JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT. |
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WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION |
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Good morning. Today: Western countries agree to arrest Netanyahu if he visits • Harvard’s only tenure-track Yiddish professor denied • and, sigh, Anthony Weiner is back again (maybe). |
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A 2023 neo-Nazi rally in Orlando, Florida. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) |
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I’m a rabbi in Columbus. Here’s my answer to the neo-Nazis. “My late father, who lived through the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia and survived seven concentration camps, used to describe marches like this from his youth” writes Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann of Columbus, Ohio, of a neo-Nazi march in his city last weekend that made national headlines. The impact of such displays is clear: “One of our Hebrew school students, a 12-year-old girl, approached me with tears welling up in her eyes, confiding that she didn’t want to tell her best friend that she’s Jewish.” But hiding, Kaltmann told his community, is not the answer. |
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A classmate’s conspiracy theories about Israel cross the line — what can I do? (Illustration by Mira Fox/Canva) |
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My classmate won’t shut up about Israel and is spreading antisemitic conspiracies. What do I do? “I am a progressive Zionist who opposes the occupation, and I don’t believe that anti-Zionism, or criticism of the Israeli government — especially when it comes to the treatment of Palestinians — is inherently antisemitic,” an American college student in Europe writes to Bintel Brief, our advice column. But a classmate’s persistent comments — including conspiracy theories like that Israel manipulates Disney+ — are way over the line. Our Mira Fox’s feedback: Try and use the mechanisms that make academic institutions function to your advantage. Read her advice ➤
A pivotal Senate vote this week explained Democratic divisions regarding Israel. “In a closely watched vote on Wednesday, the Senate rejected by an overwhelming majority three resolutions that sought to impose restrictions on U.S. arms sales to Israel,” writes our senior political reporter, Jacob Kornbluh. “The outcome, however, showcased a growing schism within the Democratic Party over the policies of Israel’s right-wing government” — including by showcasing “a willingness among Democrats to challenge the historically bipartisan consensus on unconditional support for Israel.” Read the story ➤
Plus: A number of Western countries, including Ireland, Canada and the Netherlands, pledged to abide by the ICC’s warrant and arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot on their soil. (JTA)
“The International Criminal Court wants to arrest Netanyahu. Its own legitimacy is on the line,” our columnist Dan Perry wrote in a reflection on the potentially vast international consequences of Thursday’s warrants. (Forward)
The death toll in Gaza topped 44,000 people, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Thursday. (Associated Press)
“In Israel, the military is now offering to preserve the sperm of soldiers killed in war. Parents and widows are struggling with the decision.” (New York Times)
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Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike targeting Lebanon in October, amid the continuing war between Hezbollah and Israel. (AFP via Getty Images) |
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Opinion | A ceasefire may be imminent in Israel’s war in Lebanon — why not Gaza?Two answers: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs only one ongoing war to keep his far-right coalition afloat,” writes our columnist Dan Perry. “And, the Lebanon front is distinct from Gaza’s in two important ways.” Among them: Israel has found much clearer successes in its fight against the paramilitary group Hezbollah than it has in its sprawling and apparently aimless efforts in Gaza. Read his essay ➤ |
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Was there a real Jewish woman behind an entrancing fictional heroine? (Courtesy of Alison Bass) |
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Was a ravishing, fictional heroine inspired by a real-life Jewish philanthropist?“When I started writing Rebecca of Ivanhoe, I had no idea where Sir Walter Scott got the inspiration for the character of Rebecca, the beautiful and spirited Jewish healer who is rescued from a hideous death by the knight Ivanhoe,” writes Alison Bass. It turns out that “Scott had modeled Rebecca on the real-life Jewish educator and philanthropist Rebecca Gratz, who founded Gratz College and a number of other charitable organizations in the early part of the 19th century” — a backstory that inspired Bass’ new novel. |
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In the shadows of Nazi viciousness, an unlikely story of love and heroism blooms. The new novel The Sunflower House takes place against the backdrop of the Nazis’ Lebensborn program, which “honored mothers who birthed large families, established shelters for pregnant women (many unmarried), and promoted the adoption of ‘Aryan’ children by Nazi couples,” writes Julia M. Klein. Its central love story involves a Jewish woman and an SS officer who is secretly a resistance hero — and it’s best not to go in expecting a happy ending. |
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WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
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The University of Rochester. (Libby March/Bloomberg via Getty Images) |
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On campus… Four University of Rochester students were arrested on felony charges over “wanted” posters featuring Jewish professors that went up on campus, instigating outrage and fear. A fifth student is being investigated. (NBC News)
Harvard’s only Yiddish professor was denied tenure, blocked by the university president himself in a decision that the professor involved, Saul Noam Zaritt, has filed a grievance over. (Harvard Crimson)
In politics… Robert F. Kennedy Jr. compared President-elect Donald Trump to Hitler on his podcast in 2016, new reporting revealed. Trump has put Kennedy forward to lead the Health and Human Services Department. (Politico)
Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner is trying to relaunch his political career. His potential opponents, the media, and some constituents are skeptical. (New York Times)
Dozens of centrist and progressive Jewish groups have signed onto an effort “lobbying against a bipartisan bill that would give the Treasury Department broad powers to revoke the tax exemption of any nonprofit it deems to be a ‘terrorist-supporting organization.’” The bill passed the House this week, and will move forward to the Senate. (JTA, AP)
In the courts… Jussie Smollett’s conviction was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court. The Jewish actor was charged with lying to police about a hate crime he claimed to have experienced in 2019. (New York Times)
A federal appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision to block a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms. Further legal arguments over the law will commence in January. (Associated Press)
What else we’re reading ➤ Examining “the story of two Jewish trading families during the last decades of the Regency of Algiers” (New York Review of Books) “The authentic dirtbag charm of Jewish musician Blondshell” (Hey Alma) “Marielle Heller explores the feral side of motherhood” (New Yorker)
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On this day in 1967: Mel Brooks’ The Producers premiered in Philadelphia. So if you need a laugh this morning, consider the immortal “Springtime for Hitler.”
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Thanks to Benyamin Cohen 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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