Bondi Beach: The end of these glory days

I have been writing and talking about the rise of antisemitism and Jew hatred for over a decade. In July of 2016, I co-authoried this article in the Seattle Times calling for people to stand up and speak out against antisemitism. I’ve endured ridicule from those on the far left in the Jewish community and people telling me that this is America and we are safe here.

October 7th and the more than two years following that has changed some of that ridicule as more in the Jewish community are seeing the blatent Jew hatred around the world and in America. Yet, as we as Jews have done for centuries, we continue to see ourselves as members of the society we live in first and Jews second while the rest of the world sees us as Jews first, second, and third. Whether it’s Jews like Peter Beinert and Bernie Sanders or leaders like Zohran Mamdani, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or talking heads like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Joe Rogan, and Nick Fuentes, we are being battered on all sides.

On Sunday, on Bondi Beach in Australia, we reached a breaking point. Two gunman attacked a Hanukkah celebration, murdering at least 15 and wounding at least 40. The death and injury count would have been even higher if not for the bravery of one man, Ahmad Al-Ahmad, a 43-year-old Muslim man, husband and father of two, who risked his life to save others, wrestling the weapon from one of the terrorists. The video is incredible and we can watch a true hero in action.

We’ve seen things like this before. Unfortunately they are too many to even list. There was a school shooting at Brown University earlier that day. Hatred and murder go hand in hand. As a world, we have emboldened hatred of ‘the other’ and this is the result. It happens time and time again. We have seen in the LGBTQ+ community, the African American community, the Muslim community, the Sikh community, with violence against women, and any other group that somebody deems as being ‘different’ or ‘the other.’ That isn’t the breaking point I refer to.

The breaking point I refer to is all the people who chanted, agreed with, failed to condemn, defended slogans like ‘Globalize the intifada’, condemning the attacks they they helped ensure would happen. It’s the leaders of countries who, by their actions and inactions, created the environents that make this type of violence and murder a reality, now condenming it. Public Jew haters like Rashida Tlaib, posting she is ‘heartbroken’ by the very thing that she advocates for on a daily basis. Brianna Wu’s comment is what we all should be feeling.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks out after the shooting while failing to take responsiblity for his inaction despite warnings that Jewish gatherings were going to be attacked. He and the Australian government actively took steps prior to the shooting to encourage Jew hatred, to fuel antisemitism, and to make Australia not safe for Jews. The day before the murderous attack at Bondi Beach, this article was published, highlighting the rise in “unprecedented anti-Jewish violence” while the government does nothing. Nothing but try to play the victim and shirk responsibilitiy after their actions and failure to act resulted in mass murder of Jews.

Comedian Michael Rappaport’s comment on Mayor Elect Mamdani’s post states exactly what I am talking about. Set the stage for violence against Jews and then when it happens, call for peace.

I’m beyond disgusted by these people who actively hate Jews, who do what they can to ensure the death of Jews, and then pretend after it happens that they are sad. I go back to the famous Maya Angelou quote. I’m tired of the two faced liars who want me dead and want me to help them murder me.

Last night was the big, public Hanukkah celebration in my town. I had been excited to go. I was excited to celebrate being Jewish publicly. The past few days, I have been feeling worn out from all my travel the past 10 weeks. North Carolina, Israel, Baltimore, Ft Myers, Tampa, DC, Seattle, Israel, Boca, and Gainesville. It has been an exhausting schedule. Yet after the Jewish massacre on Bondi Beach, after the Jew haters pretending to be sad that what they have advocated for, globalizing the intifada, policies that make Jews unsafe, I was physically ill. I simply couldn’t do it. As my grandparents used to say, ‘it just wasn’t in my kishkes” (translated from Yiddish it means “I don’t have the guts/stomach for it.”) It made me sad. But I also knew that I needed to protect myself. I stayed home, we lit the Hanukkah candles as a family, sang the blessings, and brought in Hanukkah together.

I put on my special Hanukkah pajamas – well over the top in outrageousness – but I didn’t care. The shooters on Bondi Beach, the politicians, talking heads, and even the Jews who take positions that make me not safe will not crush my Jewish soul. They won’t stop me from being Jewish, from celebrating being Jewish, and from doing my part to ensure that we continue, L’Dor V’Dor, from one generation to another as Jews.

I’ll be wearing my absurd pajamas every night during Hanukkah. I’m wearing my ridiculous Hanukkah long sleeve t-shirt today and have my absurd Hanukkah sweater to wear when I go outside. Hanukkah is about lighting the darkness. It’s about remembering that miracles do happen so embrace the darkness because we have the power to make it light. So enjoy my ridiculous picture in my ridiculous sweate and may it bring just a little more light into your life.

It’s not safe to be Jewish in public any longer

I have spent the last few years writing and talking about the rise of Jew hatred. I have called out the increasing bigotry and been very vocal about the violence that was going not come if this continued. We saw it happening in Europe and I wrote and said that it was going to come to here, to the United States. We saw it in Canada and I wrote and said that it was going to come here. We saw individual assaults that were played down by the media and many in the Jewish community as ‘isolated incidents’ and I warned that it was now here and was going to get worse.

On Wednesday May 21st, two Jews, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., after attending an American Jewish Committee (AJC) event. The media chose to call them “Israeli Embassy staffers” which is where they worked, but not why they were shot and murdered. That was because they were Jews.

Many people were suddenly shocked. They had been to AJC or other Jewish events and for the first time, they realized that it could have been them. Those of us who have been warning that this was coming took no joy in their sudden realization. Two Jews were murdered because of the lies of the media, of our politicians, of the UN, and many others. For the first time, the conversation began to shift, just a little. For the first time, Jews in America had been slapped in the face and came to recognize the danger they face just for being Jewish.

Yesterday, Sunday June 1st, a domestic terrorist, filled with hatred of Jews fueled by many of our leaders, our press, and other Jew haters, threw molotov cocktails into a peaceful rally to support freeing the hostages still held by Hamas for over 600 days. Eight victims, including a holocaust survivor, were injured with a number seriously injured. A few are in critical condition. Two to Eight in 2 weeks. Being publicly Jewish or Jewish in public has become a life threatening condition.

Yet the media continues to lie. Today’s front page of the Orlando Sentinel, above the fold, highlighted a debunked claim, an outright lie, about Israel. The claim was made by Hamas and was unsubstantiated, yet many news outlets ran with it. A day after it was debunked, it was front page of the Orlando Sentinel. What about the terrorist attack in Boulder? Molotov Cocktails being thrown into a Jewish crowd? Where was that coverage?

The proof of the lie is video evidence. It was released after the claims were made. One security footage shows what was happening at the time of the alleged Israeli attack on civilians. What was happening? People peacefully lining up to get food from the new Israel NGO, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has been successfully getting food to the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza receiving the food from GHF were stunned that the food was free. Since humanitarian aid has been coming into Gaza since the war began, you may wonder why they are so stunned that the food was free. It’s because the UN has allowed Hamas to take the food and Hamas has been selling the food. The complaint from the Gazan people wasn’t that there was no food, it was that the food was too expensive. That’s the free food being given as humanitarian aid. Yet the world, the media, and many of our leaders, chose to ignore this. The Free Press had a powerful article about this. I urge you to read it.

Video of what things looked like in the location of the reported Israeli shooting at the time of the alleged shooting. One problem – it’s a peaceful group of people getting their food and no shooting.

A few hours later, more video evidence was provided. This time it was footage of the shooting of Gazan people. One small problem with the lies being told that it was the IDF that murdered Gazan people. The shooter is Hamas. Our wonderful media chose not to report that either. And we wonder why people beileve the lies? It’s because the media keeps telling them. Nobody holds them accountable. Even with video evidence shown above and the video evidence below.

Video evidence of Hamas shooting and killing Gazan people. The media prefers an unverified Hamas claim to video evidence.

Where do we go from here? I was talking with a friend of mine in Denver today who said there are conversations now about whether observant Jews should walk to synagogue on Shabbat due to safety concerns. Wearing a kippah and a suit or a nice dress or outfit while walking on Saturday morning or evening is a clear indicator that you are Jewish. It’s no longer safe to do that.

I have attended many Jewish events in my life and while there was security at the venue, I walked undisturbed to my car from the venue at the end of the event. The shooting at the AJC event in DC has no longer made that safe. Walking to your parked car after a Jewish event now makes you a target. Being Jewish in public makes you a target.

A few years ago, as the rise of Jew hatred was clearly moving towards violence, I reached out to somebody I know and trust to ask if when the time came, they would hide me and my family. When I shared that, people were shocked. That reality comes a little closer every single day. When people like Bernie Sanders rail against Israel and incite people to violence and then post things like this on social media after Boulder, it’s offensive.

Bernie helped create the monsters who killed the two Jews in DC and threw the molotov cocktails in Boulder. He takes no responsibility for his part. When US Representative Rashida Tlaib still keeps up a post that has been proven to be a lie for more than 20 months after the proof, we know we are in a battle for our lives.

I spoke to a friend of mine yesterday who is physician. He glumly said to me, “I guess I have to go get my conceal carry now.” That’s the world we live in. To be Jewish and feel safe, you have to consider carrying a gun. To be Jewish and feel safe, you need to consider being armed to walk to your car, to go to the grocery store, or be anywhere in public.

The question is what are you going to do about it? Our members of Congress have issued statements but what are they going to actually do? Are they going to stay in the partisan lanes, write posts on social media, and allow (and sometimes encourage) Jew hatred or are they doing to put aside their political differences to keep us safe? Are there going to be consequences for inciting hate or are we going to allow it until the violence kills more Jews? Have we had enough or do we need to wait for the mass shooting of Jews event that will be on the horizon if we don’t act.

If you keep your head in the sand, stick with your partisan beliefs, and don’t speak out, all you have done is made yourself an easier target. I’m going to stand up, speak out and not stay silent. I’m going to do all that I can to live in a country where we don’t tolerate hate, even against Jews, who remain the only group that it is ok to publicly hate. The title of Dara Horn’s 2021 book is no longer ironic. It’s no longer acceptable

Nor is the title of David Baddiel’s 2021 book allowed to be true. Jews do count and I hope you will join me, whether you are Jewish or not, in making sure that Jews do count, that violence against Jews is not tolerated, and that Jews can once again feel safe being in public.

It’s a sad day in America when American citizens don’t feel safe being in public because of hatred and bigotry. Because our leaders and the media incite hate and then, like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ihan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, vocal antisemites and Jew haters, try to distance themselves from the violence they helped create by issuing pithy statements on social media. It’s time to call them out. It’s time to call out the media for their lies. It’s time to stand against hate including antisemitism. Or find the person who will hide you and your family. The choice is yours.

Queen Esther and Sacrifice – a Purim leadership lesson

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?

Don’t forget it is the United States they call Great Satan

Mahmoud Khalil was arrested and set for deportation. This was because of his criminal actions, although many on the left have made this a free speech issue. I have found this to be beyond appalling. They won’t stand up when Hamas invades Israel and murders, rapes, beheads, and kidnaps civilians. They won’t stand up when Hamas uses human shields. They won’t stand up when Hamas and Hezbollah fire rockets at Israel on a daily basis for almost an entire year. They won’t stand up when the UN and UNRWA have employees that participate in the October 7th invasion, rape, murder, and kidnapping. They won’t stand up with UNRWA is found to be hiding hostages in their hospitals and schools. They won’t stand up when Hamas strangles two children under the age of 5, brutally murders their mother, and brutalizes their bodies to attempt to hide how they murdered them.

They will stand up when a Jew hater who breaks the law is arrested and is going to be deported. They will stand up to defend an institution like Columbia University who violates Title VI and doesn’t protect Jewish students when some of their Federal funding is cut. It disgusts me. It infuriates me. It makes me want to throw my arms in the air and wonder if there is a future for Jews in the United States. When it is also done by Jews, I wonder how can they be so stupid. How can they look at our history and repeat the same behavior in 1930s Germany? How can they repeat the behavior that led to the destruction of the first and second Temple?

Senator Chuck Schumer has become one of the worst. I heard him speak at the AIPAC Policy Summit in 2024 didn’t believe a word that he said because of his actions. I heard his speak at the rally in DC before the JFNA General Assembly in November 2024 when his words were so irrelevant that the audience didn’t listen to a word he said. Where the audience openly booed him. A man who previously claimed that he was “Schumer the shomer,” which means guardian in Hebrew. He promised the Jewish people that he didn’t just have their back, he also had their front. Schumer promised that he would always stand sentry before the Jewish community. What he didn’t say is that he would have our back so he could stab us in it. He would have our front so he could catch us as we fell after he stabbed us in the back. He would stand sentry and do nothing as people tried to kill us, tried to finish what Hitler started, and actively defend those who attempted this genocide.

Schumer’s statement about Mahmoud Khalil is a perfect example of this. He covers his behind with pithy statements that mean nothing and that he did nothing about. He cites the 8 month pregnant wife as significant while having ignored the pregnant wife of US citizen Sagui Dekel-Chen who was taken hostage on October 7th. He ignores the Title VI violates, he ignores the requirements of the immigration status Khalil has and the violations of that agreement, he ignores the process of deportment that is currently ongoing and instead defends the Jew hater and the behavior that terrorizes Jewish students.

Schumer embarrassingly wrote:

I abhor many of the opinions and policies that Mahmoud Khalil holds and supports, and have made my criticism of the antisemitic actions at Columbia loudly known. Mr. Khalil is also legal permanent resident here, and his wife, who is 8-months pregnant, is an American citizen. While he may well be in violation of various campus rules regarding how the protests were conducted last year, that is a matter for the university to pursue, and I have encouraged them to be much more robust in how they combat antisemitism and maintain a harassment-free campus that protects the safety and security of Jewish and other students. The Trump administration’s DHS must articulate any criminal charges or facts that would justify his detention or the initiation of deportation proceedings against him. If the administration cannot prove he has violated any criminal law to justify taking this severe action and is doing it for the opinions he has expressed, then that is wrong, they are violating the First Amendment protections we all enjoy and should drop their wrongheaded action.

Seth Mandel wrote this scathing piece about Schumer in November 2024. Who would have imagined that it would get worse. Who imagined that if the piece was being writing in March 2025 Schumer would look even worse.

Of course we have one of our favorite Jew haters, Rashinda Tlaib, chiming in. She makes sure to use the words, “bring him home”, appropriating the language used for the hostages taken by Hamas. Hostages that Tlaib doesn’t care about. Khalil wasn’t illegeally abducted, he was legally arrested. He was taken to appropriate facility and it is public knowledge. He will have a deportation hearing and based on the results of that hearing, he will either be deported or he won’t. That is our rule of law. It is being applied based on the actions of Khalil. Tlaib doesn’t care. She doesn’t believe in the rule of law when it comes to Jew haters and Jews. She is an utter disgrace to the US House of Representatives and the United States but gets defended by those who hate the Jews.

The Senate Judiciary Democrats pile on to the Jew hatred and defense of terrorists and those who not only hate Jews but act on that hatred. They wonder why the country didn’t re-elect them in the last election and have no introspection. David Hogg, Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), doubles down on the positions that led to the Democrats losing. He continues the lie of ‘abduction’ instead of arrest. He ignores the actual process related to deportation and Khalil’s immigration status to apply false regulations that do not apply. It is not a constitutional violation. It is not a first amendment issue. It’s not based on freedom of speech, it is based on what he did. Just like you are not allowed to yell fire in a crowded movie theater, there are limitations to speech, especially when you have a green card and are not a citizen.

“Immigration law does allow the federal government to deport noncitizens, even people who are green card holders,” over certain offenses or certain kinds of behavior, said Adam Cox, a law professor and immigration expert at New York University. The key is applying the law and as of now, the government has done that. This is the process. The government will have to prove their case, show that he committed these offenses or was involved in this specific type of behavior. The demands of Schumer, Tlaib, the Senate Judiciary Democrats, David Hogg, and so many others, are to not apply the law and instead treat him differently because his target is the Jews.

Maya Sulkin of The Free Press (and the daughter of friends of mine) discusses the realities of Khalil’s actions clearly. “This is someone who has been the engine behind so much of the violence we have seen on campus since October 7th”. Watch and listen to her explain the realities. While the mainstream media will highlight the Jew haters in Congress calling this freedom of speech and the protesters who hide their faces and don’t understand the law calling it freedom of speech, this is about inciting violence. About taking away the rights of others.

So lets look at the actual law, not just throw out ‘free speech’. The 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act states that if the Secretary of State has “reasonable grounds” to believe than a non-citizen poses “potentially serious adverse foreign policy and national security interests of the Unites State of America” they have grounds to deport that individual. No crime has to be committed and no criminal conviction is required. This includes anybody with a U.S. visa or a green card. That is Mahmoud Khalil’s immigration status and what the government, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is asserting. Note that it’s not up you or me to determine the reasonable grounds nor what the adverse interest may be, but only the government through the Secretary of State.

The facts matter. Understanding freedom of speech matters. Applying the law in an appropriate manner matters. As we have seen with the Jew haters, they don’t care about the law. They don’t care about following the rules and regulations except when it benefits them. They make things up and create their own reality in the face of the law and in the face of fairness. Khalil has been deeply involved in the unrest at Columbia since October 7, 2023 including the April 2024 takeover of Hamilton Hall in which maintenance workers were held against their will and the building was damaged. He was actively giving interviews to the Hamas-aligned Quds News Network with openly pro-Hamas signs and supported the right to resist ‘by all available means.’ The right to free speech is core to our country but there are limits as the supreme court has ruled. The law says that the government has the right to revoke his immigration status and green card and deport him if they deem him a serious risk to our national security. Like it or not, that’s the law. If you don’t like it, change the law, don’t choose to not apply it and lie about it.

Meanwhile, anytime there is an opportunity to criticize Israel or the Jews, you can count on Peter Beinart to speak up. He makes his own realities and somehow continues to be given a platform. Beinart, a self-hating Jew, is always on the wrong side of every issue when it comes to Israel and the Jews. I met him in 2015 when he spoke in Seattle. I listened to what he had to say to understand his point of view. What I came to understand is that he hates Israel. He hates the Jews. He will side with our enemies and the Jew haters EVERY SINGLE TIME. Now he chooses to use the holiday of Purim, about to be celebrated this week, as a reason to slander Israel and the Jewish people. He disgusts me. Somehow he thinks that when they kill us all, they will spare him because he was on their side. He doesn’t bother to learn the lessons from history that they hate us all.

Yet there are those who get it. There are those who actually stand on a moral high ground. Senator John Fetterman continues to speak out. He is unwavering in his fight against evil. He has recently begun to discuss the cost of being principled. How other Democrats shun him. He doesn’t care. He will do what is right regardless of the consequences. He earns my respect regularly and that respect grows each time he stands up and speaks out. I hope that he inspires others to do so. I hope that his principles inspire you and others to also speak out for what’s right. Not to believe the lies. To get educated.

We are in a war between good and evil. Hamas and their supporters are evil. As long as we allow evil to exist, it will continue to grow. Good doesn’t defeat evil by simply making it a little smaller. Good defeats evil by eliminating evil. We know that Hamas hates Israel and the Jews. Don’t forget that they call Israel and the Jews, “little Satan”. It is the United States they call “Great Satan”. People like Mahmoud Khalil go after Israel and the Jews because they can. Their ultimate target is the United States and the West. We have our laws for a reason. Let’s make sure we enforce them. The fools who defend those who want them dead can kick and scream and cry all they want. They are on the wrong side of history. Time for you to choose. Do you want to ensure your freedom or do you want to empower those who want you dead to make that happen. This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue. This isn’t a Biden or Trump issue. Look at the words of Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They know it is an existential threat to us all. Fight evil with all you have because if evil wins, we all lose.