WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

Netanyahu leaves out hostages in prerequisites to end war, Intel to invest $25 billion in Israel, and why The Color Purple is reminding people of its author’s antisemitism.

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ISRAEL AT WAR

Young Americans are turning against Israel — and you can thank TikTok

“If you’re not worried about TikTok yet, you should be,” writes our opinion editor, Laura E. Adkins. Sifting through data from the past month, she details the increasing evidence that the app and the country behind it, China, deliberately funnel content to young Americans specifically designed to foment geopolitical instability and anti-Israel sentiment.

Money talks: As one expert privately put it, China is using TikTok to protect its investments. And those investments include interests in Arab countries antagonistic to the Jewish state. China is also particularly invested in deepening relationships with Russia and Iran.

Tale of the tape: Pro-Palestinian posts dwarf pro-Israel ones on the platform. Pro-Palestinian videos were viewed far more often than content on virtually any other topic, though TikTok’s public ranking of the top 100 hashtags curiously leaves out pro-Palestinian sentiment.

New media: A poll published in The New York Times last week found that 35% of voters aged 18-29 get their news primarily from social media, and 44% use TikTok “often.” That same poll showed that 48% in that age group believe Israel is intentionally killing civilians in Gaza and 55% oppose providing further aid to Israel.

Read the story ➤

Pro-Palestinian activists on Monday at the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City. (Getty)

Plus…

• Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists staged a demonstration Monday near New York City’s iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

  
  

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited Israeli soldiers in Gaza Monday, wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal outlining his three prerequisites for ending the war.

  
  

• Iran said Israel killed one of its high-level military officials on Monday in Syria, and vowed revenge.

  
  

• An Israeli gymnast won gold at the world championships in Belgium held on Oct. 7. He’s decided to auction the medal, with proceeds going to Israeli communities near Gaza impacted by the war.

ALSO IN THE FORWARD

ECHOES FROM THE PAST: Rosa Vargas, a Venezuelan refugee, had been living with her family in a room at the Roosevelt Hotel; Joseph Berger, bottom right, with his family before immigrating to the U.S. (Andrew Silverstein/Courtesy)

This week in Forwarding the News, we’ll be revisiting some of our favorite stories of 2023…

In New York, migrants crowd into hotels seeking shelter — just like Jewish refugees did after WWII

More than 90,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City since April 2022. Overwhelmed by the influx, Mayor Eric Adams has placed migrants in city shelters, tents, a Brooklyn cruise terminal, office buildings and over 100 hotels.

Many of them are staying within blocks of the hotels where Jewish refugees first rested their heads after years in Europe’s ghettos, concentration camps and DP camps. Andrew Silverstein, who gives walking tours of historic spots in New York City when he’s not writing for the Forward, spoke with refugees from the past and present to weave a story, as our executive editor Adam Langer described it, “of two eras, two sets of hotels, two generations of refugees, and a common theme of desperation, xenophobia and hope.”

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

(Getty)

🐔  Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays, a longstanding policy with religious roots. A new bill in New York may force some locations to operate seven days a week. (CNN)

💻  Intel said it will invest $25 billion to open a new factory in Israel, the largest investment ever by a company in Israel. (Reuters)

🇺🇦  The family of Sen. Michael Bennet, Democrat from Colorado, fled the Nazis. Now, he won’t give up on Ukraine. “He feels a sense of obligation that is generational,” said his former chief of staff. (Washington Post)

🟣  A new film adaptation of Alice Walker’s book The Color Purple arrived in theaters this weekend, bringing renewed attention to Walker’s history of antisemitism. (JTA)

Shiva calls ➤  Mike Nussbaum, who was the oldest working Jewish actor, died at 99 … Irwin Cohen, who turned an old factory into Manhattan’s Chelsea Market, died at 90.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

(Getty)

Israelis who were evacuated from their homes in northern Israel amid cross-border attacks from Lebanon held a rally Tuesday saying the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to protect them.

Thanks to Laura E. Adkins 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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