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WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

Texas school district pulls Anne Frank’s diary; UC Berkeley to require antisemitism education for all new students; Harvard finds “dire” situation for Israelis on campus; and a Jewish preview of tonight’s Biden-Trump debate.

OUR LEAD STORY

Harry Schimmelman’s cab driver license. (Andrew Silverstein)

Harry Schimmelman and Sarah Levine came to New York as teens — Harry from Galicia and Sarah from Minsk. They married in 1916. And then, in 1920, Harry disappeared.

Well, sort of: He moved to Cleveland, went by an alias, told people his wife died in 1918 of the flu, and that he was a widower.

Reporter Andrew Silverstein picks up the story: “Sarah, left to fend for herself with a three-year-old and a one-year-old, filed a report with the National Desertion Bureau, an agency founded in 1911 by United Hebrew Charities that, through the 1960s, tracked down Jewish husbands who abandoned their families — a problem that plagued the immigrant community.”

Right: A photo from a National Desertion Bureau case file of Joseph Langer, and a Forward “Gallery of Missing Husbands” from 1912. Left: The card catalog of the NDB. (Courtesy Yivo, Andrew Silverstein)

The NDB, which was able to locate some 75% of the deserters, is the subject of a new exhibit, called “Runaway Husbands, Desperate Families” at the YIVO Institute of Jewish Research. A genealogical database of “deadbeat” ancestors is also now available online.

“It reveals an aspect of Jewish immigration that is not usually discussed,” said Eddy Portnoy, Director of Exhibitions at YIVO, which houses the more than 18,000 case files of the NDB — which crowdsourced intel through the Forward, then the most widely read daily national newspaper amongst Yiddish speaking immigrants.

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ALSO IN THE FORWARD

Donald Trump and Joe Biden at the Oct. 2020 debate in Nashville. (Getty)

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will hold their first debate of the 2024 election cycle tonight in Atlanta. It begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

Jewish topics to watch for in the debate: When Trump and Biden first debated in September 2020, the most notable moment for Jewish viewers came when Trump did not condemn white supremacists and told the Proud Boys, a far-right group, to “stand back and stand by.” This time around, viewers should expect time devoted to the Israel-Hamas war and the rise in antisemitism. Read the story ➤

Sneak peek of the answers candidates may give on Israel and antisemitism: Among the questions that CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, both of whom are Jewish, might ask about Israel: How would you end the war? Is there a limit to U.S. aid? What do you think of Netanyahu’s leadership? Our senior political reporter, Jacob Kornbluh, breaks down how each candidate might answer. Read the story ➤

This just in: More than 60%of Jewish Americans say they will likely vote for Biden over Trump, according to two new polls.

Deni Avdija had signed a four-year, $55 million contract extension signed last October. (Getty)

Plus…

• The NBA’s only Israeli player, Deni Avdija, was traded from the Washington Wizards (the league’s second-worst team) to the Portland Trailblazer (the worst team). With the move, he will surrender his nickname: “The Wizraeli.”

  
  

• Three new books written in English feature Hebrew. Our language columnist, Aviya Kushner, explains why that matters.

  
  

• A new Paul Simon documentary, now streaming on Amazon, is loaded with Jewish references.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators last month at Harvard University’s graduation ceremony. (Getty)

On campus…

🎒 A Harvard task force found that Israeli students face a “dire” situation on campus, and on Wednesday released a list of recommendations to help curb antisemitism. Some Jewish leaders at the school say the recommendations don’t go far enough. (JTA, Jewish Insider)

🏫  UC Berkeley will involve all new students in its antisemitism education program, after a spring semester when the campus was rocked by pro-Palestinian protests. A new Israel Studies minor will also begin this fall. (LA Times)

📚  After complaints from conservative activists, a Texas school district agreed to remove 676 books from its libraries, including texts about the Holocaust and antisemitism like an illustrated adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary and the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus. (JTA)

And in other news…

🎨  Two artists opened an exhibit with work that promoted pro-Palestinian messages, including the slogan “From the River to the Sea.” Three days later, the St. Louis art center hosting the exhibit called it antisemitic and shut it down. (St. Louis Public Radio)

⚡  The fifth and final person involved in a neo-Nazi plot to attack Idaho’s power grid pleaded guilty in federal court. A propaganda video the group made concludes with them giving a “Heil Hitler” salute. (Justice Dept.)

👮  New York City police arrested a 24-year-old “man who allegedly demanded that ‘Zionists’ identify themselves on a crowded subway car” earlier this month. (NY Jewish Week)

✍️  The North Carolina legislature codified a definition of antisemitism into state law, making it easier for law enforcement to classify hate crimes — and prompting criticism that it limits free speech. (Courthouse News Service)

🇬🇧  A Jewish LGBTQ+ group said it would drop out of participating in this weekend’s Pride parade in London, out of fear for their safety. (Jewish News)

🖼️  A museum in Amsterdam said it would return a Matisse painting to the heirs of a Jewish family that was forced to sell it to fund their escape from the Holocaust. (New York Times)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

We’ve been talking a lot about the Ten Commandments after Louisiana enacted a new law that would require the biblical mandates to be displayed in public school classrooms. So we asked our Yiddish editor, Rukhl Schaechter, to teach us several words and expressions connected to the decalogue.

Thanks to Jake Wasserman for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Talya Zax for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com.

Support Independent Jewish Journalism

Reporting from the ground in Israel and campuses takes resources. Support the news that matters to you with a monthly donation.