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WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION |
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Good morning from West Virginia where, like a big swath of the central U.S., I was awakened by a tornado warning. Meteorologists are expecting “once-in-a-lifetime” and “generational” flooding today. If you see a guy named Noah building an ark, maybe offer him a hand.
Today: Netanyahu’s ‘Qatargate’ explained • Jewish students sue DePaul University • The surprising thing Albert Einstein did 100 years ago this week • And much more…
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President Donald Trump holds up a chart about tariffs at a Wednesday event at the White House. (Getty) |
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U.S. tariffs on Israeli imports
President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed sweeping global tariffs, including a 17% tariff on Israeli imports, a move that could raise prices on some kosher food and Judaica. ☕ Why it matters: The tariffs could impact the prices you see on products made in Israel — some that you might expect (hummus, Bamba, things made by Osem), but also others you may not: Many flavors of the Nespresso pods I use are made in Israel. Israel is also a major exporter of technology and medical supplies.
💊 Silver lining: Pharmaceuticals are exempt for now — welcome news given that Teva, based in Tel Aviv, is one of the world’s largest generic drugmakers. Odds are, you’ve got Israeli meds in your cabinet right now.
🤝 Zoom out: The tariffs could upend a nearly 40-year-old U.S.-Israel free trade deal and test the “strongest ally” rhetoric Trump has long used on the campaign trail.
👉 The bottom line: Trump’s tariffs may play well with his base, but extending them to Israel risks backlash from some Jewish voters.
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Related: The trade war is impacting Jews in Canada, who are having trouble finding U.S.-made Manischewitz wine for Passover. (Times of Israel) |
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Our Jacob Kornbluh, right, at a campaign stop with former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running for mayor. (Getty) |
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Elsewhere in politics…
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and City Comptroller Brad Lander — currently the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in New York — hope to become mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the U.S. Our senior political reporter, Jacob Kornbluh, hit the trail with both candidates this week, where their visions for combating antisemitism clashed — along with their views on sukkah permits and the finer points of Yiddish insults. Go deeper ►
Plus: Following potential threats from the Trump administration, yet another law firm has committed to providing $100 million in pro bono work, including assisting veterans and combating antisemitism. (New York Times, Truth Social)
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The Yeshiva University campus in New York City. (Getty) |
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YU rabbis blast LGBTQ+ student club recognition
Several senior rabbis at Yeshiva University are publicly condemning the school’s decision to recognize an LGBTQ+ student club, saying it undermines the school’s religious mission. 📣 What they’re saying: “It would be akin to the Yeshiva being asked to teach the New Testament,” said Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz. Other rabbis at the school are looking for jobs elsewhere.
🎒 School’s response: After a legal fight that went all the way to the Supreme Court, Yeshiva University reversed its long-held position and agreed to let the LGBTQ+ student group operate under a new name — seeming to back off its claim that such a club conflicted with traditional Jewish values.
👀 What to watch: Whether the backlash from senior rabbis widens a split within Modern Orthodoxy — and what it means for LGBTQ students seeking inclusion.
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Elsewhere… A Jewish Princeton senior and U.S. Army veteran who was charged with assaulting the university’s head of security during a pro-Palestinian protest last year was found not guilty. (JTA)
Harvard Divinity School is suspending its Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative amid budget cuts and criticism over pro-Palestinian bias, just days after removing faculty leaders from its Middle East studies center over similar concerns. (The Crimson)
Columbia could have avoided using police to clear protesters last spring, as some students were asking to leave voluntarily, a new university senate report found. (New York Times)
Two Jewish students at DePaul University filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing the school of negligence and failing to ensure their safety on campus after they reported being assaulted last fall while supporting Israel. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Protecting Jewish students “shouldn't require us to shred the norms that we use to protect other people,” the Anti-Defamation League’s Jonathan Greenblatt said in an interview. “I don't think it's either or. I think it can be both and.” (Jewish Insider)
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a press conference today in Hungary. (Getty) |
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Qatargate, explained: The scandal shaking Israel
A deepening political scandal — dubbed “Qatargate” — is roiling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, centered on allegations that one of his closest advisers encouraged Qatar to keep sending cash to Hamas in Gaza, a move critics say helped pave the way for the Oct. 7 attacks. 🕸️ Big web: The investigation has drawn in a widening circle of officials and former intelligence leaders. Netanyahu hasn’t been charged, but he sat for hours of questioning by police on Monday.
💥 The fallout: The scandal has reignited criticism of Netanyahu’s long-term Gaza policy, with opponents accusing him of putting political survival ahead of national security — propping up Hamas to weaken the Palestinian Authority and avoid negotiations toward a two-state solution.
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Opinion | Netanyahu has called Qatargate a “witch hunt.” He’s taking his cues from President Trump, writes our Israel-based columnist, Dan Perry.
Plus… Just before hosting Netanyahu on Thursday, Hungary announced it was withdrawing from the International Criminal Court — which issued a warrant for the Israeli leader in November. (Times of Israel)
National security adviser Mike Waltz’s team set up at least 20 group chats on Signal, a publicly available messaging app, for crises across the world — including sensitive information about Middle East policy. (Politico)
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An Einstein statue greets visitors at Hebrew University, home to his original theory of relativity and his Nobel Prize. (Benyamin Cohen) |
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Einstein’s vault
Hebrew University in Jerusalem turns 100 this week. Among its founders? Albert Einstein. The world’s favorite Jewish genius crisscrossed the U.S. raising money for the school with Chaim Weizmann, a fellow scientist who would later become Israel’s first president. Einstein served on the university’s first board of governors.
Einstein, who would later settle into the comfy armchair of theoretical physics at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, remained devoted to Hebrew U — so much so that he left the school his entire archive. That’s more than 85,000 documents, including scores of fan mail Einstein received. One letter was from a Manhattan repairman asking the scientist to join his plumbing company.
Also housed there: Einstein’s Nobel Prize, and the handwritten manuscript of general relativity — 46 pages, one mysterious grease stain on page 45. Perhaps Babka residue? See for yourself: The school will soon be home to the world’s largest Einstein museum.
Related: Read the Forward’s Oct. 1946 interview with Einstein
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WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
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The Georgia state capitol building in downtown Atlanta. (Getty) |
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🍑 After years of heated debate, Georgia on Wednesday passed a controversial religious freedom bill that supporters say defends faith-based rights, while critics warn it opens the door to discrimination. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WSB-TV)
📉 The Jewish community of St. Louis shrunk from 61,000 to 45,800 over the past decade. (St. Louis Jewish Light)
📚 A new crop of children’s books for Passover includes a picture book about former President Barack Obama’s White House seder. (JTA)
Shiva call ► Richard Bernstsein, who for decades was a correspondent and book critic for The New York Times, died at 80.
What else we’re reading ► You can fill up on kosher cholent at this New Jersey gas station (New York Jewish Week) … How superhero comics tell the story of Jewish America (Conversation) … Why the Shvesters are topping the Yiddish music charts (Algemeiner)
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Check out the debut episode of And They’re Jewish, a new podcast hosted by Hen Mazzig, a pro-Israel social media influencer and “whisperer to the stars on the Middle East conflict.” Up first: An interview with actress Debra Messing.
Dept. of corrections: A description of an opinion essay yesterday misstated Barak Sella’s position at Harvard. He is a researcher, not a student. |
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Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Julie Moos for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com. |
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Today’s newsletter made me: |
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Support independent Jewish journalism |
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