Pete Hegseth received hisBachelor of Arts from Princeton University in 2003 and his Master of Public Policy from Harvard in 2013. While these Ivy Leagues look impressive on his resume, it’s not something that he’s proud of, given what’s been happening there as of late.
“I’m a huge critic of what these institutions have become,” he said.
The Fox television personality, who hosts “Fox & Friends” on the weekends, is now examining what’s happening at Ivy League schools and college campuses across the U.S. in his new documentary, “Poison Ivy,” which is streaming on Fox Nation.
While Hegseth has long criticized the public school system for what he calls the “indoctrination” of children that leads to students despising America, post-October 7, he’s been focused on the radicalization of college education.
“In really tragic and dark moments like October 7, there was a reckoning, and people are waking up,” Hegseth said. “Donors have stopped giving billions of dollars to colleges. They’re asking themselves, ‘What am I funding?’ In many ways, it was like COVID, where parents were exposed to what kids in K-12 were learning and they woke up and took their children out of those schools. Ultimately, the kids will be better off.”
The journalist is a father of seven, an Evangelical Christian and a veteran – he served in the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan, receiving two Bronze Stars for it – as well as a bestselling author. In “Poison Ivy,” he interviews commentators like Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute Victor Davis Hanson, former “The View” co-host Meghan McCain and David Magerman, a philanthropist and former UPenn donor. The documentary reveals how colleges became what they are today.
“Essentially, these Ivy Leagues are hedge funds that also teach classes run by Marxists.”
“A bunch of Marxists who landed at Columbia University in the 1930s were trying to deconstruct the west,” Hegseth said. “They found fertile ground in the Ivy League right away. American progressives with radical ideas are pushing for further social control and eagerly taking foreign money, whether it’s from Saudi Arabia or Qatar or China. They know there are strings attached, whether that means they have Middle Eastern Studies programs or they have to hire certain professors or teach certain courses. Essentially, these Ivy Leagues are hedge funds that also teach classes run by Marxists.”
Even though it’s clear that students at Ivy Leagues are becoming radicalized, Hegseth said it’s hard to convince parents and students it’s not worth attending these schools.
“Harvard is still a gateway to a so-called ‘elite’ life. People fawn over your education. I only applied to Ivy League schools because that was my mindset, coming from a small-town in Minnesota. If I got into one, I thought, that would be amazing. I was naïve. When I got there, I was surrounded by blue-blood country club kids with parents worth billions of dollars. I saw you could buy your way in.”
While this year’s presidential candidates are talking about immigration, foreign policy and the U.S. economy, Hegseth said that education needs to be in the conversation as well.
“I’m passionate about putting education front and center. Education hasn’t been a top-tier policy issue for a very long time. We need to ask: Should states be funding these universities? Should they be receiving federal funding?”
Hegseth is also encouraging college alumni to stop giving money to their alma maters if they are allowing hate and indoctrination to proliferate on campus.
“I’m sure you had a nice time in college and made friends with your roommates and enjoyed having a good football team,” he said. “But you need to stop sending money. For example, the University of Michigan is one of the most woke universities in the country, but alumni throw cash at them because they love the football team. What do you love more, the football team or your country?”
Parents can also take a stand and refuse to let their high school-aged children apply to woke universities.
“Shepherd your kids,” Hegseth said. “If you send them to these places, they will be seduced by Godless ideas, and you’ll just have to hope they survive.”
He said it’s important to look into religious schools as well as emerging alternatives, like Bari Weiss’ University of Austin and the school that Elon Musk is planning to open.
There is also a sliver of hope at Hegseth’s alma mater, Princeton, where his mentor and Professor Robert P. George, a conservative Christian and constitutional scholar, runs the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.
“That center exists to talk about the constitution and why America is a good country,” Hegseth said. “It took a lot of resistance from faculty, but overtime, Professor George has grown the center. If you’re a Jew or a patriot and you get into Princeton, you have a place to go, where professors speak freely and you won’t feel like you’re indoctrinated in groupthink.”
The protests and antisemitism on college campuses following October 7 was just the canary in the coalmine and a small indication of what’s going on on a larger scale, according to Hegseth.
“If you understand Judeo-Christian values, western civilization and some of the oldest prejudices and hatred, you can sense that someone is anti-Western by their stance on Israel,” he said. “You get a sense of their view on the civilizational ark of things. I’ve traveled to Israel 10 or 11 times and love the country. Going there gives you a better understanding of what’s happening. Jews are not allowed in Muslim countries. It’s the only democracy in the Middle East, and it’s not perfect, but it doesn’t export terrorism.”
Hegseth previously made a documentary called, “Battle in the Holy Land,” where he got stuck in Ramallah and witnessed Palestinians throwing rocks at IDF soldiers and blocking the road with large stones. It was on this trip that he got a real look at what’s happening.
“I understand the aspirational goals of radical Islam,” he said. “When Hamas says they want to wipe Israel off the map, that’s what they mean. They’re not interested in a two-state solution. Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah and the PLO want to destroy Israel.”
Working at Fox, Hegseth is among like-minded colleagues who are pro-Israel, and have been unwavering in their support of the Jewish state since October 7. Along with having on several pro-Israel Jewish voices, they also advocate for the country frequently in newscasts.
“Fox is pro-western and pro-freedom,” Hegseth said. “It’s also open and supportive to faith and Judeo-Christian values. America has long been Israel’s strongest ally, and we understand the importance of that. Most other newsrooms in America are very far left of center, and they have this alliance with Islamists. They’re willing to be fellow travelers, to be anti-Western allies, until they will eventually turn on each other. Fox rejects that whole paradigm.”
As for the college problem, Hegseth hopes that viewers watch “Poison Ivy” and evaluate their educational choices for their children and what having Harvard, Princeton, UPenn or another Ivy League school on a resume should communicate to future employers.
“By 2035, I want employers to see one of these resumes and ask, ‘Are you a Marxist?’” he said. “But if a graduate went to Bari Weiss’ or Elon Musk’s university, or a classical Christian university, they’ll say, ‘You must work hard and think about humanity and our place in life and truth – all things these universities have long since abandoned. That’s what I hope the response will be.”
Sometime during the 13th Century, in a private study in Barcelona, an anonymous author sat and composed Sefer Ha-Chinuch – The Book of Education. This systematic study of the Torah’s 613 commandments was written as a gift from a father to his son. In his introduction, the mysterious Sephardic educator – who chose to remain anonymous –lovingly states that he wrote this book “to inspire the heart of my son with an accounting of the Torah’s mitzvot.”
Humility, education and love, all wrapped up in one.
Humility. Imagine taking upon the daunting task of writing a book explaining every commandment in the Torah, and when it’s ready to go to print, the publisher asks “We’d like to make sure to spell your name properly on the cover,” and your response is “that’s OK, leave it off. Keep it anonymous.” Humility.
Education. As parents, what is the classic “Jewish gift” we give to our children? It’s tempting to look at the newest iphone or the latest model of Tesla, but these have very limited life spans. They are fun and cool, but they are here today and gone quicker than Apple or Tesla can say “New Model.” The gift of education – reading with our kids, teaching them proper values, sending them to the best schools, deepening their Jewish identity through Torah study and trips to Israel – these are gifts that last a lifetime. Sefer Ha-Chinuch – “The Book of Education” – written as a gift from a father to his son – has been around much longer than any “high tech” gadgets. Gifts that enlighten, gifts that open our kid’s minds. Education.
Love. The mysterious author set out to “inspire the heart” of his son by teaching him the “shoresh” – “source” – for each mitzvah. This week we read about the moment when we heard “Ten Utterances” – Aseret Hadibrot – at Mount Sinai. God spoke ten of the Torah’s 613 commandments directly to us. One of these ten is “Honor your father and mother.” In explaining this commandment to his son, the Sefer Ha-Chinuch says: “It is fitting for a person to acknowledge and return kindness to people who were good to him. One should take to heart that a father and mother are the cause of one’s being in the world, and they worked hard in raising their child.”
Working hard for raising our children – nurturing them, earning a living, providing for them, and – in the words of our mysterious author – to “inspire their hearts.” How do we “inspire their hearts”? By doing what he did. Each of us, in our own unique way, can “write” our own “Book of Education” for our children. Love.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila is the international director of the Sephardic Educational Center.
This week I had an EPIC phone call, and I’m still honored by it. I have a story to tell, and believe it or not, it ties into my own family, and has never been written until now. First some crucial backstory…
Reach back to the recesses of your memory, to the aftermath of 9/11. Daniel Pearl was a journalist for The Wall Street Journal, and on January 23, 2002, he was investigating “Shoe Bomber” Richard Reid, and followed a lead to what he thought would be an interview with a notable religious figure in Pakistan. Instead, on that tragic, fateful day, he was kidnapped by an Islamic extremist group that called themselves The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty. Then, with cameras filming for the world to watch in horror, they beheaded him on February 1, 2002. In the video, among other things, he was forced to say the following words, “My name is Daniel Pearl. I’m a Jewish-American from Encino, California, USA…on my father’s side the family is Zionist. My father’s Jewish, my mother’s Jewish, I’m Jewish. My family follows Judaism. We’ve made numerous family visits to Israel.”
That day, the news slammed into our eyes and ears like tidal waves around the world. Daniel Pearl, a celebrated journalist, was murdered in cold blood – seemingly for being a Jew. Here is the WSJ’s own report on it a few weeks later:
While this was happening, my first cousin was busy working, and the news had not yet reached him. But suddenly, family members and friends began to call and email him. His mother was receiving panicked messages. Everyone was worried, and horrified, and thought they might be sending condolences about my cousin, their loved one. Oh, did I forget to mention something? My cousin as it happens, is ALSO named Daniel Pearl. And he was ALSO a journalist for a well known website/publication. And his news organization, in an error that is the crux of this story, mixed up the real victim’s picture with HIS photo on their website. That’s right, if you went to this major outlet for your news that day, as millions did, you would have seen my cousin’s name, photo and profile – as a victim of terrorism. This was soon corrected of course, and became quite the campfire story for decades in my family.
I never felt right talking about this publicly, because although it provided a strange, dark source of, almost amusement to my family, it was in the context of a heinous tragedy. Mariane lost her husband that day, Judea and Ruth lost their son. In a crazy twist of fate, his son Adam (middle name Daniel) was born almost 4 months later. Asra Nomani lost her close friend, who she writes about to this day (see #14 in Articles/Threads). I didn’t want to capitalize on the suffering of real people. But then Thursday happened.
Right in the midst of my weekly poker game, my phone rang, and I saw the name Judea Pearl on the screen. I jumped out of my seat, as he is a brilliant writer and professor, and happens to also be the father of Daniel Pearl. I had reached out to him and Asra on Twitter, thanking them for their great, and thoughtful essays. But rather than ignore me, or write back, he phoned me, like the gentleman that he is. After chatting for a bit, and being disappointed that my Hebrew is not good enough to be conversational, I asked if I could tell him a strange story about his son. He said yes of course. I then repeated the story above, nervous that he would find it objectionable, or too close to home (an understatement if there ever was one). But instead, he burst out laughing, and apologized to ME for finding the humor in what must have been scary for our family. It turned out that my crazy story managed to bring him amusement, and I finally felt free to tell the tale after all these decades, with both his father’s and my own cousin’s permission of course.
Asra for good measure, was excited to hear the story, and told me that she has been following my cousin’s work ever since, because she gets all of his news stories on her Google Alerts! What a strange, weird, tragic, but also wonderful world we live in. And I adore having these two new connections.
Obviously this week I want to include a photo of my cousin Daniel Pearl, and here’s a lovely one of him with my mother, his aunt.
On that note, it’s time for this week’s Chosen Links…
ARTICLES/THREADS:
1. This is a really tough spot to be in. On the one hand, the army needs to know what they are working towards, and for that to happen there needs to be a “day after” plan, since it’s hard to see definitive results in the muddled mess of Gaza as they go. On the other hand, each and every time Israel extends their hands with a peace deal, it completely backfires.
They need a partner for such a peace; we know it can’t possibly be Hamas, and so does most of the Western world. But ask any honest mideast analyst, and they’ll tell you that Fatah and the PA are not much better. Politically weaker, with less support from the people, sure, but between their river to the sea goals, and “pay to slay” policies, they are basically Hamas in a suit and tie.
But doing nothing is no solution, and the one pulling the strings is a hugely unpopular politician in Israel and worldwide, who has quite outstayed his welcome. Many in Israel blame him for taking his eye off the ball, and negligently letting October 7 slip through the cavernous cracks. And at this point, even many of his own supporters assume he’s put his own self-interest of avoiding trials, in front of the interests of the country. So what to do now, with pressure mounting from the US for him to cave and agree to a plan for peace with the hateful PA, or hopefully just get out of Dodge already. Caroline Glick gives her usual strong analysis:
2. Harvard is just continuing to NOT learn from it’s obvious mistakes. What does it take for them to recognize that they have lost the faith of much of the Jewish community? Rabbi David Wolpe resigned the antisemitism task force. Many on it were not going to be trusted in such an endeavor. So they were going to start over. How do they kick off the process? By leading it with a professor who is ok calling Israel an apartheid. Seriously?!
Lawrence H. Summers, former President of Harvard, and current professor, writes:
3. This is really sad, but not surprising to me. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, who time and time again has measured responses, in spite of losing family to IDF bombings, criticizing both Israel and Hamas. And here he confesses that the trolls from both sides are nothing alike. “It’s always pro-resistance/pro-Hamas/pro-Hezbollah/pro-Iran people who are so blinded by their beliefs that they can’t look at a Gazan who lost dozens of family members in an IDF bombing and still have compassion & understanding for my different beliefs.” There’s so much value in the rare people who are able to leave their comfort zones, and be critical of more than just “the other side”:
4a. Fern Reiss fabulously explains why the so-called peace deal being offered by Qatar/Egypt/USA, which was based on terms dictated by Hamas, is simply not something that even most left-wing Israelis can entertain. “Despite UN and western push for a two-state solution, Hamas’ Khaled Meshaal just reiterated Hamas’ rejection of it, saying Palestinians’ rights in Palestine are from the river to the sea, (ie, the entirety of current Israel), with Jerusalem as its capital, the right of Arab return, and the non-recognition of any Jewish state. He vowed that Hamas will continue its violence against Israel.” Plus, you’ve gotta love a post whose title refers to “When Harry Met Sally”:
4c. An EXCELLENT rundown of the hypocrisy of the entire Hague trial. All brought to you by the letter H, Sesame Street style. And this is why I love Fern. Her writing is so damn informative. It’s also full of passion. And it also finds a way to be funny, even when it stems from sadness and anger. Great rundown:
5. Seth Frantzman writes this highly illuminating piece, about how to analyze our success relative to the number of terrorists we neutralize. He goes into the history of Vietnam, and how we did use numbers as a metric of success. This many were killed, captured or recruited. We are therefore winning or losing.
Due to the fact that Hamas can easily keep recruiting more members, in part assisted by so many civilians being displaced and suffering from the war, he explains that numbers are not a clean measure of success. Though he does explain that commanders are much harder to replace. Very interesting explanation:
6. I love this thread by British-Palestinian John Aziz. He starts off by saying the following basic statement that you rarely hear, “Palestinians in Gaza cannot speak out easily against Hamas, so it falls upon diaspora Palestinians such as myself to criticise them twice as hard. Anyway, Hamas’ explanations for October 7 are a load of bull excrement.” He then smashes each BS claim made by Hamas, throughout this important thread:
7a. My dear friend Shai Grabie continues his 4-part series, discussing how ingrained ideologies are in us, from a young age. The Muslim world giving one set of ideologies, that often includes Israel as the big bad wolf, and the Western world increasingly has their own set of ideologies, casting everyone into a binary pairing of either oppressed or oppressor. “The result of this indoctrination has been the curious case of people distorting or denying reality, both in the Arab world and in the west.” A clear and helpful part 3:
7b. The 4th and final part of this fascinating series by Shai, has him discussing what happens when our ideologies don’t match up with the reality of the situation. It creates cognitive dissonance, and people rationalize away things that to an outsider seems entirely irrational.
“People have engaged in motivated reasoning to deduce that there was no way Israeli intelligence could have not known about the attack and therefore it must have been a false flag attack to be used as a pretense for destroying Gaza…Protesters can seek moral support by attending rallies with like minded individuals. They can also project and commit acts of violence to protest what they claim are acts of Israeli violence.” Final part of the series:
8. David Zweig wrote this investigative piece months ago, and I can’t believe I haven’t seen it until now. It’s excellent! Remember the hospital that was famously reported on horribly, with the world jumping to the conclusion that Israel bombed it and killed over 500 people? It’s long been established that it was a misfire by a terrorist group, and that it was a parking lot, and that the numbers of dead were far fewer. However, this impressive journalist tried to research WHERE/HOW/WHAT the original false source was.
I don’t even want to tell you much, because it reads like an exciting spy novel. He contacts many news outlets to find their source. He hires Arabic translators to see if certain wording is being translated correctly. Such a great read:
9a. I have never shared an article with gift link access before, since I can see it will only be accessible until early February, however this article in the Atlantic by Yair Rosenberg is so great, and fits perfectly with the previous essay. (So forgive the eyesore of a long link, it’s due to the gift access).
Rosenberg analyzes the importance of the accuracy of language. He takes all of the quotes that have been repeated by mainstream news, politicians, and even the South African genocide proceeding, and looks for the source material. What he finds in each and every case, including various biblical citations, was that they were completely lacking in any scandal when seen in their full context. Definitely worth a read, while you have access:
9b. When the link stops working, you’ll still be able to check out Yair’s thread about the aftermath of his piece. Thanks to his article, multiple corrections were actually made that he’s responsible for:
10. Thane Rosenbaum does a great job hitting you from every direction with information. What Israel is up against. Look one direction it’s Hamas, the other it’s Hezbollah, closer there’s the West Bank, further there’s the Houthis. There isn’t a direction to look without peril. This can catch you up in a few minutes:
11a. Salo Aizenberg, from HonestReporting, creates a great thread that demolishes any revisionist ideas that claim the PA and Abbas have never received huge offers for a 2-state solution. He brings up proof after proof from Israel, America and even the PA itself, showing how each step of the way was offered, and ultimately ghosted and rejected.
“So if the US and Saudis are going to propose 2 states, don’t just check with Israel, perhaps they should also ask PA & Abbas if he would agree to Olmert’s offer today. Listen to Abbas from just this past Oct 2023 and you decide.” And the video of him speaking is provided. For those pushing Israel for a 2-state solution, just know, they have attempted that repeatedly, and it takes 2 to tango:
11b. Aizenberg creates another great thread, showing that as frustrated as we are by the call of the ICJ for Israel to minimize damage, as if they are doing otherwise, it’s far more of a win for Israel than people think. He gives 5 examples:
13. I provide a nice backstory about Khaled Hassan in the Podcast section of this weeks’ links. In this thread, he explains his frustration growing up in Egypt, with all of their incredible history, and yet all they taught him in schools was about Arab history and culture, shoving Egypt aside.
“I lived amongst a people whose ancestors built the pyramids. A people whose civilisation and treasures are found in every single museum I’ve ever visited. A people with a history like no other…The history of Egyptian Jewry was not mentioned once in any school book I ever read. NOT ONCE.” What an amazing journey his life has been:
14. Oh how I love this, and how it breaks my heart. Asra Nomani, who I have shared multiple times, is an invaluable member of the journalistic community. Not only as a proud Muslim woman, but as a great writer.
This one in particular is a fast thread, but boy does it pack a powerful punch. Daniel Pearl, discussed extensively during this post, was close friend and colleague to Asra. She tells the story of the day he was taken, before his brutal murder:
15. Aww, poor anti-Israel movement. After organizing rally after rally against Israel, and being part of the gross BDS movement, the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) are running out of money. They just don’t understand why backing Hamas over Israel isn’t making them more profitable! Remember when Sarah Silverman said she was ashamed of being a part of their organization, and told them to piss off (it was less polite than that)? That was all BEFORE Israel had even started to fight back. No love lost on my end.
The reason I’m sharing this NY Post article from Instagram, instead of the source, is because the Zioness Movement is not only a rare progressive AND Zionist organization, but they are quoted throughout the piece:
16. A real loss in the world of inventors and the medical field happened this week in Gaza. Adam Bizmut created and ran Sightbit, which helps save lives in water rescue situations. “An AI-driven solution…to detect humans, drowning, hazards, and climate-related events like tsunamis and rip currents. Integrated with standard video cameras, their technology provides real-time information for immediate alerts and predictions on dangers like system failures or security breaches in controlled water sites. Additionally, SightBit’s system extends its functionality to environmental monitoring, detecting and predicting the spread of pollution spills in water bodies.”
Thank you Adam for your amazing contributions to the world, and your tragic sacrifice as a Reservist:
17. Dan Schnur takes the support that Biden has given Israel, and analyzes how much it appears to be hurting his chances at reelection. “The Biden Administration is shifting their primary focus from the war itself to a post-war landscape in which Israel develops a more formal alliance with Saudi Arabia and strengthens its existing relationships with Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates and others in a coalition that would rebuild Gaza, enhance regional security and more forcefully confront Iran…the White House believes that such a development would not only fundamentally alter the security and diplomatic landscape of the Middle East, but would strongly boost the political fortunes of the president who orchestrated such an agreement. The creation of a Palestinian state would placate the left, and a more assertive stance against Iran would help with centrists and even some conservatives.” Dan always gives great political commentary on US/Israel relations:
18. Yitz Greenberg gives another superb analysis, this time about the movement protesting Israel, calling for ceasefires, and not decrying Hamas for the most part. “To this day, no Arab government, except Bahrain, has publicly condemned Hamas’ behavior on Oct. 7. The calls for immediate ceasefire are officially presented to save Palestinian lives. Coming as they do, without condemning Hamas or asking it to lay down its arms, they constitute a call to save Hamas before it is destroyed so it can survive and try to attack again and again.” It seems everyone calling for a ceasefire tends to leave out the fact that there are still rockets being fired on Israel, cars being rammed into citizens, and hostages being raped and held prisoner. A one-sided ceasefire indeed:
19. This is a wonderful letter that has been spearheaded from 3 members of faculty in the UC school system. Judea Pearl, Shlomo Dubnov, and Ilan Benjamin are begging their UC schools to stop allowing university resources to promote Jew hatred. Many examples are given in this letter which reads like a great article:
20. Naya Lekht does some show-and-tell, explaining just how bad things have gotten in some of our public schools regarding Israel. Tests, homework, powerpoints, all being utilized by teachers to casually demonize Israel as a colonial occupier among other crimes. She then provides some common lies told in the school system, and addresses each one:
21. Rafael Medoff illuminates the past of Bernie Sanders. He shows how back in the 1988, weeks after Chuck Schumer was protesting the persecution of Jews in the Soviet Union, Sanders visited the USSR, raved about many things he saw, and said nothing at all about the Jews. History repeats itself, as Schumer continues to speak up for Jews and Israel, and Sanders continues to slander it constantly:
22. Shmuel Rosner does his usual fabulous job of explaining the politics between Israel and America. “Let’s try this logic with events that Americans better understand. How about “Pearl Harbor absorbed a severe blow – it’s time to accept Japan’s occupation of China”. Or maybe this one: “The Twin Towers were destroyed – it’s time to give Al-Qaeda a state”.” He feels Israel does owe it to its ally America, who provides financial support, to consider their advice. But he also wonders, at what point will America realize that its advice in this regard, has historically backfired time and time again:
23. A heartbreaking plea from a survivor of rape, just weeks prior to October 7, right here in America. “The night has played over and over in my head over these past few months, as the news cycle provides a never-ending source of triggers for me. The blatant disregard of sexual violence from women around the world is astounding. And the victim blaming, stating that the violence was justified, even glorified, as an acceptable means of “resistance” by supporters of the Palestinian movement is impossible for me to comprehend.” It really is inconceivable that groups of sexual assault survivors didn’t instantly rally around what happened October 7, nor even believe them, but so it goes for Israeli women:
24. Another great, heartfelt article by Cindy Kaplan. Since the UN has been awful with all things Israel, and their designated Holocaust Remembrance Day is upon us, she lays into the UN for their hypocrisy, and their use of the Holocaust to manipulate things against us. “But in 2024, it’s being distorted, simultaneously in an effort to discredit Jewish suffering and in an effort to co-opt it and accuse Jews of doing what was done to us. Words like “genocide” and “concentration camp” and “Nazi” have specific meanings, meanings that are deeply connected to the Jewish experience and Jewish pain. And yet, they are thrown around as a way to justify killing us once again.” Sad but true:
25. An incredible man with an incredible story, that I will get more into in a future week. Ahmad is from the West Bank, and grew up hating Jews, and now has gone a full 180 degrees, as he’s strongly advocating for Israel online. “To those who call for a ceasefire, while I understand the bloodshed must come to an end, the war can’t stop without the return of the kidnapped and the full destruction of Hamas. Once that is achieved, life can begin to return and the people of Gaza will see their lives have the meaningful change they never had under Hamas. But only if they do not repeat the mistakes of the past and seek life not death.” Just an incredible man I have so much more to say about, but that will wait for another day. In the meantime, here is one of multiple great pieces he’s written:
26. A look into this fast-hitting news site on Twitter/X, which many accuse for being propaganda. Stefan Tompson runs Visegrad24 with his brother, and their focus is on pro-Israel and pro-Ukraine messaging. Asked why this Polish site would be so interested in Israel, he explains, “We are at war against a Chinese-Russian-Persian-North Korean axis. In that sense, it is incredibly relevant to us in Poland and in the EU…This is not just a war against Israel and against Jews. This is a civilizational war, in which we are next. To not take a stand for Israel means to not take a stand for the West.” Lahav Harkov reports:
27. Dr. Einat Wilf provides an amazing resource, describing 7 things that Jews have NOT been successful at, against the Arabs. “The Arab response to the Jews daring to be sovereign in their midst was to simply and fully ethnically cleanse the defenseless Jews from the Arab and Muslim lands, this from communities that predated the Arab and Muslim conquests – and of-course only in the name of “Antizionism”. Even as no Jews were left, Arabs continued to claim they had no problem with Jews, only “Zionists”.” This is to remind us all that victory may be what we need, but is not always a foregone conclusion:
28. Maya Savir goes in depth about the concept of “reconciliation”, and even wrote a 2017 book about it, from her time researching how it went in Rwanda and South Africa. In Rwanda, the Hutus and Tutsis began to live together, and as is well known, white and black people in South Africa began to live together when apartheid ended. She was studying if Israel could learn something from those horrible conflicts that ended in living side by side. A fascinating thing to learn about, and then ponder if we can get to a better place one day ourselves:
29. Not many people volunteer to admit when they were wrong, but Lt. Col. Peter Lerner just stepped out and confessed his own failings. UNRWA existed before the Palestinian Authority- and its mandate didn’t evolve to support reconciliation once the PA was established. Effectively UNRWA, in its existence, has excused the PA from its civilian responsibilities, excused the Palestinian leaders from accountability, and perpetuated a false narrative of cross generational refugees.” He had been defending these organizations, but in light of Hillel Neuer exposing UNRWA, he says he was wrong:
30a. Michael Koplow explains why Israel and the Palestinians are between a rock and a hard place with what to do next regarding the UNRWA. “There is no way around UNRWA today for alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But UNRWA cannot continue in this fashion. Collapsing it now will be a disaster for Palestinians, and letting it go on forever will be a disaster for Israel.” It’s what he calls a “deeply flawed but necessary organization”. Ouch:
30b. Michael Koplow and Shira Efron worked together on creating an actual gameplan for how to move forward in Gaza. How many people have even attempted such a thing? It involves utilizing the PA, but also making important changes to the PA. They recognize the distinction between violence coming from workers from Gaza, versus the West Bank, which they explain has been more successful than people think. There is a full report if you have the patience to analyze, there’s a short summary of the report, and there’s a video:
31. This is a really cool thread that investigates the popular Twitter account @TorahJudaism. It claims to be an account of religious Haredi Jews who are against Israel. We know that exists, with the Twitter account @TorahJews. But this account is clearly a fake, run by someone literally using Turkish Wikipedia to find the Jewish info to mimic. They still haven’t been banned, but he’s caught them in numerous lies:
32. Nasreen and Eyad Yousef are Druze Arabs, the only ones in Moshav Yated. If not not for them, especially her, who knows how many people in that community would have been murdered on October 7. Using her language and power of persuasion, she was able to stop some of the first members of Hamas who infiltrated their border, and even got key information where they were entering, and how many more were coming. She’s a true hero, as is her husband who was running around protecting the area with the security team. Bless them all, and read their amazing story:
1a. It took me a few days this week to finally find a video worth sharing, but this was great. A few short minutes, where teacher Dani Buller, clearly explains why the foreign donations from authoritarian governments like Qatar, obviously affect the policy, staffing, and ideology of the universities that accept those donations. It’s so obvious, but needs to be said out loud:
1b. Ironically, on the day of finalizing this post, I found another gem by Dani. This time he makes clear what it must be like to have UNRWA as your teachers, who are also supporting terrorism:
2. Douglas K Murray debates the Palestinian National Initiative Leader Mustafa Barghouti on Piers Morgan. Murray is funny and rude as always, interrupting away. But he does a great job of getting the PA policy of “pay to slay” into the conversation, which Barghouti has the nerve to call a social security benefit:
3a. John Ondrasik from Five For Fighting created that beautiful new music video about antisemitism, and here he gets a few minutes to discuss it with Sam Rubin. He really hopes that people in the arts will stop listening to their agents, who fear that saying something will lose them money, and do what’s right and follow his lead. I hope so too but doubt it:
4. This interview was released on MEMRI, where Kuwaiti podcaster Amar Taki interviewed Hamas leader Khaled Mashal. Such a civilized interview, discussing political discourse like any other day. Except if you actually watch, or even read the transcript below it, you’ll see him proudly admitting what they actually want. Two-state solution? Absolutely not. They want a free Palestinian state from the river to the sea, without any Israel and without recognizing the Zionist entity. October 7 was a turning point he claims, that gained them more support than ever with the Palestinian population. A few minutes worth watching. Yuck:
5. You know those movies with a bunch of different characters, and you watch their individual stories play out, and you know it will at some point come together into one story where they meet? That’s what this is. A harrowing October 7 story about Noam Hanuka, who was critically shot, and SPOILER ALERT, survived the day thanks to heroism of his pregnant wife and 2 strangers. I’ll tell you it’s a happy ending, because I don’t want you to be afraid to watch:
6. This is a music video that I am so impressed by, when it was over I pictured a mic drop and people snapping their fingers in applause. Great job by Idan Nimtso, rapping through the wars that were waged upon Israel. Even the so-called Nakba was covered here:
So far the people I’ve given the “Spotlight” have been celebrities. I wish I could have hundreds more who have publicly given support to Israel, to. But instead, it’s time to honor a politician. A Democrat out of NY, who has been incessant in his calls of support for Israel, Zionism, Jews, and calling out the protestors. Thank you so much Ritchie Torres, you’ve gained so many allies in my community:
Khaled Hassan tells his fascinating journey here on this podcast from a year ago. I’ve shared great threads by him before (including this week), and it’s great to finally learn his backstory. He grew up in Egypt with antisemitic beliefs, thinking of himself not really as an Arab, but a proud Egyptian. And yet as a researcher, he developed enough curiosity to actually open his mind, something you can’t take for granted. He moved to England and actually converted to Judaism!
1. I’m so proud of my friend Roman Sandler for creating this! “Roman was inspired to write the book after trying to explain the tragedy of October 7 to his five year old daughter and finding no available resources.” That’s right. A kid’s book to help navigate what we are all talking about constantly. Trust me, kids pick up on things more than you might think:
2. This is infuriating. Frimet and Arnold Roth have this Twitter/X account, because their daughter Malki was murdered in the Sbarro terrorist attack. “On August 9, 2001, a Jordanian woman, Ahlam Tamimi, brought a young Palestinian Arab male from Ramallah to Jerusalem and placed him at the entrance to a bustling Sbarro pizzeria filled with children. She then rushed away to safety and was far from the scene when the human bomb detonated the guitar case slung across his shoulder. Fifteen persons were murdered including two US nationals. Some 130 others were injured, many severely. ” This thread shows the fact that Tamimi continues to be celebrated freely in Jordan, an ally of the US, and nobody is enforcing an extradition:
3. L.E. Staiman has created some funny topical bits since the war broke out, and here he decides to “apply for a ceasefire” at the “West Bank”. Good stuff:
4. On January 29, 1977, the iconic show “All in the Family” aired this incredible episode about Archie Bunker losing his friend Stretch Cunningham, and delivering the eulogy. The catch being, he had no idea his friend was Jewish until that moment. Comedy, Jewish tropes, and some very touching moments ensue. Shout-out and Baruch Dayan Haemet to Norman Lear who died last month:
1. Gross cartoon full of antisemitic tropes released to the world by a famous, former cartoonist for 2 of the biggest British newspapers. Saul Sadka explains those awful ancient stereotypes portrayed under the guise of politics:
2. I’ve often discussed the death toll as being something you have to sadly take with a grain of salt. I’m so impressed to see that Gabriel Epstein at the The Washington Institute for Near East Policy has actually done a statistical analysis of the numbers. “Expecting significant precision or accuracy in death tolls in a war zone, where estimates often range in the tens of thousands, is a fool’s errand. What can be said for certain is that Hamas-produced statistics are inconsistent, imprecise, and appear to have been systematically manipulated to downplay the number of militants killed and to exaggerate the proportion of noncombatants confirmed as dead. The Gaza Health Ministry and GMO figures are cited widely, in many cases without caveats, often to claim that Israel is engaging in indiscriminate bombardment or attempted genocide, primarily targeting women and children.”
He analyzes their reported numbers in past conflicts as a launching point. Using the following link, you’ll be able to view or download the PDF of the study itself:
Passing my Medical-Surgical Certification Exam! I was told at work to study for it, and warned them I didn’t have time. Fine, they said just take it and see what happens. So I took the 150 question exam on Thursday, with no idea how many were needed to pass, and it worked out! Woot woot!
My cousin Daniel Pearl with my mother, his aunt.
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.
As the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is set to premiere on Max on Feb. 4th, the show’s title has been finding a new place in the Jewish cultural and political lexicon. Jewish couture brand Hamsa Club has been selling shirts and hats with the words “Curb Your Antisemitism” printed on them in the same typefaceas the show’s logo. The punny shirt has been enthusiastically received.
And it just might be one of the best unimpeachable yet grin-worthy weapons against antisemitism in the wake of the Oct. 7th attacks.
According to Hamsa Club’s founder Kevin Abner, it’s their top-selling item. Some of the biggest names in Hollywood have been spotted proudly wearing “Curb Your Antisemitism” couture, including author and pro-Israel activist Noa Tishby, comedian Ben Gleib, actress Mayim Bialik, actress Emmanuelle Chriqui and comedian and podcast host Leah Lamarr.
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” co-star Jeff Garlin DM’d Abner that he likes it. Comedian Elon Gold, who was a recurring guest during season 11, can be spotted on his Instagram account wearing the hat.
The idea for “Curb Your Antisemitism” came to the mind of Abner in March of 2023 after rewatching episode three from season eight of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” titled “Palestinian Chicken.” The quote in the show that inspired the couture was a dialogue between Jeff Green (played by Jeff Garlin) and Larry David at a fictional restaurant owned by a Palestinian woman who is openly antisemitic. Still, the Jewish David took a romantic interest in her.
“If by some chance she’s going to get over her antisemitism, odds are, not with you,” Green (Jeff Garlin) says to David in the episode.
“It clicked in my head right then and there: curb your antisemitism!” Abner told the Journal. Abner founded Hamsa Club in late 2016. Until 2023, most of the clothing had cheeky items such as a hooded sweatshirt that said “JewBoy” and college shirts written in Hebrew-style lettering.
“It grabs your attention,” Abner said. “When I personally wear it, whether I go to Trader Joe’s or walking down the street, random people do a double take. They’re like, ‘wait, what? oh, I love this show!’”
Hamsa Club’s “Curb Your Antisemitism” clothing is not only gaining popularity fast, it’s also becoming a rallying cry. When at a pro-Israel demonstration, amongst the sea of horrific honesty and grim facts on shirts and signs, there’s bound to be a “Curb Your Antisemitism” shirt or hat in the crowd. While the point of the shirt isn’t to bring levity to a crisis, it certainly brings a smile to the faces of many fans of the television show.
And it’s coming at a time when there is plenty of enthusiasm around Los Angeles for the twelfth and final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” From February 2-4, Max is staging popup Latte Larry’s coffee shops (as seen in season 10) in both Culver City and Venice.
It was also just announced this week that David himself will be making ticketed public appearances this spring in Boston and Washington, D.C. —a rarity for the curmudgeon. David will also be appearing at PaleyFest in Los Angeles on April 18 along with fellow cast members Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Cheryl Hines, J.B. Smoove, Richard Lewis and Ted Danson.
It remains yet to be confirmed whether the Hamsa Club’s “Curb Your Antisemitism” couture will make an appearance on screen this season. But the slogan will certainly live on far beyond the upcoming series finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which airs April 7th on Max.
The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling on Friday, Jan. 26, that Israel needs to do more to stop killing civilians in the Gaza Strip, although the ruling did not call for a ceasefire received a mixed reaction from Jewish groups.
South Africa urged the court to order the fighting in Gaza to stop, arguing that Israel is committing genocide, a claim that Israel strongly rejects. The court ruled that Israel must take preventative measures to ensure that its military is not committing genocide in Gaza and submit monthly reports to the court on how they are implementing the ruling.
Additionally, the ICJ ruling calls on Hamas to release all the hostages.
George Mason University Law Professor Eugene Kontorovich posted on X, “Israel narrowly escaped diplomatic disaster in The Hague, but a dangerous precedent was set: The court gave itself authority into supervise the conduct of democratic countries’ wars, under the pretext of looking for genocide. That ICJ has not vindicated itself, and will surely be used in the future to cause diplomatic harm to Israel. Israel should immediately follow America’s lead and quit the [court’s] jurisdiction.”
Israel narrowly escaped diplomatic disaster in The Hague, but a dangerous precedent was set: the court gave itself authority into supervise the conduct of democratic countries’ wars, under the pretext of looking for genocide. That ICJ has not vindicated itself, and will surely be…
The J7, the Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism that includes the Anti-Defamation League and Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations, released a statement:
“We take note of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) appropriate rejection of South Africa’s extreme demand for an Israeli ceasefire — which tacitly recognizes Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas and others in Gaza — as well as the ICJ’s call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.” The groups were “disappointed by today’s decision to issue a series of provisional measures against Israel, as it gives weight to South Africa’s preposterous claims. Opponents of Israel are shamelessly politicizing the Genocide Convention, making a mockery of actual genocides, past, present and future. It is part of a broader and morally obscene, anti-Israel campaign, led by South Africa, with the backing of the Iranian regime and other governments hostile to the Jewish State. Their goal is to weaken Israel’s international standing, while bolstering the image of Hamas and other terrorist organizations committed to Israel’s violent destruction. It is unfortunate the ICJ, which is meant to serve as the ultimate standard-bearer for the international rule of law, has fallen victim, even if partially, to South Africa’s sinister ploy.”
“Opponents of Israel are shamelessly politicizing the Genocide Convention, making a mockery of actual genocides, past, present and future.” -J7 Statement
J7 added that the ruling is not a final determination on whether or not Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and argued that Israel has “gone to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties. This includes giving advance warnings for civilians to evacuate targeted areas, creating humanitarian corridors for civilian safe passage, facilitating the delivery of truckloads of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and working with the United States and others to develop best practices on avoiding civilian casualties …
Rather than recognizing Israeli efforts to minimize civilian casualties – as per its obligations under international humanitarian law, which Israel fully abides by – the ICJ has sent a confusing and convoluted message that grants legitimacy to Hamas, an actual genocidal group, whose founding charter is rife with calls for anti-Jewish violence and other forms of antisemitism and extremism.”
American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch said in a statement that while “it’s a travesty” that the ICJ didn’t simply toss South Africa’s charges against Israel, “the Court’s order today thwarted South Africa’s primary objective in launching this case: to turn the Genocide Convention on its head and use it as an ‘aggressor’s charter’ to prevent Israel from defending its citizens against Hamas’ brutality and continued terror … In its decision today, the ICJ ordered Israel to carry out acts that its representatives had affirmed at the Jan. 12 hearing that they are already doing and intend to continue,” Deutch added. “The Court further rejected South Africa’s request for Israel to be ordered to ‘desist’ from committing specific acts that South Africa alleged would be indicative of genocide in Gaza. The Court repeatedly stressed that it had not determined that any violations of the Genocide Convention had occurred.”
In conclusion, said that while the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day, there are “unprecedented levels of antisemitism worldwide, leaders must recognize that South Africa’s outrageous attempt to distort popular understanding of the meaning of the term ‘genocide’ and use it as a weapon against Israel is not only deeply insulting to Jews; it fuels hatred of Jews everywhere and greatly increases the danger that many already face.”
StandWithUs said in a statement, “The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has rejected a demand by the South African government to order a ‘ceasefire’ that would allow Hamas to remain in power in Gaza, continue to oppress its own people, and rearm for the next massacre of Israeli civilians. However, StandWithUs is disappointed by the ICJ’s decision to accept other parts of this slanderous case, which uses the Genocide Convention to defame Israel and undermine its right to defend itself against genocidal terrorism. In its ruling, the ICJ calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining 136 hostages held by Hamas since Oct. 7. We take note that Hamas said they would abide by the court’s ruling, and as such Hamas must release the hostages immediately.”
The pro-Israel education group noted “that the majority opinion of the court relies exclusively on statements made by UN officials, including leaders of UNWRA, about the situation in Gaza. The anti-Israel bias of these officials and the UN system has long been known and proven.” Further, StandWithUs contended that “the evidence South Africa presented to the court was decontextualized and often deeply misleading. Their case relied heavily upon inflammatory and out of context statements, demonstrably false claims, and gross misrepresentations of Israel’s actions.”
The Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a statement, “The ICJ should have demanded that the Hamas terrorist group end the war by laying down its arms. The ICJ should have put these terrorists on notice that it is they who soon will be standing before the bar of justice. The ICJ should have sanctioned South Africa for hosting wanted terrorists, not allowing the Court to be used by supporters and apologists of terror. Instead, the ICJ lectured Israel to an avoid a possible genocide, not Hamas. Israel has taken unprecedented measures to limit civilian casualties, but Hamas has interwoven its underground military complex under Gaza’s civilians, mosques, schools, and homes. But it is the Jewish State, not the Palestinian terrorists, who remain in the crosshairs of politicized ‘justice.’”
Arsen Ostrovsky, human rights attorney and CEO of The International Legal Forum, said in a statement, “Although the ICJ made a number of questionable determinations, including heavy reliance on the United Nations, it is important to underscore that the decision to grant provisional measures did not make any judgement as to the substance of South Africa’s allegations, nor did it order a ceasefire or compel Israel to stop its military operations. Importantly, the court did also call on the immediate release of hostages that remain under captivity by Hamas in Gaza. It should also not go unnoticed that this decision has been handed down on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The very term ‘genocide’ was created in the wake of the Holocaust, to describe the attempted annihilation of the Jewish people, and is now being unconscionably weaponized and subverted by South Africa, in the wake of the single largest massacre of Jews, since the Holocaust itself.”
He continued: “Notwithstanding South Africa’s mendacious allegations, the IDF have gone to extraordinary lengths, not seen in the history of modern warfare, to avoid civilian casualties and abide by principles of international humanitarian law, in exercising Israel’s right to self-defense against the very terrorists who massacred, raped, burnt, tortured and mutilated over 1,200 people, and are now holding at least 136 people hostage in Gaza, including young women, children and elderly. We call on all democracies to condemn this abhorrent, unconscionable and inexcusable politicization of the ICJ and South Africa’s obscene and shameful perversion of justice.”
The European Leadership Network (ELNET) said in a statement that the ICJ ruling “should end” South Africa’s legal efforts against Israel, pointing to how the ICJ acknowledged that Israel’s actions were done to protect its civilians in response to the Oct. 7 massacre and that the ICJ called for Hamas to release the hostages. “Falsely leveling the charge of genocide against Israel, the world’s sole Jewish state, was cynical and destructive,” ELNET argued. “It trivialized and politicized the most heinous of crimes.”
J Street said in a statement that they “reject the allegation of genocide” against Israel and noted that “the ICJ rightly recognized the horrific scale of the October 7 attack in Israel, called on all parties to abide by international law, and noted it was “gravely concerned” for the fate of hostages still held in Gaza, calling for their ‘immediate and unconditional release.’ It is important to note that the Court has no jurisdiction over Hamas, as a non-state actor, and that the accountability for the ongoing violations of international law by Hamas is unaddressed within this specific case. The court also noted the devastating impact of the Israeli government’s military response in Gaza, including catastrophic levels of death, destruction and displacement and an ongoing humanitarian disaster.” J Street called on Israel “to comply in full with the letter and spirit of the ICJ’s ruling.”
Combat Antisemitism Movement CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa said in a statement, “The ICJ’s interim ruling, coming a day before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, shames the memory of those who fought against genocide and the six million Jews on whose ashes the Genocide Convention was built. The ruling strips the rights of their descendants, the Jewish people in their indigenous and ancestral homeland, of their right to prevent another genocide. It sets a precedent which will deny the right of defense from all democracies fighting against terrorists who embed themselves among civilian populations. The ruling will be learned and studied by all terrorist organizations around the world and serve as a blueprint for them to be able to achieve their own genocidal aims, without censure or attack. Finally, we recall that the ICJ made an unequivocal demand to immediately release all of the hostages, something which we share.”
