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JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT. |
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WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION |
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Today: IDF strike in Gaza kills three Hamas leaders, Brown University board member resigns over potential Israel divestment, Holocaust survivor throws out the first pitch at Mets game, and the secret Jewish history of James Earl Jones. |
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Pro-Palestinian protesters prep signs ahead of the presidential debate between in Philadelphia. (Getty) |
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Philly stakes
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will debate tonight in Philadelphia. It will actually be the first time they’ve met in person.
Whatever Harris says about Israel in debate, these Jews helped shape it: The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, a speechwriter who visited Auschwitz, and a rabbi are among the people advising the Democratic nominee for the debate. Also helping out is Cynthia Bernstein, an observant Jew and a graduate of Yeshiva University, who co-led the inaugural Passover Seder at the vice president’s residence. Read the story ►
More on the debate… |
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his wife, Lori, met at a Philadelphia Jewish high school. (Getty) |
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Get to know Jewish Philly… The debate will be at the National Constitution Center, a few blocks away from the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.
The Greater Philadelphia area has roughly 300,000 Jewish adults, making it the fourth-largest Jewish city in America behind New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a Philadelphia high school, where he was on the debate team.
It’s the home of Michael Solomonov, an award-winning Israeli chef with several restaurants in the city. His falafel joint was the site of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in December.
Philadelphia’s Akiba Hebrew Academy boasts several famous alumni, including CNN’s Jake Tapper, bestselling author Mitch Albom, Rabbi David Wolpe and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his wife, Lori.
My niece lives in Philly. (If you’re reading this: Hi, Avigayil! 👋)
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Destroyed tents following Israeli airstrikes in a humanitarian zone this morning in Gaza. (Getty) |
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Opinion | Everyone is talking about Palestinians this election cycle. No one is actually listening to us: “When it comes to Palestinian Americans,” writes Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, “the assumption is that we all support the cause of Palestinian liberty with the same ideological rigidity as those on the left who claim to be supportive allies — a stance that now sometimes includes tolerating and embracing violent acts like those committed on Oct. 7. These individuals on the left, however, do not know what it is like to live under Hamas.” Read his essay ►
The latest… IDF missiles struck a humanitarian zone this morning. Israeli officials said it killed three Hamas leaders and that reports of more than 40 civilian casualties are exaggerated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a shiva visit to the home of a murdered hostage. It didn’t go well.
Telegram, the wildly popular messaging platform, on Friday shut down the channels that Hamas uses to communicate with its followers. Here’s what you need to know about the app.
Related ► U.S. prosecutors revealed on Monday that two alleged leaders of a white supremacist group used Telegram to attack Jews, Blacks and other minorities.
How did Oct. 7 change you? Our colleagues at JTA could use your input on a survey they are conducting. |
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READERS LIKE YOU SHAPE EVERY PART OF OUR WORK |
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Reporting on the ground from Israel and campus takes resources. Support the news that matters to you with a monthly donation. |
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Firefighters with the Mill Creek Hotshots monitor wildfire activity on Monday in California. (Getty) |
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How a California wildfire put an Orthodox school’s values to the test
A wildfire this weekend in the San Bernardino Mountains spread to within striking distance of the campground where Shalhevet High School was hosting a retreat. The fire marshal gave the faculty only a few hours to evacuate with some 100 students. For many of them, that meant doing something previously unthinkable: driving on Shabbat. Tushar Dwivedi, Shalhevet’s director of school engagement, who is Hindu, packed up the kids’ laptops, guitars and hair dryers. He also got to play valet for the Judaic studies staff.
One by one, he started their cars, made sure the air conditioning was on, punched the school’s Los Angeles address into the Waze app on their phones, and opened and closed doors for them. He placed printed-out directions on their dashboards in case anything went wrong.
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Clockwise: James Earl Jones, Sofía Chiarandini and Tucker Carlson. (Getty/Samuel Eli Shepherd) |
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WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in April at Brown University in Rhode Island. (Getty) |
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On campus…
🏫 A Jewish board member at Brown University resigned ahead of the school’s upcoming vote on divesting its endowment from companies with ties to Israel. (JTA)
🎒 College students said they paid a social price for being Jewish, according to a new report from a Tufts University political scientist. (Religion News Service)
🔥 A 40-year-old man pleaded not guilty Monday after being indicted on arson charges for burning an Israeli flag at an April protest at Columbia University. (NY Jewish Week)
And elsewhere…
🗳️ In the Delaware Democratic primary today, Matt Meyer is hoping to get one step closer to becoming the nation’s fifth Jewish governor. (Jewish Insider)
🏥 Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood mogul, was rushed from jail to the hospital for emergency heart surgery. The 72-year-old is now recovering, and awaiting a retrial on rape and sexual assault charges. (Guardian)
⚽ During an Israel-Italy soccer game on Monday, around 50 Italian fans turned their backs while Israel’s national anthem played. Israel lost the match 2-1. (Times of Israel)
⚾ A 97-year-old Holocaust survivor threw out the first pitch last night at the Mets-Blue Jays game. (X)
What else we’re reading ► The president of the Mormon Church turned 100 on Monday. Here’s a look at some of the oldest religious leaders in the world … This Jewish teen is bringing sustainable gardening to NYC prisons … This Ethiopian Israeli artist refuses to be a cliché.
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Orthodox Jews voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the past two presidential elections. Nate Friedman, a comedian who makes political commentary videos, went to Boro Park to find out why. |
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Thanks to Louis Keene, Jacob Kornbluh, Adam Langer and Lauren Markoe 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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