Is the change in parents when their fledgling children flee their nest
as great as that which typically affects their cherished chicks when they fly faithfully away,
and should the nest’s calamitous collapse make them feel lonely, as depressed
as declining imperialists of waning empires which they’d ruled and now leave and betray?
They are not really comparable. Not all collapses are the same,
although with both of them the answer seems to be most clearly blowing in the dying wind.
The nest’s collapse, though sad, is not a problem for which we should blame
the parents, but should mourn those folk whose hopes we’ve blown away who’ll forever know we’ve sinned.
Don’t feel depressed when children’s nests collapse and we remove their reins,
but do feel down about the hard rain that we cause when ending our imperial reigns.
Our children fleeing nests may well return in peace, not change their teams,
unlike the folk imperialists abandon, then therefore oppose, thus changing their regimes.
Inspired affectionately by some of my children, gasping at the future when their see their nest devoid of daughters who have flown the coop in order to spend one year to inspire their neshamot.
Gershon Hepner is a poet who has written over 25,000 poems on subjects ranging from music to literature, politics to Torah. He grew up in England and moved to Los Angeles in 1976. Using his varied interests and experiences, he has authored dozens of papers in medical and academic journals, and authored “Legal Friction: Law, Narrative, and Identity Politics in Biblical Israel.” He can be reached at gershonhepner@gmail.com.
An 18-year-old Jewish man was assaulted by a group of people in Cologne, Germany on the evening of August 20 for wearing a kippah.
The German news site Deutsche Welle (DW) reported that the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was sitting in a park with a friend when 10 people, believed to be around the ages of 18 and 19, began hurling antisemitic invectives at the victim for wearing a kippah; the group then “punched and kicked the victim before stealing his yarmulke,” according to DW. The victim was subsequently hospitalized with a broken nose and cheekbone and was released on August 21.
Two individuals, an 18- and a 19-year-old, were briefly arrested in connection to the attack before being released, although those two individuals are still considered suspects. The investigation is ongoing.
German officials condemned the assault.
“I am appalled by this horrific and cowardly attack on a young man who was violently assaulted by a group and seriously injured for apparently antisemitic motives,” Germany Federal Antisemitism Commissioner Felix Klein told the news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur. “I hope that the suspected perpetrators, who are apparently only 18 and 19 years old, will be ordered to undergo educational programs in which they will be taught the basic principles of the rule of law and of our free democratic order.”
Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker said in a statement, “In our city everyone must be able to live without fear, regardless of what religion they belong to, what worldview they have and how they live and love.”
Jewish groups similarly denounced the attack.
“This violent group attack in Germany on a young man wearing a kippah should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted. “We hope the police are able to identify all of the assailants.”
This violent group attack in Germany on a young man wearing a kippah should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We hope the police are able to identify all of the assailants. https://t.co/3XYJztOYqF
The Simon Wiesenthal Center similarly tweeted, “Violent anti-Jewish attacks in major cities in Germany, the UK, and elsewhere on both sides of the Atlantic continue as does the demonization of Israel on social media.”
Violent anti-Jewish attacks in major cities in Germany, the UK, and elsewhere on both sides of the Atlantic continue as does the demonization of Israel on social media https://t.co/gZ2doELdMa
StandWithUs CEO and Co-Founder Roz Rothstein also tweeted, “A mob of 10 thugs attacked a Jewish teen in Cologne, Germany. They beat him up badly for the crime of being a Jew, and wearing his kippah. They broke his nose and his cheek bone. Disgusting. What year is this? Sending love to this victim of antisemitism.”
A mob of 10 thugs attacked a Jewish teen in Cologne, Germany. They beat him up badly for the crime of being a Jew, and wearing his kippah. They broke his nose and his cheek bone. Disgusting. What year is this? Sending love to this victim of antisemitism https://t.co/SoFJCtE1iB
Abdel Bari Atwan, a British-Palestinian journalist, told the Lebanese television station Mayadeen TV in an August 19 interview that “what happened in Kabul Airport will repeat itself at Ben Gurion Airport.”
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported that Atwan said in Arabic during the television appearance: “Israel today is in a state of confusion, in a state of panic. They know very well that what happened in Kabul Airport will repeat itself at Ben Gurion Airport. But Ben Gurion Airport will be closed, there will be no planes in it.” He added that Israelis “should listen to the advice of [Hezbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah and start learning how to swim, because their only option will be Cyprus, their only option will be the Mediterranean Sea.” Ben Gurion Airport, located in Tel Aviv, is Israel’s only airport; Kabul Airport is currently in chaos as people are attempting to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control of the country.
Atwan recalled how in 1995, then-Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat told him during a late-night walk that one day Atwan “will see the Israelis fleeing Palestine, like rats fleeing a sinking ship.” “Today I believe that this prophecy will come true,” Atwan said.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: What Is Happening at Kabul Airport Will Repeat Itself at Ben Gurion Airport; Israelis Should Learn to Swim; Arafat Told Me in 1995 That I Would Live to See the Israelis Fleeing Palestine Like “Rats Fleeing a Sinking Ship" pic.twitter.com/Sp41KXOshk
StandWithUs Israel Executive Director Michael Dickson noted in a tweet that the BBC has given Atwan a platform for years as a guest while ignoring “his crazy rants in Arabic. Sorry Abdel, Israel is going nowhere – we’ve been here for thousands of years and we will be here forever more.”
This raving propagandist has for years been given a huge audience in English by @BBC@BBCNews, who willfully turned a blind eye to his crazy rants in Arabic.
Sorry Abdel, Israel is going nowhere – we've been here for thousands of years and we will be here forever more. https://t.co/XOpM7vyP5a
U.N. Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer also tweeted that CNN has also had Atwan on as a “regular guest commentator.” “The idea of the Taliban defeating America is exciting Jihadists and antisemites worldwide,” Neuer added.
Abdel Atwan was a regular guest commentator invited on BBC and CNN. I’ve seen his talking head many times. Here he is in Arabic saying how he wants to drive Israeli Jews into the sea.
The idea of the Taliban defeating America is exciting Jihadists and antisemites worldwide. https://t.co/xOfC7tyqSm
The Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement and its followers might actually have the opportunity to do something good this week. No, really.
The United Nations Human Rights Council, which usually devotes most of its time to criticizing Israel for defending itself against terrorist attacks, has called an emergency meeting to examine potential human rights abuses committed by the Taliban during their takeover of Afghanistan. There are already reports of Taliban militia ordering women to give up their jobs and to remain indoors, closing schools for girls and forcing young women to marry their fighters, not to mention the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, and whippings, beatings and other violence against Afghani civilians.
It would seem that this should be an open-and-shut case for a U.N. entity with the expressed purpose of promoting and protecting human rights around the world. But over the years, the Human Rights Council has dedicated the overwhelming majority of its time to Israel-bashing, to the point where the Jewish state has received an official condemnation from the Council on no fewer than 78 occasions since it was reconstituted in 2006—more than the rest of the world combined. In other words, the atrocities, cruelty and the barbarism that is a feature of daily life in Iran, North Korea, and Syria, just to name a few countries, is of less concern to the commission’s members than Israel’s efforts to protect its citizens against constant threats of violence from its foes.
The United States, the European Union and Canada have all criticized the tribunal for its single-minded focus on Israel, as have two former U.N. Secretaries General and even the Council’s own former president. But earlier this year after the terrorist organization Hamas launched several days of missile attacks into Israel, the Council launched an unprecedented permanent “fact-finding mission” against Israel, the first time in the U.N.’s history that a member state was subject to such an inquiry. The Council also commenced an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by the Jewish state, and for good measure called for an arms embargo to be imposed on Israel as well.
It’s exceedingly improbable that the Council would shift their focus from the imagined transgressions of Israel to the actual atrocities taking place in Afghanistan. But if the leading voices in the BDS movement were so inclined, the Taliban’s rampage of violence, misogyny and hate-mongering could present them with an opportunity to demonstrate that their concerns about human rights violations are not just an excuse to engage in continuous exercises of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. If the BDS-ers decided to set aside their single-minded bias and hatred toward Israel for just a short period of time to focus their spotlight instead on the Taliban’s daily outrages, it could help pressure the Human Rights Commission to make the same adjustment.
Granted, that temporary reorientation would do nothing to reverse or even weaken the anti-Israel hatred that flows unceasingly from either BDS supporters or Council members. But it would eliminate one level of hypocrisy from their core arguments—their seemingly myopic belief that there is only one country on the planet that deserves scrutiny for its conduct. Their implied belief that Israel is so uniquely malignant in its behavior that human rights abuses everywhere else in the world should be overlooked or minimalized reveals their true motivations—delegitimizing and ultimately eliminating the world’s only Jewish state.
Of course, calling out the Taliban would have no impact on the core falsehood at the heart of anti-Zionism, the ridiculous notion that Israel’s efforts to defend itself and its people against violent terrorism somehow violates the human rights of those committed to Israel’s destruction. But at the very least it would temporarily cast some necessary attention on the genuine brutality and actual carnage being committed in Afghanistan as opposed to the make-believe crimes of which Israel is incessantly accused.
The much more likely outcome is that while the Taliban destroys a country, terrorizes its people and subjugates its women, the BDSers will remain silent.
The much more likely outcome is that while the Taliban destroys a country, terrorizes its people and subjugates its women, the BDSers will remain silent. The Human Rights Council members will express their concern or issue an ineffectual statement of admonition against the violence. Then both will go back to their more accustomed and hypocritical work of singling out the state of Israel and its people.
A 23-year-old man was arrested on August 21 for allegedly breaking into a synagogue in Long Beach, NY and stealing Torah scrolls.
According to police, the man has been identified as Hunter (Alexander) McLerath. McLerath allegedly broke into the Chabad of the Beaches and vandalized the Ark and stole two Torah scrolls, crowns and chains. Two other Torah scrolls were also found on the floor of the synagogue. The two stolen Torah scrolls remain missing.
McLerath was initially arrested for allegedly walking around the beach wearing nothing but a prayer shawl before being released and hospitalized; after reviewing surveillance footage of the burglary, McLerath was arrested again and faces charges of burglary, criminal mischief and grand larceny.
At this time, the police believe that the burglary was not a hate crime; McLerath reportedly has a lengthy criminal history and multiple prior addresses.
Chabad of the Beaches Rabbi Eli Goodman told Newsday, “We are all in shock. As a rabbi, our role is to bring positivity and we have these greatest of challenges that have to think of how we grow as a community and rise above this.”
Goodman launched a GoFundMe on August 22 to beef up security at the synagogue; thus far, $9,477 has been raised.
“We are appalled that a #Chabad synagogue was vandalized in Long Beach #NY,” Anti-Defamation League New York / New Jersey tweeted. “We are in touch with our partners [Nassau County Police Department] and [Chabad] as well as the Rabbi to assist.”
We are appalled that a #Chabad synagogue was vandalized in Long Beach #NY. We are in touch with our partners @NassauCountyPD and @Lubavitch as well as the Rabbi to assist. We reiterate our request to the public for information in this case. https://t.co/DvEbOFmre5
The City of Los Angeles declared August 18 (8/18) Brody Stevens Day in honor of the late comedian, who was a San Fernando Valley native who frequently talked about his hometown on stage. He’d use the phrase “818 ‘til I die!” which was a reference to the Valley’s area code.
“Brody loved our community and he made such a positive impact on so many,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who represents the 3rd Council District and led the ceremony commemorating the comedian. “It’s truly special to be joined by his family and friends to name ‘818 Day’ after Brody, a proud West Valley native and one of the best comedians of his generation.”
Photo courtesy of the office of Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.
The comic was a staple on the LA comedy scene and had many TV and movie credits on his resume including “The Hangover,” “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” “Tosh.O” and “Comedy Bang! Bang!”
Stevens and his friend Zach Galifianakis produced “Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!” which was a Comedy Central documentary series about Stevens returning to normal life after getting out of a psychiatric hospital. In the different episodes, he stops taking his medications cold turkey and has a manic episode, he apologizes to Chelsea Handler for getting upset and leaving his job at her show, and visits a hypnotherapist to conquer his facial dysmorphia.
Stevens died at his Valley Village home in 2019; the cause of death was suicide by hanging. He was 48.
Friends and family, including Stevens’ mother Jackie and his sister Stephanie, along with comedians Jeff Ross and Benji Aflalo, gathered at Reseda Park on 8/18 to honor his life and unveil Brody’s Bench.
“Levity and laughter are so important so even though Brody is gone, his message, his cadence, makes it easier.”
A press release from Blumenfield’s office quoted Ross as saying, “We are a year and a half into a very lonely time, so Brody’s message of positive energy really resonates right now. Levity and laughter are so important so even though Brody is gone, his message, his cadence, makes it easier. It’s amazing that Brody can lift me up, get me out of bed and bring people together.”
Stevens, who was an avid baseball fan and even pitched for Arizona State University during his college career, was beloved and admired in the comedy circle for his off-kilter humor and thoughtful attitude toward others.
Jay Karas, a comedy director and producer, said, “Brody was a force of nature. He was insanely funny, and it was apparent in the countless times I saw him perform, that he was truly living in the moment. He was his own breed, a killer comic and a kind soul. And I miss seeing him out in the world.”
Comedian Tom Segura echoed these sentiments in a comment to the Journal: “He had unmatched energy in his sets and it didn’t matter where we were—if Brody was on stage I always watched. He was unlike anyone else, which is rare. He would chastise audience members in a way I’d never seen before. And it was always a treat to watch someone seeing him for the first time. He was the sweetest soul.”
Stevens was intense and wildly hilarious, whether he was performing on stage or doing pre-show audience warm up, but he was also kind and generous, especially to up-and-coming comics—something noted by all the comics with whom the Journal spoke.
Aflalo recalled meeting Stevens when he was a “door guy and phones guy at the Comedy Store,” which has a history of hiring young comedians, who then get the added perk of getting to watch great comedians on stage. “Stevens was the most inspiring for me,” said Aflalo. “I always felt like he captured all aspects of comedy . . . he was emotional on stage, he was full of information . . . he was always hyping, he was always using emotion, not dropping the ball ever.” When he did audience warmup, “he would take a crowd of the most apathetic people” and he would “work them into a frenzy and make any room come to life.”
“Brody was one of the few people who could go into both worlds and not only do well but be greeted with open arms and appreciated . . . he was treasured by the entire community, which was hard to do.”
“I love and I miss the guy,” said Aflalo, who also commented on Stevens’ unique ability to connect with different worlds in the comedy scene. In LA, for example, there are “club comics and eastside comics who would do Silverlake shows or Largo shows. Brody was one of the few people who could go into both worlds and not only do well but be greeted with open arms and appreciated . . . he was treasured by the entire community, which was hard to do.”
Comedian Erica Rhodes, who performed with Stevens in clubs around LA, said that he was nice and supportive to everyone, including newer comics.
“He was a sweet, sensitive soul. I loved watching him crush the late shows at the Comedy Store for 15 people all in hysterics. I really loved his comedy and I think he deserves a whole Brody week, but I’m glad he got a day.”
Photo courtesy of the office of Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.
While Stevens wasn’t religious, he referenced his Jewish identity often, whether it was jokingly referring to himself as a “Hebrew Christian” on Marc Maron’s podcast, or calling himself and his family, who came from Arizona and New Mexico, “pioneering Jews of the Southwest.”
“He wore his Jewiness on his sleeve,” said Aflalo, “and took it everywhere he went.”
Another comedian who remembers Stevens fondly is Matty Goldberg, who knew him in New York and LA. “Brody was the closest thing in my generation to Andy Kaufman,” he said. “He would do funny, weird stuff. He would play air drums in videos or tweet about something political and then write, ‘I wrote this alone at a Pizza Hut in the Valley.’ It was funny but there was a lot of pain. You could tell he was a lonely guy.”
Goldberg continued, “Everyone was doing comedy one way, and Brody was totally outside the box and he gained this crazy cult following for it. He was a comedy genius. He really was.”
(The Media Line) A readily available drug used to treat high lipid levels in the blood has been shown to “dramatically” help in the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases, according to a new study.
In the investigator-initiated interventional open-label clinical study, a research team led by Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, director of the Grass Center for Bioengineering at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, administered 145 mg/day of TriCor (fenofibrate) to 15 patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 over a period of 10 days and repeatedly monitored their disease progression.
“What we saw is that their inflammatory markers dropped very, very fast,” Nahmias told The Media Line. “Within 48 hours of receiving the drug, they simply didn’t have inflammation at all. There was no overreaction of the immune system as we usually expect to see in severe patients.”
The interventional clinical study was carried out on patients at Israel’s Barzilai Medical Center in the southern city of Ashkelon, with support from Abbott Laboratories. It was recently published on Research Square and is currently under peer review.
Within 48 hours of receiving the drug, they simply didn’t have inflammation at all. There was no overreaction of the immune system as we usually expect to see in severe patients.
The clinical outcomes of the study were dramatic: 14 out of 15 patients, or 93.3%, no longer required respiratory support after five to seven days of treatment, compared to 28.5% of patients in a historical control group. The final patient also eventually recovered and ended up being released some time later.
Though preliminary, the findings could very well indicate that TriCor is a “silver bullet” for the treatment of the virus, Nahmias said.
“Altogether, this is a very strong result,” he affirmed. “Usually, it takes several weeks to treat severe COVID-19 patients.”
“It’s highly statistically significant even though it’s a small study because we took markers every two days and we could actually show a dramatic effect on the time course of the disease,” he said.
All of the patients were above the age of 47, with the median age being 64. In addition, some had multiple comorbidities, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, among others.
Researchers recently found that COVID-19 causes an abnormal accumulation of lipids, which lead to severe inflammation in a process known as lipotoxicity. Fenofibrate, an FDA-approved drug since 1975, is typically used to treat symptoms of cholesterol and lower triglycerides in the blood.
While Nahmias and his team focused on severe cases, he believes fenofibrate could eventually also be used to treat moderate or mild cases and help speed up recovery.
