Tag: hate

Our world and our country is lost

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

I think today is when I finally acknowledge the reality we are all seeing and none of us want to admit. Our world is lost. We have reached the tipping point from which I am no longer sure we can recover. Today we had both a school shooting outside of Denver as well as the assasination of Charlie Kirk. I was no fan of Charlie Kirk. I didn’t agree with much of anything that Charlie Kirk said. Yet his assasination is the type of behavior that shows our country has no moral conscience. It shows how lost we are. We don’t shoot people we don’t agree with or don’t like. We don’t condone murder. This isn’t a left/right issue. If you haven’t seen the video of his murder, here it is. It’s something that is unforgettable once you see it.

We have already seen the efforts to blame him for his own murder. The media isn’t holding themselves accountable for promoting hate and divisiveness. They aren’t blaming the person who murdered him. They are blaming him. Matthew Dowd says it publicly on MSNBC. He won’t hold people like Francesca Albanese accountable for her lies about Israel. He won’t hold Hamas accountable for their actual genocide. But he will blame somebody he disagrees with their own murder.

We are seeing things like this all over the place. No outrage at murder. No outrage at the taking of a life. Because they disagree with Charlie Kirk, they celebrate his death and his murdered. We saw this with the shooting and murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 by Luigi Mangione (who has not yet been officially convicted) and the way Magnione has been celebrated and become a hero to many. With Charlie Kirk is now dropping to a new low.

Charlie Kirk’s murder has overshadowed the school shooting in Evergreen, Colorado. Think about how insane a statement that is. A person took a gun and shot up a school and it’s not the lead story. It’s not even the lead story related to gun violence. It’s not even the lead story about a shooting that occurred at an educational facility.

Three high school students were shot in Evergreen, one of them the suspected shooter. They are in critical condition. A fourth is also in the hospital. Students went to high school today to learn. Instead four are in the hospital, three in critical condition (including the suspected shooter). A community is traumatized. The country? Not so much. Only three, including the shooter, were shot. In today’s world, that’s barely noticable. Insanity. School shootings should NEVER occur let alone not be newsworthy. It’s far beyond reasonable gun laws. We have a crisis on our hands. A crisis of the soul.

The Spanish Prime Minister says that unfortunately Spain doesn’t have nuclear weapons to stop the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Nothing about the hostages. Nothing about October 7th. Instead, he regrets they don’t have nuclear weapons to stop Israel fighting the terrorists. There is a reason they don’t and shoudn’t ever have nuclear weapons.

A European elected leaders expresses remorse for his inability to use a nuclear weapon on Israel to stop them from fighting an existential threat to their own survival. Fighting an enemy that tried actual genocide on October 7, 2023, that celebrated their horrific actions by recording and publishing them for the world to see. Yet no outrage is shown by the media or the world. Imagine a world leader saying that about any other country and what would happen. But nuking the Jewish state? Totally ok.

Canada continues to sink into its antisemitism and Jew hatred. Israel has provided more humanitarian aid to the enemy than any country in history. They do all they can to notify civilians ahead of time to evacuate an area before they attack. They target the leaders and put their own soldiers at risk. This isn’t about whether you like or hate Bibi Netanyahu. This isn’t about whether Israel is fighting a perfect war (not so subtle hint – they are not). This is about the existence of Jews and of the State of Israel.

These same people applauded when the US invaded Pakistan to eliminate Osama Bin-Laden. They are pure hypocrites and Jew haters. As Hen Mazzig points out in the post below, President Macron of France, who criticized Israel for their action to target Hamas leadership, ignores the fact that France has bombed FIVE countries because of terrorism. What type of world do we live in when this is not only happening but encouraged.

What used to infuriate me the most, until today when a school shooting wasn’t really news and the murder of somebody was celebrated by many who disagree with his views, was the way the world leaders don’t care about the truth and continue their lies. Their demand that Israel make peace, when Israel accepted the most recent plan to end the war and it was Hamas who rejected it, is beyond insanity. Their demand for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza when it’s documented that approximately 700 trucks of aid are coming into Gaza DAILY is beyond ignoring the truth. The following was the announcement and report from September 9, 2025 from the IDF and COGAT:

Humanitarian Aid Data and Efforts on September 9:

Over the past day, more than 280 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.

Additionally, 400 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations, while the contents of several hundred more remain on the Gazan side of the crossings, awaiting collection.

We have facilitated the entry of tankers of UN fuel for the operation of essential humanitarian systems.

In addition, a rotation coordination of humanitarian personnel has been successful completed.

We will continue expanding our efforts to facilitate humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Gaza.

There is no criticism of the United Nations who doesn’t deliver the aid when it comes into Gaza. There is no celebrating the efforts of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that is getting food directly to the people. There is only the lie that food and aid isn’t getting into Gaza. It is getting in. The UN makes sure it doesn’t get to the people, only to Hamas or that it sits out in the sun. It is Hamas that is starving the people with the assistance of the United Nations. Our world leaders don’t even attempt to pretend they are telling the truth. They just out and out lie because the world hates the Jews and is willing to believe anything they are told. The media helps them.

Our world is broken. I’m not sure that it can be fixed. For the first time in my life, I understand the story of Noah, the ark, and the flood in a way I never have before. I understand the story of Sodom and Gemorrah like I never have before. Tikkun Olam means something different that it ever has before. Today, I question if our world is even worth saving. Yet despite my questions and my misgivings, I won’t give up the fight. I won’t stop trying to do my part to make it a world filled with kindness, love, and care for each other. I don’t have another choice. None of us do. The future of the world literally depends on us to confront the evil, the lies, and the hate. We can’t sit by idly. We can’t bury our heads in the sand. We can’t stand by quietly.

At times like this I find myself thinking back to the three times that I had the opportunity to meet and talk with the great Elie Weisel. I think of the last time, when I brought my children, then both young, and what he said. How it was our responsibility to build the world we want. How much our actions mattered and that it was up to us to build the world we wanted for them. The world we have today is NOT the world i want for my children. So I fight the evil. I speak out. I write. I have tattoos to commorate October 7th. I proudly wear my Star of David with Israel in the middle of it. I have a Florida Stands with Israel license plate on my car. I have a big mezzuzah on my front door. I won’t hide. I won’t be silent. And I won’t accept evil.

As Elie Weisel said, we need to be held accountable. God will always do God’s part but we must do ours. Will you join me in the fight against evil?

The many faces of Jew hatred

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Since October 7th, I have been struggling with the violent antisemitism that occured then and that has continued to increase and occur. Having worked on a college campus for 15 years, it ripped my soul watching what happened on various college campuses across Canada and the United States. Seeing people attacked in the streets for being publicly Jewish broke my heart and watching the world stay silent about it infuriated me.

I watch some of our leaders excuse and defend this Jew hatred when they were publicly leaders against the hatred of other groups. What makes it ok to hate Jews? Why does the world not just permit it but celebrate it? Why is it ok to light the door of a synagogue on fire while Jews are inside praying, trying to kill them all? Why has it been ok to shoot Jewish schools?

This past week on the Fresh and Fit Podcast, a group of young people actually blamed the Jews for the Nazi’s committing Genocide. Listen to them speak and understand their hatred. Understand that we have now made it ok for people to openly hate, lie, and spew prejudice. They may as well be wearing white sheets and be the Klu Klux Klan. Except the Klan wore their sheets to hide from public scrutiny. They show their faces proudly as they spew their hatred. Watch the man, the supposed adult, smile with joy as the Jew hatred is shared. This is the world we live in today.

It gets worse. This week, a group of 50 Jewish children were returning from summer camp on a Vueling flight from Spain to France. These children were speaking Hebrew, joking, and signing songs in Hebrew. Totally appropriate teen behavior. Yet the crew, saying that Israel is a terrorist state, called the police and had them forcibly removed from the plane. For being Jewish. For speaking Hebrew. In America, this is equivilant to ‘Driving while black’, when African American people are pulled over and arrested or harrassed just because they black. This is what happens when we allow hatred to grow unchallenged. Watch the video below as the Director of the Camp, trying to understand what is happening and why they have been targeted and are being removed, is thrown to the ground, beaten, handcuffed and arrested. Not for being violent. Not for being a terrorist. Not for making threatening statements or causing a problem with other passengers. Simply for being Jewish.

The police knew they were in trouble for their behavior immdiately. They took the phones from the children and made them delete the video of what happened. They wanted no proof of their Jew hatred. The lies in the media began as soon as the story broke. Claims that the children were singing songs about killing Arabs. That they were behaving aggressively. The media does this with Jews regularly. Spin the lies fast and furious and the Jew hatred takes over. This time however, passengers on the plane spoke up. The passengers were clear that the children did nothing wrong and that it was the crew who wanted them removed once they realized they were Jews.

Then there is the issue of the ‘mass starvation and famine” in Gaza. The claims that Israel is starving the people of Gaza. The talk about the IDF shooting Gazan people who are trying to get food. While I’m sure accidents happen like in any war, it has been clear that it is Hamas who is shooting and killing the Gazan people who are trying to get food from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Why would Hamas do this? Hamas has been stealing the food and aid since the beginning and using it to feed themselves and sell the rest on the black market to fund their purchase of rockets and weapons to kill Israelis. The complaint from the Gazan people, before the GHF began delivering food directly to them, was that ‘the food is too expensive’. The food that is provided for free is too expensive. I’ve heard the stories of Gazan people, coming to get food from the GHF double and triple checking that the food was actually free. In Daniel Gordis’s Israel from the Inside, the shared this video of a mob of Gazan people running towards an overturned food truck (how it got overturned isn’t clear or shown). The IDF is there as this mob runs towards them. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to see a mob this size running towards you, but I can imagine it is frightening. The commander instructs them not to shoot, not to fire on the people and they don’t. At the end, an extraordinary thing happens – the Gazan people stand and applaud and cheer the IDF soldiers. Forget what you are shown on the news – this is raw footage of the Gazan people appreciating the IDF. Perhaps the narrative you are being fed isn’t accurate.

A mob in Gaza rushing to an overturned food truck – there is no violence and what a remarkable end.

What is factual? The UN has over 950 trucks of food and aid sitting inside Gaza waiting to be delivered. The UN refuses to deliver it unless they are escorted by Hamas for protection. The IDF has offered to provide the protection so the food gets to the people who are hungry, not the terrorists. The UN would rather lt the food sit, undelivered, and have the people of Gaza go hungry that ensure that Hamas doesn’t steal the food and keep it from the people. Watch the video and see all this food, waiting to be delivered, while the UN refuses to deliver it and blames Israel for starving the people of Gaza. The UN has committed so many human rights violations since October 7th and the world refuses to hold them accountable. It’s better to blame the Jews and encourage Jew hatred.

Then there is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. They are delivering over 2 million meals per day directly to the people of Gaza. Hamas hates this, as they can’t steal the food and use the black market revenue to pay their terrorists and fund their terror. The UN hates this because it highlights how corrupt they are. The media likes to highlight the Gazan people being killed by Hamas waiting for food and blame Israel for their deaths. Yet the facts show something entirely different.

The UN and the other NGOs refuse to work with the GHF because it gets food directly to the people of Gaza and does not go through Hamas. When food goes through Hamas it ends up in the tunnels, feeding Hamas, and it goes to the black market where the money funds Hamas’s terror and efforts to kill every Jew. The complaints by the people of Gaza have been that ‘the food is too expensive.’ The free food that is being provided is too expensive! When the GHF began distributing food directly to the people of Gaza, they kept getting asked over and over again, “Are you sure this food is really free.”

The world wants to blame Israel and say that Israel is starving the Gazan people and the children in Gaza. There is no doubt that there is food insecurity in Gaza but the blame is not on Israel. It’s on the world. The world would rather blame Israel than ensure the food is properly distributed. The world would rather invest in Jew hatred than fill the stomach’s of the people in Gaza. The world would rather see starving and dead Gazans than see Israel exist. In his Israel from the Inside blog today, Daniel Gordis addresses the food issue. He shares this video which clearly addresses the problem – food distribution. This is entirely solvable by the world if they wanted to. They don’t. They’d rather blame Israel

From Daniel Gordis’s Israel from the Inside. If you don’t subscribe and read it, you should.

So here is the real question. Do you care about the people of Gaza, the children of Gaza, or do you hate Jews and Israel? If you truly care about the people and the children, you’ll fight against the UN and the NGOs that refuse to deliver the food unless it goes through Gaza. If you care about the people and the children, you won’t tolerate the media slandering the GHF and will hold them accountable for reporting the reality that the food distribution by the UN and other NGO’s has been the problem. If you care about the people and the children, you will hold Hamas accountable and not demand any ceasefire until they release the hostages and leave power. If you really just hate Jews and Israel, keep on blaming Israel, supporting the UN and Hamas. It will be clear if you are a humanitarian or a Jew hater by your choice.

Oh what a strange world we live in

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

I remember learning about the ancient Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” When I heard it, I didn’t quite understand why it was a curse. Who wouldn’t want to live in interesting times? The opposite was boring times and that didn’t sound like much fun. The older I got, the more I understood why this was a curse. Today, we certainly living in interesting times. Challenging times. Frustrating times. Sometimes it feels like hopeless times.

People have always interested me. How they think, why they make the choices that they make, and often times, how self-destructive they can be. Over the past decade, I have seen and written about the rise of antisemitism, of Jew hatred. When I began writing about and calling it Jew hatred, it was a controversial term. It no longer is controversial. Since October 7, 2023, the amount of public Jew hatred has been astounding. I always knew there were people who simply hated Jews and I met plenty of them. They always kept it quiet though. Nobody came out publicly with their Jew hatred, it was kept behind closed doors. Today, they wear it publicly like a badge of honor.

I just learned about a former employee, somebody that most of us who worked with not only liked but thought liked us, posted on social media, “zionist unfriend me silently challenge (impossible).” It was shocking to see, in part because I knew her differently that this post and also because I only saw it when a friend shared it with me because this person had unfriended me, likely because of my pro-Israel posts and advocacy. I was forwarded some of the interaction and it was sad to read. This person that I had known was clearly not the same. Her Jew hatred was clear and public. When asked about what happened to make her like this, her reply was that she had always felt this way, she just had to keep quiet “for a paycheck.” This made me even sadder, because if true, she sold out her integrity for a paycheck, lied and pretended to be friends with people she despised.

I’m not sure why it amazes me that people just believe what they are told. The amount of lies that get retold, over and over again as truth, just because somebody said it on social media or on TV is shocking. It doesn’t even take much investigation to find out that they are lies, yet people today can’t be bothered with that. They’d rather believe the lies. They’d rather feed the hate. Unlike the far right, which allows all hate, the one hate that is allowed by the progressive far left movement is Jew hatred. The rest is not permitted – say it about any group other than the Jews and you get cancelled. You become a pariah. But say it about the Jews and they make you a hero. A righteous fighter for the underdog no matter how heinous their behavior. It disgusts me.

For about a five (5) year period, from approximately 2018 – 2023, I was often interviewed on the TV news, public radio, or for the newspaper about the rise of antisemitism. I would always start by saying that we must speak out against ALL HATE. I would say how whatever group was facing the hatred today, it would eventually move on to another group and one day it would be your group facing the hate. That’s why we needed to stand up and speak out against all hate. I still believe that today, despite the fact that when it comes to Jew hatred, we often stand alone.

I am so appreciative of my non-Jewish friends and those in public positions who speak out against Jew hatred. They take a big risk and do so proudly and with honor. I am appreciative of my friends, Jewish and not-Jewish, who don’t know things and ask, begin conversations, and are willing to dig deep. Often they will apologize when asking a question and I stop them, thank them for asking, and encourage them to never fear a true and honest question. This past weekend, I was hanging out with a bunch of friends. I was engaged in a great conversation with one of them who told me that he never really knew anything about Israel, never really paid attention to anything, until he learned about my connection and my passion. He’d follow me on social media when I travel to Israel, began reading things to learn more, and asked some great questions. We had a really positive conversation where he opened up and asked questions he may have been afraid to ask before. I answered honestly, even when the answer was that Israel had done something wrong. It made me wonder what might have been different with the other person if she had been willing to engage in dialogue, learn, listen, and ask the hard questions instead of posting her offensive comment. I’ll never know the answer but I also know that I will never stop trying to have those real conversations. No matter how difficult or challenging they may be.

People don’t understand the difference between Israel attacking Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, or Iranian military targets and military leaders and how Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran attack civilians. They don’t understand the difference between Israel doing all they can to protect the civilians and how the others do all they can to attack and kill civilians.

Video of ballastic missile landing in Ramat Gan – clearly not a military target

I’m tired of the Americans (and others but mainly the Americans) who believe the lies. Who spread the lies. Who use them to express their Jew hatred. The true civilians in Gaza thank Israel and want freedom from Hamas. The Iranian people support Israel and want freedom from the Iranian regime. The lies only make it more difficult for them and help keep them living under tyranny. These ‘people’ who say they want to help by bashing Israel are doing exactly the opposite of helping. They are the ones who despite seeing the emperor having no clothes, rave out the outfit. They are the monkeys who ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.’ They are the ones who embolden and empower evil.

The rest of us need to speak out and speak out loudly. We cannot sit back and be quiet and think they are showing how stupid they are, how bigoted they are. The longer we stay silent, the more they spread the lies and hate. I urge you to speak up. The cost of being quiet is too high.

Leslie Stahl, CBS, and the media should be embarrassed and ashamed

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

On their website, CBS states, “One of America’s most recognized and experienced broadcast journalists, Lesley Stahl has been a “60 Minutes” correspondent since 1991.” She should be embarrassed for her lead in to the interview she just did with Yarden Bibas for 60 minutes. Planting a false narrative to blame Israel, stating that Israel broke a ceasefire that expired when Hamas refused to move into phase 2 of the ceasefire, and holding Israel accountable for hostages being scared while kept in captivity, she showed herself to be a stooge for the media and their anti-Israel narrative.

When Yarden told her that the Hamas terrorists wouldn’t give them much food, she took the side of terrorists, trying to blame Israel by stating that perhaps they just didn’t have any food. Yarden corrected her that they did have food and would eat it front of her. That Hamas terrorists would tell them that they were giving them just enough food to keep them alive for 5 years in horrible conditions. He further told her that they learned that one of the terrorists liked massages so they would give him massages for extra food. Her response? Silence. No condemnation.

Watch the 60 minutes piece in which Yarden Bibas is interviewed.

Yarden tells her that they told him he would find a better wife and have better children after telling him that Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were dead. Her response was “did they really say that?” and nothing more. It’s disgusting. As I watched the interview, I found her repugnant and the CBS angle an attempt to take the barbaric actions of Hamas and make them Israel’s fault.

The pain of the stories told in the piece were clear. The horrific actions of Hamas were clear. Yet Stahl and the editors at CBS were unmoved. There was no condemnation. No shock and awe at this inhumane treatment. As I watched it, I got the feeling that both Stahl and the bigwhigs at CBS believed that they deserved what they got. They seemed only sad that they had to cover it at all and shed any light on the proof of Hamas being evil and terrorists.

The piece ended and they transferred to 60 minutes Overtime, and additional online peace to extend the “conversation.” In 60 Minutes Overtime, Stahl talks with Keith and Aviva Siegel, the “Hamas militants” according to Stahl. She can’t even call them terrorists. Once again, she begins the interview and piece by framing Hamas as simply “militants”. She talks about Kibbutz Kfar Aza and shows a little bit of video from the Kibbutz but nothing that comes close to what it really looks like. I’ve been to Kfar Aza twice since October 7th and the things I saw there will never leave my mind. The brutality that occurred there is something I will never forget. The stories I heard from the IDF and from residents who lived there and had just returned are beyond horrific. Yet Stahl and CBS show none of these images. They minimize what happened that day.

The roof in one of the young people’s apartments, destroyed by grenades while she was there.
Listen to the description of what happened at this house in Kfar Aza. CBS and Lesley Stahl won’t tell you

When she reports on Keith’s release from captivity, she calls it a ‘bizarre ceremony’, quite an understatement for what it really was. Ongoing terrorism. Brutal treatment of a hostage.

The emotion from the hostages and the videos was clear. How anybody can watch and listen and not be horrified, not be offended, not believe that what happened is not just criminal but also not want to outwardly speak out against it is beyond my comprehension. Stahl and CBS show their bias throughout.

The CBS Overtime interview with Keith and Aviva Siegel

It goes beyond just CBS and Lesley Stahl. This week, Tal Shoham testified at the UN in Vienna. The UN has showed itself to hate Jews and hate Israel. There are decades of proof that they treat Israel and the Jews differently than any other group or country in the world. Read Shoham’s testimony – it’s difficult to get through. After reading it, try to defend Hamas in any way. Try to defend Hezbollah, the Houthis or Iran. It’s pure evil that must be eradicated.

Tal Shoham testifying at the UN in Viennna

“During these 50 days in isolation, shackled and starved, it was not ordinary hunger, but survival hunger, where a crumb becomes your entire world. When your body aches constantly from hunger pains.

On day 34 two human skeletons entered my room. Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal. They told me they were beaten daily, forced to sit facing the wall, with bags over their heads, unable to move. If I thought my hunger was extreme, their was even worse. Their thirst was so intense that they would drink foul smelling salty toilet water contaminated with metals and filth.

In an act of deliberate cruelty, the terrorists forced Guy and Evyatar to watch me being released. Why, I ask you. Why would any human go to such length to inflict such torment.

During 505 days in captivity we were rarely not starving. There were many times we received just one pita bread for an entire day. We begged our captors, flattered them, even agreed to give them massages. Anything for another crumb of food. Traumatized by hunger, we collected crumb after crumb, dividing any grain of food after careful counting. Guy would sometimes spend an hour, ensuring fair distribution of every ounce.

You might assume this is the situation throughout Gaza. But the terrorists holding us always had abundant food, including fresh vegetables and fruits.

For the final 8 months of my captivity, we were held in a dungeon dozen of meter underground, with only a hole serving as a toilet. The humidity left our clothes and matrasses perpetually wet. We sweated and choked from lack of oxygen. In conditions so deplorable, no animal has ever been kept this way. We were constantly hungry and thirsty. Severe vitamin C deficiency caused Evyatar and me develop muscle inflammation.

Sadistic guards tortured us daily physically and mentally. Sometimes we were in darkness so profound, we could not see our hands in front of our faces. Meanwhile next door Hamas terrorists enjoyed a well-lit air conditioned room with plenty of food.

Hamas most dangerous weapon is not their rockets or their cruelty. It’s the fundamentalist education used to raise the next generation of terrorists. This education rejects the possibility of any state or people not governed by extreme Islamic law. In Hamas value system human life holds no worth. If we don’t recognize this, we live in illusion that will first doom Israel and then threaten the entire world. The International community must reject beliefs that foster terrorism.”

This is the reality of Hamas. They are not freedom fighters They are terrorists and pure evil. Those defending them are fools, bigots, and evil as well. Imagine being so thirsty that you would want to drink contaminated toilet water. Imagine being forced to humiliate yourself and give terrorists torturing and starving you massages for crumbs of food. Imagine living with constant hunger pains, choking from lack of oxygen…

Then imagine you are Leslie Stahl, hearing this firsthand. Talking to the parents of a current hostage who is being beaten, starved, and abused. Watch how she reacts with a flat affect. Watch and listen to how she responds. It’s as if she is a robot. No empathy. No compassion. As I watch her, I find myself thinking that she is trying to find a way to defend them, as she did earlier in the interview, and is upset that she can’t.

Watch and listen to Lesley Stahl and her lack of empathy, flat affect, and inability to condemn Hamas.

I am disgusted by Leslie Stahl and 60 minutes. How does she sleep at night? How do the higher ups at CBS keep their jobs? How do these people live with themselves?

How can the main stream media not make a major story as Hamas reduces their reported death toll by 3,400 names? They actually removed people’s names from the most recent death reports in Gaza, admitting they lied about people being killed who weren’t. For those who pay attention, this raises new concerns of inflated figures by Hamas.

This change included removing 1,000 children that had previously been reported killed in the war. Andrew Fox, associate fellow at the UK-based think tank Henry Jackson Society, was quoted stating, “If you were seeing indiscriminate killing, you would expect roughly 26% adult male deaths.” He continued, “In the 13 to 55 age group, which is Hamas’ fighter range because we know they use child soldiers, it’s 72% male in that age group.” 

“So all these things clearly point towards combatants being targeted rather than just indiscriminate killing.”

Yet the media remains silent. CBS, 60 minutes and Lesley Stahl make sure to tell their story based on lies. You won’t see this in the NY Times or Washington Post. None of the other major networks will cover this. They prefer the lies.

I know that October 7th and the aftermath has become a part of who I am. I spoke out against all hatred before October 7th. Now, I will never stop speaking out against evil and hate. There may be consequences as a result. It may impact my business and who will work with me. I don’t care. The fight against evil and hate is too important. If people like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Anwar Sadat, and Yitzak Rabin can risk, and lose, it all, then who am I to not be willing?

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Anwar Sadat, and Yitzhak Rabin (A.I. generated picture).

At the end of the day, we all have to live with ourselves and our decisions. When I close my eyes at night, I must live with my decisions and actions. How I sleep is determined by my decisions and actions. I want to be an example of morals, ethics, and values to my children and eventually my grandchildren. My children know what I have done, said, and written since October 7th. They can answer the questions my future grandchildren may ask with stories of my visits to Israel, volunteering there, and show them what I have written to stand up to hate and evil. What about yours? What do you stand for? Will you be one of those people that your grandchildren look back upon and ask where you were? What you did? Why you were silent? Only you can answer that question. Know that it is NOT too late to start now. The fight against evil and hate is nowhere close to being over. Join in the fight. Stand for something that is based on morals, ethics, and values.

Or don’t, and let the future generation judge your inaction.

Queen Esther and Sacrifice – a Purim leadership lesson

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Purim is one of my favorite holidays. It’s got a great story, an evil villian, a heroine that is tough to beat, and delicious triangle cookies. What’s not to love?

This year before Purim, I took the opportunity to learn a bit more about the story from a variety of teachers. It took me down a much deeper road with lots of lessons that apply to to our world today. I always enjoy when I find something in ancient texts that somehow team me a lesson for today’s world.

Purim is highlighted by a few major characters. Queen Esther, the heroine. A much deeper character to explore that the basic story presents. Her ‘uncle’ Mordechai, the hero. He pushes back against the evil villian and wins. Haman, the evil villian, who’s triangle hat becomes the Hamentaschen, the cookies we eat, at Purim. Haman, who’s name we drown out during the reading of the Megillah. King Achashvarosh, who divorces/murders his wife and marries Esther. And Queen Vashti, who refuses the King’s order/request, resulting in her divorce/death. I want to focus on Queen Esther here.

She was always one of my favorite charcters because of my Grandma Esther. Subconciously, there was always a connection to my Grandma Esther and Queen Esther. Plus dressing up, Purim carnivals, hamentaschen, and the fun makes Purim a special holiday for children. For much of my life, I thought of her as Morchechai’s niece who married the King to save the Jewish people. A wonderful and simple heroine. I never bothered to ask what happened to her when the story ends. I never bothered to ask if her ‘Uncle’ was really an uncle. I took it at face value and enjoyed the story.

Queen Esther as painted by the great Rembrandt. He painted many images from the Purim story.

It is much deeper than that. Jewish tradition and the talmud teaches us that Esther and Mordechai were actually husband and wife. The Talmud interprets the phrase “Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter” (Esther 2:7) as “Mordecai took her as his wife”. Think about what it must be like to be settled, married, and planning what your life will look like when all of a sudden your husband asks you to leave him and try to marry the King. Your husband who pushes you out of his bed and into the King’s bed. It is hard to believe that this is something that Esther wants to do or is looking forward to doing. I find myself wondering why shouldn’t just tank the interview to be Queen, find some way to ensure that the King will not pick her so she can return to her husband and her life. That’s the easy thing to do. Finish second, don’t strive to win, just be a part of the pack and be forgettable. Yet that isn’t what she does. Instead, she charms the King and he picks her to be his wife, forever ending any chance she has of returning to her life with Mordechai. She makes a huge sacrifice based entirely on trust and faith.

How often do we face challenges that require a sacrifice and we fail to do so? These aren’t always life changing challenges and yet we still are not willing to make the sacrifice for the greater good. History has shown us what happens when you fail to make the sacrifice for the greater good. When you put yourself first and the world or your community second. True leaders are willing to make that sacrifice. It doesn’t mean they aren’t afraid of the cost. Instead, they are very afraid of the cost yet go ahead and do it anyway. That’s leadership. Queen Esther did what was needed at great cost to herself and her life. She gave up the life she knew for the greater good.

Queen Esther took a risk when she told King Achashveros that she was Jewish. There was no guarantee that the King would choose her over Haman. She couldn’t be sure that the King wouldn’t be disgusted with her and get rid of her like he did with Queen Vashti. She didn’t have to take the risk to tell him. She was safe. Like many people in today’s world, she was a hidden Jew. She could have stayed quiet, stayed hidden, and lived a full life. But she didn’t. She is the example to us today that no matter how good we have it in our country, at the end of the day, we will always be seend as Jews first. Jews in Germany who had prominent roles in the military, the government, and business got no special dispensation from the Nazis. They were Jews first. Our Jewish legislators who think they are safe because they defend the rights of others at the cost of the Jews are merely fooling themselves. Queen Esther showed us the way.

I look at many of our leaders today, both in and out of the Jewish community, and wonder why they aren’t following Queen Esther’s lead. Very few are willing to actually put it on the line and take the risk of losing their power and position to do what is right. There are the exceptions. Senator John Fetterman has been outspoken and lately there have been pieces written about the cost he has paid as a result. The Wall Street Journal wrote a piece about him being the “Lonliest Democrat in Washington”.

He has spoken out repeatedly against Hamas and those who defend them. He is a throwback to the days when America didn’t negotiate with terrorists, when terrorist was evil without any excuse. He is a true leader who is going to do what is right, regardless of the personal consequences.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has done the same, talking about the evil of Hamas and revoking the green cards of those who incite violence and support terrorist organizations. He is unequivative is his condemnation of Hamas and those who support them.

We simply don’t have enough of these leaders in the Democratic or Republican party. We have far too many Bernie Sanders, who blames Israel when Hamas won’t agree to ceasefires, won’t release the hostages, and remains responsible. We have Thomas Massie on the right, who is an open antisemite. We have people like Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Pramila Jayapal on the left who are so far into their Jew hatred that they could be mistaken for Marjorie Taylor-Greene or Lauren Boebert with their hatred. Queen Esther teaches us all that we must stand up for what is right, regardless of the personal cost. The greater good matters.

As a Jew, the ending of the story of Purim was always a happy one. Like most Jewish stories, they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat. However the story ends differently for Queen Esther. She doesn’t go back to her regular life after Haman is hung and Mordechai promoted. She doesn’t get to leave the castle and stop being Queen or the wife of King Achashverosh. Her sacrifice is truly one for her entire life. Often times we think it is just for the length of the story. That the things we are willing to give up, the choices that we make are only going to be temporary. Queen Esther reminds us that is not always the case. There are times when the sacrifice we make is much greater and lasts much longer. It doesn’t change the importance or significance of that sacrifice. The megillah continues after Queen Esther tells King Achashverosh she is Jewish and Haman wants to kill her and her people. The story continues about the role of Mordechai and the gifts and power he is given. Esther falls into the background. Her work is done but her sacrifice is not done. It is one she continues to make on a daily basis for the rest of her life.

That’s the lesson about sacrifice. It’s for the greater good and must be willing to pay the price regardless of how much it may be. The cost of not making the sacrifice is far greater. We see this with the IDF soldiers and the people of Israel. Since October 7th, they have made incredible sacrifices. Many have lost their lives. Their families have been changed forever. Children have spent most of the year without their parent(s) who have had to serve in milium (reserves). Incredible instability with rockets falling daily, war all around, funerals on a regular basis due to the war, many forceably relocated for safety. Soldiers facing PTSD and their lives changed forever. Hostages who endured unbelievable torture. Every Saturday night there are massive protests against the government and demands to release the hostages. The leaders of these efforts pay a high price. Those who commit to be there pay a high price.

One of my friends was a high level commander in Gaza during the first four months of the war. The price he paid was easy to see when we got together after those four months. Just recently, he was one of the commanders in charge of the hostage releases during phase 1 of the ceasefire. He shared how difficult and painful that was for him. What he experienced on October 7th, the first four months of the war, and managing the hostage releases will stay with him for life. He is not the same person he was on October 6th. Like Queen Esther, he was willing to make the sacrifices that were necessary, regardless of the personal cost.

There are lessons to be learned from Queen Esther beyond being proud of being Jewish and standing up for the Jewish people to those in power. The lesson of sacrifice is key among them. The lesson of the greater good. The lesson of standing up for what is right regardless of the cost. Nowhere in the Megillah does it recount Queen Esther complaining to Mordechai that she did her job and now is stuck for the rest of her life. That’s true leadership.

True leadership is remembering that it is a sacrifice, not a privilege. It is an obligation not a coronation. This applies in our political arena as well as our Jewish organizations. The lesson of George Washington only serving two terms and our Founding Fathers wanting to get home to their families and their lives rather than serve forever in Washington DC has been lost. Their willingness to sacrifice their personal success and time with their familes for the greater good has been lost. The Israeli people are showing us what it looks like. People stepping up to serve much longer than required. People letting their spouses serve and figuring out how to raise children and pay the bills without one of the parents being there. People leaving the government because they fundamentally disagree with decisions being made. People peacefully protesting every single week because they want to see change. It’s time to bring it back. It is time for us to do our part. Otherwise we are letting evil win. I, for one, refuse to do that. What about you?

Wonder Woman for the Win

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

In January 2025, the Palm Beach Post’s editorial page editor Tony Doris decided to run a political cartoon about the hostages being released from over a year of captivity in Gaza by the terrorist organization Hamas. Doris, who is Jewish, somehow thought that politicizing the kidnapping and torture of innocent civilians was appropriate. The cartoon itself, places no blame or responsibility on Hamas, who invaded Israel, murdered, raped, beheaded, kidnapped, and tortured those they encountered. Even the headline, “a year of merciless war” is clearly a political mistatement as there was no war until Hamas invaded on October 7, 2023 and kidnapped the hostages. It doesn’t reflect any of the terrorists killed in the 40,000 number or any of those killed by Hamas. It is a symbol of the increased Jew hatred and what is wrong with our media.

The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach immediately addressed the cartoon, taking out a full page ad in the newspaper the following Sunday. Gannett, the owners of the newspaper, took the allegation seriously and met with leadership to address the publication of the cartoon, even admitting that the proper protocals were not followed and had they been followed, the cartoon would not have run. They suspended Doris and investigated the situtation before firing him a week later for violating company policy.

“The cartoon did not meet our standards. We sincerely regret the error and have taken appropriate action to prevent this from happening again.” stated Lark-Marie Anton, a Palm Beach Post spokesperson.

Yet it was not until this week, the first week of March, that the firing became public. Both Doris and Jeff Danziger, who drew the cartoon, gave the typical pithy defense. They were criticizing war. They were criticizing the policy of the Israeli government. One is a war veteran so he ‘knows’ what he is talking about. The other is Jewish and believes Israel has a right to exist (but not to defend herself when attacked and not to hold those who invade, murder, rape, kidnap, and torture civilians responsible). Thankfully the leadership of the Federation spoke up. Thankfully Gannett didn’t buy the BS being offered this time. It’s a big deal and shows what standing up and speaking out can do. Neither Doris or Danziger will ever understand what was wrong with the cartoon and choosing the publish it. Neither will ever admit the inherent Jew hatred in drawing and publishing the cartoon. They were held accountable for their actions, which is a big change from what we have seen since October 7th.

To understand how disgusting the cartoon and the hatred that is behind it really are, read the article about the interview with Eli Sherabi, released after 491 days of captivity. A few highlights. Near lynching (by civilians). Starvation. Beatings. Monthly showers with a half a bucket of cold water. “A year and four months shackled by my legs, with chains that wrap around me, with very, very heavy locks that tear at your flesh.”

Eli Sherabi, a hostage in Gaza for 491 days.

His interview has gotten no publicity in the United States. His description of the horrors he faced are not a main story. The evilness of Hamas is not on display because the media doesn’t think it will sell. I urge you to read the interview. It is hard to read, hard to imagine what he and the others endured, hard to believe the world sat idly by. The Red Cross and UN are proven to be worse than I even thought when I think of how complicit they are in what he and others endured. If Eli could endure his captors’ torture, the least I can do is speak out. The least I can do is use my voice and fight back against the Jew hatred. I have the easy part. Any time I think what I have to do is difficult, all I have to do is reread the interview and remember what Eli endured is hard. The rest is not.

The stupidity of antisemites never fails to amaze me. I saw this exchange and rather than make me angry, it made me laugh and cry just a little bit. It’s like those who deny Jews lived in Israel and Jerusalem before Islam and can’t understand why we built a holy wall for our Temple beneath Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque.

If I had to bet, lorrie is either a bible thumper who can quote the story of the sale of Joseph into slavery and his interpretation of Phaoroah’s dreams or a major fan of broadway who has seen Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat multiple times. Yet can’t put two and two together.

I wrote about the Academy Awards and specifically about the accusation made by Basel Adra, one of the Directors of the award winning film, No Other Land. Since then, as result of Adra’s blatent lie, accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing, I have done a little bit of research into the story behind the movie. What I have learned is fascinating. It also both debunks the premise of the movie and highlights just how prevelant antisemitism is in Hollywood and how much they like to promote lies about the Jewish homeland. This is what was written about the movie and the story they tell.

The Film ‘No Other Land’ Sparked Significant Controversy.

In reality, the film is based on a complete Palestinian falsehood known as “Masafer Yatta.”
Let’s talk about it for a bit.

First of all, the film tells the story of Masafer Yatta. The film attempts to convey the narrative that Palestinians have lived there for hundreds of years and that Israel suddenly decided to evict them.
In reality, this was abandoned land that nomadic Bedouins occasionally used for grazing and sometimes took shelter in the caves there. 

In fact, Palestinian construction in the area only began in the 1990s. Before that, there were caves that Bedouins used as seasonal dwellings.  The most important point: Until 1993, the Israeli Air Force conducted attack training in the area. These were full-scale military exercises—of the kind that made permanent residence impossible. This fact alone proves that no permanent settlement existed there.

Only in 1999 did Palestinians file a petition with the court. The simple reason? Until then, the area was of no importance to them, and no one lived there permanently. It’s also worth noting that even afterward, they never presented any ownership documents.

Summary:
Palestinians have never provided evidence that the area belonged to them. Even more striking, it was only many years after the military had been active there that they began constructing homes.

Attached is a screenshot of the court ruling, with an English translation:
ynet.co.il/news/article/r…

בג”ץ: אפשר לפנות מאות פלסטינים המתגוררים בשטח אש בדרום הר חברוןבתום מחלוקת ארוכת שנים, דחה בג”ץ שתי עתירות של פלסטינים החיים בשטח שנמצא בשליטת צה”ל. השופט מינץ קבע כי “ערב ההכרזה על שטח אש לא היו מגורים קבועים בגבולותיו”, אך הוסיף כי העותרים יוכלו להיכנס לאזור לצ…https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/ryxs6swuq

The judge rebuked the petitioners for exploiting the legal battle to continue illegal construction,
even though the court had conditioned its injunctions against demolition on a halt to further illegal building.

In other words: All the demolition footage was staged. They built in a prohibited area precisely so that the IDF would demolish their homes, allowing them to document and publicize it. 

A side note relevant to the previous point:

At 11:15 in the film, they explicitly discuss their strategy to prevent what they fear most:
“I think we can stop the eviction. It will happen if we document and work on the ground.”

It’s astounding how openly Palestinians reveal their well-worn tactic that Israel has been blind to for years: provoking a confrontation, standing by with cameras, and capturing the perfect moment. This is textbook Pallywood. Anyone familiar with Palestinian tactics—not Westerners unfamiliar with their methods—knows that this means: “Let’s stir up trouble, capture the perfect moment, edit around it, and publish.”

This is the same trick they’ve used thousands of times: A soldier turns his rifle, they freeze the frame the moment it’s aimed at a civilian, and they frame it as if he is targeting an innocent bystander.

By the way, the Arabic word ‘Masafer’ means ‘nothing.’ Many believed the area was worthless. 

What bothered me personally the most was the use of children.
And it’s a shame Hollywood enables this.
The same way they arm their children and encourage them to commit acts of terror,
The same way Hamas builds tunnels under schools,
The same way they always send their children—whom they love less than they hate us—into the line of fire, hoping they’ll get hurt so they can parade them in front of cameras,
That’s exactly how children were used in this film.

Why use children and force them to live in a conflict zone solely for political purposes? 

Did you know they even stole the film’s title from the Jews?

https://twitter.com/GAZAWOOD1/status/1896607745949773832

Summary: Why are Palestinians trying to seize Masafer Yatta?

The Palestinian push to take over Masafer Yatta is not coincidental and not simply a ‘survival struggle’ as international media portrays it. This is a well-planned strategy motivated by demographic, political, and territorial considerations in the battle for control of the West Bank.

1. Creating ‘facts on the ground’ as part of the fight for Area C
2. Masafer Yatta is in Area C—territory under full Israeli control according to the Oslo Accords.
3. The Palestinian Authority knows it has no official authority there, so it promotes illegal construction to establish footholds and turn them into permanent settlements.

The goal?

1. International pressure leading to de facto recognition of Palestinian control over the land. 2. Establishing Palestinian territorial continuity and breaking Jewish settlement
3. Masafer Yatta lies between southern Hebron and the Negev—a strategic area linking West Bank 4. Palestinian communities with Bedouin populations in the Negev.
5. Palestinian control there isolates Jewish settlements, preventing Jewish territorial continuity between the Negev and the Hebron region.

European Union & international support

1. The EU directly funds illegal Palestinian construction in the area, despite it being a designated military firing zone.
2. Palestinians receive financial and logistical aid from European left-wing NGOs looking to push an anti-Israel narrative by manufacturing a “forced eviction crisis.”


Exploiting legal and media platforms

1. Palestinians use courts and media to frame the issue as “forced displacement of traditional residents,” even though the area was historically used only for grazing, not for permanent settlement.
2. Branding the conflict as a ‘human rights project’ recruits global support and hinders Israeli sovereignty enforcement.


Conclusion: This is a strategic battle, not a defense of ‘ancient villages.’ The Masafer Yatta narrative as “historical villages” is not backed by facts—permanent settlement began only in the 1990s. The real goal is political: To create Palestinian territorial continuity, isolate Jewish communities, and weaken Israeli control over Area C. The use of media and courts is a calculated move to generate international pressure and solidify Palestinian presence as an irreversible reality.

This isn’t about “another Israeli injustice”—it’s a deliberate strategic operation backed by European funding and a manipulated narrative. 

To mock this film and the way it takes lies and spins it into truth, a fake sequel was created based on October 7th. It is ironic, sad, pathetic, anger inducing, and ultimately a good view into how the world enables terrorists to tell lies to advance their Jew hatred.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1896516233895580145

How do you wrap up a post that starts with a horrific cartoon, has an interview with a released hostage that documents how he was terrorized, beaten, and abused, has a small bit of humor, and thencalls out the lies of an Oscar winning movie? What can possibly sum it all up? I wasn’t sure as I wrote or as I thought how this post would end. And then I saw and listened to Gal Gadot at the ADL conference today. I am not going to comment on it, break it down, or analyze it. I am going to let you listen and feel the impact of her words. We can stand up and speak out. We must stand up and speak out.

My name is Keith. I’m a father, a husband, a brother, a son, a professional, American, a Zionist, and I’m Jewish. I’m going to say it again. My name is Keith and I am Jewish.

The Gaza/Hamas 500. It’s not a race.

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik
The poster reads, “500 Days, Get Them Out of Hell”

500. An unbelievable number. Growing up, I remember when the US hostages were taken in Iran. The TV show Nightline, was created to track the daily updates on the hostages. The program began on November 8, 1979, four days after the start of the Hostage crisis. It is still on television, more than 45 years later. Yet the stories of the 250+ hostages taken on October 7th remain largely unknown. More than 40 Americans were murdered on October 7th by Hamas and I doubt most Americans could name one. 12 Americans were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th and I doubt most American know the number or know how many remain a hostage today (thankfully the number is only 1 and he is scheduled to be released this Saturday).

Hamas targeted individuals from over 40 different nationalities during its attacks in Israel. The victims included citizens from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Nepal, and several other countries. Yet the world has largely been quiet as their citizens were attacked, murdered, and kidnapped by terrorists all because they are Jewish or because they were in Israel at the time of their kidnapping or murder. It is a horrific indictment of the world’s antisemitism and Jew hatred.

Today, the Hamas leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, announced that six living hostages, including Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, will be released on Saturday. Bedouin Arab Israeli Hisham al-Sayed, seized in 2015 and Ethiopian-Israeli Avera Mengistu, seized in 2014, have gotten no world attention. Avera has spent the last DECADE as a hostage of Hamas while Hisham has been a Hamas hostage for nearly a decade.  

Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, hostages of Hamas in Gaza for a decade

al-Hayaa also announced that four deceased hostages will be released on Thursday, with the remaining four deceased hostages from Phase A to be released next week. This release plan has been confirmed by Israeli officials. While we can take a deep breath once they are home that phase A of the ceasefire and release will be completed, there are still 59 hostages remaining in Gaza, including at least 28 deceased. How the world allows this is horrifying. How the world defends this is horrifying. How the world demands that these terrorists and monsters be allowed to rebuild Gaza and remain in power when they openly state that they will do this again and again is beyond offense. All I can say to the world is “F YOU”. Israel knows better. It appears the new US administration knows better.

After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese during World War 2 and the killing of 2,400 Americans, President Franklin Roosevelt addressed Congress and, via radio, the nation. He spoke powerfully with the famous line, “December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy.” and immediately declared war on the Japanese. The Japanese attacked not just Pearl Harbor but also US bases throughout the South Pacific. Thousands of American’s were taken prisoner, hostages, and experienced unbearable cruelties.

FDR addressing Congress and the country after the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

Former Ambassador Michael Oren asked a powerful question today. Imagine if instead of declaring war and fighting the evil of Japan and Nazi Germany, Oren wonders what if FDR had instead said the following“The enemy has not just massacred our citizens, but they have also taken hundreds, perhaps thousands, of prisoners. They are now being held hostage and will be raped, starved, and tortured to death, unless we agree to Tokyo’s demands. We have no choice but to concede, America must do everything to liberate the hostages.”

That is what Israel has faced since October 7, 2023. 500 days since the murder of more than 1,200 people with more than 250 people taken hostage by the evil of Hamas. The world and many nations demanding that Israel surrender. Requiring that Israel negotiate with terrorists. It made me think of this classic scene from the movie, Tropic Thunder. Negotiating with terrorists means you always lose because they have no morals or ethics. Their word means nothing. They will give you whatever you want to get what they want because they never intend to hold up their end of the bargain. They will simply do it again and again to get more and more. At some point, the answer must be no, so why not start there? FDR did and the Japanese and Nazi Germany were defeated. Imagine if he had caved to their demands. Imagine if he had surrendered instead of fighting to defeat them.

500 days. 500 days of suffering for the hostages. 500 days of suffering for those who have had loved ones murdered or kidnapped. 500 days of a nation in shock, in mourning, dealing with rage and PTSD. 500 days of the entire Jewish people impacted. What would have happened if the world had said NO on October 8th. What would have happened had the world not accepted what Hamas did as resistance and instead treated it as it was, an act of war. What if the leadership of America and the world stood up like FDR did in 1941 and clearly stated that it was not acceptable, not ok, and we would do whatever was necessary to defeat this evil? Unfortunately we will never know.

What we do know is that we cannot allow Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran to continue their reign of terror. After the release of the six living hostages on Saturday, there will be at least 28 bodies to reclaim and perhaps as many as 31 people to get returned alive. Each one of their souls is precious. Each one of the families of those murdered deserves to have the body of their loved one returned for a proper burial and an opportunity at closure. The question we have to ask is, at what cost? Is it a fair trade to get them back if it costs us another 1,200 people being murdered in the next attack? Another 250+ people taken hostage? More women raped? Babies beheaded? Lives and families destroyed? These are difficult questions and I am glad that I am not the one who has to make that decision. The one thing I know is that IF I had to make that decision, that is the question I would be asking. At what cost? Am I willing to address the families of those 31 people who don’t come home and explain myself? Or would I rather face the families of 1,200 people in the future who have loved ones murdered because of my decision? The families of 250+ people who’s loved ones are hostages because of that decision?

As I am writing this, the following press release from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters came out, which broke my heart.

Statement from the Bibas family:

“In the past few hours, we have been in turmoil following Hamas spokesperson’s announcement about the planned return of our Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir this Thursday as part of the hostages’ remains release phase.

We want to make it clear that while we are aware of these reports, we have not yet received any official confirmation regarding this matter.

Until we receive definitive confirmation, our journey is not over.

We ask the media and the public to respect our privacy and refrain from contacting us about this matter.”

Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas. It appears our worst fears are true.

I have written a lot about this family in part because I so identify with them. They had two boys. I have two boys. The age difference with their children is almost identical to the age difference of my children. I felt as if my family could have easily been their family. At my Passover table, I had their pictures on empty chairs as if they were sitting at my table. I left these pictures up on the chairs for a few months because I couldn’t bear to take them down. When their bodies are returned, like Hersh Goldberg-Polin, I will watch the funeral. I may light a shiva candle for them because I so identify with them.

So what comes next? Will there be a phase 2? How do we reconcile the murder of this mother and her two beautiful children with the release of more terrorists? How do we enable the people who murdered this beautiful mother and her two babies to walk free, let alone stay in power? Is the cost of getting those 31 hostages home too high? A friend of mine has had a number of his family members who are hostages. All but one have been returned and that one is scheduled to be released on Saturday. I can hear his voice in my head telling me that no price is too high. I also hear the voice of friends of mine who are Generals and Lt. Colonels in the IDF telling me that we simply must win this war and we can only do that by ending Hamas and their rule and influence. Not only in Gaza but also in Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank).

I never really thought that the first phase of the agreement would actually be completed because of Hamas. If it wasn’t for the strong response from the current American administration when Hamas threatened to pull out of it, it wouldn’t have. I never expected that the talks about phase two would actually happen like they are. I am not optimistic that phase 2 will happen. As Bibi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and President Trump have said, it’s time to end the ‘drips and drabs’ of hostage releases. Yet if Hamas releases the hostages, what do they have left to bargain with?

We must never forget the hostages and do all we can to get them home. We cannot also allow a situation to occur where future hostages will be taken because Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, or Iran think Israel and the United States are weak. These are challenging times with no clear answer. The future of Israel, the future of America, the future of the West and our values are at stake here. No matter what anybody tells you, don’t forget that. Evil cannot be allowed to win. Evil must be eliminated. Whatever it takes it what it takes because if we let Evil win, if we let Evil flourish, the world we want to live in will cease to exist.

Am Yisrael Chai – Release them all NOW!

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Holocaust survivors in 2025

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Three more hostages were released. Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy were all taken hostage on October 7, 2023. They were held by Hamas for 491 days. We shuddered as we thought of the abuse they were undergoing. When we saw them today, we realized how horrible it has been. How evil Hamas is. How useless the Red Cross is. That UNRWA and the UN are terror organizations. All you have to do is look at the before and after pictures of them to understand. These pictures bring tears to my eyes.

Pictures of Ohad, Eli, and Or, before they were kidnapped and upon their release. It is horrifying.

As Or Levy was being paraded before Hamas and the ‘innocent Gazan people’ before his release, you can see the condition he is in. He has to be help up on both sides to walk. He is barely able to stand. He looks like a Holocaust survivor. The images of walking skeletons from the liberation of the death camps in the 1940s are being repeated in 2025 as they come out of Gaza after 491 days of captivity. They are what famine and starvation look like. There will be no apologies or retractions from those who claimed Israel was starving Gaza, proven wrong once again. There will be no criticism of Hamas for how they treated these men and the hostages. The world doesn’t care. That’s the reality.

We have seen images of family members as they see their loved ones for the first time upon their release. Most images we have seen are those of joy and celebration. They know their loved one underwent terrible abuse. They know that the person coming home isn’t the same person that was taken on October 7th. But they have been able to watch them return with a sense of joy. Today’s release was different. While the anticipation was that of joy, when they saw the images of their loved one and what they looked like, there was shock and horror. This was captured best in the image of Ohad Ben Ami’s family as they got their first view of him. The shock. The horror. The pain in their eyes. I can’t get over the look in their eyes. It brings tears to my eyes. It makes me filled with rage and my jaw locks with anger. What the monsters of Hamas and those who support them, both in and out of Gaza, did to these men is horrifying. That the world allowed and enabled it is even worse. I think of the celebrities wearing their red hands pins, not even knowing the story behind them, who bear responsibility for what happened to these men. If looking at the images of Ohed, Eli and Or aren’t enough to wake you up to the reality of Hamas, let the faces of Ohed’s family show you.

We talk about cruelty. Eli Sharabi was held for 491 days and allowed to maintain the hope of reuniting with his wife and daughters. This is despite Hamas murdering them on October 7th. This is despite Hamas knowing they murdered his family. As they released him today, they allowed him to speak about how much he looked forward to reuniting with his family. They cheered and jeered him. They mocked his hopefullness because they knew. It was their final ‘fuck you’ to Eli. You may be free from out captivity but soon you will know that we murdered your entire familiy, destroyed what you loved the most, and we will always live in your head and in your heart. Monsters. It is not just the monsters of Hamas that are responsible. We see the people in the street cheering Hamas and what they do. We see some of our politicians and celebrities who support Hamas. We see students on campus supporting Hamas. They all own this as well. They are playing their role in this inhumanity.

Erin Molan spoke out powerfully today. She has been a powerful, clear voice since October 7th. When you listen to her talk, you hear her pain, not just as a human being seeing the abuse these men underwent, but how the rest of the world stood by and stayed silent. How the rest of the world blamed Israel and held Hamas blameless, while Hamas starved and terrorized the people they kidnapped. Listening to her talk captured my anger. Her words were perfectly stated. “The world is a disgrace.”

Why do we release 30 terrorists and murderers for every one of our people held hostage? Shouldn’t it be a 1-1 ratio? Why is Hamas emboldened to ask for an even greater ratio in phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement? It is because we love life. It is because we value life. It is because we all feel the pain of those murdered and kidnapped and desperately want their return. We feel for their families and what they are going through. And it is because of pictures like the one below of Or hugging his 3 year old son Almog after 491 days of captivity. It touches us deeply. It is core to who we are. We all feel the love from Or to Almog and from Almog back to Or. It makes us want to hug our children a little tighter, no matter how old they are.

Or hugging his 3 year old son Almog after 491 days of captivity.

The events on October 7th and since then have impacted me greatly. I wrote and shared about the two tattoos that I got related to October 7th. On my left arm, I have a tribute to the Nova festival with the Golani tree. When an Israeli sees it, they are taken aback. They can’t imagine that as a diaspora Jew, I would feel their pain so strongly that I would make it a part of my physical being. There are a number of people who have told me they didn’t see me as a ‘tattoo guy’. This image speaks loudly and strongly to me and I wanted to make it a part of who I am.

After seeing what Hamas did to Emily Damri, I was deeply moved, not only by what happened to her but how she responded. Her smile, her determination, and her wililngness to share what happened to her hand with the world was inspiring. Moshe Shapira, a father and artist who lost his oldest son, Aner Shapira, on Oct. 7, 2023, turned the image of Emily’s injured hand into a symbol of blessings. This symbol spoke to me in a powerful way. On my other arm, I had gotten the same tattoo that Mia Schem did after her release, saying “we will dance again”, reminding her and me of the resilience of the Jewish people. We will dance again. We will continue to live and to thrive. I found the art of Moshe a perfect fit with the words of Mia. On Friday, I went to get Moshe’s image added under Mia’s words on my right arm. I asked the artist to move the hands slighty apart so they would frame the October 7th date.

The addition to my arm. It’s a powerful image and reminder.

The image of Emily’s hand also is the same as the the American Sign Language symbol for “I love you”. It’s also the symbol of the priestly blessings, the first of which is inscribed underneath this image. In Hebrew it says, “May the lord bless and protect you.” Powerful words. And yes, this is the symbol that Leonard Nimoy, a Jewish man, used to create the vulcan image used by Mr, Spock on Star Trek.

The world may not wake up, even as the physicians have reported that the three hostages released today were in the physical condition of people who had spent a year in a concentration camp. That is Hamas. That is what some of our politicians and many Hollywood celebrities support. It is what the UN supports. The same with the Red Cross. The condition of these hostages was so alarming, so shocking, that Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon wrote the following letter to Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the UN. The UN is a hate organization. They are a bank account for Hamas and Hezbollah. The letter documents Hamas’s inhumanity and crimes against humanity. The UN will do nothing which is why it is time for them to be disbanded. Secretary General Guterres will do nothing, which is why he needs to be indicted for crimes against humanity. UNRWA is a UN agency that participated in all of this. He is the leader of the UN which oversees UNRWA.

The images of today are shocking. They should spur us all into action. Those who are Jew haters will ignore it or celebrate it. We must continue our fight. We must continue to live and fight for our survival. If you haven’t spoken out yet, start now. This is no time to be silent. This is no time to ‘go along to get along.’ This is no time to put your head in the sand and hope they will leave you alone. Ohad, Eli and Or are images we cannot forget or they are destined to be images of us in the future.

Stand up. Speak out. Be loud. Be proud to be Jewish. Don’t let those who hate win. Am Yisrael Chai – the Jewish people live!!

Is America safe for its citizens?

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine called to tell me that her family was moving from Orlando to DC because they felt Florida was no longer safe for their family. It is a strange thing to hear about where you live. Yet I understood what she meant and why she felt they had to move. It wasn’t the gun laws in Florida nor was it the mass tourists or the humidity. It was the political climate where the government was getting into their personal lives. It was because their daughter is Trans.

My heart broke as they sold their dream home, packed up, and moved. We stayed in touch and I saw her last year when i was in DC and we got together for dinner and to hang out. Her daughter was flourishing and the family, while missing Florida, was doing well.

She reached out to me today to let me know that she and her daughter were moving to Israel for two years because America was no longer safe for her family. I had known this was a possibility for a few weeks and hoped that it wouldn’t be what ended up happening, but it is.

How do we live in a country where people literally have to leave because they feel unsafe to live here because of who they are? I know there are many people who are undocumented, who did not follow our immigration laws, that feel unsafe. Their feeling of being unsafe is the risk of being sent OUT of the country and their desire is to stay. This is the opposite. They are choosing to leave because staying wouldn’t be safe.

I understand the concern about safety. With the rise of antisemitism and my public stance on speaking out, I felt that I became a target of those who hate. I was on TV regularly and was clearly identified as being Jewish and a leader in the Jewish community. My information is public. Anybody can find where I live with a simple property search. They can see what cars my family and I drive and follow us easily. We had people in Orlando wearing Nazi uniforms, flying Nazi flags, chanting hateful sayings, hanging Jew hating banners from bridges over interstate roads and even assaulting jewish students on camera.

Two hate groups met on a bridge in Orlando in September 2023
The entrance to Disney in June, 2023, with protesters flying multiple Nazi flags

I couldn’t take the risk of being a victim of serious hate crimes against me or my family, so I went to get my concealed carry permit. I made sure that if the need every came up to protect my family from serious harm, I could. I also reached out to a friend to ask if they would hide me and my family, if the need every came. Just the thought of making that call made me sick to my stomach. When I actually did it, it felt worse.

As I watch what my friend and her family are going through, they are actually leaving the country. We have reached the point where American’s don’t feel safe living in our country because of hate. Hate for those that are different. Hate for those we don’t understand. Hate based on lies, misstatements, misunderstandings, and lack of knowledge along with pure bigotry.

I have friends who have many differences. At least four that I know of have children who are Trans. Some of my friends are Gay or Lesbians. Others are different races and religions. Their differences only enhance my life, they don’t detract from it. Their friendship, who they are, make my life better. I have learned that friendship is about who shows up. It’s not because you are have similar physical characteristics. As I think of my friend and her daughter getting ready to leave for Israel, I am both excited for them and this journey (a part of me has always wanted to make aliyah), and I am sad for them, forced to move once again due to safety concerns as a result of hate and bigotry.

We can do better. We must do better. We must be better. This isn’t about giving any singular group ‘special privileges’. This is about ensuring that every American has the same inalienable rights guaranteed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, where it is written, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In this time where hate in our country continues to grow, we must also remember the words of the Declaration of Independence that come after this. “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. Government is to ensure we have these rights, not to take them away. The past few decades have shown our Government to be taking them away. And once again, the Declaration of Independence tells us what happens when our Government does this. “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, had many beliefs about the government. It’s purpose was to ensure these rights for all. Not for some. Not for those who agreed with him. Not for the limited few who met random criteria of wealth, age, race, gender, sexuality, etc. For all. That’s why he wrote those words in the Declaration of Independence.

Our Government exists to serve the people and ensure our inalienable rights. Somehow we have forgotten that. Somehow we have gotten to a place where Government now scares half the country all of the time.

Once again I go back to Thomas Jefferson, one of our most influential and impactful founding fathers for inspiration. We have seen our government struggle to truly guard our inalienable rights for nearly 30 years. Year after year, it seems to get worse. It doesn’t matter who the President has been, which party has control of the House of Representatives or the Senate, our government has bred divisiveness and created fear among the citizens. The type of fear that led my friend to leave the country with her daughter to keep her daughter safe. For the past 3 Presidential elections I have chosen to write in candidates because I refused to support either of the ones running. I reject the ‘lesser of two evils’ with the belief that I don’t want evil at all. I want inspiration. I want somebody who truly cares about the entire country to lead it, not with an agenda to only benefit half the country (I don’t care which half). I’ve taken lots of grief for this but I don’t care. In this past election, it seemed many people agreed with me. Now it’s time for us to to listen to Jefferson and have ‘a little rebellion’ to force the change we want. What we are currently doing isn’t working. There is no reason to think it will work after the election in 2 years or in 4 years if we keep doing what we are doing.

It’s time for us to stop the insanity. It’s time for us to take action and do something different. We need to listen to Albert Einstein and take action. Forget about bringing business back to America. We to make sure our citizens feel safe and don’t need to leave to stay safe. We need to have a government that reflects the vision of Abraham Lincoln. “Of the people, by the people, for the people.” The way things continue to go, what we have will perish from the face of the earth.

I hope my friend and her daughter will feel safe enough to return to live in the United States. That is up to each of us to remember that if we want freedom for ourselves, we need freedom for everybody. If we want to feel safe in our country, we need everybody to feel safe in our country. If we truly value our Declaration of Independence and Constitution, we need to make sure that everybody is represented and personal beliefs don’t become our country’s policies.

The question is what are you going to do? Do you want to wait until it’s your turn to have to leave the country? Do you want to put your head in the sand and think they won’t eventually come for you? Because they always do. I faced it myself with Jew hatred. I have seen it happen to my friend and her family. I choose to speak up. I choose to take action. As long as we allow hate to exist, it will grow and eventually will come for all of us.

I hope you take action before it comes for you.

Hypocrisy much?

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

In the Syrian Civil War that began in 2011, President Bashar Assad was responsible for murdering over 500,000 civilians. He used chemical weapons on his own people in order to stay in power. Despite the massive unrest, both Russia and Iran lent their support and he was able to remain in power. The UN was silent. The International Court of Justice was silent.

Assad continued to abuse the Syrian people. He enabled weapons to come into Lebanon for Hezbollah to attack and terrorize Israel. He was a pawn of Russia and Iran. There were no protests on college campuses. No riots in the street. No calls of genocide, despite half a million people being murdered by him. Despite his use of chemical weapons on his own people.

Then an amazing thing happened. Rebels in Syria rose up against Assad this week. Because of the war with Ukraine, Russia did not help. Because of war with Israel through their proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the impact of the Israeli attacks responding to Iran, Iran did not help. Within a week, the Assad government fell. He and his family are now in Russia.

It is amazing what happens when you take on the bullies. With Russia and Iran out of the picture, the evil Assad regime is over. There are many different rebel forces now in charge of different parts of Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani (Ahmed Hussein al-Shar’a) are aligned with Al Qaeda. Some are more moderate and Israel has talked with them about the border. Nobody knows what Syria will look like moving forward. What we do know is that the influence of Russia and Iran in Syria has been greatly reduced to eliminated. The people of Syria have freed themselves from the tyranny of Syria when given the opportunity. Where are the talking heads, using this as an example for the Iranian people and the Iranian regime? Where are the talking heads for the Gazan people and Hamas? Where are those same people for the Lebanese people and Hezbollah? They are nowhere to be found. Just like on the college campuses. If you can’t use it to blame the Jews, we will ignore it.

With the upheaval in Syria, Israel has gone ahead to secure the border. The IDF has secured the eastern part of the Golan Heights and the demilitarized zone to ensure the safety of Israeli’s living on the border. The map below shows it well. I fully expect that next week the Jew hating talking heads along with those on college campuses will blame Israel and accuse them of trying to colonize Syria. The hypocrisy is brutal. Israel has publicly stated they are merely securing the border. Israel has communicated with the Syrian rebels that they are not trying to invade Syria and are securing the border. Israel has let the rebels know that as long as they leave the border alone, there will be no attacks. Israel is destroying military stores to ensure the border remains safe. The facts won’t matter, just like they didn’t matter when Assad was murdering his own people. No Jews, No News.

Is what happened with the Assad regime in Syria a model for Iran? Reports out of Iran are saying that the fall of the Assad regime has created significant internal tensions within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as younger, radical members criticize senior leadership over the handling of the Syrian conflict. President Trump is expected to return U.S. “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran, this means the regime faces an increasingly precarious situation. Internal divisions within the IRGC risk undermining their ability to suppress unrest and project power abroad. We have seen the people of Iran rise up int eh past and the world ignore them and leave them to face the wrath of the regime. The world has changed, placing the regime in its most vulnerable position in decades. Will we finally see Iranian regime change, freeing the Iranian people from their tyranny? Will we see a new government that won’t be a state sponsor of terror? Will we see the return of the Persian people instead of religious zealots?

Early in the morning of December 4th, Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare’s insurance business, was assassinated in public on the streets of New York. While the business practices of insurance companies is reprehensible to many (they deny coverage, don’t listen to what doctors say, and are more interested in profit than healthcare), a public execution of a business leader is not acceptable. It creates a slippery slope where it is ok to murder anybody in a business you don’t like or think has harmed you. Not just insurance companies. A restaurant where you get food poisoning or a bad meal means the owner, chef, or even server becomes fair game. A dry cleaner that ruins your clothes is now a target to be killed.

Amazingly, there is a large group of people who don’t understand this. They are celebrating his murder. They even held a shooter look-a-like contest.

It makes me wonder where we are going as a country. It’s perfectly ok to not like Brian Thompson and what he stands for. It’s perfectly ok to not like United Healthcare or all insurance companies. If you want to wish bad things on those running these companies or the company itself, you can do that. I had a terrible experience at a specific restaurant and vowed to never give them any of my money ever again.

Greta Thunburg became a star on the world stage because of her care for the planet. She was outspoken about climate change and got the world’s attention. She has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year from 2019-2023. Many found her a voice of reason in an unreasonable world. It is clear that all this fame has gone to her head. Thankfully, she never won the Nobel Peace Prize as she now advocates publicly for the elimination of Israel. Her Jew hatred is public and she has become a hate filled person who loves herself and her fame more than anything else. It’s sad to watch somebody who seemed to genuinely care about the world and making it a better place, devolve into hate and bigotry. It’s sad when being famous is more important than anything else and drives you into hate. Using Greta’s own words, “F**k you Greta”.

We often think we have it bad. There is stress in our life. Pressure. We forget how lucky we are. I was talking with a friend in Israel this morning who apologized for his delay in responding because he was back in milium (reserves) once again. Then he shared that his wife’s nephew was an IDF soldier killed in Gaza last week and he had to deal with that. Yet he was apologizing to me for taking time to respond. He has stress. He has pressure. I needed no apology and told him that. Then I read this story from Shaquille O’Neal and it reinforced how lucky we are. How we take so much for granted. How these spoiled, elitist college students spew hatred because they don’t know anything. How these college professors and administrators enable and often encourage Jew hatred because they don’t know anything about life or reality. My friend taught me a lesson in gratitude. Shaquille O’Neal reinforced it.

Shaquille O’Neal said, “My stepdad was a sergeant in the army-a serious, strong man of character. We had an excellent relationship. I once played at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks in my first season in the NBA. I had a terrible game. Afterward, he called me and asked why I played so badly. He wondered if it was the pressure of facing Patrick Ewing and the Knicks. I told him I felt pressure. He said, ‘Tomorrow, I want you home at 7:00 AM. Pick me up-we’re going to see a family that has no home.’ On the way, we encountered a family in need. My stepdad stopped, gave them money for their next meal, and said, ‘That’s pressure. You have everything; you’re weak. There’s no pressure in playing basketball and earning millions of dollars. Real pressure is felt by those who don’t know when or where their next meal will come from! He told me to get out and help that family. I got out and saw a man with his wife and two children who had just lost their home. The man was looking for work. He told me he was cutting grass. I called a friend and asked him to get this man a job. I called another friend and said I needed an apartment for a family of four, promising to send a check the next day. They needed help. After that, I never felt pressure in a basketball game again because that family had real pressure.”

The entitled college students who believe the Hamas lies, who express publicly their Jew hatred, and who show they are terrible human beings don’t understand the world. They live in a mindset of blame and hate. Their entitlement shows itself in their expectations that everything should be given to them, that other people should work hard so they get things for free, and that not taking responsiblity is the way to success. They could use a lesson from Shaquille O’Neal’s father.

Hanukkah is late this year. It begins on Christmas. Just like many people, the only gift I really want is the return of the hostages. The end of Hamas and Hezbollah so there can be peace. I saw dreidel image and it expresses visually what I am feeling. No matter where it lands, the hostages get freed. That is not hypocritical. That’s what we are about. Freedom. Hanukkah is a holiday about freedom. This war is about freedom from terrorism. Freedom from Jew hatred and antisemitism. Freedom from Hamas and Hezbollah. Freedom from Iran. Freedom for the Syrian people. Freedom from hate and bigotry.

The dreidel letters The letters on a dreidel are an acronym for the Hebrew phrase “Nes gadol haya sham”, which translates to “a great miracle happened there.” In Israel, the dreidel replaces the letter Shin (Sham) with the letter Pay for Po (here). May this Hanukkah be one where we can say both – a great miracle happened there (return of the hostages, end of the war) and a great miracle happened here (a stop to the rampant Jew hatred).