter to the decision-makers despite the fact that it is hurting the Lebanese people, who are suffering in their daily lives as Hizbullah pursues a different agenda, Saad explained.

“Even after the apocalyptic bomb explosion of August 4 [in Beirut’s port], Hizbullah didn’t care about time or the goals of the awaited new government. Instead the organization imposed its own conditions and realigned the rules for formation with their expectations,” he said.

“Look at the failed effort of [previous prime minister-designate] Mustapha Adib: Hizbullah was able to secure the Finance Ministry and asked to name other Shia ministers, but Adib refused and resigned,” Saad explained.

Adib, who was nominated to form a government after prime minister Hassan Diab resigned in the wake of the port explosion, was unable to fulfill his mandate due to political divisions and unrest. He returned the mandate to Aoun on September 26.

Last January, Diab formed a government of technocrats after Hariri and his government resigned over the economic protests the previous October.

Saad says Hizbullah will agree to form a government only if it holds the reigns to more than a third of the cabinet, with foreign affairs under its control and the security portfolios under its influence.

“We believe that [a] new government should focus on speedy measures to stem the economic collapse, rebuild Beirut and work on delivering electricity. But the parties involved in the formation of a government are not concerned about these issues,” he stated.”

“We believe that a new government should focus on speedy measures to stem the economic collapse, rebuild Beirut and work on delivering electricity. But the parties involved in the formation of a government are not concerned about these issues.”

Saad added that even if Hariri could affect a particular concession or alliance between the ruling powers, he should have the ability to form a government of technocrats, with a shared vision and goals, as well as the determination to deliver.

“What matters today is the people, and Hizbullah should take its concerns to the parliament, where the sovereign power resides,” he said.

A Hizbullah spokesperson did not respond to repeated inquiries from The Media Line.

Last month, Hariri announced that he would form a cabinet composed of “non-partisan specialists,” in line with a proposal laid out by French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron demanded serious political reforms for Lebanon if he is to head an international group of donor nations tasked with extricating Lebanon from its dire economic condition.

The French president visited Beirut immediately after the devastating port explosion. He returned in early September and announced an initiative, stipulating the formation of a government that would undertake reform according to a specific program in return for financial assistance from the international community.

Imad al-Hout, head of the Islamic Group party’s political office and a former lawmaker, told The Media Line that the process of forming a government came under very complex circumstances. He cited a loss of confidence in the political class “as a result of the accumulation of mismanagement and corruption for many years, which translates into the movement of October 17, 2019.”

He was referring to the nationwide street protests that broke out last fall and led to Hariri’s resignation. Theprotests are also known locally as the “October Revolution.”

Demonstrators initially took aim at the proposed implementation of taxes on gasoline, tobacco and VoIP calls on apps such as WhatsApp. However, they quickly turned their attention toward the entire political system, as well as at Iran, the patron of Hizbullah.

Hout says that the priority of the coming government should be to restore the confidence of citizens while dealing with the economic situation through a group of ministers who are competent, have clean hands and work according to a clear program of reforms.

“What is happening now is the opposite of that,” he stated.

“We are witnessing a clear effort by the Lebanese political forces to form a government according to the logic of quotas divided among them,” he said, referring to Lebanon’s deeply entrenched sectarian political system.

“We are witnessing a clear effort by the Lebanese political forces to form a government according to the logic of quotas divided among them.”

He called it “an attempt [by politicians] to keep themselves afloat… after they were sent into disarray by the demands of the people.” He also called on political forces to “withdraw from the government arena,” and for the “formation of a government of independent elements.”

Hout said that some parties want to postpone the government’s formation until after the US presidential election is resolved, hoping that American pressure on Lebanon might diminish and the balance of forces changes.

“Hizbullah is a Lebanese political component like the rest of the [country’s] political components, and as such it plays a similar role in the process of facilitating or disrupting the formation of the new government,” he noted. “But since it has a greater organizational, financial and political capacity than the rest of the political components, its influence is undoubtedly greater than the rest.”

Alain Sarkis, a political analyst for the Nida al-Watan newspaper in Beirut, notes another major difference between Hizbullah and the country’s other parties.

“The organization is armed… and is supported by Iran,” he told The Media Line.

“The organization is armed… and is supported by Iran.”

“In addition, Hizbullah has a parliamentary majority and enjoys the support of the presidency. The organization managed to sabotage Macron’s initiative by not letting go of the Finance Ministry although the Lebanese constitution does not specify any portfolio for a particular sect,” Sarkis continued.

“France is also busy now with the latest [violent] incidents [committed by Islamists after the publication of cartoons allegedly insulting Prophet Mohammed],” he noted.

“France is also busy now with the latest violent incidents committed by Islamists after the publication of cartoons allegedly insulting Prophet Mohammed.”

Sarkis warned, however, that in light of the suffering in the Lebanese street, delaying the formation of a government could backfire domestically.

Hizbullah Delays Formation of Lebanese Government Read More »

On the Day After, No Closure, But a Few Lessons

Leave a Comment / Commentary, Editor's Note, Featured, Opinion /

In a year of chaos and uncertainty, perhaps it is fitting that we won’t know for a while who won the presidential election. There are still plenty of votes to count in some key states, and perhaps plenty of legal wrangling to untangle the mess. It may get ugly. We don’t know.

One thing we do know is that a widely predicted cakewalk for Joe Biden has turned into a nail biter. A nation on pins and needles before Election Day remains very much on pins and needles.

But while we wait for closure, it’s worth asking a few questions, such as: How could all these polls be so wrong? And what did the media and the Democratic party miss?

While we wait for closure, it’s worth asking a few questions, such as: How could all these polls be so wrong? And what did the media and the Democratic party miss?

“Tuesday was an abject disaster for Democrats in Washington,” stated the influential Politico Playbook newsletter this morning. “To imagine the amount of soul searching and explaining the party will have to do after Tuesday is absolutely dizzying. The infighting will be bloody — as it should be. We fielded text after text from Hill Democrats Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning with existential questions about their leadership and the direction of their party.”

From Axios AM, another influential newsletter:

“Recognize that we paid way too much attention to polls, which have even more limitations than we realized. It was a terrible night for polling. They were wrong, almost all of them, almost everywhere. Save yourself time and stop watching them so closely in elections… Understand that Trump’s appeal was broader than believed. He actually found new voters. Many of them were the working-class, white males who are the base of his base. But there were more of them.”

I know this is painful for many Democrats to hear, but there are a whole bunch of Americans out there who don’t hate Donald Trump.

They may have plenty of issues with him, but they won’t go as far as blaming him, for example, for the deaths of 230,000 Americans during the pandemic.

In fact, if I had to name one blunder in the Democrats’ campaign, that would be it: Bashing Trump over the horrible pandemic death count.

Bashing is not a strategy. It doesn’t tell people what you will do for them, or what you will do differently. If voters think you will impose more lockdowns and force them to wear masks and trigger a dark economic winter, science or not, how appealing does that look?

I can’t prove this, but here’s what I think: The Democrats focused so much on the pandemic in order to connect the darkest year in recent U.S. history directly to Trump, hoping that voters would blame him for, or at least associate him with, the disaster. But for all of Trump’s mistakes and stumbles, for many voters that was a bridge too far. Would fewer Americans have died in 2020 under a President Biden? Trump haters may believe so, but plenty of reasonable people didn’t.

The hatred of Trump, in other words, may have gone so far as to backfire on some of the haters.

Trump-hating Democrats conveniently looked the other way when their own side went too far, when violent protestors called to “defund the police” or when the mainstream media showed its blatant anti-Trump bias. They assumed that if they closed ranks and kept mum on what they knew was wrong, it would help them take Trump down.

Thus, they could rarely bring themselves to give him credit for anything, which further hurt their credibility. Anything bad was his fault; anything good was someone’s else’s doing.

More than anything, the extraordinary, unequalled four-year assault on one man came back to haunt the Democrats. I understand the assault. Many reasonable people really do believe that Trump is a threat to America, to our democratic norms, to our sense of decency, and to our future. If you believe that, why not engage in an all-out assault?

For starters, that’s not the way to win big. The combination of contempt for Trump and self-righteousness blinded many Democrats to different views and different people. They forgot to look in the mirror and see how they might come across to “deplorables” whose votes they might need one day.

They looked at the polls and figured they could pull off an easy victory without doing any soul searching. Who wants to do soul searching when you don’t have to?

Here’s the crazy thing. Four years ago, we were having a similar conversation. The shock of Trump’s victory led to honest conversations in the media about the need to learn more about Trump voters — about their genuine grievances and genuine concerns.

That soul searching lasted about five minutes.

Now we’re back to where we started: A democratic electorate that is utterly befuddled that so many Americans can vote for this man.

If there is one lesson Democrats can take from this election, it is humility. They ought to stop acting as if anyone who won’t vote like them must be a racist, a bigot, a fool or an ignoramus.

Just as Trump haters are disgusted with Trump, many Trump voters are disgusted with Trump haters.  All these voters see is an intolerance for their side, a suffocating cancel culture, constant attacks on the police and a maligning of America as an irredeemable, systemically racist country.

It’s ironic that one reason the polls were so wrong is that many Trump voters are afraid to admit their allegiance, lest they be cancelled or ostracized. What does that tell us about leftist intolerance or the state of free expression today?

Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee election commission collects the count from absentee ballots from a voting machine on November 04, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Here’s another irony: If Biden pulls out a victory, that will pretty much guarantee the absence of any soul searching, and the hardening of the walls between our two Americas.

On second thought, I take that back. If the Democrats refused to look inward when they lost to Trump four years ago, perhaps they will do so now if they beat him.

After all, this is 2020, the year when anything can happen.

On the Day After, No Closure, But a Few Lessons Read More »

Twitter Bans Anti-Semite for Spreading COVID-19 Misinformation

Leave a Comment / News, United States /

Twitter has banned David Icke, who has been criticized for promulgating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.

A Twitter spokesman told Yahoo! News UK that Icke “has been permanently suspended for violating Twitter’s rules regarding COVID misinformation.” Icke’s tweets on the matter have included “the discredited claim that COVID-19 was linked to the 5G mobile network, and anti-Semitic remarks about a Jewish group’s involvement,” according to Yahoo.

Icke’s Facebook page and YouTube channels were suspended in May for similar reasons, but his Instagram page is still online, Yahoo reported.

StandWithUs Israel Executive Director Michael Dickson tweeted, “David Icke is a renowned antisemitic conspiracy theorist pumping out hate against Jews to millions. Twitter has suspended him for spreading Covid minsinfomation – Because Covid misinformation is harmful whereas Antisemitism never killed anyone did it?”

British researcher David Collier also tweeted, “Lesson learned: It is okay to suggest Jews are Alien Lizards who secretly control the world But don’t mislead over covid.”

The Guardian has previously reported that “Icke believes ‘Rothschild Zionists’ secretly dominate the world and that Jews bankrolled Hitler, caused the 2008 global financial crisis and staged the 9/11 terrorist attacks.” In 2018, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker praised Icke’s book “The Truth Shall Set You Free” in a New York Times interview. The book accuses Jews of being behind the Holocaust as well as the slave trade.

Icke has claimed that his critics are misrepresenting his views.

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Sophia Loren Plays a Holocaust Survivor in ‘The Life Ahead’

Leave a Comment / Entertainment, Hollywood /

In her first feature film since “Nine” in 2009, screen legend Sophia Loren plays a Holocaust survivor who takes in motherless children in “The Life Ahead,” directed and co-written by her son Edoardo Ponti. Shot in her native Italian, it’s Ponti’s third collaboration with his mother, following “Between Strangers” in 2002 and the short film “Human Voice” in 2014.

In the story, based on Romain Gary’s novel “The Life Before Us,” Loren portrays Madame Rosa, a Jewish woman and former sex worker who opens her tiny apartment in Bari to the children of prostitutes, either orphaned or abandoned. Her latest charge is Momo (Ibrahima Gueye), a Senegalese Muslim pre-teen orphan who has survived on the streets by stealing and dealing drugs. The film follows their unlikely relationship, one that’s contentious at first but grows as they connect and bond over mutual pain and heartache.

Loren was drawn to the character when she read Gary’s novel. “I’m always on a quest to find beautiful stories to tell,” she said. “When you stumble on 
such an amazing character like Madame Rosa, coming from such a famous book by the beloved Romain Gary, honestly, it was an opportunity that I didn’t want to pass up. There’s an irresistibility to inhabiting a character that is so strong. But also, I think the character’s combination of irreverent vitality and fragility reminded me a bit of my own mother.”

As for working with Ponti, “It’s demanding working with my son because he always wants me to hit notes that he knows I can hit, but they’re tough notes to hit,” Loren said. “And yet, we both know that if I can go there, we’ll go to a very, very special place together. And I trust him, of course. I think that if a director looks at an actor behind the camera with true love, true commitment to what they’re doing, the actor can do anything.”

Although the movie is getting a limited theatrical release, “I am thrilled that this film is being shown on Netflix and that it will be available all over the world at the same time,” Loren said. “I’m so grateful for Netflix bringing this movie to audiences in such a passionate way.”

“The Life Ahead” opens in select theaters on Nov. 6 and begins streaming on Netflix Nov. 13.

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Poll: Trump, Biden Hit Record Highs, Lows Among Jewish Vote

Leave a Comment / News, United States, Wires /

(November 4, 2020 / JNS) U.S. President Donald Trump received the highest percentage of the Jewish vote for a Republican presidential candidate in Tuesday’s election, while former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden received the lowest for a Democratic presidential nominee in 32 years, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

Trump received 30.5 percent of the Jewish vote, while Biden got 60.6 percent, according to a Republican Jewish Coalition survey conducted by Basswood Research and McLaughlin & Associates.

Biden’s share of the Jewish vote was the lowest for any Democratic presidential candidate since 1988, while Trump’s share of that demographic was the highest since that year.

In 2016, Trump received 24 percent of the Jewish vote—six percentage points lower than what presidential candidate Mitt Romney got in 2012.

Meanwhile, 78 percent of Republican Jews voted for Trump, 86 percent of Jewish Democrats voted for Biden and 41 percent of Jewish Independents voted for Biden, while 38 percent went for Trump.

Some 70 percent and 19 percent of Orthodox Jews supported Trump and Biden, respectively; 57 percent and 36 percent of Conservative Jews supported Biden and Trump, respectively; 80 percent and 13 percent of Reform Jews voted for Biden and Trump, respectively; while those who are not affiliated with any movement voted 57 percent to 32 percent for Biden and Trump, respectively.

In the crucial state of Florida, Jewish voters appeared to be critical to Trump winning the state’s 29 electoral votes as, according to the Associated Press exit poll in the state, with 41 percent of Jews voting for Trump compared to 58 percent for Biden. The 41 percent mark represented the highest percentage of the Jewish vote in the Sunshine State for a Republican presidential candidate. The Republican Jewish Coalition spent more than $5 million targeting Jewish voters in Florida on Trump’s behalf.

Survey respondents self-identified as 19 percent Republican, 55 percent Democrat and 25 percent Independent. It included 68 percent who voted either in person or by mail before Election Day and 32 percent who voted on Election Day itself. A total of 83 percent of respondents said they had made up their minds more than a month ago.

In J Street’s national post-election survey, conducted by GBAO Strategies, 77 percent of respondents said they voted for Biden, while 21 percent said they voted for Trump—a four-point decrease for the Republican nominee compared to 2016.

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Israeli Republicans Energized Morning after Election

Leave a Comment / Israel, News, United States, Wires /

THE MEDIA LINE — Early Wednesday local time, Democrats Abroad Israel’s live election countdown began with a video-conferenced prayer for strength and patience as state-by-state results seemed to go against pre-vote polling. At the same time, members of Republicans Overseas Israel began the day with enthusiasm.

“A lot more people in Israel voted in the 2020 election than in the past. I registered people who moved to Israel as young kids and had never voted, as well as people who have lived here for over 50 years and never voted. I even registered a few people over the age of 100,” David Wiener, an activist with Republicans Overseas Israel, told The Media Line.

With both sides cautioning patience until full and true results could be announced, Republicans in Israel were sure President Donald Trump would win.

“We should not get our hopes up too high, but I believe that Trump will end up winning by a landslide,” Judy Segaloff, a Republicans Overseas Israel captain from the Karnei Shomron Jewish settlement over the Green Line, told The Media Line.

In her role as captain, Segaloff called and assisted Americans living in Israel to register and vote.

Heather Stone, chairwoman of Democrats Abroad Israel, countered on the live video conference: “The results are not final until all votes are counted. We have to be patient and let the people be heard.”

With over 100 million US citizens submitting their vote early – many of them from abroad – there was no clear sign on Wednesday morning as to when all the ballots would be tabulated.

“Really, we have five weeks until the Electoral College meets, so there is time,” Stone noted.

During the video conference, Steve Israel, a former Democratic member of the House of Representatives from New York, stated: “Nothing that is happening now is unexpected. Now we have a red mirage, but there will be a Biden bounce after all the ballots are counted.”

He suggested that many cities have slower counts. They include Philadelphia and Milwaukee, both in states that, Wednesday morning in Israel, were too close to call.

“The bottom line is,” he told members of Democrats Abroad Israel, “we need to be patient and not let anxieties get to us.”

Akiva Spiegelman, who votes both Republican and Likud, does not put much value in polls, whether in Israel or the United States.

“People say what they want. It would be better to be a fly on the wall to follow the elections,” he told The Media Line.

Nevertheless, he insisted that voters living in Israel were enthusiastic.

“The people I spoke to [in Israel] from swing states like Florida or Pennsylvania are excited. You can tell their enthusiasm, that their votes count,” he said.

Spiegelman’s role was to make phone calls and help overcome the bureaucracy of voting in the US for people in Israel who had never before voted. Living in the city of Beit Shemesh, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, he rigorously worked to register Republicans and ensure that they not only received their ballots, but sent them back.

Dr. Elana Sztokman, vice chair of media and policy for Democrats Abroad Israel, said her group held postcard and call-center campaigns.

“Despite the coronavirus pandemic, we had volunteers during the lockdown on the street corners of Tel Aviv – with masks and socially distanced – meeting with Americans and assisting them to register to vote,” she told The Media Line.

“I can say that our activities the past few years have tripled the number of Democratic voters registered in Israel,” she stated. “We may not be as flashy as the Republicans, but we work harder!”

Both sides were encouraged by their activities in getting out the vote.

According to Wiener, there is a marked difference in the way some states register and count votes from abroad.

“It is clear to me that some states make it difficult. Every state has different requirements,” he said.

“I helped a huge amount in all battleground states,” he continued. “In Pennsylvania, where I vote, I sent in my ballot over a month ago, by express courier.”

He notes that he was not listed as being registered to vote.

“Now multiply that by all the people I helped,” he said.

Ohio, he added, was equally difficult.

“I used an express courier and we worked to register 3,000 [people], and then sent 1,000 ballots to Ohio. The state was always asking for more information,” he said.

“On the other hand, both New York and New Jersey [make it] extremely easy to register and vote. They are very helpful with all issues,” Wiener said.

Former US ambassador to Costa Rica S. Fritz Haney was among those participating in the Democrats Abroad Israel video conference, noting that there were some 9 million US expatriates.

“Every vote counts, and we need to remain patient,” he said. “Our experiment in democracy is cherished. At the end of the day, I have faith in democracy.”

Haney’s comments came against the backdrop of Trump’s remarks at the White House, which were seen live in Israel at about 9:30 am. In them, the president proclaimed victory because ballots counted from Tuesday’s voting had already put him over the top in battleground states and thus, as he explained it, back into the presidency.

“What President Trump did this morning was absolutely terrifying,” Sztokman told The Media Line.

“His comments were a complete dismissal and discounting of the election process,” she said. “He proclaimed himself president. This is not done in a democracy. Rather, it is done in dictatorships.”

Spiegelman agrees that Trump’s speech “was worrisome in a way. But, you knew it would happen. This is his style.”

On the other hand, he noted – as someone who has seen politicians in Israel announce an electoral triumph too early, only to find themselves on the losing side – it could backfire.

“It is never a good idea to announce you have won if you haven’t,” he said.

“Wake up people!” he urged. “Don’t feel so surprised by Trump’s style!”

As far as American citizens living in Israel, there is no exact figure. It could be up to 250,000. Or, as Sztokman notes: “There is no data point. Israelis like to exaggerate.”

Yet the number can be of significance. Wiener believes his work helped turn a certain county on Long Island into a GOP stronghold.

“I, myself, worked to register some 400 American-Israelis voting in Nassau County to the Republican side,” he said.

“Republicans managed to flip this county by only a few thousand votes,” he stated. “I believe that the 400 people I signed up, plus those from other Republicans Overseas Israel captains, were instrumental in changing the county.”

At the end of the day, both Republicans and Democrats in Israel are proud and excited to represent their respective party.

“It is exhilarating,” Republicans Overseas Israel’s Segaloff said.

“My last address was in Michigan,” she noted, “and for the first time in my life, after having been a Republican voter in New York, my vote really matters!”

And as a patriotic American, she knows that getting out the vote is a non-partisan issue.

“I worked with everyone to get out the vote,” she said. “Including Democrats.”

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