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The Forward
Trump used the debate to court a major Israeli-American donor. Palestinians will pay the price
If you had trouble understanding former President Donald Trump’s answers to questions about Israel’s war with Hamas in his debate with President Joe Biden, that’s for a good reason: He wasn’t talking to you. The audience for his answers wasn’t viewers, Israelis or the Palestinians, and certainly not the moderators. It was Dr. Miriam Adelson....
What Biden and Trump said about Israel — and Hitler — during the first presidential debate
Two Jewish journalists, CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, moderated the first 2024 presidential debate Thursday night, and neither asked President Joe Biden or former President Trump about rising antisemitism. But the debate touched on other topics of particular interest to Jewish voters. Here are a few, plus one Jewish comedian’s take on the spectacle....
Moses needed Aaron to communicate. Biden could have used him in debate.
There is a famous leader who, while humble and compassionate, struggled with a stammer. Tasked with leading a nation, he answered that he was slow of speech. Thankfully, he had an interpreter. I speak of Moses, whose older brother, Aaron, often served the role of proxy orator. President Joe Biden has a brother. Two, actually....
‘Non-Zionary’: How some queer Jews are wrestling with Israel
Since Oct. 7, queer Jews — both Zionists and anti-Zionists — have felt unwelcome in places they once felt comfortable. Many queer Zionist Jews say they’ve been excluded from queer groups where support for the pro-Palestinian cause is expected, and support for Israel — even expressions of sympathy for the victims of Hamas’ attack —...
Jewish law has always been clear: Emergency abortions are an essential right
Two things are true about Judaism and abortion. One: Jewish tradition is very clear that abortion is appropriate when it comes to protecting maternal health, and particularly when it comes to saving the life of a pregnant person. And two: when it comes to the abortion debate, what Jewish law and tradition have to say...
LAPD admits it was unprepared for Sunday’s violent protest outside LA synagogue
(JTA) — LOS ANGELES — Facing criticism over the police response to violence outside a Los Angeles synagogue, an LAPD official said the department erred in how it handled the protest and made estimates that “were not correct.” And L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said she has taken steps to explore banning masks at protests, though...
Kinky Friedman, singer and novelist who fronted The Texas Jewboys, dies at 79
(JTA) — Kinky Friedman, the cigar-chomping, mustachioed Texan country singer and mystery novelist whose body of work often seemed like the un-kosher marriage of the Borscht Belt and the Bible Belt, died June 27 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 79. As frontman for the flamboyant 1970s country group Kinky Friedman and the Texas...
Jewish law says we must wait for justice. For abortion rights, the cost of that wait is too high
The very first line of Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of our Fathers”), urges “patience in the administration of justice.” For millions of Americans, however, the administration of justice — specifically, by our Supreme Court on matters related to reproductive choice — requires an inhuman amount of patience. We are asked to wait calmly while they figure out...
How Gaza became an online clapback to anything (and I mean anything) you disagree with
The other night I was scrolling through an Instagram account about foraging edible plants. (There’s no way I’m harvesting magnolia blossoms to make cookies, but it’s fun to imagine.) I was feeling very seen by a video about how awful the invasive Bradford pear tree smells — if you know, you know — when I...
Today’s antisemitism will not end when the war in Gaza does
The antisemitism over the last eight months that Jews hoped would dissipate has only escalated — and it’s not going away anytime soon. In the last 10 days alone, three teens raped a 12-year-old Jewish girl in France, gunmen opened fire on a synagogue in Russia and pro-Palestinian protesters attacked Jews outside a synagogue in...
Polls show a small slip of Jewish voter from Biden to Trump. Could it impact the election?
Jewish Americans overwhelmingly favor and trust President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump. But a pair of recent polls show a small slip of Jewish voters toward Trump compared to previous years, which may indicate that the president is struggling among both stalwart supporters of Israel and opponents of its military campaign in Gaza....
What would Donald Trump do in Gaza?
It’s no secret that many progressives are furious at President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war. Eight months of horrifying images, death tolls, and accounts of human suffering, combined with US support of the war (including weapons sales, vetoes of UN resolutions, and political cover), have caused many on the Left to declare that they...
The Forward is targeted by Russian disinformation campaign around Israel
A disinformation campaign linked to Russia has intensified its activity in recent weeks, with fake news articles, dummy websites and videos using AI-generated voice-overs to spread false reports regarding the war in Gaza, protests in Israel and Israel’s relations abroad. The campaign included web pages masquerading as articles from the Forward and Hamodia, a popular...
Instead of making LGBTQ+ Jews scared of Pride, we should inspire them to march no matter what
As the New York City Pride parade approaches this weekend, it seems that the prevailing narrative in the press is that queer Jews do not feel welcome at Pride this year. In London, the largest LGBTQ+ nonprofit and Reform synagogue, KeshetUK and West London Synagogue, jointly pulled out of the London Pride March this week,...
Instead of making LGBTQ+ Jews scared of Pride, we should inspire them to march no matter what
As the New York City Pride parade approaches this weekend, it seems that the prevailing narrative in the press is that queer Jews do not feel welcome at Pride this year. In London, the largest LGBTQ+ nonprofit and Reform synagogue, KeshetUK and West London Synagogue, jointly pulled out of the London Pride March this week,...
How an airplane mechanic named Bennie Roth became the first Jew to set foot on Antarctica
When Commander Richard E. Byrd — an aviator, polar explorer and American hero who’d been feted with a ticker tape parade in New York City — was looking for the country’s best airplane mechanic to help him become the first man to reach the South Pole by air in 1928, he quickly settled on Benjamin “Bennie”...
From antisemitism to Israel, the Jewish topics to watch for in the Biden-Trump debate
(JTA) — WASHINGTON — When Donald Trump and Joe Biden met for their first debate back in September 2020, the most explosive moment was notable to many Jewish viewers: Trump stopped short of condemning white supremacists and told the Proud Boys, a far-right group, to “stand back and stand by.” This Thursday, as Trump and...
Harvard antisemitism task force finds ‘dire’ situation for Israelis on campus, urges swift action
(JTA) — Israeli students at Harvard University are facing “dire” exclusion on campus and other students are suffering because of “political litmus tests” to participate in clubs and activities, a task force charged with reporting on antisemitism at Harvard has concluded. The task force was convened by the school’s Jewish interim president, Alan Garber, in...
NBA’s only Israeli player traded from its second-worst team to its third-worst
The NBA’s only Israeli born player is heading west. Deni Avdija, who emerged last season in Washington as one of the league’s most efficient young players, has been traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, ESPN reported Wednesday. Avdija, 23, whose four-year, $55 million contract extension signed last October came with increased responsibility on a rebuilding...
After spurning Columbia, Robert Kraft gives $1M to Yeshiva U to support transfer students
(New York Jewish Week) — Two months after pulling his contributions from his Ivy League alma mater over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests, Robert Kraft has announced a new donation — to Yeshiva University. On Tuesday, the billionaire philanthropist and owner of the New England Patriots announced that he is donating $1 million to the...
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