Just over 50 years ago, noted public intellectual Norman Podhoretz wrote in the New York Times, “Ever since October, 1973, with the outbreak of the Yom Kippur war, it has become clearer and clearer that something new has happened to the Jews of America; they have all been converted to Zionism.”
Podhoretz went on to say, “Once upon a time there were anti-Zionist Jews in America, there were non-Zionist Jews in America, and there were Jews in America indifferent to the whole issue of Jewish statehood. What the Yom Kippur war has revealed is that many who were formerly hostile or indifferent to Israel have by now either become Zionists or have simply faded away.”
In 2024, times have radically changed—and so have American Jews. As early as 2007, social scientists scholars advanced what became known as the Israel distancing hypothesis, arguing that younger Jews in particular were not embracing Israel as did their parents or grandparents. Not all expert observers concurred.
But, these days, the Israel-Hamas war has exposed a number of very distressing truths, and among them is the severe variance in levels of support for Israel by generational cohort: Among both Jews and the larger society, older Americans hold far more favorable views toward the Jewish state. While survey data regularly show that in aggregate Americans support Israel’s right to self-preservation, age differences are pronounced; 82 percent of Americans over 55 believe that a ceasefire should only happen once the Hamas hostages are released and Hamas is out of power compared to a far lower 47 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24.
Coming into sharp focus in light of the tragedy on October 7th is that this pattern of younger Americans turning away from Israel is not just a secular issue; for non-Orthodox Jews, a generational pattern has emerged where younger Jews are more distant from Israel than their elders. The question that should be on the minds of Jewish communal leadership is why has this happened and what can be done to help shore up the relationship between younger cohorts of Jews and Israel.
While I cannot offer comprehensive answers here, the Pew 2020 national survey of almost five-thousand American Jews acutely captures this now very transparent generational divide on attachment to Israel and the data suggest some areas that the Jewish community can focus on that may help strengthen bonds going forward. The Pew data reveal that the differences between those 65 and older and those under 30 are significant with the proportion feeling at least somewhat attached to Israel declining from 67 percent to 42 percent. Similar gaps emerge when it comes to following the news about Israel at least somewhat closely (74 to 46 percent); seeing Israel as an essential part of what being Jewish means to me (53 to 33 percent); and the feeling one shares a lot or some in common with the Jews of Israel (64 to 51 percent).
There is an appreciably large change in support of Israel by generational cohort. In terms of why this is the case, one big factor is having visited Israel, a phenomenon that does in fact vary by age. It is worth noting that nine in 10 Jews who have been to Israel more than once say they feel at least somewhat attached to it. For Jews who have never been to Israel, fewer than half say they feel attached to it. Certainly traveling to Israel leads to greater emotional attachment as a raft of studies of Birthright participant clearly establish; but it is also the case that Jews who feel strongly attached to Israel are more likely to visit. Nonetheless, younger cohorts of Jews do trail older Jews in having experienced Israel repeatedly—even with the positive impact of Birthright Israel, so this could be an area for more investment—be it in the teen years, the college years, or beyond.
It is worth noting that nine in 10 Jews who have been to Israel more than once say they feel at least somewhat attached to it.
In addition to visiting Israel itself, three other factors come into play in explaining levels of attachment to Israel. These include Jewish cultural engagement, Jewish religiosity, and conservative to moderate political identity collectively, as all three statistically exert about the same influence on Israel attachment and, with travel, all four work together to account for most (but not all) of why younger Jews trail their elders in Israel attachment. And on all of these metrics, younger Jews are simply far less connected than their parents and grandparents. To put matters simply: They are less culturally and religiously Jewish, less likely to have been to Israel repeatedly, and more likely to hold liberal or very liberal (i.e., “progressive”) political views—all of which predict lower attachment to Israel. And, as the Pew 2020 data also clearly show, these patterns are further exacerbated by lower rates of Jewish social networks: fewer Jews with Jewish friends, partners and spouses.
But this does not have to be the case. The Jewish community can actively work to promote more cultural traditions, religiosity and Jewish social networks. In the political realm the Jewish community may not be able to address how the left has turned on Israel. But older Jewish cohorts could work with their families and within the community to showcase why the most extreme liberal positions are not in the best interest of Jews today.
It is also the case that acts of cultural engagement can turn the tide with younger Jewish cohorts. Simply marking Shabbat and engaging in Jewish cultural activities has a powerful impact on support for Israel and the data demonstrate that younger American Jews are indeed about half as likely as their grandparents (23 percent to 37 percent) to visit Jewish cultural platforms, read the Jewish news, or engage with cultural markers like foodways. Parents, grandparents and communal institutions can refocus on promoting activities that have meaningful impacts on Jewish solidarity and Israel like Jewish food culture as these activities and traditions clearly play a potent role in shaping the attitudes of younger Jews.
There is no simple answer for how the Jewish community should address the generational decline in Israel attachment and Israel may not have the same degree of steadfast support that has existed in prior generations. However, the data do point to factors that diminish Israel attachment. Even though younger, non-Orthodox Jews are notably moving away from the older cohort, this distancing from Israel is not necessarily a fait accompli. Older cohorts, families and community institutions can work to enhance Jewish traditions, practices and social ties. In doing so, they can strengthen support for Israel. Over 20 years ago, the watchword of Hillel International was, “More Jews doing Jewish with other Jews.” Though abandoned in line with the times, the slogan neatly summarizes the most effective strategy for re-connecting today’s younger Jews with Jewish identity, other Jews and the Jewish State.
Samuel J. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks.) and Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield attended a ceremony at de Toledo High School in West Hills on Thursday morning honoring 12 Israeli teenagers who survived the Oct. 7 massacre.
“Today, we honor and recognize the 12 students from towns and Kibbutzim near the Gaza border who have been displaced from their homes,” Sherman said. “They are among the 250,000 more Israelis who have been displaced either by Hamas on the southern border with Gaza or by Hezbollah from their attacks on the northern border. The entire Jewish community around the world has its eyes on Israel.”
Toward the end of the ceremony, which more than 120 people attended, Sherman presented the teens with an American flag flown at the United States Capitol. “I give this flag to an organization that is of outstanding service to our nation in bringing these students together, to tell their story and to build bridges between the United States and our greatest ally in the Middle East,” the congressman said.
The teens had been at the school for the past two weeks with host families to give them a “psychological and physical respite” from everything, Head of School Mark Shpall said at the beginning of the ceremony. The teens attended classes and had the chance to explore Los Angeles, he added, which was possible due to the school’s Global Jewish Education program. “You have now become a deep part of our de Toledo community,” Shpall said to the teens.
Four of the teens — who identified themselves as Maya, Mai, Nadav and Vlad––recounted their experiences on Oct. 7. Maya, who is from Sderot, said she was in a safe room with her mother for seven hours. Mai was working in a coffee shop that morning when she and her co-worker Benny “heard a really big boom” at 6:30 a.m. The two of them hid in a safe room for an hour-and-a-half; eventually two men with weapons came into the shop and told Mai and Benny that “we need to leave with them.” “I thought they were going to kill us or kidnap us,” Mai said. “We left the safe room and got in a pickup truck and we started to drive.”
Mai and Benny were driven to an operation room in a kibbutz, where they stayed for two hours; she recalled seeing a man shot in his throat. Eventually, a woman in the operation room said they could not stay, so she took and Mai and Benny to a private home. “We stayed there for two days without clothes, without chargers, without food, without nothing, especially without our parents,” Mai said. After two days, Israeli soldiers came and took them back home.
Nadav said that he was visiting the northern part of Israel with his uncle on Oct. 7 when he saw that alarms were sounding in the south, “but we’re used to it.” He called his father when he saw \ videos of the Oct. 7 atrocities on social media; Nadav said he “heard gunshots in the background of the call” with his father. Nadav’s father eventually escaped the kibbutz after a few hours and they now lives with Nadav’s aunt further inside Israel, as Nadav’s house is damaged.
Vlad, who lives in Netivot, recalled waking up at 6 a.m. to sirens; two hours later, he heard gunshots. The city was locked down for a month, where Vlad constantly heard sirens; he didn’t leave his house until two months later. His brother was at the Nova music festival and witnessed the carnage, but ultimately escaped and survived.
All four of the teens praised their two-week trip to Los Angeles and their host families, calling the experience “comforting” and “relaxing.”
During the ceremony, Sherman, the most senior Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the Oct. 7 massacre the largest “attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust” and he mourned the at least 200 Israeli soldiers who have killed while fighting in the ongoing war as well as “the many thousands of Palestinians who have died… all of them dead as a sole result of the decision by Hamas to launch this horrific attack.” He also prayed for the release of the remaining hostages that are still being held by Hamas.
Sherman then pointed out that there has been a 337% increase in antisemitic attacks in the United States since Oct. 7, citing the killing of Paul Kessler in Thousand Oaks as well as “the desecration of the large veteran’s cemetery” as examples. Sherman then touted himself as “the strongest advocate for the most recent decision to make Israel a visa waiver country and then to accelerate that decision immediately after Oct. 7” so that Israelis could engage in visa-free travel to the United States.
He also discussed the recent allegations that several staffers for the United Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) participated in the Oct. 7 massacre, though the UNRWA leaders claimed they didn’t know. “Israel has presented evidence that thousands of UNRWA staff are active members of Hamas,” Sherman continued. “They didn’t know. But what UNRWA has always known is that their educational materials teach hatred, advocate terrorism, and the United States is the largest supporter for UNRWA.” He adding that the House of Representatives passed his “Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act” to ensure that the “next generation of Palestinian children cannot be taught what this generation is being taught.”
But in Sherman’s view, the most pressing issue is the $14 billion in aid requested by President Joe Biden (D) “months ago” that has stalled in Congress. “First they said, ‘well we won’t pass it unless we reach an agreement on the border’… Congress would pass this aid if we got an up-and-down vote for it,” contended Sherman. “I am for aid for the Ukraine, I’m for humanitarian relief for Armenia and Ethiopia… but I have voted for the aid––and most of my party didn’t––as a standalone bill because Israel needs the aid now, and other issues can be dealt with.” He added that “Israel needs the resupply effort. The war continues.”
Sherman also said that students on college campuses are being presented with a distorted picture of what’s happening in the Middle East, as “Israel continues to be besieged” and that Hamas’s position is “from the river to the sea, the land will be ‘judenfree.’ That all Jews will be killed or expelled.” Sherman pointed out that Hamas has announced that would commit the Oct. 7 massacre “again and again and again.” “Israel needs to finish the job until Hamas is neutralized,” Sherman declared, resulting in applause from the audience.
Blumenfield said during his speech he was able to get 13 out of the 15 Los Angeles city councilmembers to attend a press conference and “stand unequivocally with Israel” following the Oct. 7 massacre. He claimed that “folks from Israel” are the best tool to educate people about the Middle East, touting the fact that he brought in families of hostages to meet with Mayor Karen Bass (D) and some of his colleagues. “That made a huge difference to folks, people who before were calling for a ceasefire and not quite understanding the region,” Blumenfield said. “When I was able to introduce them to some folks––some who are very progressive and left in Israel––to have them talk to some folks on the city council directly behind closed doors who also share a very left perspective, it opened their mind in many ways.”
“Having these exchanges, having students like you come in, it makes a huge difference,” he added.
Blumenfield shared his concern “about the politics surrounding Israel on our campuses” but the best way to address it “is through education.”
“Given the unspeakable trauma they endured, today’s ceremony served as an important opportunity to highlight the nearly 300,000 Israelis who are still displaced since the October 7th massacre.” – U.S. Rep Brad Sherman
“I was honored to attend today’s Solidarity Ceremony at de Toledo High School and help welcome to Los Angeles a delegation of Israeli teens who were directly impacted by the horrendous October 7th terrorist attack on Israel,” Sherman said in a statement. “Given the unspeakable trauma they endured, today’s ceremony served as an important opportunity to highlight the nearly 300,000 Israelis who are still displaced since the October 7th massacre, and to de Toledo High School’s tremendous work supporting these students and demonstrating that they are not alone in the wake of such an unimaginable tragedy.”
Palestinian Arab leaders can’t seem to make up their minds about the Holocaust. Sometimes they say it never happened. Sometimes they say it did happen, but Israel’s behavior is even worse. And sometimes—such as last week—they say the Jews themselves provoked the Holocaust.
Yasser Abu Sido, a senior official of the Palestinian Authority’s ruling party, Fatah, said on an Egyptian television program on February 23 that “Hitler had obvious reasons” for perpetrating the Holocaust.
The Jews’ own provocative behavior was the reason, according to Abu Sido. “They planned to take control of Germany. They started to bring down Germany in terms of the economy and moral values.” That was why “Hitler reacted by making the Jews go on the streets and lick the sidewalks. They know this very well.”
Abu Sido’s blame-the-Jews approach to the Holocaust echoes words spoken repeatedly by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
In an April 30, 2018 speech to the Palestinian National Council, Abbas explained the “reasons” why Jews were massacred throughout history, from the pogroms of the Middle Ages to the Holocaust. He began by dismissing the idea that antisemitism had anything to do with it. “Why did this happen? They say ‘it is because we are Jews’,” but that must be false, Abbas said, because “there were Jews in Arab countries. Why wasn’t there ever one incident against Jews [there] because they’re Jews? Not even once.” (An obvious falsehood.)
The real reason for the Holocaust, Abbas said, was the Jews’ own “social behavior, [charging] interest, and financial matters.” Those Jewish actions are what provoked the Nazis, he claimed.
Just last year, the PA chairman repeated that perspective in a speech to Fatah’s Revolutionary Council (on August 24, 2023). “They say that Hitler killed the Jews because they were Jews and that Europe hated the Jews because they were Jews. Not true,” Abbas asserted. “[The Nazis] fought [the Jews] because of their social role, and not their religion….The [Nazis] fought against these people because of their role in society, which had to do with usury, money and so on and so forth.”
Somehow, that train of thought coexists peacefully in Abbas’s mind alongside the view he articulated in his infamous Ph.D dissertation-turned-book, The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism, published in 1984. There he argued that fewer than one million Jews were killed by the Nazis, and they were the victims of a secret partnership between David Ben-Gurion and Adolf Hitler. Asked about the book by a Lebanese television interviewer in 2013, Abbas insisted that he stands by what he wrote, and even has written “seventy more books that I still haven’t published” on the topic.
It’s bad enough that mainstream Palestinian Authority leaders such as Abbas and Abu Sido believe such crazy things. But what is at stake is more than just a grotesque distortion of history; their rhetoric can help set the stage for further atrocities—because the logic behind the Holocaust comments by Abbas and Abu Sido is remarkably similar to the position that they and their PA colleagues have taken regarding the October 7 pogrom.
Abbas and other PA leaders have characterized October 7 as a “response to the occupation.” They have said the attack “did not happen in a vacuum.” They have portrayed Gaza as a “prison” from which Hamas was trying to “break free.” Every such justification is another way of saying that Israel’s own behavior was to blame for provoking the attack.
In a sense, Abbas is being consistent: The Jews provoked the pogroms of the Middle Ages. The Jews provoked the Holocaust. And the Jews provoked the murders, gang-rapes and beheadings of October 7. That’s the common thread in all of his thinking on these subjects.
Blaming the Jews for their persecutors’ actions is not just adding insult to the injuries that the pogromists inflicted. It incites further violence by justifying whatever Arab terrorists will do to Jews in the future. Such an extreme and irrational perspective—which is promulgated by PA leaders, disseminated by the PA-controlled media, and taught in the PA’s schools—may be the single greatest threat to hopes for Arab-Israeli peace.
Dr. Medoff is founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and author of more than 20 books about Jewish history and the Holocaust. His latest is Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought to Expose the Holocaust to America, a nonfiction graphic novel with artist Dean Motter, published by Dark Horse Books.)
A short column like this doesn’t allow me to engage in the reasons for 2000 years of antisemitism. And even if it did, we might never figure it out. But it does allow me to dwell on a question that is nearly as important. Whatever the reason for antisemitism, why are we Jews so bad at fighting it?
The answer is simple. Jews prefer to be loved rather than feared. No, that doesn’t go far enough. They are desperate to be loved. And all desperation betrays weakness and is easily detected by our enemies.
In his outstanding 1992 movie “Malcolm X,” director Spike Lee accurately portrays how the same need to fit in, to be accepted, to assimilate into the mainstream, affected and influenced the life of a young and criminal Malcolm Little. He straightened his afro hair, dated white women, and despised his blackness. But what the Nation of Islam gave him in prison was pride in being a black man. He would become one of the transformational figures of the 20th century and today our family is friendly with this daughter, Malaak Shabazz, who has been to our home for Shabbat dinner many times.
Unfortunately, what the Nation also gave him was a hatred of white people and especially Jews, something that he ultimately rejected once he saw through the hypocrisy of Elijah Muhammad, about a year before his tragic assassination on 21 February, 1965. He was murdered just as he was becoming a great man.
No one is suggesting that Jewish pride be accompanied by — God forbid — hatred of gentiles in general or our Muslim brothers and sisters in particular. If there is one great teaching that the Torah brought the world, articulated in the very first chapter of Genesis, is that we are all — Jew and Gentile alike — equal children of God.
What I am suggesting, however, is that unlike the black community that finally began to purge the self-hatred that comes from 300 years of slavery and Jim Crow, we Jews have never fully expunged the self-loathing that almost inevitably becomes internalized after 2000 years of antisemitism and the Holocaust.
We Jews have never fully expunged the self-loathing that almost inevitably becomes internalized after 2000 years of antisemitism and the Holocaust.
When the whole world hates you for two millennia, rather than putting the blame squarely on the antisemites — where it belongs — you start thinking, “Well, maybe there is something wrong with us.”
Here I am not referring to the obvious attempt at assimilation that was characteristic of many Jews prior to the Holocaust: Changing one’s name, trying to marry a Gentile spouse, converting to Christianity, or trying to be more German than the Germans.
No, I’m speaking of right now, in the year 2024, how even as we try and fight antisemitism, we do it without ever taking the gloves off.
When George Floyd was murdered by a Minnesota cop in May of 2020, the Black community never thought of being loved. They focused on being feared. The message of Black Lives Matters was this: “We’re not going to take this crap any more, of black men being murdered by the police over $20 counterfeit bills.” There was rage in the street, and if you didn’t like it, tough. Change came about swiftly.
Contrast that to how weakly we Jews fight antisemitism. A classic example was the well-meaning but absolutely pathetic $7 million Super Bowl ad against antisemitism financed by Robert Kraft’s foundation #StandUptoJewishHate which featured Clarence Jones, the former lawyer and adviser to the great Martin Luther King, Jr. Rather than directly focus on the issue at hand, the tsunami of antisemitism and Jew-hatred that is engulfing America, the ad became a form of watered-down gibberish against Islamophobia and all other forms of hatred. Instead of punching the antisemites in the gut, the ad basically said, “You see, for all of you who hate us Jews, we’re not such bad people. We are loving and kind. Please, won’t you like us?”
Weak. Pitiable. Pathetic. What a waste.
Now, Robert Kraft is a great man, a committed Jew, and, as the most successful team owner in NFL history, a brilliant marketer. So how could he have blundered so badly with such an instantly forgettable waste of 7 million dollars?
Because he forgot what Niccolo Machiavelli said in the 15th century in his monumental book, “The Prince,” written as advice to Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici on how to rule Florence. It comes down to a simple axiom. “It’s nice to be loved. But it’s more important to be feared.”
Machiavelli has been attacked by centuries of ethicists for essentially writing a book for a Mafia godfather. But that’s not what he meant. Rather, if you are dealing with rational people who have a commitment to basic decency and ethics, then it’s obviously better to be appreciated, respected, and loved in your relationship with them. Fear need never be employed, just as America, as opposed to, say, Kim Jong Un, doesn’t try to scare its citizens into obedience.
But if you’re dealing with Nazis, Hamas, and Iran, then screw being loved. You have to be feared. Your enemies must know that they will be punished harshly for murdering your citizens or for physically assaulting Jews with yarmulkes in Times Square.
Autocratic killers like Vladimir Putin, who last month murdered the great fighter for liberty Alexei Navalny — while the world didn’t give much of a damn — have abused Machiavelli’s teachings to force a reign of terror on innocent civilians.
So why, Rabbi Shmuley, would you be advocating that we Jews follow Machiavelli’s thuggish advice?
Because we Jews should take Machiavelli’s advice only and solely when it comes to fighting the Islamist radicals and neo-Nazis with whom there can be no negotiations, no compromise, and no peace. They are dedicated to our destruction and annihilation, which is why, when FDR and Churchill met at Casablanca in 1943, they demanded nothing short of unconditional surrender from Hitler and the Nazis.
No negotiations. No compromise. No popularity contest. No being liked.
When Churchill carpet-bombed Hamburg, Essen, Cologne, and Dresden, he was not trying to win a popularity contest. When Harry Truman dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he was not looking to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
Now, we Jews and Israel WOULD NEVER EVEN CONSIDER SUCH EXTREME TACTICS as the indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians. Israel has always employed surgical strikes and continues to lose hundreds of soldiers because of it.
But those who protect and enable Hamas’ genocide, like the utterly antisemitic and immoral United Nations and Qatar, must be resisted and their reputations destroyed. American abominations like Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and American Taliban like Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) must have their hatred, bigotry, and antisemitism attacked and exposed in the media nonstop.
They will never like us. Let’s make sure they fear us.
AIPAC should spend a fortune running opposition candidates against Israel-hating lawmakers. And that is true of all antisemitic American lawmakers like AOC (D-N.Y.), even if we know we know we can’t beat them. Give them a challenger who will attack their hatred nonstop just to show that we will never ever fear them and we will expose their bias.
One Sabbath I asked my Friday night guests, whom I love to challenge on historical and moral issues, a simple yet offensive question. If you lived during the Holocaust, and the Nazis were liquidating the ghetto and ordered you to get on the train, would you have gotten on, or resisted?
My wife Debbie, whose family was decimated in the Holocaust, was aghast and told me the question is utterly inappropriate. I apologized but persisted. “Would you get on the train, yes or no,” I asked the journalists, politicians, and professionals at our table.
Each guest answered differently, with the split being about equal between those who said they would obey the SS orders so as to protect their children, and the other half saying they would disobey even if meant being shot on the spot.
The truth, of course is, that it’s not only an unfair but a trick question.
BY THE TIME THE NAZIS GET YOU TO THE TRAIN, THE GAME IS UP. THERE IS NO RESISTANCE. YOU ARE GOING TO DIE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, EITHER BEING SHOT OR GASSED.
The objective therefore, in fighting antisemitism, is simple: DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM THE TRAIN AS POSSIBLE.
When the edicts against Jews owning business starts, get on the street in protest and raise hell. Don’t be silent and believe it will go away. When the racial laws start about whom can marry whom, get your non-Jewish friends to protest in their thousands in the streets against the hate. And when Jews are mercilessly defamed in media, spend millions of dollars NOT ATTACKING ISLAMOPHOBIA BUT ATTACKING ANTISEMITISM.
Never ever ever allow yourself to get slowly pulled toward the train. Because by the time you’re at the tracks, the choice is no longer between life and death, but only between death and death.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, “America’s Rabbi,” is the international best-selling author of “Kosher Hate” and the “The Israel Warrior.” Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @RabbiShmuley.
This has been a very special week, brought to you by the following letters:
M-I-C-K-E-Y…M-O-U-S-E.
While it does takes some time to fully recover from pneumonia, and I’m still frequently tired, my family does not take for granted the visit from Adi’s brother Adam, and his son Malachi. Adam, like so many in Israel, has been actively called up to serve from his Reserve Duty, and in his case he’s been driving a truck for the army since October. To be able to see him, hug him, and catch up with him in person, has been both wonderful, and surreal.
When I told a few friends who work for Disney that he was being released from the army, and wanted to take his son to Disneyland, they immediately stepped up. Two of them donated tickets from their personal supply, and we were able to give them a wonderful day at the pair of L.A. Disney parks. It took a number of hours for it to stop feeling entirely strange for Adam – imagine coming from months in the army, to a day at the “happiest place on earth” – but he and his son loved it.
Amazingly, the same week we went, a beautiful thing happened. Maman Nonprofit, which I’ve highlighted in a past column, organized to bring teenagers from Israel, for a 2 week stay in LA. These particular kids were either displaced, and/or have lost friends or family on October 7th. A message was sent out to Disney employees using their internal Slack messaging system. In less than an hour, 20 different Disney employees had donated tickets for the entire group and their chaperones. Employees at the park also provided ice cream, fast passes, and front row reservations to the parades. I was honored to be asked to join as their L.A. Disney guide, and was sad to not be able to do it. However, my friends Farrah Noah Daniel and Michelle Bider Stone went, and told me it was a wonderful experience for all of them. The photos below are from each of those excursions.
After that lovely story, I present this week’s Chosen Links:
ARTICLES/THREADS:
1a. My old, close friend Rabbi Andy Green has a congregation in Arizona, and he recently went on a trip to Israel. Among his many heartwarming and heartbreaking posts, his tour guide Lotan shared this tragic story about his in-laws on October 7th. “Later they learned that Lotan’s in-laws were taken to a street nearby, lined up and executed with about 40 others by a shot to the head (despite other wounds.) We listened to his mother in law saying goodbye on her final phone call.” Just shattering: https://www.facebook.com/green1andy/posts/pfbid036hTM59HjvsgTtbbTHE47UTns1K7raAsph3yDqeYzmWoga4kYz8L2g89k6fTwskP9l
1b. Then this post, which thankfully has a happier ending. “Suddenly, I saw on my right side, someone gets out of his car and I didn’t understand why… then I saw him take out his gun, stand in the position of shooting and start shooting. I get out of car and before that Chananya takes out his gun and there’s a bullet through the windshield of my car.” We are used to seeing statistics and numbers, but when you visit, each story has a face. I’m glad Andy was able to make this important visit: https://www.facebook.com/green1andy/posts/pfbid036hTM59HjvsgTtbbTHE47UTns1K7raAsph3yDqeYzmWoga4kYz8L2g89k6fTwskP9l
1c. Now for some backstory in what Andy has gone through. Months ago in November, a man in Scottsdale, Arizona (where Andy has his congregation) threatened to kill him and “every other JEW I can find tonight at midnight on your Sabbath”. But Andy remains steadfast, and will not cower to the threats that emenate from the pervasive Jew hatred he encounters. Thank you to Jerod MacDonald-Evoy for writing the story: https://azmirror.com/briefs/tempe-man-arrested-for-threatening-to-kill-a-scottsdale-rabbi-and-every-other-jew/
2. Time Magazine had a huge article all about antisemitism, written by Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman. Overall I really like how much history is taught in this lengthy piece. My main drawback, is that he casually refers to certain things Israel is doing wrong, things that these pages have explained are either untrue or a grey area. While there are certainly awful consequences to collateral damage, attributing a number to the deaths in Gaza, plays into the hands of the ones who came up with that number, namely Hamas. I really don’t mind reading critiques of Israel, as I have written frequently in these pages myself. But when those criticisms reinforce things that are likely to be untrue, or partially true, it frustrates me to see in an otherwise very helpful piece.
That being said, learning the history of old and new antisemitism, remains a very important and helpful topic. And this is really good. “Preoccupied with economic and social upheaval, antisemites depicted Jews as both uniquely capitalist and uniquely communist. Concerned about an unstable global power balance, antisemites claimed that Jews secretly controlled the world. Entranced by the pseudoscience of race that flourished after Darwin, antisemites declared that Jews were racially inferior. The obvious contradictions—that far from running the world, most Jews were impoverished, or that capitalism and communism were warring ideologies—did not deter antisemites. They ignored the illogic, or fell back on conspiracy theory, like the myth that Jewish capitalists and Jewish communists were secretly in cahoots. Ultimately, in different ways, both Nazism and Marxism identified Jews as an enemy deserving liquidation. The virulent antisemitism that fueled the Holocaust was thus partly a descendant of Christian antisemitism and also the product of modern conditions.” That’s some damn interesting writing: https://time.com/6763293/antisemitism/
3a. Through these pages of education, I’ve not only helped disseminate what I vet as interesting, but I myself learn things daily. Today I realized that I know next to nothing about the symbol being used in support of Palestinians – the watermelon. It led me to this article by Hannah Gillott, providing the interesting history. By the Oslo accords in 1993, people were allowed to display Palestinian flags, but for decades it was outlawed in Israel: https://www.thejc.com/news/features/browder-ojknbnxr
3b. Of note, this is an interesting backstory to the Israeli watermelon imagery, predating its use as Palestinian. I was not aware of this until Hannah Stamp sent me this cool post by Amira: https://twitter.com/baytifirasek/status/1740568799169105972
4a. One of my favorite people to follow is Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. I would love to find out where he gets such great, specific intel on Hamas, but he has consistently been on the money, and I appreciate him for his brutal honesty.
“Hamas is reportedly digging several contingency tunnels into Egypt to prepare for the escape of a large number of its upper-level commanders, members, leaders, and administrators in the event of a full Israeli ground invasion in Rafah.” Just to give you a taste: https://x.com/afalkhatib/status/1761863781951639791
4b. He is exasperated by Hamas continuing to reject any and all reasonable pushes for a ceasefire, including this latest one that has been endorsed by Qatar. “Sinwar & the Islamist psychopaths who lead Hamas want an Israeli invasion of Rafah during Ramadan because that’s their final desperate hope that the West Bank & entire region would be further inflamed during the holy month.” https://twitter.com/afalkhatib/status/1764300900439601414
4c. Ahmed gives 3 practical solutions to the crisis in Gaza, where Israel tries to allow food and humanitarian aid, but keeps getting it stolen by Hamas. All the while Israel and the Gazan civilians are attacked. He suggests air drops/air landings, cargo by sea, and Arab security forces. Described with tremendous detail: https://twitter.com/afalkhatib/status/1763360026629230822
5. Shaiel Ben-Ephraim points out that the very thing Ahmed refers to, providing humanitarian aid for Gaza, is something that Israel must try to provide. “It is also the legal obligation of the Israeli government. By taking over Gaza, it is now responsible for the welfare of its residents. Period.” I’d be interested to see a civil debate about this, analyzing the Geneva Convention he quotes, and if it applies to them given the complex situation. But I certainly am all for providing aid to the civilians, especially if Hamas can somehow be bypassed: https://twitter.com/academic_la/status/1763618272015266302
6. Hamza is a self-described peace activist from Gaza, and has been posting actively, decrying Hamas along the way. He shows that the initial air drops have actually happened, via America, and that they are effective. However, he points out that Hamas is actively trying to dissuade them from occurring, and utilizing social media to try to make it look ineffective and bad: https://twitter.com/HowidyHamza/status/1763125518172602416
7a. Seth Frantzman gives an extremely helpful series of tweets, about Hezbollah firing rockets into Israel. They also successfully attacked an Israeli drone. It seems likely that no matter how soon things end with Hamas, this next region of Lebanon (via Iran of course) is incessantly attacking us.
He also provides an important quote from Yoav Gallant on the topic. ““If anyone here thinks that when we reach an agreement to release hostages in the south and the fire stops [in Gaza] temporarily, this will make things easier here – they are mistaken. We will continue the fire and we will do so independently from the south, until we achieve our goals. The goal is simple – to withdraw Hezbollah to where it should be – either via a [diplomatic] agreement, or we will do it by force.” https://twitter.com/sfrantzman/status/1762088162195628309
7b. Frantzman writes an article about why a ceasefire would be a disaster at this point, playing into the hands of Hamas. Furthermore, he explains how several other players have benefited greatly from the”distraction” of the attacks on Israel. “Russia and Iran have profited from the attack. Iran has used to encourage its proxies to attack US forces in Iraq and Syria and to target shipping in the Red Sea. It has also pushed Hezbollah to carry out daily attacks, amounting to thousands of rockets fired, since 7 October. Russia has benefited from the Gaza war in that it has distracted the West from the conflict in Ukraine…A ceasefire that caters to Hamas demands and does not release hostages or end the Hamas threat is not acceptable to Israel, and shouldn’t be to the rest of the world either.” And I’ll add that a call for ceasefire to Israel, without a call to also release the hostages to Hamas, is blatant antisemitism: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/there-should-be-no-ceasefire-in-gaza/
7c. Seth writes a great thread, that I’m baffled I haven’t seen discussed until now. Why are we going through countless discussions and negotiations, involving several countries trying to come up with a deal to return the hostages….but getting info on who is actually alive is almost an afterthought? “One day the public is told that talks are almost near finishing and here is the 40 people who will be released…but then the next day “well we don’t even have a list of who is alive”…well how can you have talks about something when the people being discussed may not be alive?”
He is highly confused and suspicious as to how this can be. Why are Hamas holding all of the cards, if they are supposedly on the ropes? What are we missing? https://x.com/sfrantzman/status/1764313171840405654
8. This is a fantastic article, that I would tell people to bookmark and refer to whenever someone asks about legitimate versus antisemitic criticisms of Israel. Nachum Kaplan does a beautiful job spelling out the classic antisemitic tropes, including what we see today. He invites others to criticize Israel, as long as it’s done properly: https://nachumkaplan.substack.com/p/how-to-criticize-israel
9. Rabbi Steven Pruzansky makes some great points that I think are important to share, while also using some casual rhetoric that I’m not thrilled by. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan gives Israel and the world reasons to pause, and consider stopping the fight. It’s an important month of self-reflection and fasting. The trouble is, setting aside the not unimportant fact that the hostages would just keep being prisoners during that month… historic precedent is there showing that the extremists not only don’t pause attacking their victims over the years, but they actually increase them. Examples are given, and it seems like a reasonably prudent point to make at this time. But I’ll finish by also reiterating that his style of generalization and writing is much harsher than I feel comfortable fully endorsing, but I thank him for the important points made: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/385938
10. Finally! My friend Ahmad Israel, who I’ve set up talks for, and enjoyed a long meal with my family, is starting to tell his story. This is just a taste, it requires redacted info to protect his family, but it will still be a compelling read, from an extremely earnest man, who I am blessed to be in close touch with: https://twitter.com/Ahmad4ISRL/status/1763493692978123004
11. I really hope this article by Brian Fishbach will end up being inappropriate for me to share, and that the religions involved will not prove to be relevant. But when an Orthodox Jew is murdered, it’s hard to not hold our breath as we find out if it’s a hate crime. And while motive changes little to nothing for the family and friends, it certainly affects how unsafe the community feels.
12. Yair Rosenberg points out what could be the biggest threat to Netanyahu since he took power. It’s explained by Anshel Pfeffer, who has written a biography on the PM. Yoav Gallant is essentially cornering the current government into a prisoner’s dilemma. They need to come up with an IDF draft resolution that everyone can agree with, and calls in the Haredi community as well. They will presumably never get the right wing coalition to agree to that, which could end the coalition, and force new elections. “The brilliance of the Gallant-Gantz move is that while a large majority of Israelis want Netanyahu to leave, they’re not so eager for a wartime election. But an early election being held because the Haredim refuse to serve in the war will likely be popular with most Israelis”. Let’s see how this plays out: https://x.com/Yair_Rosenberg/status/1762911734908555337
13. Shmuel Rosner continues this topic, and analyzes whether Israel will finally remove the exemption that allows the Haredi community from serving in the IDF. “The dissolution of the current arrangement means a simple thing: The State of Israel will no longer fund studies for Israelis who do not serve. Full stop. Every family will face a clear choice – serve and get benefits, don’t serve, and get by on your own.” So if this long standing exemption disappears, as most of the non-Haredi portion of Israel prefer, you will have hundreds of thousands of people who either start serving in the army, or lose the government benefits they have grown accustomed to, which help them spend their days learning.
He does point out that from their own points of view, leaving their religious bubbles to join a secular setting, does come at a cost to their communities and religious identities. And the claim that it doesn’t is disingenuous. As always, an interesting, and carefully analyzed article by Rosner: https://jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain/368561/will-haredim-ever-serve-in-the-army/
14. Shany Mor writes this article for Mosaic, about the peace process that’s restarted, for better or worse. It’s less an article, and more a fascinating research paper, analyzing the decades of failed coexistence attempts. “How then does this method of peacemaking remain with us? It remains because it is buttressed by an ahistorical story, a fable told within the processors’ guild, of what went wrong over these last twenty years that ignores the perverse incentives this method creates and instead focuses invariably on three excuses for why Oslo didn’t succeed: the Rabin assassination, the “inexorable rightward shift” of Israeli politics, and Israel’s settlement activity in the West Bank.” In this example, he goes into why each of those excuses are flawed. An excellent, and somewhat academic piece: https://mosaicmagazine.com/essay/israel-zionism/2021/02/the-return-of-the-peace-processors/
15a. I’ve sometimes squeezed in the Sunday round-ups by Fern before I post, but these great updates generally come a few hours after I publish, so here is the one from LAST Sunday. Still so much info packed in: https://fernmusing.substack.com/p/war-day-141-sunday-news-round-up
15b. And lo and behold, here is the round-up from TODAY, including this insane quote, “After October 7, no one in the whole world expected Israel to be so barbaric” said by Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk. Irony of ironies methinks? https://fernmusing.substack.com/p/war-day-149-sunday-round-up
15c. Fern coins a new term, “Gateway Antisemitism”. You aren’t actually an antisemite, you just cheer on to globalize the intifada. “You’re not a bad person. You’re just fighting heroically for a cause you don’t understand, and couldn’t explain.” Very nifty new term: https://fernmusing.substack.com/p/war-day-143-gateway-antisemitism
15d. Time to pressure Israel to let the many thousands of Palestinian workers back in the country, to help their livelihood and economy. One big problem though, might be the fact that if we even slightly believe polls, the vast majority still show Palestinian support for the attacks. An even bigger problem though, is that we know those workers actually assisted in the attacks, even reprehensibly scouting which girls would be ideal targets to rape. So it would be inviting the fox back to the henhouse, after it has already raped, murdered and kidnapped many hens a few months ago. Hmm: https://fernmusing.substack.com/p/war-day-145-what-could-possibly-go
15e. Tremendous piece by Fern, explaining the debacle where Palestinians were killed while getting humanitarian aid…and the world as usual blamed Israel. “It’s always the same: Something bad happens. Hamas blames Israel. The press and the world immediately jump in and blame Israel. There are declarations by the UN, that the US usually vetoes pending more details; there are condemnations by the usual suspects including Turkey and South Africa, and several small countries that no one has ever heard of. Israel is slow to respond, because they’re checking facts (remember checking for facts?) and eventually they show photos and video proving it didn’t happen the way the Palestinians are saying. They are drowned out by the cacophony of world castigation.” This version of Groundhog Day we are caught in, really is exhausting: https://fernmusing.substack.com/p/war-day-147-hamas-withholds-humanitarian
16. Dan Schnur discusses the mood in Israel, and that most of the country is still very much in favor of the war. They might not be fans of Netanyahu, but his steadfast push to keep fighting, isn’t far off from how most of the country feels. “The minority of Israeli Jews who would support an agreement to end the war that included the release of all Israeli hostages, long-term “military quiet” and a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia in exchange for the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners and a two-state solution has increased in the last month from 29% to 37%. Opposition is still strong, but it appears that for a growing number of Israelis, exhaustion is beginning to overtake anger as their primary motivation. If these numbers continue to increase, either Netanyahu or Gantz will have a unique opportunity – ensconced in an incredibly difficult political challenge.” The country still feels the war must happen, but it’s possible that the tide is slowly changing: https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/368576/israel-united-in-war/
17. Gerald Steinberg explains why most people in Gaza are not “just like us”, and tries to get people away from the usual comparisons we naturally create, to help understand the mindset of one another. “In the face of this overwhelming evidence, what leads Western liberals to cling to the myths of “common humanity” and a universal society? One explanation is “mirror imaging,” which is a mindset that erases obvious and fundamental societal differences. This filter removes the disturbing fact that, in contrast to the majority of Israelis, many Palestinian mothers repeatedly encourage their children to become “martyrs” and express pride when they are killed while murdering and brutalizing Jews. No, they are not “just like us.” He also explains differences via cultures, and identity; and whether you agree or not, it’s important to realize that we cannot always see everyone through one set of eyes, and expect it to mean the same thing. As a nurse I learn about cultural sensitivity, and understand why my patients may not experience or react to things the same way I do. Why should it not also be true when it comes to war and politics? We expect everyone to think the same way as us, but could that be an arrogant assumption? https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/368607/no-most-people-in-gaza-are-not-just-like-us/
18. Matthew Schultz writes about how we are cornered into having no true heritage, according to the antisemitic tropes. “Go back to where we belong” is what we are told, except apparently we belong nowhere. Ignore the history, which shows that we have actual claims to lands for thousands of years. “At its core is a simple message: Jews don’t belong anywhere. At least not on earth. And since we don’t have a natural, authentic connection to any place in particular, it’s perfectly justified to try and expel us from every place in general. Before the Holocaust, it was common for German Jews to be told to go back to where they came from. Today, after being slaughtered in Europe and chased out of the Middle East and Africa, we are still being told to go back to where we came from, but now they say it was Europe all along.” It’s circular logic, that ensures we do not deserve a place in the world. A sad piece: https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/368599/the-myth-of-the-homeless-cultureless-ahistorical-jew/
19. Thane Rosenbaum writes about how even among the allies of the world who state Israel must rid itself of Hamas, there is a growing impatience that it must happen soon, if not now. “The Jewish state is about to invade Rafah — that last bastion of Hamas hideouts — while the world impatiently taps its feet for the war to end. Yes, the very same global leaders who acknowledged Israel’s right to self-defense also believed that it was to be short-lived. Israel seems to be the only nation drawn into wars and denied the satisfaction of declaring victory. The demand is always made that they sue for peace and return land. Vanquishing its enemies, or even setting the terms for surrender, is not an option for Jews.” Why does every other country seem to have an indefinite amount of time to succeed in their battles, but Israel is either wrong to do so, or must hurry up and compromise their success at best? https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/368600/the-ticking-time-clock-on-vanquishing-hamas/
20. Maytal Shainberg discusses the recent commercials that I have shared, by Robert Kraft’s Stand Up to Jewish Hatecampaign. There was the commercial reminding the country, in particular the black community, that we Jews fought side by side for Civil Rights. But she explains that our status has changed in the eyes of the social justice movements, AWAY from being the underdogs, and thus that strategy is ineffective as a marketing tool to help gain empathy. “You need a different strategy to cut through the noise and get a positive reaction. For better or worse, people (especially young people) consume media today in bite-sized pieces and form quick opinions. A more effective way to make an impact during a 30-second commercial is with an emotional message that everyone should be able to relate to.” She then explains how much more she prefers their commercial about the good neighbor doing his part to help a Jewish family next door: https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/368601/advertising-the-fight-against-antisemitism/
21a. Aaron Bandler reports on a key figure in the upcoming election for the LAUSD Board District 1. Kahllid Al-Alim has liked and written numerous disparaging, antisemitic posts on his own social media. He has since apologized, but the dozens of posts promoting anti-Israel sentiments, and antisemitic beliefs, make it quite shocking that his endorsements have not been rescinded. “UTLA announced on Friday that their board of directors “voted to immediately suspend any campaign activities in Board District 1,” per the Times. However, the union did not officially revoke their endorsement of Al-Alim, as that requires “a formal multi-step process,” the Times reported.” https://jewishjournal.com/news/368534/lausd-school-board-frontrunner-apologizes-for-liking-antisemitic-social-media-posts/
21b. Apparently, if they actually remove their endorsement, it would happen the day BEFORE the election, giving not much time for people to change their votes. I am one of many who already sent in my ballet via mail, for example. “Before standing down on its on-the-ground campaign efforts, UTLA spent about $661,000 to try to elect Al-Alim and he remains the officially endorsed candidate — at least until the outcome of Monday’s emergency meeting of the union’s 250-member House of Representatives…“UTLA may have stopped their campaigning for Al-Alim, but a lot of voters have already heard from them,” said Dan Schnur, who teaches political communications at USC, Berkeley and Pepperdine. “Unless they decide to weigh in against him at the last minute with a very heavy ad buy, he could still end up in the runoff.” https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-02-29/lausd-candidates-scramble-amid-election-din-of-alleged-scandals-and-big-money
21c. This leads me to the flipside of that apparent frontrunner, Rina Tambor, a Jewish woman, who was born in Israel. “Tambor knows what it is to come to a new country without knowing the language. She was born in Israel and moved to New York with her family when she was in the fourth grade. “My parents sent me to a school where I could learn English and I was lucky to have an amazing teacher who taught me and gave me confidence.” Strangely, and disappointingly, the LA Times managed to mostly leave her out of their profiles of the candidates. They wrote that she took too long to respond to them, but this article continues to be updated, and yet still has no photo of her, nor is the link to her website even functional, as the others are. As a result of her omission in the general media, I want to highlight her, by sharing a profile done by the Jewish Journal’s Ayala Or-el. https://jewishjournal.com/community/368265/lausd-school-board-candidate-bibles-are-banned-at-school-libraries-explicit-material-is-allowed/
22. Debbie Lechtman writes a great post in her Instagram @RootsMetals account. She goes back to the…root of it all (sorry), and explains the 3 basic concepts that are the basis for the entire conflict all these decades (and centuries really). Narratives, Religion, and Territory. Interestingly, she explains that “territory” is the easiest one to solve, but yet the one that’s blamed and discussed most of all. A helpful tutorial: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4D80yfPdt3/
VIDEOS:
1. Roy Kornblum sings a powerful song about 0.2%. That’s the percentage of the world that’s Jewish. A fifth of one percentage point. But you wouldn’t know it from the conspiracy theories, nor the way the world focuses on us, with daggers in their eyes, pointed our way: https://youtu.be/w-QEgAOJ3Ok
2. Sophia Salma Khalifa is an impressive Israeli Arab woman. I’ve shared her words before, and this is a nice compilation of many great thoughts by her. She truly appreciates Israel and the opportunities she was afforded there, including protections against her own more radical Islamic community, which threatened her safety and autonomy, when she decided to become a strong, independent woman. Really inspiring: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3q8CYaNxPe/
3. This is a fabulous interview by Jon Stewart, with two well established journalists who have become friends over their decade of discussions. Yair Rosenberg of The Atlantic, who I have shared the writings of many times (including this week), and Murtaza Hussain, of The Intercept. All 20 minutes were great, with the rare civil conversation between a Jew and a Muslim, who have different views. But what I most valued was less about their thoughts on Israel, and more about how they manage to get along so well. Do I love when Jon Stewart casually throws around the phrase “cycle of violence”? No, I’ve never been a fan of that loaded phrase that presumes equal levels of fault on two sides. However it’s still a damn good interview: https://youtu.be/wznD7uCEcLk
4. Bari Weiss gives an INCREDIBLE speech, which I strongly encourage you take the time to watch. At the 43 minute mark she is interviewed by Rabbi David Ingber.
This talk is about Israel, and antisemitism, and America, and allies, and Russia, and so much more. Bari even gives a drash during it, aka words of wisdom from the Torah. She says during it that it’s sad that she’s considered controversial, because there really isn’t anything particularly outlandish that she says, but speaking up these days is seen as radical. I don’t need to pull quotes from this, but I will say that it’s certainly worth your time: https://youtu.be/KfjLm0-fQEg
5. Hillel Neuer and his UN Watch held a summit, and while I’m not telling you to watch this long video, I can tell you it’s FULL of great facts and information about the disgusting organization that is UNRWA. Of note, there are practical and actionable solutions to actually replace them, which has been the main hesitation by those who agree the organization is corrupt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mazb9Iiwiw
6a. Eve Barlow has been a consistently clear, loud voice against antisemitism, with many enjoying her Scottish brogue as an added bonus. (By many, I’m including myself). Here she goes into length, about how gross it is that seemingly progressive and brave people, are actually quite the opposite – deciding and determining what Jews should and shouldn’t be. It’s not only offensive, but it gives people carte blanche to use ancient, antisemitic tropes against us, and feel self-righteous in the process: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3Ivq9OvG5_/
6b. This is basically a stream of consciousness, but I appreciated the rawness of what Eve is expressing. She was, and still is a music critic. She would say things people wanted to hear, and things people hated to hear. It was intellectually honest journalism. What she does now is no different, but it’s her truth about Israel and Jew hatred. And the amount of pushback she gets for continuing to have journalistic integrity is depressing. Well I thank her for all she does, and is: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3_vdX0r8pz/
2. Phyllis Zimbler Miller interviews Dan Mogulof from UC Berkeley. She gets the lowdown on the antisemitic incident on campus, that recently shut down the Israeli speaker. He very strongly said that it was disgusting, and illegal, and that the speaker had ever right to be heard. What’s interesting is that he explains they had ten times as many campus police at the event as any previous one, and yet it still wasn’t enough: https://youtu.be/_GWrr4d84Dk
SPOTLIGHT:
Matisyahu has been screwed so often lately, that I can’t make him my Spotlight soon enough. Shows canceled because of staff refusing to show up and support a “Zionist”, or threats of protests making the venues allegedly feel unsafe. Last week I gave the Spotlight to David Draiman, who among other things, raised funds for security so Matisyahu could continue his concerts. This week Kylie Ora Lobell wrote this article, explaining how the singer refuses to let this bullying put a stop to his work. He travels where he is supposed to perform, and even if they close the doors to him, he finds somewhere to perform, and invite his fans. “Every night of the tour, Matisyahu puts an empty chair on the stage, drapes an Israeli and Golani Brigade flag on it and mentions it’s there for the hostages…“If we get canceled, we’re not going to stop,” he said. “We’re going to every single city on this tour. If we get canceled, we’ll find another place to play, whether it’s a Hillel or a Chabad house, whatever it is.”
My Brother’s Keeper International is a really cool concept and nonprofit. Dov Ben Zion Gelman is an American who wanted to help Israel. And doesn’t want to be pigeonholed, so instead he does SO MUCH for the country. Helping mothers who have kids with special needs? Check. Helping Ukrainian refugees, including assisting those who want to get to Israel? Check. Helping “at risk” youth? Check. And that doesn’t even get into what they’ve been working on since October 7th.
“MBKI met with the director of welfare of Kibbutz Nahal Oz who are now housed in a kibbutz in the Lower Galilee. These residents are unable to return to their homes while the war continues because of the proximity to the border and the fact that the kibbutz has become a military base…To date, 25 children who experienced the trauma of losing a parent or sibling during the initial massacre or have a parent who remains in captivity receive animal therapy twice a week. There are three groups of 14 children who participate in animal therapy once a week. MBKI will help subsidize the continued animal and art treatment and expand the project to include more of the 80 kibbutz children. MBKI will assist the kibbutz leadership in subsidizing both “Mother’s Day Out” projects monthly to give the moms a much needed break and heal in the company of their friends. MBKI will provide a supplemental budget for two outings to a national park to further strengthen the resilience of the entire community. Subsidizing a community wide field trip includes the cost of renting buses, guides, armed escorts and food.”
He has an amazing update that I will hopefully share next time. Just to give you an idea, “My first mission was to delivery ballistic armor to our son (infantry) and other equipment to our daughter (artillery) who had already reported to their units.” He and his family are putting their money and bodies where their mouths are. I can’t even count the number of ways that Dov is helping, but we can do our part by sending some donations that way: https://www.mbki.org/
ON A LIGHTER NOTE:
1. This is sharp, and just in time for awards season. Michael Rapaport does a sketch as the Oscars host, but actually brings up the hostages in Gaza. Interspersed with actual footage. This is very clever: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C35-gk3PUaE/
1. A petition you can sign, to replace the corrupt, antisemitic UN organization known as UNRWA. This is by Hillel Neuerand his UN Watch, who helped break the story about UNRWA in the first place: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/replace-unrwa/
2. There was an ugly and dangerous incident at UC Berkeley, where a Jewish event was attacked and physically threatened. Slurs against Jews were used. The response by the school? Didn’t even mention the word “antisemitism”. What?! Tyler Harris Gregory, who heads the JCRC of San Francisco, points out this ugly truth: https://twitter.com/TyeGregory/status/1762895575215956333
3. I’m providing the latest Harvard Harris Poll, which you can access here as a PDF. The questions about Israel and foreign policy start on page 63. Support is still overwhelmingly there for Israel in this war, but certainly still at its weakest when dealing with younger people. However, it isn’t nearly as dire as when reported early on: https://harvardharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/HHP_Feb2024_KeyResults.pdf
4. John Aziz is a British Palestinian, who speaks up frequently against Hamas, and looks out for the civilians in Gaza. An important voice for the peace activists, he gets flack from both sides no doubt. Here he points out that Aaron Bushnell, who recently set himself on fire in protest of the war, was radicalized by the extreme left: https://twitter.com/aziz0nomics/status/1763918987035853283
5. Tiffany Haddish visited Israel, and posts here about meeting with Black Hebrews in the city of Dimona. But how could that be? I thought Israel and Jews were all white Europeans? Thank you Tiffany, you’ll be my Spotlight very soon. You rock: https://www.instagram.com/p/C36IC6QvNpb/
WHAT I’M ENJOYING THIS WEEK:
Obviously Disneyland and the visit by Adam and Malachi are top of my list. But I’ll also give you something you can enjoy.
I may be disappointed by John Oliver’s response to Israel, but it doesn’t change the fact that his show can be both entertaining and informative. I have shared many of my responses to the random, annoying spam texts that I’ve gotten over the past few years. But this segment shows me that I should perhaps just press the block button, because not only are these scams dangerous, but some of the people on the other end are being forced into it.
Teenagers from Israel at Disneyland, thanks to Maman Nonprofit.With Adi’s brother Adam (left) and his son Malachi at Disneyland.
Boaz Hepner works as a Registered Nurse in Saint John’s Health Center. He moonlights as a columnist, where his focuses are on health, and Israel, including his Chosen Links section of the Journal. He is a Pico/Robertson native, and lives here with his wife Adi, and children Natalia and Liam. He can be found with his family enjoying his passions: his multitude of friends, movies, poker and traveling.
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As you step into the serene realm of PS, you’re enveloped in an atmosphere of exclusivity and refinement. The ambiance is reminiscent of a high-end country club, where every detail is meticulously curated to cater to the most discerning tastes. Whether you’re traveling alone, with family, or accompanied by furry friends, PS ensures that every aspect of your journey is tailored to perfection.
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In addition to the culinary delights, PS offers an array of salon services including massages, haircuts and manicures, ensuring that you look and feel your best before you embark on your journey. From the moment you step through the doors, a team of dedicated staff members is on hand to anticipate your every need, ensuring that your time at PS is nothing short of extraordinary.
Of course, no culinary experience would be complete without the perfect libations to accompany it. At PS, guests can enjoy a selection of top-shelf drinks, ranging from fine wines and spirits to bespoke cocktails crafted by expert mixologist in residence Adam. Whether you prefer a classic martini or a signature creation, the skilled bartenders at PS are dedicated to satisfying your every craving.
As you indulge in the culinary delights at PS from Chef Matt, you’re surrounded by an atmosphere of elegance and sophistication. Plush seating, tasteful decor, and attentive service create a sense of exclusivity, allowing you to relax and unwind in style before your journey begins.
Beyond the luxurious amenities and personalized service, PS offers something truly invaluable: peace of mind. I loved the food and all the comforts but my favorite part was the private car from PS directly to the plane. I liked having the option to board first and not feel trampled waiting for my turn to get onboard, however, you can choose to board last as you prefer.
For travelers like the gentleman I met, the ability to navigate the airport experience with ease and efficiency is priceless. It’s a testament to the transformative power of PS, where every aspect of the journey is designed to exceed expectations and redefine the concept of luxury travel. Last fall, PS opened its second location at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, and has additional locations in the pipeline, including the next openings in Dallas and Miami.
This week, the Schmuckgirls are happy to have on Philly influencer and content creator – Brandon Edelman aka Bran_flakezz. (Please note – this episode was recorded prior to Oct 7th.) With 605K followers on TikTok, we discussed how he got into content creation, getting over those initial nerves of people you know seeing your videos, and making the jump from a full-time job to full-time creation. He spoke about his experience filming on the Barstool reality TV show, Project Verified, where he ended up making it to the top 2. The trio discuss how reality TV has changed over the years as well as how to deal with burnout as a creator and how to set up certain boundaries when sharing about your personal life online. Brandon then shares about his funny meet-cute with his boyfriend, Josue. They also discuss recognizing when you might have to seek out new spaces and friends to meet the type of people you’re interested in. Brandon shares about dating and finding support within the LGBTQ+ space. He also shares about how Birthright helped him to reconnect to his Judaism and remind him of the importance of the community it gives you. They end with a game of Cute or Cringe.
You can find Schmuckboys on instagram @schmuckboysofficial or email them at schmuckboys@jewishjournal.com and you can find Brandon on Instagram and TikTok @bran_flakezz
