JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.

WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

It’s the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. So let’s get it started: U.S. officials believe living hostage count could be as low as 50, Louisiana to require Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools, college blames campus protests for drop in enrollment, Phillies’ ballpark to get kosher hot dogs, and the American Jewish roots of European soccer anthems.

 OUR LEAD STORY

Donald Trump and Joe Biden at a presidential debate in Oct. 2020 in Nashville. (Getty)

The Jewish questions to ask at the Biden-Trump debate

The first presidential debate of the 2024 presidential election is one week from tonight and will be moderated by two Jewish journalists, CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper. Our senior political reporter, Jacob Kornbluh, offers up a preview of how the candidates differ on Israel, antisemitism and other issues.

On Gaza: If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to cater to the demands of his far-right partners, pressure on President Biden to speak out more forcefully will intensify. Former President Trump’s harsh stance toward pro-Palestinian campus protesters keeps his conservative Jewish and pro-Israel base satisfied. But he’s never been a fan of foreign aid, and sees an opportunity to capitalize on Biden’s vulnerabilities in Michigan. His criticism of Israel’s tactical maneuvers in Gaza could attract Arab and Muslim voters dissatisfied with Biden.

On antisemitism: Trump has called Democratic Jews disloyal to Israel, and will likely try to shield himself from criticism by invoking his support from the Republican Jewish Coalition. Expect Biden to showcase last year’s publication of a national plan to counter antisemitism now being implemented in government agencies.

ISRAEL AT WAR

Police remove pro-Palestinian protesters blocking the entrance to Christiansborg Palace Wednesday in Copenhagen. (Getty)

The latest….

➤  Some U.S. officials believe the number of hostages still alive could be as low as 50, according to a report this morning in The Wall Street Journal. “That assessment, based in part on Israeli intelligence, would mean 66 of those still held hostage could be dead, 25 more than Israel has publicly acknowledged.”

➤  The IDF said that during an air force strike in Gaza it killed a Hamas commander who took part in the Oct. 7 attack.

➤  Emerson College in Boston blamed a drop in fall enrollment, in part, on pro-Palestinian campus protests. The school said it would likely have to lay off faculty as a result.

➤  The protests at the Brooklyn Museum and at the Nova music festival exhibit in Manhattan were linked to one pro-Palestinian activist group. The group has spent years building up its following in New York City.

Opinion | Why I finally took down my ‘We Stand With Israel’ sign: “In the initial aftermath of Oct. 7, many of us experienced a tribalism that felt comforting, justified and necessary,” writes Josh Katz. “But tribalism breeds groupthink and is inherently illiberal, two things that make me uncomfortable. I watched as support for Israel and the fight against antisemitism became the lens through which some of my fellow Jews viewed everything — and I was pretty sure the lens was cloudy.” Read his essay ➤

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ALSO IN THE FORWARD

Dick Van Dyke in 1964. (Getty)

The secret Jewish history of Dick Van Dyke:In case you haven’t heard, the 98-year-old comedy legend made history this month, becoming the oldest actor to win an Emmy. In an appreciation, culture writer Seth Rogovoy asks: Was The Dick Van Dyke Show a precursor of Seinfeld? Sure, it was created by the Bronx-born TV comic mastermind Carl Reiner, who also appeared on the show. But Seth argues that it may have been another actor on the series who played a key role in “undoubtedly one of the most Jewish scenes in a comedy TV program up to that time.”

Opinion | Wikipedia called the ADL ‘unreliable.’ It’s a wake-up call the civil rights organization badly needs: “There are two paths forward for the essential American Jewish institution: defensiveness or self-reflection,” writes our senior columnist, Rob Eshman. “I vote for self-reflection.” Rob adds: “If it needs a role model for that kind of humility, the ADL need look no further than Wikipedia itself. Google ‘Wikipedia and reliable source’ and you land on the site’s entry about itself, which reads, ‘Wikipedia is not a reliable source.’ It’s a strong organization that is honest about its own faults.”

Plus…

• Tobi Kahn may be the only artist to have his work in a gallery flanked by mezuzahs of his own design.

  
  

• Watch a 12-year-old chef bake pretzels in Yiddish.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

“If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses,” said Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. (Getty)

🎒  Louisiana’s governor signed a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, making it the only state with such a law. Critics are already mounting a challenge calling it unconstitutional. (AP)

👮  Police arrested a 26-year-old Florida man who threatened on social media to carry out a mass shooting at a synagogue. (WPTV)

🪨  “Jews are criminals” was scrawled on at least seven Holocaust memorial stones in Germany. Similar graffiti was found last year on other memorial stones in the area. (Times of Israel)

💻  YouTube’s algorithm is more likely to recommend videos with right-wing and Christian content, even if you’ve previously never interacted with such content, a new study found. (NBC News)  

🚢  Researchers discovered the world’s oldest shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of northern Israel. Experts believe it was a merchant ship that sank between 1400 B.C.E. and 1300 B.C.E. (BBC)

⚾  Kosher-keeping fans at Philadelphia Phillies games will now be able to enjoy pastrami on rye, hot dogs, potato knishes and more with the opening of a rabbinically supervised food stand. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Mazel tov ➤  To Shanie Reichman on her new position as director of strategic initiatives at the Israel Policy Forum.

What else we’re reading ➤  Contraband cigarettes are turning Gaza aid trucks into targets … Tel Aviv University’s $10 million Dolittle prize seeks scientists who can “talk to the animals” … New exhibit shatters the myth of the “nice Jewish husband.”

VIDEO OF THE DAY

As the European Championship wraps up its first week, we’re sharing a short documentary about the American Jewish roots of European soccer anthems. The new film was produced by Mark Oppenheimer, a longtime religion reporter.

Dept. of Corrections: A caption in yesterday’s newsletter incorrectly identified a young man in a picture with Willie Mays as Jacob Shemano. It was Gary Shemano.

Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh and Chana Pollack for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Beth Harpaz for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com.

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Reporting from the ground in Israel and campuses takes resources. Support the news that matters to you with a monthly donation.