Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023. They murdered 1,200 people. Kidnapped over 250 and still have 101 hostages. They fired rockets towards civilian areas, not only trying to kill Israeli citizens but on misfires, destroying the people of Gaza’s homes and killing them. Hezbollah has been firing missiles into Israel since October 7, 2023, also targeting civilians. Iran, on two occasions, has fired hundreds of rockets, including over 200 ballistic missiles on one occasion, also at Israeli civilians. Yet it is Israel that is held accountable by the world and the ICC for the death of civilians. Despite the fact that this is one of the lowest civilian to combatant mortality rates in history. Despite Israel begging Egypt to open Sinai to allow civilians to move there and be safe from attacks against Hamas. Despite Hamas using homes, hospitals, mosques, and schools as military bases and creating human shields. The hypocrisy is unbelievable and shows the blatent antisemitism in the world.
Just last week, 19 US Senators voted in favor of limiting military aid to Israel as they try to defeat the evil of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. This was led by “Jewish” Senator Bernie Sanders and one of the vocal proponents of limiting this aid was Jewish Senator Jon Ossoff.
The same day that Bernie Sanders brought his bill to the Senate floor, allowed by “Jewish” Senator Chuck Schumer (who has not brough the Antisemitism Awareness Act to the Senate Floor), Rabbi Zvi Kogan (z’l) was reported missing from the UAE. It was suspected at the time that he was kidnapped by Iran.
Today we learned that the intelligence and security authorities in the United Arab Emirates located the body of Rabbi Kogan (z’l). He was murdered because he fought back against his kidnappers. Rather than let him go because the kidnapping wasn’t going well, they chose to murder him. The murder of Rabbi Kogan is a criminal antisemitic terrorist incident. The State of Israel has already publicly stated that they will act by all means and bring justice to the criminals responsible for his death. The UAE has already announced the arrest of three suspects. The power of the Abraham Accords is real. Yet despite all that Iran continues to do, there are no charges pending at the ICC against Iran. The Hamas leader charged by the ICC was already dead when they charged him. The IC didn’t charge the leaders of Hamas who recently left Qatar for Turkey. The ICC didn’t charge Turkish President Erdogan for housing these murders and terrorists.
Once again, it is only the Jews who are targeted.
I am exhausted from the hypocrisy and the lies. Today we saw rockets fired at civilians in Israel once again. We saw the attempted kidnapping and murder of Rabbi Kogan (z’l) in UAE simply because he is Jewish. And as countries around the world publicly state they will the ICC arrest warrants if Netanyahu or Gallant should visit the country (and the EU attempt to mandate every EU country do it), the realities are beyond absurd. Prosecutor Karim Kahn is far from a man of honor. He is presently under investigation for sexual misconduct. He brazenly accused Netanyahu and Gallant of “war crimes”, “deliberately depriving Gaza’s civilian population of essential goods, including food, water, electricity and medical supplies” as part of a “widespread and systematic attack against civilians.”
The absurdity of these claims should be enough for them to be invalid, yet because they are Jews, the fact that Israel delivers an average of 3,729 food trucks per month into Gaza with an average of 3,374 calories per person per day: almost double the needs of an average adult human, doesn’t matter. The food truck delivery and calorie amounts are documented in a detailed study by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Anybody who doesn’t want to believe it simply because it is an Israeli university study can easily verify the data using public informatio. Similar data is available regarding fuel, water, medical supplies, and all other forms of humanitarian aid, yet the lies grow and get spread by American politicians and celebrities, European governments, and world media.
Israel and the World Health Organization (WHO) just coordinated a massive polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza. It is important to note that the children who did not get vaccinated and in fact were not even seen by the employees of WHO are the Israel child hostages. In the midst of this massive campaign, the only children deemed ineligible to receive the vaccines were the Israeli hostages. It’s clear that these are not the acts of a country attempting to harm, starve or kill civilians—in fact, it is exactly the opposite.
On top of everythign else, it is well documented, including by UN sources, that the terrorist organization Hamas and other crime affiliates habitually steal much of the humanitarian aid that enters Gaza, as well as torture and kill civilians who attempt to take aid for themselves. It is also well documented that many UNRWA employees are actually Hamas members and are intentionally diverting the aid to Hamas instead of the people. There are no sanctions against UNRWA. In fact, just after failing to stop military aid to Israel, it was “Jewish” Senator Bernie Sanders trying to have the United States return to funding UNRWA despite their clear and documented ties to Hamas, terrorism, and the theft of humanitarian aid.
And then, today, after some of the leadership of the United States and those in the incoming administration were vocal about sanctions against the ICC, their spokesperson at the United Nations came out with a public statement that the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant could be revoked if Israel demonstrates a credible and thorough national investigation into the allegations. Since we already have the facts needed to disprove the allegations, what investigation is needed? It shows the power of standing up to Jew hatred. It shows that antisemitism can die in the light and when people stand up and speak out. It shows the power of peace through strength. It also shows the ICC is illegitimate
Talking about Jew hatred and antisemitism, two Israeli tourists in Townsville, Australia, were insulted and threatened by the owner of this store simply because they were Jewish. “Get the fuck out of my store! I don’t give a fuck about Israel but I do care about the fact that you’re a dirty, filthy Jew.” At least she didn’t try to hide it behind Israel and openly showed her bigotry and hatred. This video shows everybody what we face. I think the people who need to see it the most are the Jews who pretend it isn’t real and doesn’t happen. The Jews who excuse the behavior and try to blame it on us.
It’s why we must fight. It’s why we can’t stay silent. It’s why we can’t allow the lies to continue to be told unchallenged. The lies are what people believe. The lies are what ensure our destruction. Our fighting against it is what saves us. Don’t sit back and allow the hypocrisy of Jew hatred to win. Your voice matters. Your circle of influence matters. You matter. Take action now.
Two weeks ago I attended the General Assembly (GA) of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Bari Weiss, one of my favorite journalists, spoke there. Bari’s publication, The Free Press, is amazing and I am proudly a paid subscriber. It’s some of the best money I have spent as the content is balanced, fair, interesting, compelling, and diverse.
Bari talked about a number of things that resonated with me and that I have spoken and written about at length. Here are a few of them
“If you see what just happened in the Netherlands and think, That can never happen here, I urge you to take a very hard look at our history.
We need to get serious about who our allies really are. And to be able to say that some of the best defenders of our community, like New York Rep. Ritchie Torres and Free Press columnist Douglas Murray, are not Jews. And some of the biggest sellouts are.”
In my last blog I took to task Bernie Sanders, Jon Ossoff, and Chuck Schumer – three Jews who have sold out the Jewish people. I highlighted John Fetterman, President Biden, and Marco Rubio – three non-Jews who defend the Jewish people. I’ve written about Douglas Murray and Ritchie Torres, more non-Jews, who actively defend the Jewish people. I couldn’t agree with Bari more – we need to recognize our allies and realize that they are often not Jewish while the Jewish ones are often not our allies. As Bernie Sanders tried this week to both limit weapon sales to Israel and to have the U.S. begin funding UNRWA, tied closely to Hamas, once again, we need to realize that being Jewish doesn’t make you an ally.
“We need to talk about a legacy press that our community still reads religiously, but which lies about the things we know to be true. The mainstream press would have you believe that the hunt in Amsterdam was a scuffle between football hooligans. It is no less a lie than insisting Sieg heil! merely means Hail Victory!”
The legacy press continues to spread lies. They continue to tell the story they want to tell rather than the truth. Watch any mainstream media (MSM) news program. It’s not news, it’s their narrative. There is a reason these are no longer in the news department and are now in the entertainment department. It’s about getting viewers, not telling the truth. It is about telling the story that they think the most people will want to see and hear, not the facts. When I watched Senator Jon Ossoff’s statement about why he voted to limit military aid to Israel, the amount of lies and falsehoods he presented as facts was astonishing. He is a smart man, well educated, and as a U.S. Senator, you would think he is knowledgable. Yet he presented the lies of Hamas, told through the MSM. He reiterated the lies of Bernie Sanders. As long as we continue to allow the MSM to outright lie to us, not only will they lie, the Jewish people and Israel will be at risk.
“History is back. The Old World is not coming back. It is on us to build the new one—and to ensure that it is free.“
I have been talking about this for a decade. The rise of antisemitism. When I was in Seattle we began getting swastikas painted on buildings. It was excused by many in the Jewish community and most of the non-Jewish community as outliers. One offs. Not a systemic problem. We now see that isn’t true. As Bari says, History is back. The question is what are we going to do about it? Are we going to stand up and fight? Are we going to defend ourselves or hide? Are we going to fall into the old trap of history and try to just ‘go along to get along’, which we know doesn’t work? I choose to fight. I choose to build a new one. What will you choose.
Watch and listen to Bari’s full talk below. It is outstanding and worth your time.
In May, I went to Israel with a bunch of guys on a Momentum trip. It was a small group of about 25 guys and we bonded both because of the intimacy of the group size as well as being in Israel during the war, seeing Kfar Aza and the Nova site together, listening to parents of hostages and those who were attacked on October 7th.
One of the guys on our trip, Mikey, does a video on Instagram and it’s always outstanding. Yesterday, he talked about how 37% of Jewish kids sympathize with Hamas. Not with the Palestinians. Not with the people of Gaza. But with the terrorist group Hamas. He addresses, in a different way, what I have been talking about for a while. We have failed with our youth and with our leadership. We have not taught them what they need to know. We have not ensured they understand what it means to be Jewish, the value of being Jewish, or what it means to be a Jewish leader. They don’t understand the importance of Israel to the Jewish people nor do they understand that Israel is 3,000 years old, not only since 1948.
If we choose to do nothing, we will continue to fade away. It’s up to us to make different choices. It’s up to us to decide that real leadership training and development is worth the investment. It’s up to use to decide that real Jewish education is something we value and will invest our time and money into. Listen to Mikey and hear his passion and the power of his words. I hope they inspire you like they inspired me.
My friend Ari Shabat just returned from Israel. It was his first time back since October 7th and he got to see, feel, and experience the devastation of Kfar Aza, Nova, and visit Kibbut Alumim. As I have written, it is a powerful experience and something that cannot be adequately explained. It must be experienced and felt individually. Before I went for the first time, I was told that it would be like going to Auschwitz a few months after it was liberated. I didn’t really understand that analogy until I experienced it. Nova felt like visiting a memorial to my children and their friends. Standing in a circle, singing Jewish songs, at the Nova site, was incredibly healing. It is why I urge people to go to Israel and truly see and feel what it is like. To understand how the Israelis are coping with life after October 7th, 13 months into a brutal war.
Ari also does a weekly video and this week he talks about how as Jews, we experience loss and sadness. How we push forward while we process grief. We know there is life to live and missions to accomplish and we can’t let our grief stop us. Israelis have been doing that for 13+ months. The families of the hostages have been doing that for 414 days. We as Jews in the United States can’t afford not to be doing this as well. One of the things I love about Ari is how he ties life today to the Torah. In this week’s video, he uses the Torah portion and Abraham as the inspiration. It’s well worth the 3+ minute watch. If you like it, you can subscribe to the WhatsApp group.
Then there is New York and Montreal. This video was in Times Square. The mob is chanting Gaza, supporting Hamas, Iran, and terrorism. This is what we face in America today. Think about what Bari Weiss. Think about ‘it can’t happen here’. It is happening here.
This is Montreal last night. This isn’t Gaza. This isn’t Europe. This is Montreal. This is today’s Canada. We can choose to pretend that the world is safe for Jews or we can open our eyes and see what is happening around us. I have friends who were just a few blocks away as this was happening. Do we really want to put our heads in the sand and pretend it isn’t happening? Do we want to be like Senator Jon Ossoff and defend those that want to murder us because we think it isn’t happening? Do we want to be like Senator Bernie Sanders and take our personal dislike for a single person, in his case Prime Minister Netanyahu, to risk the safety of Jews everywhere?
As Bari Weiss said, history is back. We have seen pogroms. We have have seen genocidal attacks from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. What will it take to open your eyes? When will you realize that we are facing an existential threat because we are Jews? Will it take one of your loved ones being harmed, kidnapped, or murdered? Will it take you being attacked personally? Or will you wait until the very end? I hope today is the day you wake up. I hope today is the day you take action. Don’t wait until it is too late.
On Wednesday November 20th, Senator Bernie Sanders brought to the floor of the U.S. Senate a vote to block the sale of tank rounds to Israel. Senator Sanders actually had the gall to stand on the Senate floor and blatently tell lies to the American people. He said Israel is intentionally starving civilians in Gaza, pointing to the picture behind him — promoted by Hamas propaganda outlet Al Jazeera — as evidence. The truth?? The boy in the picture, Fadi, has cystic fibrosis and requires advanced medical support. Israel facilitated his exit from Gaza to a US hospital where he received the care he needed. Israel is surging more aid into Gaza than international organizations are able to handle. There is currently a backlog of approximately 850 trucks worth of aid inside Gaza waiting to be distributed. Sanders also accused Israel of preventing a ceasefire/hostage deal when the U.S. has reiterated time and time again that it is Hamas, not Israel, that has rejected offer after offer after offer. Why should anybody be surprised that Bernie would lie to Americans. It’s what he does best.
His efforts failed miserably, once again. This time the vote was 79-19, overwhelming suppport for Israel. Now that his effort to abandon American hostages and support terrorists have failed, let’s talk about Senator Sanders and a few other Senators who either voted for this antisemitic, anti-American, anti-American hostages in Gaza attempt to harm our ally, Israel, or those who allowed it to happen. Let’s also look at some Senators who took very vocal stands against this horrible idea so we can compare and contrast.
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VM)
Bernie Sanders has made a career of ‘public service’. From 1981 through today, that has been his only job. From Mayor of Burlington to a member of U.S. House of Representatives, to the U.S. Senate, government jobs have been his career. A noble effort many might say. Yet somehow he managed to own three homes, a row house in Capitol Hill, a house in Burlington’s New North End neighborhood, and a lakefront summer home in North Hero. Not too shabby on a public servant’s salary. He has a reported net worth of over $3 million dollars, one of the 1% he rails against. He gets the special health insurance offered only to members of Congress while pushing medicare for all for the rest. He speaks one thing and acts personally another way. The definition of a hypocrite.
In addition, he has a personal hate for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Rather than the war being one of Israel’s survival, he calls it “Netanyahu’s savage war”. Instead of focusing on the hostages in Gaza including Americans, he repeats the Hamas/Iranian lies and overstates what it happening. He defends those who followed the terrorists on October 7th to loot and steal, calling them innocent. He defended the rioters and looters after George Floyd’s murder, comparing them to the uprising in China after Tianamen Square in 1989 yet doesn’t see any justice with Israel fighting back after 1200 people were murdered in a violent invasion on October 7th and more than 250 people taken hostage, with 101 remaining hostages 400+ days later.
Bernie Sanders pretends to be one of the people and for the people but has shown he is really all for himself, all for his ego, all for gaining and keeping his own power. If he cared about people he would have spent the last 400 days fighting for the release of the hostages. Fighting for the surrender of Hamas to end military action. Fighting for justice. Instead, he fights for his hate of Netanyahu and his “Jewish” upbringing which resents. History will remember him for his hatred, hypocrisy, and not kindly.
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA)
Senator Fetterman has been one of the most vocal supporters of Israel and the Jewish people. He understands the fight against evil that is ongoing. He understands you must defeat evil, you cannot negotiate with it nor can you allow it to fester as it only returns stronger.
In his office, he keeps posters of the hostages held in Gaza as a permanent reminder of what matters to him, people. He advocates on behalf of the hostages, their families, and all of those harmed by the actions of Hamas on October 7th. He never forgets that it is Iran who is behind this and that they are the core threat, a threat to not just Israel but to America.
Senator Fetterman has taken on Bernie Sanders directly and publicly disagreeing with him. He calls him out. After the pager attack which devastated Hezbollah and is directly leading to an opportunity for a lasting peace today, Bernie Sanders once again lies and blames Netanyahu for blocking peace when it has been proven over and over again that it has been Hamas and Hezbollah. When asked if there is anything at all he agrees with his colleague on in this regard, Senator Fetterman is crystal clear on what he thinks, believes, and stands for.
Senator Fetterman shows morals, ethics, and values. He stands clearly for what he believes. There is a moral clarity he exudes that is missing from people like…..
Senator Reverend Raphael Wernock (D-GA)
Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock is a man of God. He has dedicated his life improving the world. This makes both his vote and his silence about his vote even more disappointing and troubling. As a man of God, Senator Warnock knows the difference between good and evil. As an American he knows how important getting back American hostages are yet has been silent on those still held in Gaza. He has been on the wrong side of issues like going into Rafa, where the leadership of Hamas was hiding and where tunnels into Egypt were discovered. These tunnels were how rockets and weapons were getting into Gaza to attack Israel. He called going into Rafah “morally unjustifiable” when the facts now show it was the only moral thing to do.
As a man of faith, Senator Reverend Warnock is about love, kindness, and peace, except when it comes to Israel. The rest of the world deserves to live in peace but not Israel. The citizens of the world deserve safety and security, but not Israel. On Wednesday he voted in favor of withholding the weapons needed to defeat evil and worst of all, he has remained silent about his vote. He hasn’t come out with a statement explaining his vote. He hasn’t spoken publicly about his position and rationale behind it. Perhaps the fact that he just won a new 6 year term to the Senate makes him think he doesn’t need to be accountable. As a man of God, he knows better. He knows he is always held accountable for his actions. It saddens me to see somebody who has spent his life devoted to preaching the gospel, to sharing about love and kindness, act in such a different manner publicly and then hide from his actions. Perhaps he thinks this new 6 year term means he isn’t accountable. The rest of us know differently.
Georgia State Representative Esther Panitch (D)
In order to be honest and fair, I must disclose that Representative Panitch is married to a childhood friend, I am childhood friends with her brother-in-law, and I took her sister-in-law to my high school senior prom. Representative Panitch is the only Jewish member of the Georgia House of Representatives. She is outspoken in her support of protecting Jews, fighting antisemitism, and support of Israel. She also speaks out against all hatred and bigotry and is somebody who isn’t afraid to speak her mind and live by her core values, morals, and ethics. Before the vote, Representative Panitch publicly urged both of her Georgia Senators to vote no on the bill. When they both voted in favor of it, she had no problem speaking out publicly about her disappointment. Unlike Senator Warnock, who still remains silent about his vote, Representative Panitch issued this powerful and impressive statement.
She shows that it isn’t impossible to be an elected official and hold true to your morals, ethics, and values. It does take courage and I salute her for doing so.
Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA)
Sen. Ossoff's remarks on resolutions of disapproval with respect to two U.S.-Israel weapons sales: pic.twitter.com/CcNZOpkPVU
Senator Ossoff, who ran on his Jewish credentials, voted against what most of his constituents wanted and in favor of terrorists. In his explanation, he chooses to cited what President Reagan did in 1982. He neglects the changes that Israel was invaded, 1200 people murdered, over 250 people taken hostage, 101 remaining hostages for over 400 days including Americans. He neglects the nonstop bombing of Israel from Gaza and Lebanon, the two missile attacks from Iran including the second comprised of over 300 ballistic missiles. He cites the Hamas (Iranian) propoganda about massive civilian deaths even when the facts show the UN/Red Cross acceptable ratio is 9 civilians for every 1 combatant in urban warfare and Israel is close to a 1 civilian for every 1 combatant ratio. He pretends that Israel is not in a fight for her life, for her existance, against a genocidal Iranian regime. He becomes the latest in line to be willing to sacrifice the Jewish people on behalf of his masters. He thinks that somehow, his efforts will keep him safe when they come for all the Jews, forgetting the lessons throughout history that they come for all of us, even those who thought we were one of them.
Senator Ossoff talks about violent uprising but doesn’t mention Turkey and the Kurds. He doesn’t mention Syria. He doesn’t mention China. He conveniently forgets what happened in Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland and other cities after the George Floyd murder. The riots. The violence. The destruction. He chooses to continue the blood libel against the Jews by targeting Israel.
In all honesty, I have never been a fan of his. After seeing his vote and listening to this speech, the only word that comes to mind is disgrace.
President Joe Biden
There has been a lot of criticism of President Biden when it comes to his support of Israel. This week, President Biden was clear where he stood. His staff advocated against the anti-Israel Senate resolutions, and held firm to his proposed weapons sales to Israel even as 19 of Democrats took a stand against him. He ensure the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” yet didn’t say anything about the release of all hostages in Gaza. On a day when 19 Democratic Senators voted to halt sales of certain arms to Israel, President Biden stood firm, not only against them but in support of Israel on the world State. Ambassador Robert Wood, the U.S. alternate permanent representative to the U.N. told the UN Security council, “Simply put, this resolution would’ve sent a dangerous message to Hamas: There’s no need to come back to the negotiating table.” My only question for President Biden is where was this 400 days ago? 350 days ago? 300 days ago? This show of leadership makes a statement to the world that the United States stands against evil, against terrorism, and demands the freeing of the hostages.
Senator Chuck Schumer
Senator Chuck Schumer likes to cloak himself in his Jewish identity and pretend to be a force for supporting Israel and the Jewish people. That’s the image he has of himself and that he tries to portray. The truth is showing itself to be just the opposite.
Last month, a House of Representatives report was released that showed Chuck Schumer quietly advised Columbia leaders to ignore criticism of campus antisemitism. Unlike Representative Elise Stefanik who chose to take on the Jew hatred from the Ivy leagues schools like Columbia and other campuses around the country, Senator Schumer enabled the leadership of Columbia to continue their antisemitic behavior.
That hasn’t been enough for Senator Schumer. He refused to bring the Antisemitism Awareness Act to floor of the U.S. Senate for a vote after it passed the U.S. House of Representatives. He continues to block it from a vote, which would pass, and protect Jewish students on college campuses from rising antisemitism. This has been Senator Schumer’s decision and his alone. He has the power to bring it to a vote yet refuses to do so. Every day, as antisemitism rages on college campuses, it is Senator Schumer who bears the responsibility for failing to take action.
Yesterday, Senator Schumer did allow a bill to come to the floor of the U.S. Senate. This was the bill by Senator Bernie Sanders to block arms sales to Israel. This self-created icon of the Jewish people, this self proclaimed defender of Israel, chooses not to protect Jewish students on American campuses while encouraging America to stop providing vital military aid to Israel. You may argue that he voted against the bill and it was his job to allow it on the Senate floor, however that falls flat when you consider he chose not to bring the Antisemitism Awareness Act to the floor. He picks and chooses what comes to the floor, as every leader of the Senate does. These two choices show us who he really is and what he really stands for. It’s not for the Jewish people and it’s not for Israel. It is for Chuck Schumer.
So, is anybody surprised that hours after more than 30% of the Democrats in the Senate voted to suspend weapon sales to Israel that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued the arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant? The world watches America to see where we lean. Do we exhibit strength or weakness. Do we defend our allies or do we let them hang alone? Our current leaders won’t bring the Antisemitism Awareness Act to the floor but will bring a bill to stop arms sales to Israel to the floor. That sent a clear message to the ICC that if they are going to issue the arrest warrants, they better do it while this government is still in charge.
The same thought process is happening with the leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas. Reports today came out that Hezbollah is willing to agree to the US peace proposal “with comments”. We don’t know what those comments are yet, but they know that any chance they have of getting what they want only exists with this weak leadership in place. Details of the potential ceasefire arrangement are emerging: The Lebanese Army would take primary responsibility for preventing Hezbollah’s return to southern Lebanon. If Israel detects Hezbollah attempting to rebuild infrastructure, it would notify the Lebanese Army through U.S. channels to take action. Should the Lebanese Army fail to respond, Israel would retain the right to act directly, particularly against immediate threats such as attack preparations or weapons shipments.
The proposed agreement would allow Lebanese civilians to return to their damaged villages, with Israel forgoing a formal security zone in southern Lebanon. While UNIFIL peacekeepers would maintain a presence, Israeli officials don’t view them as crucial to enforcing Hezbollah’s removal. Instead, Israel plans to maintain operational flexibility to counter any Hezbollah presence through direct action or coordination with Lebanese forces via U.S. mediation.
Hezbollah knows this is the best it will get and are scrambling while a weak U.S. government is in place to keep as much as they can.
Hamas reportedly wants to advance a hostage deal, and no longer demands an IDF withdrawal from Gaza . Instead they seek a temporary truce that would be followed by renewed military operations. This isn’t because diplomacy has worked. This is because they have seen the strength of Israel. They know that a new government is coming in January that won’t tolerate their lies. They are grasping at whatever they can. Imagine if our government would have exuded strength 400 days ago. 300 days ago. 200 days ago. We could have been at this point then. The hostages could all be home. Thousands of lives could have been saved.
This is the price we pay for letting the lies of Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, AOC, Cori Bush, and Jamaal Bowman grow and spread. This is the price we pay for allowing the lies of Hamas and Hezbollah to be reported as fact. This is the price we pay for not living up to our values and morals. Strong support for Israel from the beginning and throughout could have brought this to a close hundreds of days ago with thousands of lives saved. Instead, we allowed the hatred of small minded leaders to overwhelm us. I thank Senator Fetterman, President Biden (at times), GA Representative Panitch, and all those who won’t tolerate the lies.
I have intentionally focused only on Democrats in this piece because it was 19 Democrates who voted for the bill with 32 voting against it. There are nearly twice as many Democrats who stood for good over evil. The 19 who chose evil need to be called out. There are many others that are not Democrats that join with the 32 who chose good over evil. I want to end with my second favorite Marco Rubio video of all time (my favorite is him wishing my son Evan a happy Bar Mitzvah and giving him a charge to be a responsible and good adult). We need more people to speak up like Senator Fetterman does and like Senator Rubio does here. It’s not that hard. It takes morals, ethics, and courage. We need to demand more from all of our leaders. We have some that show us we can get it. Let’s not settle for less.
Last night I went to see the Jewish musical star Pink in concert. I bought tickets a long time ago and heard that she was a tremendous performer. I like her music, although I’m far from a rabid fan. With Sheryl Crow opening, I was excited for the show.
Sheryl Crow was awesome. She brought me back in time with her classic songs and while the show was in a stadium, I wish she was in a smokey crowded bar where you could really feel and appreciate her music. I enjoyed her performance as it brought me back to simpler times.
Then it was time for the main event. Pink was electric from the very beginning. Her energy and joy filled the stadium with positivity. Since October 7th, over a year ago, I’ve had a hard time truly letting go and embracing joy. Last night, Pink unlocked that for me. What a performer. She exuded happiness. Love flew from every song and every time she talked to us. Her very first song set the tone – watch and listen as she bounces with joy and flies effortlessly.
Her flying early in the show was beautiful. The music was great and she added elegance and beauty. The past 12 plus months have been filled with so much ugliness. October 7th and those images never leave me. I’m glad that I saw the Hamas 47 minute video but it altered who I am. I am glad that I have been to the Nova site twice, heard from survivors, and those involved with rescuing people that day, but the horror is now a part of me. I’m glad that I went to Kfar Aza twice, heard the stories from the IDF and from somebody who was there that day and recently returned to their home. I’m glad that I saw what the Hamas terrorists did but those images are burned into my soul. Last night, as she performed, it was the first time since October 7th that the only thing in my mind, heart, and soul was beauty and love.
Her cover of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” got us up, singing and dancing. I was transformed to the early 80s and my high school days. To simpler times. A time when hate didn’t dominate the world. When we didn’t see daily antisemitism and Jew hatred. Violence against Jews wasn’t happening on the streets of Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Chicago, and so many other places. I thought of my diverse group of friends from that time – we didn’t think about identity politics or our differences – we focused on the people we liked. So many of them are still friends today. Jewish, Christian, Mormon, Black, White, Gay, and Straight. We played sports together, went to parties together, hung out on the streets together, went to concerts together, and got in trouble together. I miss the simpleness of those times. The moral clarity that existed for us in high school and then college. Enjoy the song and performance, I sure did.
I wish that I recorded Pink as she talked to, and about, her mother and their relationship. Her mom was in the front row and it was a classic Jewish mother moment. We all laughed but I think those of us who have Jewish mothers laughed a little deeper as she talked about her mom telling her what to do and then watching her mom actually do it from the audience and Pink listening to her and then begging her to stop. When she talked about her late father, it hit home deeply for me. It brought me right back to my dad and the relationship we had. It made me sad and joyous at the same time. While I don’t know her, never met her, and have no personal relationship, I know we bonded over the loss of our fathers. Then she brought her daughter on stage to sing part of a song with her. What a highlight. I enjoyed watching Pink’s face more than anything else as she listened and watched her daughter Willow sing. As a father, there is nothing better than seeing my children succeed. Their joy and success is so much better and more powerful than my own. I could see that on Pink’s face and it reinforced my committment to do whatever I can to make this world a better place for my children and eventual grandchildren. There is no excuse for us to sit back and not do the work. Not put in the effort. We are not responsible for the outcome but we are each responsible for doing the work. That’s a summary from Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of our Fathers. It shows that anybody can learn and even teach a little Torah.
The show ended with an incredible encore where Pink literally flies across the stadium. The freedom in the song and as she flies is so clear. It’s a reminder that we control how we feel. We control whether we want to be tied down, locked up, bitter and angry, or if we want to be free, flying through the air, looking for the beauty and enjoying what the world offers. It takes effort to do it, but the power to live meaningful and beautiful lives is entirely in our own hands. The question is are you willing to do the work? Watch Pink fly and sing – see and feel the freedom. As the movie version of Wicked is about to be released, watch Pink defy gravity. Sorry I lose her for a bit but you get to see the audience during that time and feel the energy.
Pink inspired me last night It shows that you don’t have to truly be a torah scholar to inspire people with Torah values. It also shows how learning some Torah can help you see Jewish wisdom in every day life.
My friend Yocheved Ruttenberg is another real example of this. Founder of the Sword of Iron Facebook group with 40,000 members all interested in volunteering in Israel, her story as a 23 year old changing the world is inspiring. She recently won the Z3 Bridge Builder award. Her speech highlights her story and what she has done and what she is doing. It is inspiring.
The joy Yocheved brings to the 40,000 members of Sword of Iron is incredible. I read the posts of people volunteering in Israel and sharing their pictures doing it. I read about all the amazing volunteer opportunities and am astounded and inspired. It makes me wish I was independently wealthy and could just go and volunteer full time in Israel. From picking fruits and vegetables to helping rebuild in the south. Preparing BBQs for IDF soldiers to making tzizit for them. Helping those in need in every aspect of society. All done with gratitude. All done with grace. All done from the heart. All for our Jewish brothers and sisters who are fighting for the survival of the Jewish people. If you really want to experience the joy of Yocheved and her work, watch this Shabbat Shalom video. I can’t get enough of it. I dare you to only watch it once. It’s infectious.
There are so many ways to change the world and the world needs changing. You can do it through music. You can do it with volunteering. You can do it by helping others. A friend of mine who made aliyah years ago reached out today. He and his family will be in the United States to get away for a much needed respite in December. They will be in Florida for part of their trip and like my family, love sports and wanted to go to the Orlando Magic game for Jewish Heritage Night. They were having trouble getting tickets and asked for my help. Quickly, I was able to secure tickets for him in the block at an affordable price. I then reached out to a friend to see if they can help with some VIP experiences for their children. After the year that they have experienced, the least I can do is try to help them have some peace and joy. Just like Pink gave me last night, I can help them have a few moments of joy where they aren’t worried about sirens, they aren’t worried about rockets, they aren’t worried about friends in the IDF and if they are alive or not. They can be kids, enjoying a basketball game and maybe getting some special access. It didn’t take much for me to help. A little research. A few text messages. It did take effort but not much. Often times we don’t realize how easy it can be to make a difference in the lives of others. How we can give a little bit of life and levity to those in need.
I work with Dror Israel, and amazing organization that helps children with schools, youth groups, and summer camps. Their ZIONIST youth movement is in all the Druze villages and in 55 Arab villages with more than 20,000 Arabs involved. They do amazing work. In this same context, they are creating restorative trips for children and families to get away from areas with sirens, to go to Mitzpe Ramon (Israel’s version of the Grand Canyon). This short video highlights what they do and what the effect and impact is. They are changing the lives of these children and families and changing the world.
We have the ability to change the world with our own actions. Pink gave me a few hours of pure joy like I haven’t had since October 7th. Here is the question I pose to you. What are you going to do to find your joy. To find your stress relief? And what are you going to do to help others who are in need and can’t do it themselves? We all have that responsibility. It is Kol Yisrael Arevim zeh Bazeh(All of Israel is responsible for each other). Jewish or not, we can be inspired by this lesson. Each of us can change the world, one person at a time, one action at a time.
Let’s all choose to be like Pink, who electrified and inspired 75,000 people last night. Who sent a message of love, inclusion, support, family, and values. The movie The Waterboy puts it best. You can do it!
I was talking to my friend Tal in Israel the other day. Tal is a Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) in the IDF and we hav been discussing a project together. He told me that we’d have to wait a few weeks to continue our conversation because he had been called back for milium (reserve duty) once again and had to report the next day. He then sighed and told me how tired he was of this. It’s been a year already and his life has been turned upside down. He then said something remarkable. He told me that he’d continuing showing up because “we have to win”. Having been to Israel in May, July, and September, I understood both the fatigue and the desire to keep showing up because there is no alternative to winning this war. It’s an existential war. Iran, through their proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, won’t stop until Israel is eliminated. Until the Jews are eliminated. It’s easy to sit in the United States and criticize Israel for doing what they have to do to survive. Go to Israel and see the devastation from October 7th in the kibbutzim on the Gaza border. Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, Be’eri. Visit the site of the Nova music festival and listen to survivors and those who rescued people from the terrorists. Listen to the story of Rami Davidian, a farmer who saved 750 people on October 7th from the terrorists and the horrors he saw on October 8th when he returned to the Nova site to clean up and provide dignity to the people who had been murdered.
Israel and the survival of the Jewish people are miracles. There is no other way to describe how we have lasted for thousands of years, outliving every other society throughout history. How more than 3,000 years after we first entered the land of Israel, we are living there today. In May and July it was driven home to me multiple times how if 2,000 years ago, as the Romans were taking the Jews into slavery, the Temple was in flames, Jerusalem destroyed, you had told our ancestors that we’d be back here, in our homeland, in 2,000 years, they would have laughed at the concept. Yet here we are.
The Holocaust was an effort to send us to the history books. Hitler’s goal was to create a museum of the Jewish people that people could visit to see who we were because we no longer existed. I read a story told by Rabbi Yitz Greenberg to Rabbi Daniel Gordis about Adolf Eichmann, who had disappeared, running away in 1946, to Argentina. He was hiding with Ferenc Szálasi, the facist leader of Hungary who was his partner in wiping out Hungarian Jewry.
Adolph EichmannFerenc Szálasi
Szalasi said in his last conversation with Eichmann, “you know, if they catch us, they will put us to death. We committed this incredible crime.” So, Eichmann says to him, “if they catch me and they execute me, I will leap into my grave laughing. Why? Because he said, I didn’t kill every last Jew, but they’ll never recover. It hit such a destructive blow to the heartland of Jewry, the Eastern European Jewry was the biological heartland. They’ll never recover. I feel I succeeded even if I didn’t get all the way.” Yet the Jewish people did recover. The biological heartland was not, has never been, and never will be Eastern Europe. It has been and will always be the land of Israel.
The reason we have outlasted ancient Egypt and the Pharoahs, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantine empire, the Crusaders, the Spanish Empire, the Nazis and the Soviet Union is because even when we are tired; no make that especially when we are tired, we do not give up. We have never given up. This is why we will outlast Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Iranian regime. We value life too much. We value the future too much.
I am tired. I’ve been consumed since October 7th with doing my part, whatever that may be, to fight. Putting on a rally the day after October 7th. Going to be with 300,000 people on the National Mall in Washington, DC to join together in support of the Jewish people and Israel. Writing this blog for over a year, often times multiple times a week. Going to Israel in May, July, and September. Volunteering in Israel cleaning lemon trees, picking apples, making tzizit for the IDF, making sandwiches for those in need, making care packages for IDF soldiers, bringing supplies to IDF units with me in my luggage, getting my new tattoos, wearing my dogtags, my Jewish star, my yellow ribbon pin for the hostages, helping Israeli NGOs to serve the people in need, and working to help the Israeli economy any way that I can. It’s not serving in the IDF but it’s doing my part. Just like Tal, I’m tired of this. And just like Tal, I won’t give up either. Because we have to win. We have no other choice. Golda Meir put it best.
So fight we do. We fight the antisemites. We fight on college campuses. Columbia, Penn, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, UC Berkely, Stanford, USLA, CUNY and Rutgers are a few of the major hotstpots where Jews are targeted. We fight against politicians like Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, AOC, and Summer Lee along with ensure that people like Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman lose their Congressional seats and can’t spew their hatred. We fight against corrupt, Jew hating organizations like the United Nations, UNRWA, UNIFIL, UNICEF, and Amnesty International. We call out leaders like UN Secretary General António Guterres and UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese who tell lies about Israel and feed antisemitism. We don’t allow celebrities with a public forum like Susan Sarandan, Mark Ruffalo, John Cusack, Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, John Oliver, Cynthia Nixon, Rachel Zegler, or adult film star Mia Khalifa to spread lies to those who listen to them only because of their celebrity status, not because they know anything.
One of my favorite speeches of all time is by Jim Valvano when he won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the first ESPY awards. In it, he makes the famous quote, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.” That’s the motto of the Jewish people.
So even though we are tired, even though Israelis are tired, even though the IDF soldiers and reservists are tired, even though Israeli families are tired, we won’t stop fighting. We won’t give up. And because of that motto, the people of Israel live. Am Yisrael Chai
This has been a challenging week for many people. For some it’s the results of the election. For others it is the pogrom in Amsterdam and watching Jew hatred go to another level. Today is the 400th day of the hostages being in captivity. Two Jewish students were assaulted at Chicago’s DePaul University for the crime of being Jewish. In the past months, Jewish students have been attacked at The University of Michigan and The University of Pittsburgh for being Jewish. Rockets continue to be fired every single day by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel.
We live in arguably the most divided time in the United States since the Civil War. The world may not be this divided since World War II. It is easy to feel sad and depressed. It is easy to lose hope and think the world is ending. Concern over the next few weeks, months, and years is a common refrain heard regularly.
And yet there are examples of hope all around us. There are examples that show when we decide to be the answer, the solution; when we decide that we are no longer going to wait for others to solve the problem and challengs of the world, that we create change.
We are a college football family. For years, our Shabbat has involved being together as a family, either watching college football on TV or in person. When our older son was playing High School football, Shabbat dinner was at the football field. When he was coaching High School football, we spent Friday nights watching him coach and as he coaches college football, we are watching on TV or in person once again. This morning, as I was watching ESPN Gameday, a beautiful and inspiring story was shown.
Malachi Moore, a star player for Alabama, befriend a young girl, Henrietta Murray, who had a terminal illness. Their relationship and his relationship with her family, is a beautiful thing to see. Once again, it shows the power one person has to change the world. Malachi changed not only Henrietta’s life but the lives of her parents and his own life. Listening to him talk about what his friendship with Henrietta not only meant to him but how it changed his outlook on life is powerful. We all have th ability to be like Malachi. We all have the power to change lives with our actions. Watch, listen, and feel the love.
Watch Malachi and Henrietta’s story
Then there is the story of Melhem Asad. A Druze fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv football/soccer, Melhaem was at the game in Amsterdam. As he watched the attacks begin against Israelis by criminal antisemites with law enforcement not helping, he thought quickly on his feet. As an Arab speaker, he ran to groups of Israeli fans, speaking loudly in Arabic to them, creating the impression that everyone in his group was Arab rather than Jewish. By doing this, he successfully misled the attackers, who left these groups alone as they searched for Jews to attack. He didn’t just do this once or two. He spent several hours using this strategy to shield Jewish Maccabi fans who were under attack in restaurants and bars, unable to safely reach their hotels. When people call Israel an apartheid state, when people say that Jews, Arabs, and Druze can never get along and never exist together, this is more proof that these are lies.
Thank you Melhem for showing that humanity isn’t about being Jewish, Druze, or Arab. It’s about being a good person, caring about your fellow human beings, and combatting hate. You are an example to everybody of what the future can look like when we choose to take action ourselves. When we don’t wait for somebody else to do something. When we don’t tolerate the status quo and do what we can to make the world a better place.
Melhem Asad, who’s quick thinking and speaking Arabic saved many from being beaten.
Kirk Herbstreit is the cornerstone of ESPN Gameday. He is well known, popular, and one of the people fans want to hear from. Recently, the focus has been on the relationship with him and his dog Ben. Ben became a travel companion for Herbstreit, with him on the road, on the field, and on the set. In many ways, he became America’s dog. Recently he got very ill and in the past week he died. His loss was felt not just by Kirk but by fans and dog lovers all over the world. ESPN chose to show a tribute to Ben today. It was beautiful and powerful. It shows the power of love. I have always felt that dogs are pure love in a living being. We lost our beautiful chocolate lab, Bella, earlier this year. I miss her every day, and ask Kirk publicly mourned the loss of Ben, I could relate and understand the loss.
Our sweet girl Bella, enjoying the back yard, the sun, the grass, and being with me.
We can have this type of unconditional love with a dog. Why can’t we have this type of love for our fellow human beings? Before the election and after the election, the vitriol expressed against those supporting a different candidate was horrific. You might be branded a racist, a bigot, a Jew hater, an antisemite, an islamaphobe, transphobic, anti-LGBTQ, anti-woman, anti-American, and many other terms. It’s ok to to support different candidates for many reasons. Understanding why people make the choices they make gives us a chance to build bridges, work together towards the type of society we want to live in. Most people don’t support every position that the candidate they supported stood for. Yet we simplify people and live in hatred and disgust rather than love and understanding.
Dogs aren’t like that. They love you no matter what. It is as if they understand that people are fallible and love is what helps us deal with our imperfections. Dogs really are perfect love. I miss having Bella climb in my lap to cuddle no matter what was going on. I miss her giving me kisses and laying down at my feet to be close to me. I miss taking her out to the backyard to walk and lay in the grass, appreciating the beauty of nature, the warmth of the sun, the smell of fresh air.
It’s pure love. Watch the tribute to Ben and let Ben inspire all of us to treat people better.
Speaking of Kirk Herbstreit, every week when I watch him on ESPN Gameday with Lee Corso, their interaction is one of the sweetest things in today’s world. It’s clear that they have a father-son relationship. As Corso has gotten older, Herbstreit openly provides him with more help and more support. It is a beautiful thing to watch.
Today, it was the opposite. As the tribute to Kirk’s dog, Ben, began, he was visibly crying and emotional. You could feel his pain and loss. And who was there to support him? Lee Corso of course. It was a public display of love and support. No worries about what it looked like or what anybody though. It was two close friends being together, even with millions of people watching.
We can use the example of the relationship between these two men as a teaching lesson for each of us. Every day we have an opportunity to be there for somebody else. Every day we have a chance to build these special relationships. I am lucky. Along with my brother and sister, I have two people that I consider brothers and two people I consider sisters. That’s how close we are. While biologically I have two siblings, in reality I have six. I choose to invest in relationships with people. The quality of friends is so much more important than the quantity. Many years ago, an older friend of mine (he was my age now back then) used to say, “I don’t need more friends at my age.” I heard him but didn’t really understand at that time. Now I do.
The example of Corso and Herbstreit shows us what we can do for other people if we want. It shows how we change the world, one person, one relationship at a time. It takes so little to improve the day and the life of another person. It also can take so little to suck the energy out of somebody’s day, making their life more challenging. The question is which type of person do you want to be. Do you want to be somebody who spends every day working to make the world a little bit better or do you want to live in negativity and make the world a little bit worse every day?
I choose to change the world every day with kindness.
Leadership is a word often used but infrequently actually occurring in today’s world. We have seen that this week between the United States election, the firing of Defense Minister Gallant in Israel and his replacement with somebody without military leadership experience, and the continued failure of the United Nations and the International Red Cross among many others. At the end, I have a reminder of what leadership looks like.
I’m not here to criticize or applaud the election of Donald Trump or the defeat of Kamala Harris. The American people voted and made their decision. The bigger question that is being discussed is about leadership and understanding what the American people have been asking for. I have heard too many people say they were voting AGAINST Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Very rarely have I heard people talk about the policies of either candidate that inspire them. True leaders don’t inspire by creating fear of the other, yet that’s what both candidates did in this election. I wish that this would stop now that the election is over, however it continues and may even be increasing.
Representative Bernie Sanders, who pretends to be for the people as he has become wealthy as a U.S. Congressman and owns multiple homes, included the following in his statement after the election. “Today, despite strong opposition from a majority of Americans, we continue to spend billions funding the extremist Netanyahu government’s all out war against the Palestinian people which has led to the horrific humanitarian disaster of mass malnutrition and the starvation of thousands of children.” He continues to tell lies, as the majority of American’s support Israel’s fight against terrorism and to defend themselves. He conveniently ignores that it was Hamas and many Gazan people who invaded and attacked Israel on October 7th, murdering 1,200 people and taking hostages that remain in captivity for almost 400 days now. He chooses to pretend that Hamas and Hezbollah are not firing rockets every single day at civilians in Israel. He spews hatred while pretending to care about the common people. He continues to think he knows best from his ivory tower and elitist positions rather than listen to what regular Americans are saying and have been asking for.
Compare the words of the elitist Bernie Sanders, to the words of American Radio host Charlamagne The God. “I know today Democrats are going to be looking for someone to blame. Let me be the first to tell you it’s not just one thing. I personally feel like Donald Trump speaks to people’s grievances better than Democrats do. I know people are going to talk about misinformation and the dumbing down of society. I understand a of that, but you don’t have to be intelligent to know you can’t pay your bills. You don’t have to be intelligent to know you can’t afford groceries.”
Radio host Charlamagne The God
Once again, we see that common sense isn’t so common. The words of Charlamagne The God are clear and basic. People want to live in peace. They want to pay their bills, afford groceries and housing, and have the freedom to live their life the way they want. This is no different in America than it is in Israel. We just saw how unhappy and upset America is with the results of this election. We see how unhappy Israeli’s are with their leadership. The protests there only grew larger with the firing of Defense Minister Gallant and replacing him with Israel Katz, a man who has had no command experience and left the IDF in 1973, more than 50 years ago. The move has everybody confused as to what Bibi is doing to secure the safety of Israel.
Bibi and Gallant – Israel questions the direction without Gallant
Let’s move on to the United Nations, a corrupt and evil institution. There was a time that the UN stood for good in the world but those days are long gone. The UN has become an organization that is deeply antisemitic and openly flaunts its Jew hatred. Francesca Albanese, The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory is an open antisemite who hates Israel. She regularly lies about what is happening and who is responsible. She should have been fired a long time ago, but António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, refuses to take any action and hold her accountable. UNRWA has been proven to be tied closely to Hamas as their employees not only participated in the October 7th attacks, they also have hidden hostages and been found to be leaders of Hamas.
Released hostage Mia Schem addressed the UN this week. Her words are a powerful indictment of the organization. “Just be human” shouldn’t be a plea to an organization that says that is what it is all about Listen to her words, let your heart break, feel the anger build, and understand just how bad leadership is and maybe begin to understand a little more about the challenge we face not just in America and Israel but in the entire world.
Mia Schem addressing the UN
It’s not just the hostages in Gaza that are being ignored by the world. Have you heard of Ahoo Daryaei? She stood up against the oppressive Iranian regime in such a bold and brave way and has since disappeared. There is no outrage. Where are the women’s rights organizations who have been so outspoken during the US election? They are silent. Israeli women don’t matter. Iranian women don’t matter. Women all over the world who are being held captive, abused, sex traded, or married off as children don’t matter to these groups. I shake my head at the horrors that occur and their silence. Listen to my friend Fleur Hassan Nahoum tell Ahoo’s story with the video of what she did.
Fleur Hassan Nahoum tells the story of Ahoo Daryei. Let’s all pray for her safety.
It didn’t used to be like this. As we move forward after the election, I was reminded of the powerful letter left by President George H.W. Bush to incoming President Bill Clinton. An example of leadership.
8 years later, as President Clinton was preparing the leave the White House, he left a similar letter to incoming Presdent George W. Bush. Leadership is about caring for the mission, caring for the people that you lead. It’s not about ego.
8 years later, President George W. Bush wrote yet another letter to incoming President Barack Obama expressing his wishes for a successful Presidency, wishing him well and sharing some advice.
All three are instances of leadership, of country over party, of caring more for the office and the American people than any personall animosity. It’s no wonder that you see the three of them together in pictures. See their smiles. It doesn’t look fake.
When he was alive, you would see George H.W. Bush along with Presidents Carter, George W Bush, Clinton, and Obama together. Unified Hard to imagine today. It makes me sad to see where we have fallen.
We can only hope that as we move forward into this next era of leadership, we can return to the days of real leaders. People who put the mission ahead of their own ego. Leaders who listen to the needs of their constiutents and act for their best interests, not personal ones. I’m not optimistic but will hope to be surprised and grateful that’s what we get. The United States, Israel, and the world need more. We need better. We need leaders more than ever.
There is often a debate about whether being Jewish is a religion or a people. My friend, Avraham Infeld, has publicly spoken about this. He says, “We are a family, a people, with a common religion.” It’s the best description I have heard.
Rabbi Harold Kushner (z’l) has written about this as well. In his book, To Life, he asks, “What do you have to believe to be Jewish?”. The answer, is nothing. You don’t have to believe in God. You don’t have to believe in the Torah. In fact, you don’t have to do anything to be Jewish. You are Jewish if your mother is Jewish. That’s it. Many people in today’s world will say you are Jewish if either parent is Jewish. That is the proof that we are a people, a family, a mishpacha, that share a common religion.
This gets proven all the time with Jewish geography. In the Jewish world, it isn’t the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. Usually it is 2-3 degrees of connection. Hersh Goldberg-Polin (z’l) is a great example of this. I didn’t know him or his family. Yet I have friends who knew him at Camp Ramah Darom. 2 degrees of separation. The picture below is from a fraternity brother of mine who’s son was friends with Hersh. Another 2 degrees of separation.
Hersh as a kid with friends including my fraternity brother’s son
You may have seen the memes and comments about family in Israel.
I told someone I was traveling to Israel.
He asked, “do you have family there?”
“Yes I do. 8 million brothers and sisters.”
That’s who we are. Brothers and sisters. Family. Mishpacha.
As I think about family, I think about the hostages. There remain 101 of them in captivity and we don’t know how many of them are still alive. At Passover Seder, I set up chairs and put pictures of the Bibas family on the chairs so they could be at our Seder in spirit. After Seder, I couldn’t take them off the chairs so they remained there for a few months.
Mia Schem inspired me with her words, “We will dance again” and I got the same tattoo she did on my forearm. It inspires me to work hard every day to build a better future. To never forget the hostages that remain or the horrific violence that occurred on October 7th, I’ll never forget the look on Rami Davidian’s face as he talked about the morning of October 8th, when he went back to the Nova site to help clean up and provide dignity to those murdered. He looked at the trees right near us as he told us of the women tied to them that he had to cut down, cover them, give them some final dignity, and say the Shema for them. Unsaid was the condition of their bodies and the obvious rapes that had occurred. The tears in his eyes said more than his words ever could.
When Rachel Goldberg-Polin described the condition of her son Hersh’s (z’l) body, I cringed. Not just at the weight loss, the loss of part of his arm, and the obvious torture he had endured, but also how he was murdered. These aren’t the acts of freedom fighters or resistance. These are the acts of barbarians. As I listened to John Spencer, the pre-eminent expert on Urban warfare, talk about what he saw and how it doesn’t compare to any other barbarism he has seen throughout his career in studying warfare, it really hit home. People don’t want to believe other people can be this inhuman. People don’t want to believe this type of evil exists So they make excuses. They create lies to protect themselves from seeing that the evil exists.
The quote from Mia Schem below is powerful. “Each with her own horrific abduction story.” Yet the women’s rights groups couldn’t speak out. The ‘believe all women’ organizations denied that sexual violence occurred. The celebrities who spoke out in defense of every other group that faced sexual violence stayed silent. There was no ‘bring back our girls’ from Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie, Pope Francis, Kim Kardashian, Ellen DeGeneres, Hillary Clinton, Anne Hathaway, Alicia Keys, Cara Delevingne, Jessica Alba, Khloé Kardashian, Sophia Bush, or Amy Poehler, who all spoke out when 276 girls from a school in Chibok, Nigeria were kidnapped by the Islamist militia group Boko Haram in 2014. Jewish women didn’t count.
Talking about Jewish women, my friend Yocheved Ruttenberg recently was announced as the Z3 Bridge Builder award winner. What did she do that won her the award? On October 8th, with her older brother serving in the IDF as a lone soldier, she realized that she could not stay in the United States in her Dallas construction sales position. This then 23 year old spent a week raising $17,000 to buy things for her brothers unit, booked a ticket to Israel, and began her journey. A month into her 2 week trip to Israel, she met another young woman and together they created the Sword of Iron Facebook group, creating a place for those wanting to come to Israel and volunteer to meet each other, learn where they could volunteer, and build a community. Today, almost a year later, the group has nearly 40,000 members. Yocheved is a star. The number of people excited to see her in Israel, who want to take a selfie, who thank her for creating this community which enables them to make a difference, is immense. People come back time after time to volunteer, using the Sword of Iron group to figure out where to stay that is affordable, where to volunteer, who else is going to be there, and how to connect to their community. Thanks to Yocheved, there is no ‘lone volunteer’. Everybody, Jewish or not, is part of a community.
Yocheved was 23 when she started Swords of Iron. She turned her passion into something that has changed the lives of more than the 40,000 members of the Facebook group. Every time somebody comes to Israel and volunteers, she is changing not only their lives but the lives of those who benefit from the volunteer work. She is changing the lives of the volunteers’ friends wherever they live, who hear that their friends are coming to Israel to volunteer, see the pictures, and hear from them upon their return.
If Yocheved can do it, what is your excuse for not following your heart and your dream to change the world? Yocheved isn’t done. There is far more she is planning. Let her be your inspiration to do something.
Doing something is what Dror Israel (Dror) is all about. After October 7th, they were first responders when it comes to the needs of children and families. They created pop-up schools at the Dead Sea for families that had been displaced. They created schools all over the country as people were displaced from the south and the north. They had afterschool programs, youth groups, and brought in counselors to help those dealing with stress and PTSD.
In September I had the opportunity to visit Dror while in Israel. Seeing their work in person was powerful. Hearing the impact directly from the children in school was incredible. Seeing the inpact of the youth movement in an Arab village was inspiring. Watching both the excitement learning and the gratitude the students had for Dror and their educators was impactful. In the middle of an ongoing war that is over a year long, with rockets being launched at them daily and sirens going off multiple times a day, the resilience of the children and the Dror educators was inspiring.
As the war continues into its second year, Dror educators continue to innovate. In order to help children deal with the stress and challenges just being children, they began restorative 3 day trips for them to Mitzpe Ramon where they can act like children without the rockets and sirens. They can play outside, sleep without worrying about having to go to the safe room in the middle of the night, and experience joy. As Dror began these trips, they quickly learned that the entire family had a need to participate. So as Dror does, they pivoted and innovated even more. Last week, 100 children and parents from the Nitzanim elementary school in Carmiel embarked on a three-day retreat in Mitzpe Ramon. “It was such great fun, far from the noise of the war. We had a chance to connect with other families from the school and our neighborhood—just what we all needed,” said Irena, mother of Michael and Vasily, both students at the school.
Israel is known as the start up nation but it is more than just technology. Israel innovates in so many different ways including education and how they value human life. This is seen through the work of Dror Israel, who is dedicated to supporting these children until they can safely return to their homes and to helping them rebuild their communities and restore a sense of trust, resilience, and hope. Imagine if we had that in the United States.
Families from Carmiel during the 3 day restorative trip to Mitzpe Ramon
Earlier I wrote about how we are a family with a common religion. The great thing about being a family is that we have traditions. Many of them are based on our common religion such as the Passover Seder, shaking the lulov and etrog on Sukkot, and putting on tefillin. One of my favorites is something that I just learned and began this summer.
The prayer Acheinu is not an ancient one. It tracks back to the 9th century, 800 years after the destruction of the second Temple. The song “Acheinu” however, was only written in 1990. I sing it every day for the hostages. It’s short, simple, and easy to learn. It’s something tangible that I can do while I lie in bed, am in the shower, or sitting at my desk. I have the words on my phone and I get them in an email every day as well. As Jews, we have these type of regular things to remind us. As I said before, Tefillin is one (and I must admit that while I occassionaly put them on, I don’t do it regularly). Tefillin takes a few minutes and is a physical reminder. Singing Acheinu is a spiritual reminder that takes a minute or two with practice.
As Jews, we can find what are the things that resonate for us. What keeps us grounded? What connects us to God? What do we do to stay grounded, connected to God, connected to the world and to humanity. I pray and meditate every morning and have for more than three decades. For the past 5 months, I also sing Acheinu. It’s the one thing that I do daily that I look forward to NOT doing any longer. When the hostages are released, the need for me to sing Acheinu will be removed. Every day when I sing it, it has meaning. And every day that I sing it, I hope it is the last day that I will have to do so.
It’s 395 days today. 395 days of captivity. 395 days of terror and abuse. 395 days that American hostages have been ignored by our government. 395 days that the world has tried to excuse their being kidnapped and abused. We will not forget. We will not rest until they are returned. We will not stop until Hamas and Hezbollah are removed from power, until the threat that is Iran is no longer a threat.
It’s been almost 400 days since Hamas invaded Israel, murdered 1,200 people, raped women, and kidnapped civilians. 101 hostages, including 7 AMERICANS, remain in Gaza nearly 400 days later. To put it in context, Iran held 52 American hostages for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981. We don’t know when the hostages will return, or how many will return alive, but we hope and pray that it will be less than 444 days .
Recently we marked some significant dates that were once unimaginable. Oct 7, 2024 marked one year on the secular calendar since the Hamas attack on Israel. On the Jewish calendar, that anniversary was September 25-26, during the holiday of Simchat Torah. It is hard to believe that it has been over a full year since that horrible day. It’s hard to believe that we still have 101 hostages in Gaza more than a year later. It’s an embarrassment that there are still American hostages being held by Hamas and our government has not done all it can to get them back.
I saw this just before Simchat Torah and it struck me powerfully. One day, one murderous attack by terrorists, and 1,200 Yarzheits as a result. The explosion of antisemitism around the world. The hatred expressed on college campuses and at the United Nations, especially from leaders of the UN such as Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. She is the Joseph Goebbels of today, spewing her Jew hatred and propoganda around the world from her bully pulpit. Her boss, António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, refuses to discipline her or refute he hate and lies. When I look at the image below, I can’t help but think of the Children’s Exhibit at Yad Vashem. The link is visible and powerful.
When I think of the hostages, my heart breaks. While not particularly religious, every day I sing the Achenu prayer for them to come home. It’s one little thing that I can do, no matter where I am, to ensure they are remembered and never forgotten.
One of the faces of the hostages has been Hersch Goldberg-Polin (z’l) and his parents, Rachel and Jon. Hersh was tragically murdered along with 5 other hostages by Hamas. Last week, Rachel released this powerful video. It’s hard to watch. It’s harder to listen to. But it’s also a must watch and must listen. Hear the brutality that Hersh and the other hostages had to endure. Understand that Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran want every Jew to suffer like this. While Israel has offered pathways to peace, they only want Jewish death. As my friend, Fleur Hassan Nahoum has so elequently stated, “The problem isn’t that there is no Palestinian State. The problem is that there IS A JEWISH STATE!“
I’ve grown so tired on the lies being told. Of those with no knowledge spewing hatred based on these lies. The use of words like genocide and colonizer about Israel and Jews. The blatent antisemitism from certain political leaders and many businesses. The changing of history because it doesn’t fit their Jew hatred. Former President Bill Clinton has been vocal about how hard he worked to create peace in the Middle East and have an independent Palestinian State that lives in peace with it’s neighbor Israel. This speech is so significant because just as then General Eisenhower mandated that pictures be taken of the concentration camps as he liberated them because he didn’t think people in the future would believe what happened, this video documents FROM President Clinton what happened. He speaks directly about what was offered, what Israel agreed to, and what Yassir Arafat rejected. It’s so powerful, I have both the video and the text below.
“And the only time Yasser Arafat didn’t tell me the truth was when he promised me he was gonna accept the peace deal that we had worked out, which would have given the Palestinians a state on 96% of the West Bank and 4% of Israel, and they got to choose where the 4% of Israel was. So they would have the effect of the same land of all the West Bank. They would have a capital in East Jerusalem.
I can hardly talk about this…. And they would have equal access all day every day to the security towers that Israel maintained all through the West Bank up to the Golan Heights.
All this was offered, including, I will say it again, a capital in East Jerusalem and 2 of the 4 quadrants of the old city of Jerusalem, confirmed by the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, and his cabinet. And they said no.
And I think part of it is that Hamas did not care about a homeland for the Palestinians. They wanted to kill Israelis and make Israel uninhabitable.
Well, I got news for them, they (the Jews) were there first before there their faith (Islam) existed. They were there. In the time of King David, in the southern most tribes, Hadjardia and Samaria.”
Powerful words from President Clinton. They should be a wake-up call to the woke antisemites about the lies they are being fed. But they aren’t. Instead, people are angry at him for what he said. We live in a world where the facts don’t matter, only a person’s individual truth. Hezbollah fires rockets into Israel for a year and when Israel finally responds, they are the ones who are responsible. UNRWA steals the food and aid and gives it to Hamas, yet it is Israel who is starving the people of Gaza. Iran fires over 300 missiles at Israel and then fires nearly 200 missiles at Israel in a second attack. Yet Israel is required to limit the response. Not with a proportional response of 500 missiles fired at civilians like Iran did. Not attacking their oil or nuclear facilities. Lies and double standards.
I like to think that it won’t continue but I know better. We have nearly 400 days of proof. We have hateful people like Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Francesca Albanese, Candace Owens, and many more that prove it to us constantly. Our fight must continue. As my friend Tal, a Lt Colonel (res.) in the IDF said to me last week as he prepared to go back for Miluim once again, this time in Lebanon, we are all tired but we must fight on. We must win. And so togther, we fight. Together we advocate. Together we lobby. Together we educate. It’s day 393. We won’t stop.
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