In today’s briefing: A millennial Civil War buff, the world's greatest Olympic kayaker, Mila Kunis' parenting habits, the cutest baby orangutan of 2021, and much more...

OUR LEAD STORY 🍦

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Could a state actually make it unconstitutional to sell Ben & Jerry’s ice cream?

The latest front in the Ben & Jerry’s brouhaha could be in Little Rock, Ark.

The background: Ben & Jerry’s said it would stop selling ice cream in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israeli politicians and Zionist advocates have denounced this move as part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to use economic means to pressure Israel to change its policies regarding the Palestinians.

How does this relate to the U.S.? To show support for Israel, more than 30 states have passed what are known as “anti-BDS” laws – in essence, making it illegal for their states to do business with companies that boycott Israel. But some claim those laws are unconstitutional restrictions on free speech.

How we ended up in Arkansas: In 2o18, The Arkansas Times sued the government over the state’s “anti-BDS” law after losing an advertising contract because of it. The ongoing case – which could have implications for states including New York, Florida, Texas and Illinois – is expected to be heard by a judge this fall. Some experts believe it could ultimately make its way to the Supreme Court.

Why it matters: States had a compelling commercial interest in prohibiting boycotts because they rely on imports of technology, pharmaceutical and other products from Israel. “There would be a quality of life impact if BDS were allowed to run its course,” argues Joseph Sabag, director of the Israeli-American Coalition for Action. Read the story here >

This Ben & Jerry’s does support Israel:When we heard that the owners of a Ben & Jerry’s on the Upper West Side of Manhattan planned to donate 10% of their proceeds to education in Israel, we sent reporter PJ Grisar to grab a scoop and check out the scene. “One woman in a sun hat and sunglasses was unaware of any controversy surrounding her choice of frozen treat,” he writes, “too exhausted by the virus to follow the news. She said she’d look it up.” Read the story >

Video roundtable: The Forward’s opinion editor, Laura Adkins, food editor, Rob Eshman, and Jewish studies Prof. Samira Mehta hopped onto a live stream on Tuesday to discuss the historic and cultural context for Ben & Jerry’s boycott – and the backlash that followed – in the Jewish community and beyond. Watch it now >

ALSO IN OUR PAGES ⚔️

This Jewish millennial is becoming a Civil War historian: Nils Skudra will be the first to admit that he grew up on the wrong coast. At 5-years-old, he told his mom that he was a soldier incarnate. “I saw action at the Battle of Gettysburg,” he said. Fast forward and that childhood fascination has turned into a career. Skudra and his mom relocated from California to North Carolina, where they attend Civil War reenactments with their bichon frise, Jackson – named after the Confederate general. They have a routine of watching movies together and attending virtual Shabbat services on Friday nights. Asked what his favorite film is, he’s quick with an answer: “Gettysburg.” Read the story >

What the man who wrote the working definition of antisemitism would ask a new envoy: With President Biden expected to name a new ambassador to combat antisemitism any day now, we turned to Kenneth S. Stern, the author of The Conflict Over the Conflict. “Antisemitism involves attitudes, identity, crimes, politics, religion, the push for media ratings, rumors and so many other things,” he writes. “Antisemitism isn’t just informed by how people feel about Jews, but also about larger social forces that encourage conspiratorial thinking as personally comforting and politically expedient.” Read the story >

5 OTHER THINGS AMERICAN JEWS ARE TALKING ABOUT 🛀

ACTRESS MILA KUNIS. (PHOTO: LACHLAN CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES)

1. Rabbi Yoel Kahn, the “oral scribe” for Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher rebbe, died at 91. Much of what the rebbe taught occurred on Shabbat and holidays, a time when Orthodox Jews do not write things down. Rabbi Kahn, who had a photographic memory, would put pen to paper days later. “The rebbe spoke for 11,000 to 12,000 hours,” said Motti Seligson of Chabad-Lubavitch. “Almost all of it has been retained because of Rabbi Kahn. (The New York Times)

2. This seems like something out of the National Enquirer, but it actually happened: A girl in Israel was born with at least one twin in her stomach. “We think that there was more than one there, and we are still checking that,” said a doctor at Assuta Medical Center in Ashdod. According to experts, cases of “fetus-in-fetu” happen twice in every 1 million births. (Times of Israel)

3. Earlier this month, news outlets (ourselves included) reported that Jacob Steinmetz was Major League Baseball’s first Orthodox player. Turns out, that title should probably go to Morrie Arnovich, who won the 1940 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds. (Forward)

4. A 3,500-year-old tablet recounting the epic of Gilgamesh, which once sat in Washington’s Museum of the Bible, could be returned to Iraq after a judge ruled Tuesday that it had been brought illegally to the U.S. The rare fragment is one of many ancient artifacts from the Middle East collected by David Green, the billionaire owner of Hobby Lobby. (CNBC)

5. Jewish mom of the year award? Actress Mila Kunis says she doesn’t believe in bathing her kids (or herself) too much. “I didn’t have hot water growing up as a child so I didn’t shower very much anyway,” said Kunis, who was born in the Soviet Union in 1983. Added her husband, Ashton Kutcher: “If you can see the dirt on them, clean them. Otherwise, there’s no point.” (CNN)

What else we’re reading: Israel is “very close” to approving a third COVID-19 vaccine dose ... Pro-democracy protests in Cuba resonate with Cuban Jews in the U.S. … An historic 19th century shul is the home for a new Scottish Jewish heritage center that opened this week.

TODAY IN TOKYO 🥇

PHOTO: ADEK BERRY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Here’s the latest update from David Wiseman and Shari Wright-Pilo, who run a social media channel that tracks the country’s 90 Olympians.

Itay Shanny, Israel’s first-ever Olympic archer, was seeded 60th of the 64 men competing. So he stunned audiences when he defeated the 5th seed and then the 37th on Wednesday. He’s now in the final 16 and will compete again this weekend.
In sailing, Yoav Cohen is in sixth place and Katy Spychakov is in seventh. Three races tomorrow will determine their medal chances. Elsewhere on the water, Noya Bar Am and Shahar Tibi are 15th after two races.
None of the five Israelis who swam Wednesday advanced to the semi-final.
Cyclist Omer Shapira was 15th in the women’s time trial.
Judoka Lee Kochman was eliminated in the second round.
Thursday will mark the first game for Israel’s much-talked about baseball team. The first pitch, against Korea, will happen at 6 a.m. ET.

Australian Jewish kayaker Jessica Fox won the bronze — again. Fox, whose parents are both Olympic medalists in kayaking, is considered by many to be the greatest paddler of all time. She has another chance for a gold this week.

Jewish vaulter Lilia Akhaimova helped Russia take gold in the gymnastics team competition.

The internet wants to know: Is Olympic gold medal swimmer Lydia Jacoby Jewish?

Check out all of our Olympics coverage >

PHOTO OF THE DAY 📸

PHOTO: YAM SITON

Mazel tov! It’s a girl! After a dramatic pregnancy – missile fire in May landed between the orangutan and macaque exhibits – mom Tanah and dad Rachamim are the proud parents of a baby orangutan born at the Ramat Gan Safari Park outside of Tel Aviv. The zookeepers need some help with the name and they said the only criteria is that it starts with a “T” – may we suggest Tamar? Talia? Post your suggestions here and we’ll pass them along.

ON THE CALENDAR 🗓

DR. BARUCH BLUMBERG AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN 1999. (PHOTO: DOMINIC HART/NASA)

🔬 On this day in history: Nobel laureate Baruch Samuel Blumberg was born on July 28, 1925. Throughout his career as a geneticist – he led groundbreaking research on the hepatitis B virus – the lessons he learned at New York’s Yeshiva of Flatbush continued to guide him. He often credited the mental gymnastics of studying a page of Talmud as a major influence on his thinking, and attended weekly Talmud classes until his death in 2011.

🍫 National Milk Chocolate Day: Celebrate by making this recipe for tahini hot chocolate, courtesy of Molly Yeh of the Food Network.

🇮🇱 Upcoming event: On Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 11: 30 a.m. we’re co-hosting “Live from Jerusalem: Journalists in the Middle East crosshairs.” Jodi Rudoren, our editor-in-chief and former Jerusalem bureau chief of The New York Times, will talk with current and former correspondents about the complexities of covering a region where the narratives clash so violently. The panel includes Ethan Bronner, Daniel Estrin and Janine Zacharia. Register here.

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