Dear Bob,
I can't thank you enough for covering the Nova exhibition—your column was outstanding. As the son of a Holocaust survivor who endured Auschwitz and Buchenwald, I traveled to Israel this past December to witness firsthand the horrors of the October 7th attacks. I visited Kibbutz Nir Oz, the Nova Festival site, and other areas that were devastated. While there, my tour guide told me she had to attend the funeral of a hostage tragically shot by the Israeli army while fleeing captivity. His name was Yotam Haim, a drummer in a metal band. As a fellow spend my days with musicians, I felt compelled to join her and pay my respects. In a deeply moving moment, Yotam’s brother performed a ten-minute drum solo beside the casket before their father cast the drumsticks into the grave. At that moment, I knew I had to do something. I decided to invite ten musicians, all victims of October 7th, to my Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp. I hoped that four days of playing music could bring them a measure of happiness and begin their healing process. In March, I brought these musicians, including Tuval’s Haim the brother and drummer, to the Camp, where they jammed at the Whisky a Go Go, The Viper Room, and rehearsed with incredible artists. Their journey is being documented for a film I’m currently producing. This month, I’m back in Israel to complete the documentary, interviewing these courageous musicians and sharing their stories. Today, I’m heading to the site of the Nova Festival to film Raz Shiffer, a vocalist who survived the attack but still longs for the return of many friends who remain in captivity. Your column was so important because we must never forget these tragedies, just as we must never forget the Holocaust. My father shared his stories with me every day, and I’m thankful he did. When this tragedy unfolded, I knew I had to do my part to help these musicians find healing through music. I hope you column will encourage our industry visit the Nova exhibition in Los Angeles, as I did last month, grasp the gravity of the suffering these innocent festival-goers endured. It still feels unreal that, in my lifetime, we Jews are facing a tragedy reminiscent of the Holocaust. I often wonder what my father would say if he were alive today to witness October 7th. May we soon see the safe return of the hostages and peace for Israel and the world.
Warmest regards,
David Fishof
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I just got back from Israel where I saw, in person, the Nova site and the collection of vehicles stacked up and filling a nearby lot located at a nearby collective, and the bus stop shelters that were riddled with bullets and that held 30 or 40 people (they are big enough for 6-8 people) trying to survive. Everything you describe and have witnessed is all the more powerful when you're at Re'im Junction, the sleepy rest stop where Nova was held. The refrigerators, the dumpsters, the fields where the (un)lucky ones, as you described, lived or died... Their stories come to life and the QR codes on placards link you to then real-time audio and video. My overriding thought as I described the experience to my friends back here in the States was, "It could have been any of us, or any of our kids". Thank you for keeping up with this story, from your "Pagers" post and through today. So important that the truth be told, not the propaganda.
Josh Orenstein
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A very scary time. My temple had a swastika painting on its door a year ago. For years now when I go to services I go through a metal detector and we have armed security. This is not long ago or far away. It’s here today.
Michael Rosenblatt
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Thank you for writing about this. I went to the exhibition yesterday and I will never be the same. I forced myself to walk through the area with the photos that you referenced, as painful as it was, because I wanted to honor the dead and remind myself that it could’ve been me, it could have been any of us. I would love to live in a world where 99.9% (presumably) of the people walking through the exhibition weren’t Jewish; like so many other things in today’s world, I felt like we were in our own echo chamber. For us to make progress, everyone else needs to walk through it. Perhaps the sights, sounds, and smells, experienced firsthand, would open up some people’s minds and hearts.
Jonathan Zucker
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Just returned from not only visiting The Nova Exhibition but Thee Holy Brothers (the duo I'm in with Willie Aron) played a short set at the event followed by a speech by a survivor of Oct. 7.
The exhibit is emotional and takes one's breath away.
It also hits close to home. My grandparents left Poland and ended up in Palestine (pre-1948 Israel). My grandmother's family in Poland was slaughtered by the Nazis. My parents were born in Israel. I have many family members in Israel.
Thank you Bob for standing up against anti-semitism.
Marvin Etzioni
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Again, thank you Bob, for another important missive! I wish half of the Jews in Hollywood had as much gumption as you. If anything has become clear to me since October 7th, it's that people generally fall into the following spectrum: they either get everything you just said, or they hate Jews; or, if they're in the middle (and equivocate, or get confused and can't tell the difference between good and evil), they are STUPID. Plain and simple. Feelings are more important than facts, and all intellectual reasoning has gone out the window. It just wouldn't if Jews weren't involved. Most Jews of the Gen X or younger variety have assumed that we were past the dark ages of pure Jew hatred; that our non-Jewish brethren would be there for us and have our backs. It has become patently clear that this generation is more than happy to abandon us all over again. It's a terribly sobering reality but one that Jews (especially the sycophant leftie Jews) ignore at their peril.
Keep speaking up!
Andrea Bergman
Toronto
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Something really stupid has happened in the last 20 years to cause clueless college students and intellectual elites to imagine that Jews are "while colonial settlers" and Hamas and Palestinians and Hezbollah are "oppressed people of color".
Something smirky and self-satisfied and holier-than-thou infuses the know-it-all class with a complete detachment from reality because they've lived their privileged lives in this great country that really is an island of sanity and civilization compared to much of what is happening in huge areas of this planet.
The holier-than-thou, know-it-all class needs to spend time in those countries surrounding Israel. They need to understand what the mullahs and the dictators really think about women, gays, rule of law, civil rights, science. They need to see for themselves where that kind of thinking leads and then decide which side they are on.
Michael Hugos
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Bob, I was at the exhibit in NYC. I knew what to expect but had to represent. Those photos of all those beautiful young people got to me too. The lack of empathy and support BEFORE Israel responded is something I will never forgive nor forget.
These are dangerous times for Jews around the world. The resurgent world wide neo-Nazi movement both celebrates and denies the Holocaust. Their embrace of Aryan ethnic purity makes an exception when it comes to Islamo-fascism. Reminiscent of Hitler’s alliance with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. They all want to wipe us off the face of the earth!
Throw in your standard anti-Semitism which crosses national, ethnic and religious boundaries (but, does not call for our extermination), and you’ve got a very inhospitable climate for Jews everywhere.
Who are our allies? I’m a bit leery of the Christian Zionists (like Richie Furay) who profess their love for the land of Israel and its people. I’m certainly uncomfortable with their simultaneous love for Trump, and their rejection of the humanistic values that someone like me holds dear. I find little common ground with the extreme right wing Jews and the extreme left wing Jews who both seem to be trying to march us down the road to oblivion with their warped world views.
It’s the oldest hatred, and it’s never going away. I hope that we never go away too. We’ve survived the Romans, the Babylonians, Inquisitions, Pogroms, the Holocaust and dozens of other organized attempts to exterminate us.
It used to be said that Israel will always be there for us. I’m not so sure, anymore, if Israel can even save itself.
In Solidarity
Jeff Douglas
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Thank you for posting this Bob.
I have no love lost for Netanyahu, and even less for Jewish extremists like Ben Gvir and his ilk (who should have never gotten close to any government position), but I am convinced that Netanyahu is right and Biden, Harris and many on the Democratic left are wrong. History has taught us (Jews and non--Jews who are willing to study history and learn from it) that the only solution here is the elimination of both Hamas and Hezbollah as a fighting force. None of the previous negotiations and cease-fires held, Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran violated them all.
What the US administration, the EU, UN, etc., are asking from Israel perfectly fits Einstein's definition of insanity.
All the best: Thomas
p.s.: I am a lifelong Democrat and will not support/vote for Trump, no matter what. But it is getting very difficult, given how much Biden/Harris seem to be under the influence of the ever more antisemitic far left wing of the Democratic party.
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My music business history is with a Christian Rock band called Big Tent Revival. I am appalled at the antisemitism which is on the rise among the evangelical community. It used to be that the Jewish community could count on the fact that evangelicals supported Israel. While many of us still do, it is no longer a given.
Nobody who reads the Bible cover-to-cover, seeking to know God better, closes the Bible and says, "I hate the Jews." So, the systemic problem within the evangelical community stems from Biblical illiteracy, which makes Christians highly vulnerable to suggestion. These days, I run a ministry called GroundworksMinistries.com where we lead people day-by-day and chapter-by-chapter thru the Bible. The best way to fight lies is with the truth.
Last November I was invited by people within the JNF & KKL to travel to Israel with 6 other Christian leaders. We arrived in Israel the first week of December. With armed security & armored vehicles, we visited kibbutz Be'eri, Sderot & Nir Oz on the border of Gaza. We also visited the Knesset, met with members of Parliament and visited the #BringThemHomeNow headquarters.
If you think seeing a portable toilet riddled with bullet holes during an exhibit was stirring, words cannot describe what it was like to personally stand almost the rubble & aftermath of the Hamas savagery we saw. To see the piles of burnt-out cars from the music festival and to hear first-hand from residents who somehow survived.
Israel is doing exactly what needs to be done. Tyranny cannot be calmed down. It must be put down. I just hope more people can experience the images and hear the testimonies of what truly happened last October 7. And that eyes will be opened to see things as they are. Because America is ripe for the same level of evil.
Am Yisrael chai!
Steve Wiggins
Memphis TN
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Sir,
You just earned the above honorific title with this newsletter. You will undoubtedly get tons of negative emails from Jews and non-Jews alike. I am not Jewish by birth, I have Jewish relatives via a second marriage, I am tangentially familiar with anti Semitism, and I am appalled by the events in Israel, that transpired.
Thank you for finally taking a bold stance against the terrorists. Pure and simple it is terrorism, barbarism, take your choice. There is ONLY one way to deal with terrorists-exterminate them. The hard part is the killing of innocents. I read all these reports in supposedly neutral news sources. They all report how many children and innocents were killed, ACCORDING TO THE GAZA MINISTRY OF HEALTH, or some other quasi agency that is fully under control by Hamas. Do not believe this for a second, and people should not even listen to these reports. And the news outlets should be forced to have a disclaimer that says the piece of sh*t terrorist said this is how many people died. I fear that these reports are part of the plan to have everyone hate Israel, and the news organizations are complicit.
Mark MacGilvray
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I am totally mystified at the opinions of many here in Canada that think the blame lies with Israel because of all the land annexation . There was detente a year ago however Hamas had to violate it with a savagery that is incomprehensible . I am not Jewish but my condolences go out to the families of those that perished last October I just can't fathom how parents are delaing with the passing of their children.
Chris Chapin
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For over 5,000 years, there has not been a single century where Jews were not persecuted for their identity. When Israel was finally established, the world expressed shock when Jews declared and continue to declare “never again.” Figures like AOC and others on the far left are outraged when Israel defends itself to protect its people.
On December 7, 1941, Japan killed over 2,000 Americans at Pearl Harbor. In response, the U.S. ultimately killed over 2 million Japanese. At the time, no one considered America’s response excessive, and those who fought in WWII are still celebrated as the Greatest Generation. When Nazi Germany initiated WWII, the Allies understood that peace would only come with Germany’s unconditional surrender, as they sought world domination, destroying everything in their way. Similarly, Hamas and Hezbollah have made it clear that they will never agree to coexist with Israel. For them, peace means the destruction of Israel and the death of its Jewish population. With such an adversary, Israel has no choice but to adopt the same stance that America and the Allies did during WWII. Those who forget the past…
Neal Berz
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I am with you Bob.
The biggest problem for the Israelis is the battle is between those who love life (Israel) and those who love death.
Hamas strategy is to have as many Palestinian deaths as possible to turn public opinion against Israel.
If Hama actually cared about the lives of Palestinians, they would surrender.
Dave Machanick
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“One man with courage makes a majority.”
-Andrew Jackson
Thank you Bob.
Andrew Lurie
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Thank you Bob from a London jew in the music industry. It’s been a tough 11 months, the music industry didn’t / doesn’t care about what happened at Nova. they pay more attention to Hamas stories coming out of Gaza.
Toby Harris
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As a Jew, and someone whose grandparents escaped Germany right before the Holocaust (but lost many family members), THANK YOU for discussing the film, what it showed and taking a public stand even if it might jeopardize certain things for you. This is especially critical today as Trump is now saying if he loses it could be because Jews didn’t vote for him…WTF! NEVER FORGET!
Joanne Hoffman Garroway
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Appreciate you NOT shutting up and bowing your head.
And thank you for sharing your experience at Nova. Hoping more people, especially in the industry, will be open to visiting the exhibition themselves before it leaves.
Ali Harnell
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Please keep writing Bob.
I don't have anything to say, add to, or respond with but please just keep writing.
I've shared one recent article by you with a video clip of a movie recently to my daughter and wife in hopes they would view and understand a little more but they haven't. My daughter has friends who will not go to Starbucks "they" believed they were sending money to Israel? She's confused of why and this conflict still.
I'm not a jew but this is a vicious cycle. I think I understand at times but then I don't...Then my kids ask...Trying to understand but its difficult.
Steven Anderko
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Beautiful, heartfelt writing Bob.
Anti-Semitism has been alive and well since the moment the tribe of Israel was established. I’m a Goy married to a Jew with Jewish kids that celebrate Jewish holidays and go to Christian church - so we see all sides of it. Your comment about hearing the comments people make when they don’t think any Jews are around rings so tragically true.
Ryan Taylor
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Thanks for writing about this, Bob.
Jon Gordon
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Thank you, Bob, for standing strong and writing this truth.
Best,
Al Rose
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Thank you for this.
Kia Kamran P.C.
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Thank you for writing about Nova.
Eve Barlow
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"But the Israelis are no different from Hamas or Hezbollah." Yeah, they are. They've got more and bigger and better guns and bombs (courtesy of the U.S.) and a sophisticated, well-trained military. The Oct. 7 incursion was heinous (and, speaking of heinous, Arabs are Semites too). I don't defend either side, but the slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, including women and children, was way over the top. You can't stop a movement like Hamas or Hezbollah by bombing it out of existence. The more you bomb, the more young Arabic men will join up against the oppressor. And, make no mistake, Israel has been the oppressor for years. The Israelis brag they killed one top Hezbollah commander. Along with sixteen innocent civilians. This has to stop. The military mindset has to change.
By the way, I'm Jewish (ethically). My family is Jewish on both sides as far back as you want to go.
Netanyahu is doing this to stay out of jail. Trump would do the same. I only hope they both wind up sharing a cell.
emiltonmyers
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Thanks for sharing this Bob. Youre words are wise and true. We must never forget- and we must fight for whats right. Its always taken the world til we are on the brink of elimination to want to help- and history repeats itself- sadly i feel we’re heading down the same path.. it wont be til they are trying to capture all jews (and all Americans as well- cmon people!!!!) will the masses wake up again.
Jason Roth
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Keep writing about this. People need the information.
Carl Nelson
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Thank you. I’m
A Jew and shared this w a bunch of my Jewish friends in LA. If anything, it helps to articulate a complicated situation, short term and long term. Bob, if you are anything, you are a great communicator…this gives us something to run with.
Brad Cole
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Hi Bob thanks for writing about this and drawing attention to the horrific details too.
Andrew Einhorn
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Non-Jew here, non-anything really but a staunch supporter of Israel and its people. Don't you dare not write about it! How else are we (outside of LA) supposed to know about these things?
Those that are tired of you writing about it can unsubscribe, and/or go f#ck themselves.
Ken Baum in KC
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The Zionist movement chose Palestine to move to, can't pretend to be victims when the indigenous population aren't happy about being forced out of their homes and their country. And the religion of the colonial settlers is totally irrelevant. Shockingly bad take to pretend the Palestinians are motivated by "anti-semitism". They would fight back just as hard if the perpetrators were Sikh, Zoroastrian, Martian. Surely you know all this.
CHARLES KENNEDY
invisible hands music / astral horizon press
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Bob - I applaud you.
Larry Anderson
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Damn, Bob. Thank you for your bravery. I’m not Jewish, but with you. To quote a man much wiser than myself: what kind of crazy, f*cked-up world do we live in?
Stuart Gunter
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My German tutor in Switzerland had the tattoo on her wrist. What people may not want to admit is that what happened to the Jews under the Nazis was a product of human nature and political convenience. Those two factors are independent of religion, race, etc. They can pop up at any time, anywhere.
What happened to the Jews was not a once-in-forever event, but one that has occurred with disturbing regularity over the centuries. What made it unique was that the Nazis applied technology that wasn't around in, say, the middle ages. BUT the technology we have today is far worse, so it's that much more important for people to recognize the darkest impulses of human nature, and work against it wherever it appears.
Craig Anderton
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Thank you for this. I took Rebecca (16) to see this before she went to Israel this summer. We were speechless and numb wandering through … and seeing the clothes left behind made it even more real.
Simma Levine
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Spot on. They have always and seems as if will always hate us for being us.
Mark Swartz
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Amen Bob.
Xeni/Jennifer Hamm
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Thank you for using your voice. Too many are silent. Too many are siding with the unfathomable. The blue-haired bull-ringed generation are lost. But they are a small minority. Just a loud one. Keep speaking up. Thank you.
Dorit Kalev
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Don’t stop telling this story, Bob.
Tony D’Amelio
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Bob it’s clearly painful for you to write this and I ache for you and all Jewish people. How does this brutality still happen? It makes no sense.
Keep making us all aware of these important things that we need to be made aware of.
Thank you,
Hal Kempson
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Horrific – and critical that it receive publicity.
This Gentile is one million % with you. And so is my college sophomore daughter. These non-Jews always wants to hear about it.
Your parents raised you right. Jew hate is the world’s oldest, and it will never disappear. Best to follow the advice of that famous sage, Adam Sandler, who I think once said his father taught him to punch anyone in the face who said something anti-semitic. Sounds right.
At college you have these idiots who’ve never even met a Jew – most Americans have not. They only know Trump tells them George Soros is bad and AOC tells them Zionism is evil and BDS is about justice. Intellectual sheep, ripe for the pro-Hamas conversion funded by Iran dollars.
Speaking of Iran, please don’t forget official US government appeasement of Iran began in 2009 when Obama let the young people who launched the Green Revolution be slaughtered by the IRGC because Obama trusted them to give up their nukes. He was a naïve fool and Netanyahu knew it (so did Putin – “red line” anyone?). Bibi is lots of things, but naïve vs Iran he is not. The Obama Iran strategy has lost us years and no doubt let them pass the point of no return for nukes. And liberal media give him a complete pass. Ho hum.
Edward Ryan
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Shocking, horrifying, unimaginable, and so so sad for us all....
Young Hutchinson
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Thank you for writing this.
Erica Novich
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Bob when Oct.7 happened I saw video, mostly on Twitter and it was beyond disgusting. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing, it was barbarism on a massive scale. Hamas and Hezbollah just raised from kids to kill Jews, it is something I just can't wrap my head around. Israel has the right to defend itself and I support that.
I'm 66 Bob, I thought the world we are seeing now was behind us just history but I guess not.
Doug Gillis
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Horrible, horrible.It's so horrible, it's hard to believe. Hatred is so evil.
For what it's worth, Bob, you've got an ally in me. An evangelical Christian who might have differing opinions on several political issues. I don't know if it makes sense to you or not, but Christians (probably most) have an undying and unwavering love for their Jewish brothers and sisters. We are honored to be grafted "into the vine" that grows from God's heart to His people. Israel and Jews are the apple of God's eye and that is not a trite saying. There's millions of us. We love you.
I hope that's meaningful. I hate to say something so near and dear to my heart for fear it might get trampled, but that is the vulnerability of love.
Call me crazy.
Doug Van Pelt
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Thanks Bob for speaking out and being the candle in a dark tunnel.
Bob Stein
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I’m glad you shared.
~Lisa Wohl
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Get down off the cross for f*cks sake and stick to the music business.
Sidney Cooke
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Thank you
Peter Noone
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I agree with you. And I am sorry it has to be this way.
Laura
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Good column, I agree with all of it. I'd see the movie if I thought I could stand it.
BTW have you seen the polling that says a MAJORITY of Americans favor mass deportation of immigrants? Do they have any idea of what that looks like? Tearing families out of their homes in the middle of the night, without warrants or the right to counsel. As if it will stop with the "illegal" immigrants. It won't, JD Vance has told us that much.
I get it, some men and women on the street read the question and think, "They're illegal, get 'em out of here!" And then they stop thinking.
Meanwhile Trump says that Jews will be blamed if he loses. As if any Jew who knows what "deportation" really means, would even dream of voting for him.
Jonathan Bernstein
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Bob, I agree with everything you’ve written in this article . So, how in the hell can you support the Biden Harris administration?!!!!
Mike Mitchell
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I for one absolutely want to hear this and other posts you make about antisemitism. Keep expressing yourself, do not worry about if the audience wants to hear it. We subscribe because we want to hear from you.
Thanks
Ken Seider
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Hey Bob.
Non-Jew here. Keep writing about it. Thank you.
Matthew Wilson
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Thank you for writing about this.
Nathan Benditzon
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There are plenty of non-Jews like myself who do care and who do want to hear about this! And I am not virtue signaling here. I just know where I stand.
In my social newsfeeds, there is a much higher percentage of "friends" condemning Israel than there are Trump supporters (at least openly).
This conflict is one of the few issues that shakes up the bubble I know I am generally stuck in, and I believe that is a good thing.
Matt Robertson
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Thank you
Marlee Ehrlich
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Great piece. Thanks for writing this
Matthew Segal
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Thank you for writing this.
Eliana Eskinazi
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Thanks for touching on this...
Scott Maness
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So I guess you're OK then with the Israelis slaughtering all the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
-- proud Jew
David Rubien
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Thank you for this.
Avital Ferd
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I’m glad you wrote about this. The exhibition itself sounds way too brutal for me to see it personally. But as someone with many Jewish friends, I feel the Holocaust and now the Nova atrocities as wounds in my heart. So is Israel’s ongoingly violent response. Meanwhile, the Republican candidate for President says if he loses the election, it will be the fault of the Jews. Which means Trump is directly inviting MAGA violence against Jews. Enough already.
- Greg Dennis
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I live in a small town in Tennessee. This one got my attention. Keep writing. Write about everything. You make a difference!
Brad Durham
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Bob you hit the nail on the head. Very well said and your sentence “rust never sleeps, nor does antisemitism “ should resonate with us all. And I mean ALL OF US!
Be safe!
Gary L. Rombough
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Thank you for writing this Bob. I don’t understand how the world thinks anymore.
Your summary of the ongoing situation is a tragic one yet as I read your post common sense prevails
Thank you for your honesty
Mark Adkins
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I'm not sure how and why I managed to get to the exhinibition... As I entered with some help from a security guy, since I was limping, I instantly felt as if I was in a concentration camp tour, and I'm yet to take this trip in the future... I had no idea about the magnitude of the horror inside as you described it so well. I took some photos including the restrooms raw full of bullets. I can't look at the photos now. I'm traumatized.
I can't describe how an IDF exofficer, who served in Gaza under so different circumstances in 1989, feels about this utterly horrendous atrocities. I have my personal story which simply telling you that my main reason for leaving Israel in 1991 was the perception of the bad direction of the state which in many ways committed suicidal acts after I left, including Rabin's murder, including the current crime minister instigating this murder. All I knew back then that the state of Israel ran away from its historical role. This is no justification for the colossal failure and the consequences that are the worst in the modern history of the state since 1948. But unfortunately, pogroms of all kinds took place in the long Jewish history, except this one was coming with full knowledge of the top political and defense brass. To be clear, no comparison could be made in any way to the Holocaust, which is a stand alone period out of the general history. A comparison could be made maybe to the American history's Pearl Harbor, or to 9/11?
In short to say now I told you then how bad things were, I knew we were in bad shape, but to imagine all of that? But in fact Bibi refrained from action for years and supplied and supported Hamas with millions and millions dollars in cash.
So, how is one supposed to feel about that now? You tell me, Bob.
Ami Benee Levy
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Deeply powerful - thank you Bob for your courage to write this missive and be a voice of reason among the insanity of these times...
With gratitude & respect,
Andrew M. Genger
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Trump’s loud gaslight Friday: if I lose blame the Jews. He said it twice. So first immigrants, then who is next, gays or Jews?
Steve Tipp
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Please don't stop writing about this.
A lot of people are uninformed and don't seem to want to be informed, so we have to keep saying this until it starts to sink in This isn't about Gaza, or Gazans. Hamas has been the government there for almost 20 years. and if they wanted a better life for their people, they had time to build a society that could not be denied.
And instead of building up a life for Gazans, instead of taking what wasleft for them when Israel withdrew in 2005 and left them industries and money. Instead of using the billions of aid that's been sent there from around the world, they used the money to dig sophisticated tunnels, indoctrinated yet another generation into racist hatred And then carried out a raid where they went in to murder people in the most horrifying ways possible.
And the next day instead of the world reacting with horror, we had some people, highly organized and perhaps even prepared in advance go on the street celebrating the brutal sadistic tortures and murders. And then it, incredibly, got worse in terms of reaction and anti-Semtisim.
A lot of people, don't really understand the region, but they'll throw Keffeyehs on or, worse, put them on their kids and send them to school events, and harass Jews, and for some reason not notice that they're supporting terrorists who are willing to do horrifying things to other human beings.
Why did they feel it was okay to execute 6 tortured hostages--one of whom, Eden weighed only 79 pounds after 10 months in captivity? Because they now they have people in the west who won't object to horrifying bloodshed. And the fate of the hostages still hidden in Gaza, some in Tunnels.. who the Red Cross has not bothered to go look at, who the UN has ignored...is now in the balance.. Imagine spending a year like this. The celebrations in the west could spell death for those hostages.
So we all need to keep saying this.
So I'm sorry it's affecting your subscriptions.. I repost your articles, if that makes a differennce..
But please keep writing..
Karen Gordon
P.S. I would love to go back and be the person I was on Oct 6th.
But I'm lucky. I didn't die on Oct 7. I don't have kids or relatives or friends that died on Oct 7th
I had lunch a few weeks ago with a long time friend, a very smart guy, who was visiting. It was pretty interesting to talk to him and realize the things that people, even pretty smart people, think they know
but when you start talking, don't.
I asked him, if this is truly about Israel, then why are Jews in other countries being harrassed. And the 'they all support Israel' ... doesn't wash. I know plenty of Jews who didn't react to Oct 7th and still haven't.
(Incredibly IMO) Also I know plenty of people who are not Jewish who were horrified and appalled.
So, the first clue about what's really going on here is the targeting of jews.
I just read that about six or seven schools in Toronto had their students on a field trip to march in a pro-Palestinians protest and they made a Jewish girl and a Hindu boy wear blue to symbolize that they're 'colonizers'.
It's nuts.
I've found a few books that have been helpful. The Noa Tishby book you recommended.
Her new one..
And a book I think should be widely read, by a British comedian named David Baddiel called Jews Don't Count.
A quick and easy read.. more like a long essay by a very bright person..
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F*ck what the world has to say! The enemies of Israel have had it coming since 7 October! They should rue the day they started this and now can be scared of dark and of light and question their products if they work while Israel kicks their ass like it needs to! The world doesn’t like a tough jew but they like a weak one or dead ones but those days are done! We are here to stay and will not take too much sh*t!
Name withheld
(My policy is to never print e-mail without attribution unless the writer risks serious retribution for their words. This person does not. I only include it to say weak Jews who refuse to own their identity and speak their truth are part of the problem, certainly not the solution)
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I had no interest in seeing this exhibit when it came to NY, even as I was invited/asked to go at least four times by various friends. I thought it was exploitative…unnecessary…we knew what happened... unless you were living with your head in the sand. And much like yourself, I grew up indoctrinated about the tragedy, violence, hate and attempted destruction of the Jewish people…and how essential it was to understand the strength and commitment of my ancestors to insure that did not come to pass…and to celebrate my contemporary Jewishness with pride and gratitude. So I did not want to be reminded of the dark, sick and always present hatred that is everywhere, manifesting itself in the brutal and cruel murder of kids just wanting to have a good time…I knew about it and didn’t want to go back there again.
However, given what has transpired over the last 11 months, the anti-semitism here in the good ole US of A that is now everywhere, even in NY, my anguish over, first and foremost, the policies of the Israeli government as I watch the destruction of Gaza as well as the reaction, or should I say non-reaction, of most of the world to the tactics of Hamas, I realize that exhibits like Nova are necessary. Perhaps especially for the Jewish folks (mostly 20 and 30 somethings) who are questioning Israel’s response, (worthy of being questioned in terms of force, I agree) and the point of being Jewish at all in today’s world. Many younger people have correctly questioned what it even means to be Jewish today if the country that is supposed to represent the beauty and ideals of Judaism is on a path to becoming a pariah nation. Trust me…this is what they are thinking and talking about ( my own kids and my students) and sometimes it is hard to disagree with them. Perhaps witnessing at the most basic level what is at stake is what they have to see
Myself, I do not think I will go to see the Nova exhibit. I just can’t handle it I am sure. But knowing that it is there to document what the world needs to be reminded about, once again, that the brutal destruction of all Jews everywhere is the goal of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran et al, is a necessary thing…the more things change the more they stay the same.
The question is will the people who really need to see this actually go?
Susan L. Dodes
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I never write. I’m a silent reader; I read when the headline catches my eye, I read when it relates to my life. I read this. Thank you. Thank you for writing this. Thank you for telling people to go to the exhibit. I went in New York. I knew all the stories, and still, I was profoundly impacted. At the end of the exhibit a woman waited. She was the mother of a Nova attendee. A young girl murdered in her prime. She greeted people. She wanted people to know her daughter was more than a photo, more than a name, her daughter was hers.
After the exhibit I needed time to decompress. I needed time to remind myself that life is a gift, especially in the face of those who desperately want to destroy me. My crime is my bloodline. My faith makes me worthy of hatred because it’s trendy to hate Israel, to hate Jews, and to ignore the full story. Death of any innocent should never be okay, not for Jews and not for Palestinians. I lay these deaths at the feet of Hamas. Because that’s where they belong. And because to blame it on anything else is to live in willful ignorance.
Your words keep my bloodline alive. Your words are your bravery, they are an education, they are powerful. Thank you.
Please keep anonymous.
(My policy is to never print e-mail without attribution unless the writer risks serious retribution for their words. This person does not. I only include it to say weak Jews who refuse to own their identity and speak their truth are part of the problem, certainly not the solution)
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You’re gonna get an immense amount of blowback, but you speak the truth.
Oct 7 turned me completely around from being a far lefty anti Zionist to a VERY Zionist conservative. I mean, Bob - I might even vote for Trump. For god’s sake this administration is asleep at the wheel and kamala will only be a continuation of the same.
If you print this don’t put my name
(My policy is to never print e-mail without attribution unless the writer risks serious retribution for their words. This person does not. I only include it to say weak Jews who refuse to own their identity and speak their truth are part of the problem, certainly not the solution)
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My friend just forwarded your profound and chilling column about The Nova Exhibition. I have had the privilege of working with the founders, the US sponsors and a very dedicated tribe of PR people in NY, LA and DC for the past 8 months, bringing attention to the exhibition and the Oct. 7th horror.
It’s been the most important thing I’ve done in my career. I want to thank you for your raw, honest and much needed outcry. Much of the music industry, the entertainment industry, Jews and non-Jews, have either chosen, been bullied or brainwashed into silence or complicity. Your courage is inspiring. I have renewed hope.
Thank you very much,
Susie
SUSIE ARONS | 42WEST
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Bob- Excellent column, glad that you were so moved by the Nova Exhibition and put these important thoughts about those horrific events perpetrated by Hamas into your eloquent words. As a fellow Jew, I share your thoughts and fears about the increasingly anti-Semitic world in which we live, even here in the United States. I am especially appalled and frightened at the raging hate against Jews and Israel that is going on virtually unchecked at our college campuses across the nation; including in Denver where my own daughter has suffered from significant verbal abuse, complete ostracization from her entire grad school class, and little support from her university's woke professors and administration; simply because she is Jewish and had the audacity to speak up for Israel in class right after the October 7 attacks.
And you know what brought out the animosity against my Jewish daughter at her university, Bob? She brought up the Nova festival in class. After multiple of her fellow students spoke in class one day, ranting and raving about Israel's "occupation" of Gaza, stating "Free Palestine!," and shouting "From the River to the Sea;" she tearfully responded that she had family in Israel (her Uncle, our brother-in-law is from Haifa), and that none of them knew what they were talking about. She also reminded her class that she and several of her (now former) "friends" from grad school had just been to a show together at Red Rocks the weekend before October 7; and just imagine if they had been abused and murdered in surprise attack out of nowhere that night, just like kids their same age had been at the Nova music festival in Israel by the Hamas terrorists just a week earlier. After she spoke, there was stunned silence for a moment, and then several of her classmates started calling her names and giving her grief under their breath before the professor called for a short break in class. During the break, the instructor came up to my daughter and acknowledged how difficult it must have been for her to express her thoughts like that. She then suggested that my daughter take the rest of the class off and leave for the day; which surprised my girl but she did so to avoid further verbal abuse. For the remainder of the school year, as the pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas activists took over campuses and dominated the dialogue; virtually no one in her class spoke to her again, she was blocked on social media by all of her classmates, and no one in the university leadership really gave a damn about her or the handful of other Jewish students on campus. She has graduated and we are moving her out of town later this week, and my guess is she will rarely (if ever) return there.
And as for the question you posed: "but it's not only Muslims who are anti-Israel, a ton of Jews are too. Makes me wonder, how were they brought up?" All you have to do to answer that question is look to the many liberal Jewish members of your favored Democratic Party like Bernie Sanders, Adam Schiff, Chuck Schumer, Jamie Raskin, et al.; who do nothing but criticize and threaten to withhold support for Israel on a daily basis because of their hate for Netanyahu and his "right-wing" party. And also to get Muslim votes in Michigan. Look, I am not a huge fan of Bibi and especially his unsuccessful actions in 2023 to try and change Israeli laws regarding the Judiciary and the separation of powers to help keep himself in control. But that is immaterial to me right now, as the state of Israel and our Jewish homeland is BATTLING FOR ITS VERY SURVIVAL against the millions and millions of its Muslim neighbors who want to see Israel wiped off the map entirely.
And it's obviously not just the liberal Jewish legislative leaders, but the majority of Democrats in general, who are anti-Israel and are feeding the explosion of anti-Semitism in our nation today. It's not conservatives and Maga members who are tearing down hostage posters, destroying college campuses, burning U.S. and Israel flags, defacing U.S. monuments, threatening synagogues, throwing bricks through the windows of Jewish-owned businesses, etc. It's not conservatives and GOP members of Congress who are constantly threatening to withhold vital arms from Israel and trying to force Israel into ridiculous ceasefire terms that would keep the Hamas terrorists in power, so they can simply rebuild and attack innocent Israelis again. Its not conservatives and GOP politicians who publicly state that the terrorist-supporting protestors in Michigan, Chicago, NYC, LA, and elsewhere "have a point" and are "doing it for all the right reasons." No those are the words of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, which are not that far off from the outrageous and dangerous anti-Israel statements being made every single day by Democratic Squad members and other liberal politicians (which are never disavowed by Dem leaders.)
I'm not a nutty Maga supporter either Bob, but at some point in your columns you need to call out the members of your own party for the dangerous and misguided statements they have made and the actions they have taken since October 7, which have greatly contributed to the huge rise in anti-Semitism and opposition to Israel's right to defend itself and even exist, in our nation today.
Bob Ellis, St Louis
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Thank you for coming to the exhibit but even more than that thank you for having the courage to speak about it. Thank you.
Scooter Braun
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