WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

Today: Trump rejects Arab plan to rebuild Gaza • LA Times makes KKK snafu • and why a U.S. senator wrote a book about chutzpah.

FIRST IN FORWARDING

Pastor Dehavilland Ford prays at the “Esther Call to the Mall,” rally in October 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy)

The Esther effect

Queen Esther, the ancient Jewish heroine of Purim, which we celebrate next week, has become an unlikely political inspiration for conservative Christians. They are invoking her story as a call to action on issues like abortion, transgender rights and support for Israel.

Why it matters: Once a symbol of Jewish survival, Esther is now being recast in evangelical circles as a model of moral bravery and divine purpose — a shift critics say imposes modern political agendas on an ancient text.

Between the lines: Texas pastor Dehavilland Ford, who helped lead an “Esther Call to the Mall” march in Washington, sees Esther’s story as deeply personal — a narrative of rejection and purpose she’s made her own. But scholars warn that in elevating Esther as a Christian icon, her true legacy — and its distinctly Jewish context — risks being rewritten.

Related…

What did Purim costumes look like in a pre-war Polish shtetl?

A primary influence on Jewish jokes? The ancient Purim spiel

Is the Purim story actually a work of Babylonian fan fiction?

From our Sponsor, Zelikow School @ HUC-JIR

ON POLITICS

“A lot of things are happening in the Middle East,” President Donald Trump said in a Tuesday speech in front of a joint session of Congress. “It’s a rough neighborhood.” (Getty)

President Donald Trump delivered a sprawling 100-minute speech Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress, his first since returning to power. The war in Gaza received only a brief mention, and he did not reference the family members of the hostages, nor Noa Argamani, a freed hostage, who were all in the chamber. (JTA)

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Jewish “rising star” from Michigan, delivered the Democratic rebuttal in which she encouraged Americans not to tune out, to “hold elected officials, including me, accountable” and to organize. (Forward, CSPAN)

Plus…

On social media, Trump warned he may cut funding to colleges that allow “illegal protests” and vowed to deport foreign nationals who take part in them. His administration has vowed to fight antisemitism on campus and has targeted Columbia University in particular. (JTA)

Elbridge Colby, Trump’s pick for Pentagon policy chief, highlighted his pro-Israel stance at a Senate hearing that exposed GOP tensions between hawks and isolationists. (Haaretz)

Perspectives…

Opinion | As President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, our columnist Aviya Kushner could not help but think of Jewish history, replete with the “sinister strategy of asking victims to pay for being victimized,” she writes. Read her essay ►

Opinion | Trump’s threats to dismantle parts of the federal government should alarm Jews as much as antisemitism or Israel, argues David N. Myers, warning that no community thrives in a broken democracy. Read his essay ►

ISRAEL AT WAR

Esther Yahalomi, mother of slain hostage Ohad Yahalomi, mourns at his funeral today in Israel. (Getty)

The future of Gaza…

Arab leaders on Tuesday backed a $53 billion Egyptian plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing Palestinians, as an alternative to Trump’s “Middle East Riviera” plan. (AP)

The White House rejected the plan, saying it “does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live” there. (CNN)

Read the full text of the Arab-backed plan for Gaza reconstruction.

Plus…

The funeral for murdered hostage Ohad Yahalomi took place today. His wife, Batsheva, said that after 16 years of “joy and light, the light has now been extinguished, and I walk through the shadows, trying to feel my way.” (Haaretz)

Israel’s domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, on Tuesday took blame for missing warning signs ahead of the Oct. 7 attack, while also criticizing government policies that allowed Hamas to strengthen. (New York Times)

The Oscar win for No Other Land, a documentary about life under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, fueled hope among displaced Palestinians that it might revive global attention — and support — for their struggle. (AP)

Sean Baker, who won four Oscars on Sunday, is either being attacked as a Zionist or lauded for it — depending on where you look on social media, which says more about Israel-Palestinian discourse than it does about the Anora director. (Forward)

Northern Israel’s Mount Hermon ski resort reopened Tuesday, nearly a year and a half after closing due to Hezbollah attacks. Kids built snowmen, but there was no skiing due to damage to the lifts from the rocket fire. (Times of Israel)

Our most-read story yesterday: Trump’s treasury secretary is about to make a catastrophically bad move on Israel, writes Hadar Susskind in an opinion essay.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo at a campaign launch event on Sunday. (Getty)

🏃 Before he resigned as governor in 2021, Andrew Cuomo clashed with New York’s Jewish communities. Now he’s asking for their vote as he makes a run for mayor. (JTA, Forward)

🎤 Over 200 anti-Israel protesters rallied outside Columbia University on Tuesday to oppose former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s visit for a campus speech. (Times of Israel)

💻 The Los Angeles Times introduced a new feature Monday that offers AI-produced differing viewpoints. By Tuesday, the paper had removed the tool after it downplayed the KKK’s bigotry. (The Wrap)

🎒 A recent study found that Holocaust education in California’s K-12 public schools lacks consistency, often relying on teachers’ “individual initiative.” (J, The Jewish News of Northern California)

🇦🇺 Jews in Australia say living there has gotten worse after a spate of antisemitic incidents in the past year. Some are packing for Israel, others are securing European passports. What was once unthinkable is suddenly a conversation at Shabbat tables across the country. (Haaretz)

🤦 A recent study found that a third of Christians in the U.K. think Jews “still talk too much” about the Holocaust, while one in six blame Jews for “most wars.” (Times of Israel)

💪 Sen. Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, writes in a new memoir, It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change, about how the Yiddish word has inspired the “moral courage” in his career. (JTA)

Shiva call ► Selwyn Raab, a New York Times reporter who extensively covered the mob, died at 90.

What else we’re reading ► Meet the Jewish astronaut tapped by Trump to lead NASA (Jewish Insider) … Follow along as a Chabad rabbi finds the perfect home for a growing family (New York Times) … Christian Bible apps are amazing. Why did Jewish apps fall behind? (Jello Menorah)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Speaking at the Anti-Defamation League’s annual conference in New York, actor David Schwimmer, known for his role on Friends, urged fellow Jews in Hollywood to speak out against antisemitism. “I wish you would stand up,” he said. “I wish you would speak out, because your voice would be so meaningful to your fans who love you, to your community members who need you, to folks who can use just a little solidarity right now.”

Related…

The ADL gave its International Leadership Award to Israeli actress Gal Gadot. “Our love is stronger than their hate,” she said. Watch her speech.

Who were the Jews protesting the ADL conference?

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