The Jewish Star

Loyalist Friedman sticks with Don as US arraigns MAGA president

5 Townser backs Trump Bat mitzvah

Just a few hours before former President Donald Trump was arraigned in Miami on Tuesday, former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, a resident of Long Island’s Five Towns area, took to Twitter to broadcast his endorsement of Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

“I was privileged to have worked with President Trump and his team in setting and implementing his Middle East policies and I am very proud of our historic achievements,” Friedman posted on Tuesday morning. “I believe that it is in America’s best interests to strongly support Israel. No president has more strongly supported Israel than President Donald J. Trump and I endorse him for President of the United States.”

for grandaughter

Former President Donald Trump’s granddaughter celebrated her bat mitzvah over the weekend, her mother announced on Tuesday.

Arabella Rose Kushner, the eldest child of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, marked her bat mitzvah several weeks before her 12th birthday.

“With an abundance of love and immense pride, Jared and I celebrated our daughter Arabella’s Bat Mitzvah this past weekend,” Ivanka Trump wrote on Instagram.

“We reflect on the weekend with full hearts and an abundance of joy and gratitude.

“From her commitment to feeding hungry families through the Jewish Community Service Kosher Food Bank to supporting children with special needs through her work volunteering with the Friendship Circle and Whispering Manes, Arabella’s giving heart and commitment to making a positive impact embodies the spirit of this special milestone.”

See Bat mitzvah on page 2

See Friedman backs on page 2

From school to school, joy seemed to push away last week’s smoky air as commencements were celebrated. For graduates of Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls in Hewlett Bay Park, ceremonies took place on Sunday. After introductions by Principals Bluma Drebin and Elisheva Kaminetsky, addresses were delivered by Valedictorian Arielle Rosman, Salutatorian Atara Razi and Keter Shem Tov Awardee Jordana Brown.

In Decmeber 2016, The Jewish Star trumpeted the appointment of David Friedman of Woodsburgh as US ambassador to Israel.

Chesed marks its 50th anniversary

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Congregation Anshei Chesed of Hewlett celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday, honoring the same couple it feted at the shul’s first dinner, in 1988.

Drs. Laurel and Peter Steinherz have both devoted decades of leadership and dedication to children with cancer (Dr. Peter Steinherz is the founding medical director of Camp Simcha).

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been warm, welcoming and supportive of its members in good times and bad, and was always and continues to be active in many forms of chesed (including the Leon Mayer Fund and the Mark Ramer Chesed Center).

The dinner included a special tribute in memory of Miriam Kessler a’h, who gave of herself tirelessly for the shul and the community for many years.

Friedman backs Trump…

Friedman was Trump’s Ambassador to Israel from 2017 to 2021, and was involved in many of the administration’s Israel policies, including recognition of Jerusalem as the capital and the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The endorsement comes as some other former members of the MAGA team criticized Trump after he was indicted on 37 federal counts, including 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr told Fox News that Trump is “toast” if “even half” of the material in his indictment is true and called the details of the indictment “very damning.”

“This idea of presenting Trump as a victim

here — the victim of a witch hunt — is ridiculous. Yes, he’s been a victim in the past. Yes his adversaries have obsessively pursued him with phony claims, and I’ve been at his side defending him when he is a victim, but this is much different. He’s not a victim here,” Barr added.

“He was totally wrong that he had the right to have those documents. Those documents are among the most sensitive secrets the country has.”

Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that Trump was “incredibly reckless” if the charges against him turn out to be true.

On Saturday, Trump denounced the indictments against him in a speech in Georgia, calling them “ridiculous and baseless.”

G’daughter bat mitzvah…

“May her Bat Mitzvah be the beginning of a beautiful and fulfilling chapter in her life.”

“Thank you dad and Melania for arranging such a sweet celebration for Arabella,” Ivanka wrote.

From left: Guests of honor Dr. Laurel Steinherz, Dr. Peter Steinherz, Congregation Anshei Chesed current President Michael Blander and former President Stephen Savitksy. D. Bluth

Pictured at Arabella Rose’s bat mitzvah celebration last weekend: Jared and Ivanka Kushner and their children, Arabella Rose, Joseph Frederick and Theodore James. Ivankatrump, Instagram

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

UN delays confab amid push to demonize Israel

Mike Wagenheim, JNS

The United Nations was supposed to convene a meeting with Jewish leaders and global antisemitism envoys next week in Cordoba, Spain to unveil its plan to combat antisemitism. It has postponed that meeting, amid stark disagreement over the contents of a draft plan that includes definitions of antiseminism that demonize Israel.

That document, which the United Nations circulated two weeks ago, is “deeply flawed and generated much criticism,” Rabbi Andrew Baker, director of international Jewish affairs at the American Jewish Committee, told JNS. “It was clear that nothing would be agreed at Cordoba.”

Miguel Moratinos, high representative for the UN alliance of civilizations, sent a letter to would-be meeting participants on June 9.

“After very careful consideration and aiming to ensure the action plan is inclusive and benefits from the inputs of all stakeholders, I would like to allow more time for further work and finalization of the plan during summer 2023,” he wrote.

The meeting, which was slated for June 20 and 21, is postponed until September, with no exact date set yet. Moratinos’ office did not respond to a request for comment from JNS on Sunday.

The draft plan, a confidential copy of which was reviewed by JNS, gives equal weight and mention to competing antisemitism definitions — the widely-accepted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition, as well as the Nexus definition and Jerusalem Declaration.

The Nexus definition states, in part, that “paying disproportionate attention to Israel and treating Israel differently than other countries is not prima facie proof of antisemitism,” while the Jerusalem Declaration states, in part, that “singling out Israel as uniquely colonial or apartheid, and saying that Israel has no right to exist, are not, ‘in and of themselves,’ antisemitic.”

The draft plan seen by JNS states that antisemitism includes “accusations that Israeli policies or actions are ‘Nazi,’” and notes that “Increasingly, there have been attempts or calls to delegitimize the right of Israel to exist, including calls for its destruction.”

Member states are asked to formulate an acceptable antisemitism definition in the draft plan, without the United Nations taking a position. In recent weeks, anti-Israel groups had written to the international body, asking it not to adopt the IHRA definition.

“The existence of controversy over the definition should not defeat the purpose and significance of this action plan,” the draft states, and “as with other forms of hatred and intolerance, definitions change over time.”

Terrorism, too, lacks an internationally agreed definition, the draft plan notes.

“That did not, however, stop governments nor international bodies, including the United Nations, from launching policies and frameworks to prevent and counter terrorism,” it continues.

David Michaels, director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs at B’nai B’rith International, told JNS that the UN should adopt the IHRA definition and “incorporate the action plan already authored by the UN’s last special rapporteur on religious freedom, Ahmed Shaheed.”

Shaheed had presented a milestone antisemitism report to

the UN General Assembly in 2020, and an action plan to combat antisemitism in 2022.

“It is also obviously vital that UN leaders speak out when individuals within the UN system express sentiment that crosses the line,” and also that the international body not support those who misrepresent the IHRA definition by claiming that it stifles legitimate debate about Israel, said Michaels.

“At the same time, no initiative to fight antisemitism would be a serious one if it doesn’t honestly address prevalent contemporary forms, including virulent anti-Israeli and anti-Zionist hatred,” he added.

The draft plan recommends a zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism, and includes bias training, a global campaign to deconstruct stereotypes of Jews and a number of recommendations to UN member states, such as investing in antisemitism and Holocaust education and designating special envoys on the topic.

A schedule for what was to be next week’s meetings in Cordoba, which JNS viewed, listed “Consultations on the United Nations draft action plan on monitoring antisemitism and enhancing a system-wide response.”

Moratinos never consulted with nor sought input from Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, nor from the Israeli Foreign Ministry during the plan’s formulation, which has been three years in the making, an Israeli diplomatic source told JNS, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Foreign Ministry, but not Erdan, was invited to the Cordoba meeting. The ministry had not responded prior to the postponement, the diplomatic source said.

Erdan and Moratinos appear to have a strained relationship, based on past comments and the lack of communication between their offices.

International Jewish leaders, and former and current Israeli officials, have said for decades that the United Nations suffers from antisemitism and an anti-Israel bias. The international body has not adopted a definition of antisemitism, and it often criticizes Israel and favors Palestinians. Some UN employees have glorified Nazis and sympathized with terror groups.

Israel’s mission to the United Nations and Jewish groups have faulted Moratinos specifically, and other UN officials for failing to condemn antisemitic comments from Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinians, as well as members of the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry.

A truck parked outside United Nations headquarters in New York on May 15, the first official UN “Nakba Day.” End Jew Hatred

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How Hebrew language shapes Jewish thinking

Backgrounder by Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson

British author Adam Jacot de Boinod spent five years researching over 700 dictionaries of different languages, culminating in a book titled, “The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from Around the World.”

Boinod’s findings suggest that a nation’s dictionary says more about its culture than a guidebook. You can tell a lot about a people by analyzing the prevalence and prominence of certain words in their language.

For example, Hawaiians have 65 words to describe fishing nets, 108 words for sweet potato, 42 for sugarcane and 47 for bananas, all staples of a Hawaiian diet.

Notably, in the same way that the Inuit have many words to describe the subtle differences between different types of snow, the Talmud employs a wide range of words to describe different categories of inquiry, reflecting the centrality of asking questions in Jewish culture and tradition.

Does the language we use merely express our worldview and values, or does it shape them? A growing body of research suggests that language does more than communicate our perception of reality, it creates it.

“It turns out that if you change how people talk, that changes how they think,” explained Professor Lera Boroditzky, a cognitive scientist in the fields of language and cognition. “If people learn another language, they inadvertently also learn a new way of looking at the world.

“To have a second language is to have a second soul.”

The book I recently co-authored, “People of the Word: 50 Words That Shaped Jewish Thinking,” provides insight into 50 key Hebrew words and the big ideas embedded in their etymology. These words have helped shape Jewish thought and values. In many

instances, they have led to measurable realworld impact.

For example, one could argue that the emphasis on happiness and joy in the Hebrew language and Jewish tradition, as elucidated in the chapter “Happiness,” has contributed to the fact that, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index, Jews score the highest of any faith or non-faith group in the US when it comes to happiness and wellbeing.

One could also posit, as did Nobel Prize winner Robert Aumann during a conversation I had with him while researching the book, that the great emphasis in Jewish tradition and culture on scholarship, curiosity and criti-

cal thinking has led to Jews’ disproportionate representation among Nobel Prize winners.

Another example of the link between the Jewish way of thinking and Jewish behavior can be seen in the Hebrew word tzedakah, often mistranslated as “charity.”

The great writer Salman Rushdie once said, “a culture can be defined by its untranslatable words.”

This is of particular relevance when we think about the word/concept of tzedakah, which has much to teach about the unique Jewish understanding and culture of giving.

To quote Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, “The Hebrew word tzedakah is

untranslatable because it means both charity and justice. Those two words repel one another in English because if I give you £100 because I owe you £100, that’s justice. But if I give you £100 because I think you need £100, that’s charity.”

“It’s either one or the other, but not both,” he explained. “Whereas in Hebrew, tzedakah means both justice and charity. There’s no word for just charity in Hebrew. Giving is something you have to do.”

Author Paul Valley spent six years researching the history of Western philanthropy from the ancient Greeks and Hebrews to modern times. In his book Philanthropy: from Aristotle to Zuckerberg, he wrote, “It is, therefore, perhaps no coincidence that throughout the history of philanthropy Jews have been consistently generous givers, and disproportionately so.”

“A survey in Britain in 2019 showed that 93 percent of British Jews gave to charity compared with 57 percent of the rest of the population,” he noted. “In the Sunday Times Giving List in 2014, more than 12 percent of the most charitable givers were Jewish, though Jews constitute less than half of one percent of the UK population according to the last census.”

The point of the above examples and observations is not to suggest that Jews are naturally happier, smarter and kinder than other people, but rather that Jewish culture, as shaped and molded over millennia by Jewish ideas and values expressed in the Hebrew language, provides a universal paradigm-shifting toolkit and template that can be emulated by all.

More than merely a thought-provoking read, my co-author and I hope that our book, like the 50 words upon which it is based, will inspire readers to concrete action that reflects their highest ideals and values.

The author is spiritual leader of Beit Baruch and executive director of Chabad of Belgravia in London.

Metal Hebrew letters for use in an old letterpress.

Anastasia, Adobe

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AJC forum tackles tests facing Jewish people

By David Isaac, JNS

Political heavyweights and prominent journalists discussed key issues affecting Israel and the Jewish people at the opening plenary of the American Jewish Committee’s second AJC Global Forum in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening.

Those issues included rising antisemitism, the Abraham Accords and Israeli-Diaspora relations.

One thousand persons from 60 nations were in attendance at the opening event, with a total of 1,500 expected throughout the fourday forum.

Ted Deutch, in his inaugural AJC Global Forum address as CEO, celebrated the success Israel has achieved on its 75th anniversary. He noted that Israel has become a technological powerhouse, a vibrant democracy with “perhaps the freest of free presses anywhere in the world,” and a staunch defender of civil rights.

“Also, I would note we gather here today just at the conclusion of Tel Aviv Pride, one of the largest LGBTQ gatherings in the world,” he said to loud applause.

Despite the successes, Israel faces many challenges, which the forum would focus on, Deutch said. The challenges, both foreign and domestic, include the Iranian nuclear threat, Gaza rockets and “widening rifts within Israel between the political left and the political right, between religious and secular Jews, and between Israelis and Diaspora Jewry.”

Iran came up frequently throughout the evening. Deutch asked opposition leader Yair Lapid why the world has stood against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but not against Iran to the same degree.

“Part of the problem we have now is that [Iran] is not at the center of global attention,” Lapid said, noting that the world, and the US specifically, is preoccupied with other issues

case of the war in Ukraine, Tehran has become one of Russia’s only allies.

“It’s further proof, if anyone needed further proof, that whatever is wrong in this world, Iran is going to be involved,” Lapid said.

Lapid said that the current US administration views signing a deal with Iran as the “easiest way to take the Iran issue off the table” so it can focus on matters it considers more urgent. This would be a costly mistake, Lapid warned, stressing that there is no daylight between Israel’s opposition and coalition on Iran. All speak with one voice, “telling the American administration: ‘Do not sign a bad deal’.”

AJC’s activities extend beyond America and the organization boasts 14 overseas offices. As a result, several European leaders addressed the conference.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė stressed the growing cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, where “Russia gets access to Iran’s weapons supply and Iran, at the same time, [gets] a cover for advancing its nuclear program and inflaming regional instability.

“My country has done much more than just usual public condemnation. In recent months, at least five Iranian drone companies were sanctioned by the EU on our initiative,” said Šimonytė, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, where they discussed regional issues, especially the Iranian threat.

Margaritis Schinas, European Commission vice president for promoting our European way of life, credited the AJC “for being an active and trusted partner” in the inception and implementation of an EU strategy laid out in October 2021, “the first ever to fight against antisemitism and promote Jewish life in Europe.”

Karoline Edtstadler, Austrian federal minister for the EU and constitution, said, “Austria has a special historic responsibility, a responsi-

tial to us: safeguarding and protecting Jews in Austria and Europe and beyond and supporting Israel whenever it is threatened.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also attended the opening plenary. Of the judicial reform talks that are taking place under his auspices, Herzog said, “Perhaps it’s good that it has come up now as a public issue, as a really in-depth discussion of where we are and where we are going as a nation.

“These are critical days and I sincerely hope that the leaders and the elected officials will take the right decisions, because not only the people of Israel want a wide agreement and

hurting the basic rules of democracy and the independence of the judiciary, but more importantly, I also feel that in this room, the Jewish world demands us not to be torn apart, and want us to move forward with a dialogue,” Herzog said.

A panel of journalists also focused largely on judicial reform. Channel 12 political commentator Amit Segal, who identifies with Israel’s right wing, said that “judicial reform is dead, but no one has informed the family yet.

“My guess is somewhere between days and months [from now], Netanyahu will take 5 percent of judicial reform, declare a victory and

Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the AJC Global Forum on June 11. Yair Meyuhas, AJC

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Times airs a libel: Frum Jews pollute NY wells

By Menachem Wecker, JNS

In the Middle Ages, Jews were accused of poisoning wells and starting plagues, including the Black Death. In New York’s presentday Rockland County, and across state lines in New Jersey, the Orthodox Jewish community is being accused of something similar.

A May 11 New York Times article, headlined, “A Cemetery or an ‘Environmental Train Wreck’? Burial Site Fuels Debate,” centers on a Jewish cemetery and mikvah which, according to a neighbor quoted in the article, represent “an environmental train wreck in slow motion.”

“Opponents acknowledge the inherent clash of cultures that exists between residents of one of the wealthiest regions of New Jersey and the tight-knit Orthodox religious community that holds fast to its traditions,” the Times allows. But those critics “insist that their objections are rooted in environmental concerns and frustration over what they consider a fast-tracked approval process weighted in favor of Rockland County’s thriving ultraOrthodox Jewish community.”

The complaints also appear to center on Jewish burial practice: “no embalming fluids are used; bodies are placed in simple wooden caskets; and the graves are not lined with concrete vaults or lids, facilitating decomposition and the body’s return to the earth,” the Times reported.

“The ‘concern’ is literally that they think for some unexplained reason that the cemetery will poison the wells,” said Moshe Krakowski, director of doctoral studies at Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. “I’m not making this up.”

When Krakowski researched the situation, he learned that the apparent controversy “was cooked up by Rise Up Ocean County, a borderline neo-Nazi hate group that’s been banned several times from Facebook.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy denounced the

group in 2020 for “racist and antisemitic statements,” including “an explicit goal of preventing Orthodox Jews from moving to Ocean County.”

Three of the sources quoted in the Times article, Krakowski found, appear often on the Rise Up Ocean County website: Heather Federico, Danielle Meehan and Gordon Wren — all with ties to a group called Citizens United to Protect Our Neighborhoods — and the Times article echoed many of the elements of a 2022 post on the group’s blog.

“We first met Heather Federico almost two years ago and since then have admired her tenacity,” a post on the Rise Up Ocean County blog states. The Times simply described Federico as a “member of a community group opposed to both

ventures,” the mikvah and the cemetery.

A 2020 federal lawsuit filed against Jackson Township, NJ, which cites “widespread animus toward the Orthodox community,” calls Citizens United to Protect Our Neighborhoods “a group purportedly against development and espousing antisemitic views.”

“In August 2019, three Township officials, ZBA chairman Sheldon Hofstein, ZBA member Joseph Sullivan, and Planning Board member Richard Egan resigned after reports and videos surfaced documenting their attendance at and participation in a CUPON meeting,” the Justice Department noted in the lawsuit. (ZBA refers to Jackson’s Zoning Board of Appeals.)

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“These are hate groups,” Krakowski told JNS. “There is no real environmental problem here of any kind — in fact, there are several other local cemeteries immediately adjacent to the proposed cemetery that these ‘critics’ have no problem with. What’s really going on here? The problem isn’t the environment. It’s the Jews.”

Tzvi Waldman, a community activist who lives down the road from the new mikvah and the cemetery, told JNS that Rockland County only has one public mikvah for use during the week and several “satellite” ones for use on Shabbat. Due to public demand, particularly as the Orthodox community in the area grew, another was needed.

Behind Har Shalom Cemetery, located on Hillside Avenue in Airmont, NY, are Gates of Zion and Ascension Cemeteries — the ones that Krakowski noted aren’t being said to poison wells — and behind that is a “huge, empty forestry area,” according to Waldman.

A road that connects that area to other parts of Rockland County was closed and remains closed to traffic, a closure that “cuts off access to the mikvah from a huge, huge area,” Waldman told JNS. “A literally eight-minute drive would turn into a 20-minute drive. I’ve been actively trying to get them to do something about it.”

He thinks that certain people in the neighborhood were involved in a bridge, on the same road, being closed and in trying to block the mikvah and Jewish cemetery.

“They’re using bureaucracy to delay the opening,” he said, of the closed road. “It doesn’t matter to me what the reason was for it to be closed. At this point, it needs to be resolved,” he said. “It’s something that is essential for us, and the road gets closed. We have to wonder why.”

He’s been talking to county and other local officials and is optimistic.

“This is an issue that could be worked out if various government officials come together and have an honest conversion,” Waldman told JNS. “I’m really hopeful that conversation can happen so it can be resolved.”

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Asked about the Times’ reporting on Jews in the context of poisoning wells, Waldman said that “history repeats itself. It’s shocking today, where we have access to so much information to research. People fall into the same traps and the same nonsense.”

Krakowski sees the Times story as part of a broader pattern of reporting that is critical of Orthodox Jews, particularly its reporting on Chassidic education.

“This isn’t the first time the Times has demonstrated extreme anti-Orthodox bigotry and bias,” he told JNS.

Waldman accused the Times of giving “cover to other people to repeat stuff that is blatantly antisemitic, nonsensical and not fact-based.”

When Jew-hatred appears in the newspaper, it could give rise to people attacking Jews, he said. “Words have consequences. It’s something that our leaders have to realize.”

Screenshot of a road in Rockland County which was closed, some say, to make life more difficult for Orthodox Jewish families. Google Street View

‘Influencer’ reflects on volunteer tour in Israel

By Bradley Martin, JNS

When Emily Austin, a 22-year-old IsraeliAmerican social-media influencer and sports broadcaster, viewed humanitarian work underway in the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer last month, lots of people heard about it.

Austin, who began modeling and working in broadcast news at 18, has a vast socialmedia following with more than 500,000 on TikTok and 1.2 million on Instagram. She aims to visit Israel at least annually and thinks it is “important to remind myself and everyone else of my Israeli roots,” she told JNS.

“Israel is always taking heat for a lot of false narratives that are out there,” she told JNS. “I am one of the many proofs that this is a thriving and democratic country.”

Austin hopes that her visits to Israel, which she discusses on her social-media handles, will encourage US athletes to see for themselves that Israel is neither a war zone nor an “apartheid” state, an accusation that has been

St. John’s wins grant

The ICARE Foundation of St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway has been awarded a $38,000 grant from the Amazin’ Mets Foundation.

The foundation, whose name pays homage to the 1969 New York Mets championship team, delivered the grant to support the Episcopal Health Services Teens Project.

The grant will supply 1,000 reusable duffle bags containing products like shampoo, soap, lotion, towels, deodorant and feminine hygiene products to teens in the Far Rockaway area.

“Personal hygiene products are expensive and often overlooked, which has a substantial effect on youth who are entering puberty. Good hygiene helps to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and it helps boost confidence,” said ICARE Foundation Executive Director Nancy Leghart.

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Also founded in 2021, the St John’s ICARE Foundation stands for Innovation, Compassion, Respect and Empathy.

increasingly pointed towards the country. She doubled down on the need to correct the false narratives about Israel, telling JNS that “the only way we can do that is through connecting people on a personal level.” She added that sports are one of the best ways “to build these bridges organically.”

Her redcent trip included meetings with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal Herzog, at their Jerusalem home; visits to the Kotel and its tunnels; and a meeting with Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, chairman of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. And, of course, she spent a lot of time at the medical center, which sponsored her trip.

Herzog was “very genuine,” she reported, and she and he and his wife discussed medical innovations at the hospital as well as the importance of Israeli unity. The Israeli president thanked her for her social-media activism on behalf of the Jewish state, she told JNS.

At the Sheba Medical Center, Austin learned about advances it has made in the medical field

in recent years, including a field hospital that reportedly was the first to set down in Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022.

During the trip, Austin also met with Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz and attended the medical center’s annual gala on June 5, where she met US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides and Israeli pop star Shiri Maimon.

At a campus of the Shalva Center, which works with people with disabilities and their families, Austin learned about a soccer and basketball camp, whose coaches include former Israeli-American professional basketball player and current coach Tamir Goodman and retired Israeli Olympic judoka Ori Sasson.

She also found time on the trip to visit with family, including her great-grandmother and cousins who live in Tel Aviv.

Born in Brooklyn to Israeli parents who immigrated to the United States, Austin got her big break when an MTV producer saw an Instagramlive show that she produced, called “Daily Vibes with Emily Austin.” The producer asked her to audition for the MTV show “Music Lives On.” She did and was part of the show for one year.

She has served as an unpaid media consultant to Israel’s permanent mission to the United Nations since September 2022 and was a judge of the 71st “Miss Universe” pageant earlier this year.

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Social-media Influencer and sports broadcaster Emily Austin visiting young children at the Shalva Center in Israel.

Austin with kids and coaches participating in soccer camp at the Shalva Center. At left is former professional basketball player and current coach Tamir Goodman. Third from left is retired Israeli Olympic judoka Ori Sasson.

Preparing to salute our dads on their day WINE AND DINE

Kitchen

JoNI SchocKEtt

Star columnist

My father loved food with a passion that many reserve for sports, music, or some other endeavor. My dad waxed poetic about fresh sweet corn and good brisket, apple pie in the fall or small-farm, hand churned ice cream in the summer. Homemade lemonade was worth a detailed critique on a hot summer’s day as was a tomato from his garden in late July. He was almost as excited about the large ripe blueberries from the car-sized bush he covered with netting to keep the birds away, as he was when his beloved Red Sox won a big game.

My dad loved food in all seasons, but summer was his favorite. Whether it meant swimming and picnicking for a day at his beloved Nantasket Beach or grilling for our huge extended family and close friends, food was front and center, and he relished those times with the excitement of a kid at Disney World.

It was also the time for growing his lush vegetable garden which meant he could go pick sweet corn and tomatoes, peppers, carrots, radishes, beans and more right in our backyard, or asparagus, rhubarb, and blueberries, on the side yard where he also spent hours pruning and caring for the apple trees that produced bushels of big, juicy, sweet apples every fall just as summer was winding down.

In 1982, he planted four rhubarb bushes along the side of the house. He asked me to help, but I couldn’t, I was pregnant with my second child and could barely move. I had no idea why he was growing rhubarb as I knew very little about it and he could not pick it for two years. But, within those two years, he learned a lot and in year three he created and mastered dozens of delicious recipes from sauces to muffins and even strawberry rhubarb ice cream! In 1988 my parents sold the house, but my dad moved 5 HUGE rhubarb plants to my house. In 2023, they are still supplying us and many of my neighbors with tons of rhubarb for the many ways in which he taught me to use it.

My dad was happiest in front of a stove in the kitchen or working the big grill in our backyard. He completely believed that there was nothing that could not be grilled — from meat to fish to vegetables, potatoes, corn, fruits and of course, marshmallows. And if he wasn’t grilling in the summer, he could often be found on his friend’s boat by 4 am, catching buckets of local flounder for the grill that night.

Summer was his happy time and his love of good, summer foods made our summers

healthy, educational and so much fun!

If you have a dad like I had, then you know that nothing will make him happier on Father’s Day than a great meal.

So fire up the grill, make some fresh lemonade and get to work on lots of homemade Father’s Day cards (because they are the best kind) and show Dad how much you love him. And, of course … happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

South carolina Yellow Mustard Grilled chicken (Meat)

Not all barbecue sauces are red. This is for true yellow mustard lovers; a favorite in South Carolina.

• 1/2 to 2/3 cup yellow mustard (Not Dijon, just inexpensive yellow)

• 1/2 onion, finely grated

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar or half and half, to taste

• 1/4 cup honey, to taste

• 1 Tbsp. dry mustard powder

• 1/2 to 2 tsp. tabasco or hot sauce, to taste

• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

• 3 tablespoons Canola oil

• 8 to 10 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

(2-1/2 to 3-1/2 pounds)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• Canola oil for brushing the grates of the grill

Whisk the first 8 ingredients together in a large bowl. Remove 2/3 of the sauce to another container and place the chicken pieces in the larger bowl with the remaining third of the mustard sauce. Toss to coat and let sit for about 15 minutes.

Heat the barbecue to medium and generously brush the grates with canola oil. Take about 1/4 cup of the reserved sauce for basting the chicken and refrigerate the rest.

Grill the chicken, skin side down, until the chicken moves easily and there are well-defined grill marks. Turn the chicken and baste the skin side several times while cooking. When the meat reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees, it is done.

Place the chicken on a platter and serve with the remaining sauce. Makes 8 to 10 pieces.

Brown Mustard Grilled chicken (Meat)

A mustard-lover’s heaven for the true deli brown mustard lovers.

• 2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces, or boneless skinless pieces

• 1/4 cup whole grain or brown mustard

• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

• 1 Tbsp. tamari sauce or low-sodium soy sauce

• 1 to 2 Tbsp. honey, to taste

• 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar

• 2 tsp. canola oil

• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

• 2 tsp. Spanish (sweet) paprika (scant) or smoked paprika

• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth. Cover and let sit for 1 to 4 hours for flavors to meld. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Brush chicken pieces with canola oil.Place in a large bowl. Add half the marinade and toss to coat.L et sit for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally. Place on a medium hot grill and grill until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees for white meat and 170 for dark meat.

herbal Salsa Verde for Grilled Steak (Pareve)

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, finely minced

• 1 Tbsp. (generous) finely grated lemon zest

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• 2 cups fresh herbs such as basil, tarragon, oregano, thyme, finely minced

• 1 cup fresh parsley, finely minced

• 1/2 cup fresh chives, finely minced Place oil, garlic and lemon zest in a large bowl. Mix and let sit, covered lightly, for 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While lemon and garlic are marinating, remove stems from the fresh herbs and Discard. Finely chop the herbs and add them, the parsley, and the chives to the bowl. Mix well.

Add a bit more oil if needed. Set aside for another 30 minutes, mixing frequently. Serve over grilled steak, burgers, turkey burgers or chicken.

Makes about 3 cups.

Simple hot & Sweet Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (Pareve)

This is a great barbecue sauce for ribs, chicken or even hamburgers. I love it on skin-on thighs. Make as hot or mild as you like.

2 cups Ketchup

• ½ cup blackstrap molasses, more to taste

• ¼ to 1/3 cup Bourbon

• 1 to 3 (or more) Tbsp. hot pepper sauce

• 2 Tbsp. kosher Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tsp. paprika, smoked or sweet

• 2 to 4 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press

• 1 tsp. onion powder

• 2 to 4 heaping Tbsp. dark brown sugar, to taste

• 4 Tbsp. canola oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir often. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened. Remove from heat.

Add the oil and whisk to blend. Let cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Can be made several days ahead.

Makes about 3 cups.

Kosher

Jewish

Chicken breasts. Adobe

Barbecue sauce. Adobe

Rub for barbecue. Adobe

Getting ready to salute our dads on their day…

Kansas City Chili Grilling Rub (Pareve)

This is all about tasting and adjusting ingredients as you go along to get the mix you like

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

• 1/4 cup paprika (a small part of this can be smoked or hot Hungarian paprika)

• 1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• 1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, to taste

• 1 Tbsp. chili powder, to taste

• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, to taste

• 1 Tbsp. onion powder, to taste

OPTIONAL: 1 tsp. cayenne, or to taste if you like a really hot rub

Combine all ingredients together and transfer to an airtight container.

To use: Take a small spoonful of the rub and place on the meat. Rub it gently and quickly into each side of the meat. (I wear food prep gloves for this.) Let meat rest for about 10 minutes before grilling. The rub may be stored in an airtight container for up to six months in a cool, dark place.

Warm Grilled Potato Salad (Parve)

This no-mayo potato salad is delicious with lots of added veggies such as fresh green beans and roasted asparagus, blistered cherry tomatoes and any other veggies you like.

• 5 to 6 large California Long white or Yukon Gold Potatoes

• 6 to 8 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder

• 1 Tbsp. onion powder

• 1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

• 1/2 to 1 tsp. paprika

• 1 Vidalia or red onion, thinly sliced, slices cut into quarters

• 1/2 cup sliced scallions

• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

• 1/2 tsp. sugar

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, to taste

• 1/4 tsp. celery seed

• 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Slice the potatoes (peel, if you like; if not, scrub them) and slice into 1/4-thick slices. Place in a large bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and paprika and toss to coat. Place the potatoes in a grill basket over a hot grill and grill for 10 to 20 minutes, tossing or flipping the potatoes often to cook on both sides. Potatoes should be a bit browned and are done when they are cooked through.

While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the remaining olive oil, minced garlic, sugar, salt, and celery seed. Add the garlic wine vinegar and whisk to emulsify.

Slice the onion and place in a large bowl. Add the sliced scallions and toss. Add any other veggies you may like.

Add the cooked potatoes to the bowl and toss to mix. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and veggies, toss gently, and serve.

Cabernet Sauvignon Burger (Meat)

This is a fantastic burger for adult family members. Kids will like their burgers plain.

• 1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon wine

• 1/2 cup shallots, minced

• 9 Tbsp. trans-fat free pareve margarine

• 2 tsp. brown sugar

• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary

• 1 to 2 cups sliced mushrooms

• 1-1/2 to 2 pounds extra lean ground

beef

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

• 1 to 3 clove garlic, finely minced

• 1/2 small red onion finely minced, about 1/4 cup

• 1 egg

• Canola oil

• Focaccia rolls or good quality bulkie rolls

Place the wine and shallots in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer until the wine is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Add one tablespoon margarine and stir until melted. Add the sugar and whisk until the sugar is melted. Set aside.

Mix the rest of the melted margarine with the rosemary and set aside.

Place the meat, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion and egg in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add about 1/4 of the shallot wine mixture to the meat and mix well. Cover the meat

and let sit for 10 minutes.

Heat a skillet and add 2 tablespoons canola oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they turn golden. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a blow. Set aside.

Form the meat into 6 to 8 patties and brush each with canola oil. Place over medium high heat and grill, basting with the remaining wine until desired doneness. Place burgers on a platter. Set aside.

Brush the cut halves of rolls or focaccia bread with the margarine rosemary mixture and grill until golden. Serve burgers with mushrooms, any remaining shallot wine sauce, sliced tomatoes, sweet onion or red onion slices and baby filed greens. Makes 8 to 10 patties.

Sweet and Sour Glazed Hot Dogs (meat)

• 2 Tbsp. ketchup

• 1 Tbsp. tamari sauce

• 1 teaspoon canola oil

• 1 large garlic clove, finely minced

• 1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar, more to taste

• 1/2 tsp. vinegar

• 1 tsp. molasses, to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly, about 3 to 4 minutes.Stir almost continuously. Let cool.

Take 4 to 8 large hot dogs and score them on three sides. Make a shallow cut lengthwise through the middle of each line of scores. Place the hot dogs on a hot grill and baste continuously with the glaze until the hot dogs are cooked through and deep golden brown. Makes 4 to 8. Alternatively, for an appetizer, grill the hot dogs, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the sauce and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce is very bubbly. Arrange the pieces on a platter and serve with toothpicks. Serves 4 to 10.

Potato salad. Adobe

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jewish star torah columnists:

•Rabbi Avi Billet of Anshei Chesed, Boynton Beach, FL, mohel and Five Towns native •Rabbi David Etengoff of Magen David Yeshivah, Brooklyn

•Rabbi Binny Freedman, rosh yeshiva of Orayta, Jerusalem

contributing writers:

•Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks zt”l,

former chief rabbi of United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth •Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, OU executive VP emeritus

•Rabbi Raymond Apple, emeritus rabbi, Great Synagogue of Sydney

•Rabbi Yossy Goldman, life rabbi emeritus, Sydenham Shul, Johannesburg and president of the South African Rabbinical Association.

contact our columnists at: Publisher@TheJewishStar.com

Five towns candlelighting: From the White Shul, Far Rockaway, NY

תבש לש בכוכ

Fri June 16 / 27 Sivan

Shabbos Mevarchim • Sh’lach

Candles: 8:09 • Havdalah: 9:19

Fri June 23 / 4 Tammuz

Korach

Candles: 8:11 • Havdalah: 9:20

Fri June 30 / 11 Tammuz

Chukas-Balek

Candles: 8:11 • Havdalah: 9:20

Fri July 7 / 18 Tammuz

Pinchas

Candles: 8:10 • Havdalah: 9:19

Fri July 14 / 25 Tammuz

Shabbos Mevarchim • Matot-Masei

Candles: 8:07 • Havdalah: 9:15

Fri July 21 / 3 Av

Shabbos Hazon • Devarim

Candles: 8:02 • Havdalah: 9:10

Many fear failure, the spies feared success

rabbi sir

jonathan

One of the most powerful addresses I ever heard was given by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, on this week’s parsha, Sh’lach: the story of the spies. For me, it was nothing less than life-changing.

He asked the obvious questions. How could ten of the spies have come back with a demoralizing, defeatist report? How could they say, we cannot win, their cities are well fortified, they are giants and we are grasshoppers?

They had seen with their own eyes how G-d had sent a series of plagues that brought Egypt, the strongest and longest-lived of all the empires of the ancient world, to its knees. They had seen the Egyptian army with its cuttingedge military technology, the horse-drawn chariot, drown in the Reed Sea while the Israelites passed through it on dry land. Egypt was far stronger than the Canaanites, Perrizites, Jebusites and other minor kingdoms that they would have to confront in conquering the land. Nor was this an ancient memory — it had happened not much more than a year before.

What is more, they already knew that, far from being giants confronting grasshoppers, the people of the land were terrified of the Israelites. They had said so themselves in the course of singing the Song at the Sea:

The peoples have heard; they tremble; Pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; Trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fall upon them; Because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone. Ex. 15:14-16

The people of the land were afraid of the Israelites. Why then were the spies afraid of them ?

What is more, continued the Rebbe, the spies were not people plucked at random from among the population. The Torah states that they were “all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.” They were leaders. They

were not people given lightly to fear.

The questions are straightforward, but the answer the Rebbe gave was utterly unexpected: The spies were not afraid of failure, he said. They were afraid of success.

What was their situation now? They were eating manna from heaven. They were drinking water from a miraculous well. They were surrounded by Clouds of Glory. They were camped around the Sanctuary. They were in continuous contact with the Shechinah. Never had a people lived so close to G-d.

What would be their situation if they entered the land? They would have to fight battles, maintain an army, create an economy, farm the land, worry about whether there would be enough rain to produce a crop, and all the other thousand distractions that come from living in the world. What would happen to their closeness to G-d? They would be preoccupied with mundane and material pursuits.

Here they could spend their entire lives learning Torah, lit by the radiance of the Divine. There they would be no more than one more nation in a world of nations, with the same kind of economic, social and political problems that every nation has to deal with.

The spies were not afraid of failure. They were afraid of success. Their mistake was the mistake of very holy men. They wanted to spend their lives in the closest possible proximity to G-d. What they did not understand was that G-d seeks, in the Hasidic phrase, “a dwelling in the lower worlds.” One of the great differences between Judaism and other religions is that while others seek to lift people to heaven, Judaism seeks to bring heaven down to earth.

Much of Torah is about things not conventionally seen as religious at all: labor relations, agriculture, welfare provisions, loans and debts, land ownership and so on. It is not difficult to have an intense religious experience in the desert, or in a monastic retreat, or in an ashram. Most religions have holy places and holy people who live far removed from the stresses and strains of everyday life. There was one such Jewish sect in Qumran, known to us through the Dead Sea Scrolls, and there were certainly others. About this there is nothing unusual at all.

But that is not the Jewish project, the Jewish mission.

G-d wanted the Israelites to create a model society where human beings were not treated as slaves, where rulers were not worshipped as demigods, where human dignity was respected, where law was impartially administered to rich and poor alike, where no one was destitute, no one was abandoned to isolation, no one was above the law and no realm of life was a morality-free zone. That requires a society, and a society needs a land. It requires an economy, an army, fields and flocks, labor and enterprise. All these, in Judaism, become ways of bringing the Shechinah into the shared spaces of our collective life.

The spies feared success, not failure. It was the mistake of deeply religious men. But it was a mistake.

That is the spiritual challenge of the greatest event in two thousand years of Jewish history: the return of Jews to the land and state of Israel.

Perhaps never before and never since has there been a political movement accompanied by so many dreams as Zionism. For some it was the fulfillment of prophetic visions, for others the secular achievement of people who had decided to take history into their own hands.

Some saw it as a Tolstoy-like reconnection with land and soil, others a Nietzschean assertion of will and power. Some saw it as a refuge from European antisemitism, others as the first flowering of messianic redemption. Every Zionist thinker had his or her version of utopia, and to a remarkable degree they all came to pass.

But Israel always was something simpler and more basic. Jews have known virtually every fate and circumstance between tragedy and triumph in the almost four thousand years of their history, and they have lived in almost every land on earth. In all that time there only ever was one place where they could do what they were called on to do from the dawn of their history: to build their own society in accord with their highest ideals, a society that would be different from their neighbors and become a role model of how a society, an economy, an educational system and the administration of welfare could become vehicles for bringing the Divine presence down to earth.

It is not difficult to find G-d in the wilderness, if you do not eat from the labor of your hands and if you rely on G-d to fight your battles for you.

Ten of the spies, according to the Rebbe, sought

to live that way forever. But that, suggested the Rebbe, is not what G-d wants from us. He wants us to engage with the world. He wants us to heal the sick, feed the hungry, fight injustice with all the power of law, and combat ignorance with universal education. He wants us to show what it is to love the neighbor and the stranger, and say, with Rabbi Akiva, “Beloved is humanity because we are each created in G-d’s image.”

Jewish spirituality lives in the midst of life itself, the life of society and its institutions. To create it we have to battle with two kinds of fear: fear of failure, and fear of success. Fear of failure is common; fear of success is rarer but no less debilitating. Both come from the reluctance to take risks.

Faith is the courage to take risks. It is not certainty; it is the ability to live with uncertainty. It is the ability to hear G-d saying to us as He said to Abraham, “Walk on ahead of Me” (Gen. 17:1).

The Rebbe lived what he taught. He sent emissaries out to virtually every place on earth where there were Jews. In so doing, he transformed Jewish life. He knew he was asking his followers to take risks, by going to places where the whole environment would be challenging in many ways, but he had faith in them and in G-d and in the Jewish mission whose place is in the public square where we share our faith with others and do so in deeply practical ways.

It is challenging to leave the desert and go out into the world with all its trials and temptations, but that is where G-d wants us to be, bringing His spirit to the way we run an economy, a welfare system, a judiciary, a health service, and an army, healing some of the wounds of the world and bringing, to places often shrouded in darkness, fragments of Divine light.

While other religions seek to lift people to heaven, Judaism seeks to bring heaven down to earth.

When our blue soul surrounds our white fringes

Rabbi dR. Tzvi heRsh weinReb Orthodox Union

It may not sound like much of a story to you, but to me it was meaningful at many levels.

I’ve heard the story three times now, each time from a different person. Each of the three went through a remarkably similar experience and shared their story with me. I’d like to share the story with you, but some background will be necessary.

You must already have guessed that the background will derive from this week’s Torah portion, Sh’lach (Numbers 13:1-15:41). At the very end of the parsha, we read:

The L-rd said to Moses, as follows: Speak to the people of Israel and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout all their generations; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of the L-rd and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes. … Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your G-d. (Numbers 15:37-40).

The Torah’s word for “fringes” is tzitzit This mitzvah is punctiliously kept by observant Jews to this very day, consistent with the verse’s insistence that it is a practice mandated for “all their generations.”

The mitzvah entails affixing strings to four cornered garments, so that the strings hang loose. Jewish men wear these garments, and the stringent view, codified by the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 8:11), requires that the garment be worn above one’s other clothing “so that one will constantly look at the tzitzit and thereby remember the commandments.»

More lenient views allow the garment to be worn under one’s other clothing, but still encourage the practice of letting the strings themselves protrude from one’s clothing so

that the wearer can see them, reflect upon them, and call to mind the Almighty’s commandments. This is the practice of very many observant Jews nowadays.

Now we come to the story told to me by three young men who had identical experiences with these strings while wearing them in their everyday business settings. To my knowledge, these three men do not know each other and indeed dwell and work in communities geographically distant from each other.

Each of them approached me with his story, convinced that I would be especially interested in what had occurred to them. Each of them was approached, and I should emphasize respectfully approached, by a non-Jew, and each of them was asked if there was any significance to the strings protruding from their sweaters or shirts. Each of them replied that the strings had religious significance and that they wore them in keeping with a biblical command.

Each of them was surprised when the non-Jew immediately understood that this practice traced back to the Bible; in his words, to the Old Testament. Two of them even knew the chapter and verse of the passage in the Bible, quoted above. «Of course,» they said, «these strings are the ‹fringes› which must be attached to your garments.»

All three “storytellers” were similarly taken aback by the expertise shown by their nonJewish acquaintances and by their familiarity with “our” Bible. But none of the three stories ends quite here.

All of the three non-Jews then persisted to ask, “But where are the blue strings? Doesn’t the Bible prescribe that a blue cord be attached at each corner? Where are your blue cords?”

The Torah’s word for the “blue cord” is

tekhelet. In Biblical times, and for centuries thereafter, one of the cords, and according to some opinions two of them, were dyed blue before being attached to the four-cornered garment. The dye was extracted from a sea creature known as the chilazon. Over the course of Jewish history, this practice was discontinued. It became difficult to procure this specific dye, and eventually the precise identity of this sea creature became unknown.

Two of my “storytellers” were able to share the reason for the absence of the blue cord with their non-Jewish questioners. One had to simply admit that he did not know why he did not keep the precise biblical command in his personal practice.

Permit me now to briefly tell you another story; namely, the story of the discovery of the identity of the sea creature, the recovery of the knowledge necessary to extract the dye from that creature, and the renewed ability to observe this mitzvah exactly as prescribed by the Torah, in the portion we read this Shabbat.

The story begins in the late 19th century with the efforts of Rabbi Gershon Henoch Leiner to travel to the museums and aquariums of the Mediterranean coast in search of the chilazon He identified the creature as a subspecies of a squid, and his followers to this day derive the blue dye from this creature and color their tzitzit with it. However, rabbinic authorities of that time disagreed with this rabbi›s opinion.

Closer to our time, the late Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Isaac Herzog, wrote his doctoral thesis on the topic of the identification of this sea creature and brilliantly defended his thesis: The chilazon was not a type of squid, but was rather a type of snail, known scientifically as the murex trunculus.

Even closer to our time, barely two de-

cades ago, a group of Israeli scholars found a source in the ocean near Israel for this snail, and through a fascinating process too long to describe here, began to produce the dye and made tzitizit dyed blue available to the public. Nevertheless, a great number of rabbinic scholars remain unimpressed by these discoveries.

For a full description of this entire topic, one should consult the following website: www. tekhelet.com.

What was my response to the three “storytellers” and their tale? I chose not to share with them my own private reflection to the effect that had these three non-Jews met me, they would have found the blue cord of which they were informed by their own biblical study. Rather, I chose to share with the storytellers one of the explanations given for the blue cord.

This explanation is to be found in a book entitled Sefer HaChinuch, written by a medieval rabbi whose identity is uncertain. The book is an enumeration of all 613 Torah commandments, with an explanation given about the “root” of each command. By “root” he means, in contemporary terminology, the symbolic significance of the commandment. Here is what the author writes, in my own admittedly free translation:

“The underlying reason for this mitzvah is apparent. What can be a better reminder of G-d’s commandments than an appendage attached to one’s everyday apparel? But more than that, let us analyze the colors of the cords: blue and white. White is symbolic of the body, which our tradition (see Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer 3) teaches us was primordially created from the snow, which is white. Note too, that the body in its early embryonic stage resembles intertwined cords or strings (see Tractate Niddah 25b). The blue cord is reminiscent of the blue sky, of heaven, and is symbolic of all that is spiritual about mankind. Therefore, the blue cord is wound around the white to emphasize that ultimate-

See Weinreb on page 22

Parsha’s reflection on greatness of our women

Torah Rabbi david eTengoff

Jewish Star columnist

At the beginning of our parasha, Sh’lach, Hashem tells Moshe: “Send out for yourself men (shelach lecha anashim) who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man each for his father’s tribe; each one shall be a chieftain in their midst’.” (Bamidbar 13:2)

Rashi, basing himself on Talmud Bavli 34b, notes that Hashem had no interest in sending

these men to Eretz Yisrael. Instead, he merely allowed Moshe to do so — shelach lecha:

“According to your own understanding. I am not commanding you, but if you wish, you may send. Since the Jews had come [to Moshe] and said, ‘Let us send men ahead of us,’ as it says, ‘All of you approached me’.” (Devarim 1:22)

The concluding word in the phrase, “shelach lecha anashim,” also needs to be carefully analyzed. After all, who else, other than the anashim could Moshe have sent?

The answer is deceptively simple: Moshe could have sent nashim (women). The origin of this idea is found in the Kli Yakar, the celebrated 16th century Torah commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntchitz:

“Our Sages of blessed memory [Midrash Yalkut Shimoni, Parashat Pinchas] noted that the men despised the Land and declared: Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt. [In contrast,] the women loved the Land and said: Give us a permanent portion. Therefore, the Holy One Blessed Be He said: According to My opinion, since I see what the future will bring, it is far better to send women that love the land for they will not speak about it in a disparaging and negative manner. But you, [Moshe], believe that these men are in fact fine and upstanding individuals, and you believe that the Land is beloved to them — Go ahead and send men! This is why when the Torah writes: Send for yourself men, [Rashi] interprets it as according to your own understanding; as for

Me however, it would have been far better to send women.”

This amazing statement of Rav Luntchitz speaks volumes about the unique character of Jewish women. Remember, it was the Jewish women who refused to give up hope amid the misery and backbreaking labor of Egypt and encouraged their husbands, in kedushah and taharah (purity), to bring another generation of Jews into the world. Moreover, it was the Jewish women who steadfastly refused to participate in the Egel HaZahav (the incident of the Golden Calf). Little wonder, then, that it could have been the Jewish women who would have set the stage for our grand entrance into Eretz Yisrael, with Moshe as Mashiach, if they had only been given the opportunity!

What’s it like for Moshe to converse with G-d?

Star columnist

Every time we consider a conversation between G-d and Moshe, the absurdity of the concept of Moshe “teaching” G-d something, becomes apparent.

There is no question that G-d exhibits a sense of concern for His name. He does not like when people disgrace His name, misrepresent Him, or behave in a manner that is ungodly. There are a

number of times in the Torah when the people act so poorly and with such disregard for G-d, His kindness, and all the things He has done for them, one wonders how their heads concoct some of the shenanigans and complaints they come up with and act upon.

But the strangest part is not as much when Moshe comes to their defense. He is, after all, their shepherd. It is, after all, his job to defend and protect them. The difficulty is that his logical arguments on their behalf seem so obvious. One wonders why he needed to tell them to G-d and why G-d, seemingly, did not come up with them on His own.

The whole premise of this suggestion is he-

retical. If G-d is the Almighty, the all-seeing and the all-knowing, then G-d knows the past and the future. Nothing is hidden from Him. Rabbi Akiva says in Avot chapter 3, “Everything is foreseen, but free will is given.” Humans have free will, but only G-d knows what will happen.

This is why the middle of Bamidbar chapter 14 is so confusing. It really looks like Moshe is playing the role of the psychologist and chief adviser to G-d.

“Moshe replied to G-d, ‘And what will happen when the Egyptians hear about it? You have brought this nation out from among them with Your great power! And what if they tell the people who live in this land? They have heard that

You, G-d, have been with this nation [Israel]. You, G-d, have revealed Yourself to them face to face, and Your cloud stands over them. You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire at night. Now you want to kill this [entire] nation like a single man! The nations who hear this news about You will say that G-d was not able to bring this nation to the land that He swore to them, so He slaughtered them in the desert. Now, O G-d, is the time for You to exercise even more restraint’.”

Rashi says Moshe was suggesting everyone will think G-d had the power over the Egyptians, but He could not defeat the Canaanites. Originally published in 2011.

Parsha of the week

Rabbi avi billeT

Jewish

A powerful image that comes to mind every time we gaze upon our tzitzit.

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Columnists: Henry M. Abramson PhD, Dean at Touro College in Brooklyn; Jerold S. Auerbach, author (“Print to Fit: The New York Times, Zionism and Israel”); Edwin Black, author (“IBM and the Holocaust”); Ruthie Blum, Israeli journalist; Caroline Glick, Israel Hayom columnist,”; Ben Cohen, NY-based journalist and author; Richard L. Cravatts PhD, Freedom Center Journalism Fellow in Academic Free Speech; Jeff Dunetz, LidBlog.com; Stephen M. Flatow, VP Religious Zionists of America whose daughter was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack; Daniel Greenfield is a Shillman fellow at the Freedom Center;

Ricki Hollander, CAMERA senior analyst; Lyn Julius, author (“Uprooted: How 3,000 years of Jewish Civilization in the Arab World Vanished Overnight”); Benjamin Kerstein is a writer and editor living in Tel Aviv; Eric R. Mandel, director MEPIN. Clifford D. May, founder and president, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Dr. Rafael Medoff, director David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies; Fiamma Nirenstein, fellow at Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs; Melanie Phililps, British journalist; Thane Rosenbaum, Distinguished University Professor at Touro University; Victor Rosenthal, retired software development, Israeli resident, contributor to White Rose Magazine; Sarah N. Stern, founder and president, Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET); David Suissa, editor, Jewish Journal; Jonathan S. Tobin, editor-in-chief of JNS; Gil Troy, author of “Theodor Herzl: Zionist Writings.”

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Robertson: Problematic but essential friend

Jonathan S. tobin

JnS

Editor-in-Chief

Rev. Pat Robertson was the kind of person who inspired not only love and rage, but a great deal of intellectual confusion. One need only read the exchange between then Commentary magazine edito Norman Podhoretz and his critics over a 1995 essay that the former wrote about what Jews should think about the televangelist who died this week at the age of 93 to see how complicated the debate about him could be.

Robertson, the Yale University — educated son of a US senator, founded the vastly influential Christian Broadcasting Network in 1960 and hosted its anchor show “The 700 Club” for 55 years.

CBN brought his brand of Protestantism from the revival tent into the homes of Americans. It heralded the emergence of the evangelical movement from the margins of popular culture to the mainstream and did the same for a brand of Christian conservatism that revolutionized American politics. While his effort to parlay that platform into political power failed when his 1988 bid for the Republican presidential nomination fizzled, he still occupies an important place in the history of American religion and politics.

Along the way, he also helped spearhead the transformation of the Republican Party from an attitude towards Israel of indifference

mixed with disdain to one of enthusiastic and devoted support.

But the majority of American Jews who were political liberals regarded his stands on issues like church-state separation, support for public-school prayer, as well as his opposition to abortion and sex education with fear and loathing. Jewish Democrats, even those who were supporters of Israel, put that issue far down on their priority list.

That antipathy was reinforced once Jewish audiences began to read about some of the hair-brained conspiracy theories that Robertson spread in his sermons and books.

As Podhoretz noted, Robertson blamed “cosmopolitan, liberal, secular Jews” who want “unrestricted freedom for smut and pornography and the murder of the unborn,” and he has attacked them for their participation in the “ongoing attempt to undermine the public strength of Christianity.” Even worse, he often threatened “Jewish intellectuals and media activists” with “a Christian backlash of major proportions” in retaliation for the role they “played in the assault on Christianity” despite Christian support for Zionism.

There’s no way to characterize some of what Robertson said but as antisemitic.

That was compounded by Robertson’s 1991 book “The New World Order” in which he accused Jewish bankers like the Rothschilds, Paul Warburg and Jacob Schiff (who were referred to as “Germans” rather than as “Jews”) of taking part in the conspiracy of the Illuminati and Freemasons to take over the world.

Robertson said he never intended any of this to be seen as antisemitic or as justifying hate against the Jews, writing: “I condemn and repudiate in the strongest terms those who would use such code words as a cover for anti-Semitism.”

The sort of language used by Robertson was highly reminiscent of the lunatic theories spread by hatemongers like Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. The denial of antisemitism was also consistent with the insincere claims of Jew-haters like Gore Vidal on the left, and Pat Buchanan and Joseph Sobran on the right that they weren’t antisemites.

Yet Podhoretz believed that Robertson de-

served to be judged differently than those other figures.

As the famed writer put it, “In my view, Robertson’s support for Israel trumps the antiSemitic pedigree of his ideas about the secret history of the dream of a new world order.”

No less a figure than former Anti-Defamation League national director Abe Foxman wrote in response to Podhoretz that “we do not believe Robertson to be anti-Semitic and did not argue that he is.” He went on to say that “one can air concerns about troubling statements and views without accusing their source of being an anti-Semite. With regard to Pat Robertson, that is precisely what the ADL’s religious Right report did — no more, no less.” That was a bit of nuanced reasoning that confused a lot of Jewish liberals both then and now.

But while Robertson deserved to be criticized for what he said about Jews, as well as for spreading conspiracy theories, this still has to be balanced by behavior that set him apart from crude haters like Farrakhan, or more sophisticated antisemites like Vidal and Buchanan.

Robertson followed up his statements on

Israel with actions that were redolent not just of affection for Zionism but for the rights of Jews. He was a loud and active supporter of the cause of freedom for Soviet Jewry. He donated millions of dollars to Jewish charities and causes, and inspired his followers to do the same. No one else accused of antisemitism has ever behaved in a similar manner. His devotion to Israel was heartfelt and expressed in a timely manner, demonstrating solidarity even at moments when standing with Israel was not politically popular, as during the Arab oil boycott in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War.

Counter-arguments made by cynical liberals don’t merit much consideration. Robertson had no ulterior motives, whether political or theological. Even if he and other evangelicals really did expect Jews to become Christians after the return of Jesus to Earth in messianic times (something that neither religious nor non-religious Jews believe is going to happen), the idea that this should scare or deter Jews from welcoming his support for Israel and Jewish causes is risible.

Yet the real sticking point with Robertson

See Tobin on page 22

Rev. Pat Robertson.

He spread absurd antisemitic libels. But he also loved the Jewish people and did more than anyone to secure US support for Israel.

DEI programs encourage campus antisemitism

james sinkinson

FLame

Despite their noble-sounding title, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs on American campuses exclude — and often attack — Jews, already the single most persecuted minority in the United States.

Worse still, evidence shows that despite the vast budgets and bloated bureaucracies dedicated to DEI initiatives, they have proven to be ineffective at improving the campus experience of marginalized groups.

Studies show the prevalence of antisemitism — largely its anti-Zionism form — is skyrocketing on US campuses, to the point where Jewish students don’t feel safe and even resort to hiding their Jewish identity to avoid persecution.

Rather than remedying this problem, DEI initiatives instead promote a radical, rigid ideology that depicts Jews as members of the white privileged class, disregarding the fact that many Jews are people of color.

DEI staff also encourage antisemitism by labelling Israel as an oppressor state and demeaning Jews who support it. If efforts are made to include antisemitism in DEI initiatives, they are often quashed.

Since the perverse culture that spawned DEI programs is today so ingrained, and the

movement wreaks so much damage, many believe these programs should be eliminated entirely.

The bitter irony is that Jewish students need and deserve support from their college and university administrations more than ever.

Jew hatred on American campuses has escalated wildly, threatening Jewish students in the classroom and making them

Letter: Tobin goes too far

To the editor, I must take issue with Jonathan Tobin’s article on the vile graduation speech by Fatima Mousa Mohammed [“Defund campus radicalism and antisemitism,” June 9].

As Mr. Tobin rightly points out, her vitriolic talk was rife with hate, lies, and flat out antisemitism and should be censured. He goes too far, however, when he takes on wokeness, DEI [Diversity, equity and inclusion], and critical race theory.

Jews of all people should be sensitive to the effects of systemic discrimination in society. Who can forgot the years when Jewish doctors were barred from practicing in hospitals, Jewish lawyers couldn’t get jobs, when hotels and apartments noted “no Jews or dogs allowed”?

We have had such widespread acceptance in American society, despite ongoing antisemitic incidents, that we are in danger of forgetting the centuries, nay millennia, of

persecution through systemic and pervasive antisemitism.

Minorities in this country are fighting for a place at the table, and critical race theory and DEI are tools for deconstructing centuries of bias, hate, and discrimination. To speak against these movements is to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

To cite Gov. Ron DeSantis as praiseworthy for curtailing DEI in public universities is objectionable; his actions bespeak white supremacy if I ever saw it. Remedies to systemic and intersectional discrimination such as critical race theory are essential, though they have some negative side effects such as exhibited in Mousa Mohammed’s speech.

Paula Sinclair, MD Riverdale

The Jewish Star welcomes a diversity of views on subjects regularly discussed by our writers. Please write: Publilsher@TheJewishStar.com

so fearful to admit support of Israel or even their Jewishness.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the number of antisemitic incidents at college and university campuses between 2014 and 2021 increased three-fold, from 47 incidents in 2014 to 155 in 2021, and 359 antiIsrael incidents in the 2021-22 academic year.

Other recent surveys show more than half of Jewish students (55%) have experienced antisemitism on campus, and nearly three quarters of Jewish students hide their Jewish identity for fear of persecution.

In addition, 55% of Jewish students hide their support of Israel. Not surprising: Some 65% of professors and researchers in US Middle East studies believe Israel practices apartheid.

In theory, DEI is all about improving the lot of disadvantaged and historically-marginalized groups.

In practice, however, DEI initiatives promote an inflexible ideology based on critical race theory, according to which a person is foremost the member of a collective identity based on race, gender, or other “approved” categories. Each of these identities is categorized as either “oppressors” or “oppressed.”

In this context, Jews are assigned to the white, privileged, oppressor group. And since Jews are allegedly oppressors, so is the Jewish state — a belief that fuels anti-Zionist antisemitism.

Note that assigning American Jews white identity is never done in consultation with Jews. In fact, Jews as a people — of many colors — have been oppressed, persecuted and

the victims of massive genocide for millennia because they are not considered white.

According to the Pew Research Center, fully 17% of American Jews report some identity as Hispanic, black, Asian or mixed race. In other words, a huge percentage of American Jews are objectively not “white.”

Scurrilously, many DEI “professionals” demonstrate a clear bias against the Jewish state. A Heritage Foundation study done in 2021 examined the Twitter feeds of 741 DEI personnel at 65 universities and found that of all Israel-related tweets, 96% were critical of the Jewish state.

By contrast, 62% of tweets DEI personnel made about China — a notorious human rights violator — were favorable. The study also found that while DEI personnel frequently accuse Israel of genocide, apartheid, settler colonialism, ethnic cleansing and other extreme crimes, similar accusations were not directed at China.

University-based DEI staff also seem to care little that the majority of Israel’s total population are people of color … and that the majority of Israeli Jews are people of color, hailing from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions.

No wonder, then, that DEI initiatives do little to address antisemitism. Indeed, a study done by the advocacy group Stop Antisemitism found that of 24 major colleges with DEI initiatives, only two had any specific programming or materials related to antisemitism.

Moreover, attempts at improving DEI initiatives to include Jews and antisemitism are often quickly rebuffed. Take the case of former DEI

‘Israelism’ assaults truth and hurts Palestinians

david suissa Jewish Journal

It’s too easy to criticize the new documentary “Israelism” and debunk its gross misrepresentation of the complex Israel-Palestinian conflict. But as bad as I feel for those who

have to brave the propaganda, as I watched the film I felt even worse for the filmmakers and the Palestinians.

I felt bad for the filmmakers because I could feel the exertion they must have gone through to stick to only one side of the story. Don’t assume it’s so easy to exclude crucial context that is so obviously missing.

There is no mention, for instance, of the UN role in the creation of Israel, Arab aggression at the birth of the state, chronic Palestinian terror and rejection of peace offers, the denial of any Jewish connection to Jerusalem, and on and on. These facts are so well known, I could almost feel the filmmakers asking themselves: “Should we include some of this stuff just to appear more balanced and credible?”

In fact, as I watched the film, I imagined an enterprising activist re-editing the film to include the missing context and correct the misleading claims. They might call the film, “Israelism: Exposed,” with the slogan: “For

those who want the whole truth.” It would become must-see viewing for anyone interested in Zionism, the Palestinian cause, the dark art of propaganda and the search for truth.

It’s ironic, of course, that a film that specializes in withholding information complains about the same thing.

The film features a few young American Jews complaining that their Jewish upbringing advocated for Israel but withheld any advocacy for Palestinians. To hear them, you’d think there was a total blackout in Jewish America on discussing the plight of the Palestinians, when quite the opposite is true. A five-second Google search would have given these young Jews an overdose of the Jewish soul-searching and selfcriticism they claim was “hidden” from them.

But the movie wants us to believe that Zionist advocacy was so one-sided and all-consuming it created a generation of young Jews who, feeling duped, have turned against the Jewish state.

This narrative is convenient if you want to at-

See Sinkinson on page 22

It’s ironic that a film that specializes in withholding information complains about the same thing.

Weinreb...

Continued from page 19

ly, the soul is above, and the body is below; the soul is primary, and the body but secondary.”

For those of us who wear tekhelet nowadays, and I am proud that I am among them, a powerful image that comes to our mind’s eye every time we gaze upon our tzitzit is the image of a blue cord wound around a white one, and it is a constant reminder that our «white body» is best enveloped by our «blue soul,» that our earthly selves must be subservient to our heavenly spirit.

Will the beautiful explanation given by the Sefer HaChinuch convince those who do not yet wear tekhelet to begin to do so? Perhaps not. But perhaps you, dear reader, with the addition of so many similar rabbinic passages available on the tekhelet.com website, will be convinced to add this new spiritual dimension to this important everyday mitzvah

Tobin...

Continued from page 20

and his followers was something else: their stands on social issues on which they were polar opposites from liberal Jewry. And, if anything, those differences are even more stark now than they were in the 1990s when Foxman and the ADL seemed intent on going to war with the Christian right.

In part, that is because of events since then such as last year’s Supreme Court decision that overturned the Roe v. Wade precedent legalizing abortion, the fulfillment of a half-century of conservative activism. But while liberals still fear the power of conservative Christians, the truth is that the left’s capture of popular culture and much else has created a culture war in which it is the right and people of faith

who are the ones who are on the defensive.

The dominance of the left in education, its embrace of sexual and transgender ideology and indoctrination, and efforts to treat those who don’t accept these ideas as outside the law has changed the political landscape.

The willingness to treat the right to worship as less important than the right to take part in Black Lives Matter protests during the height of the coronavirus pandemic was a turning point for many. That and the rest of the leftist dogma of critical race theory and its woke catechism of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that is a recipe for a permanent race war has launched a culture war in which the right is only belatedly fighting back.

In this context, Robertson’s opposition to the liberal campaign to sweep the public square clean of religion must be seen as not so much an attack on Jews but as an effort to defend the rights of all people of faith.

Robertson’s troubling statements about Jews should never be rationalized, any more than we should tolerate instances when those who have done great things for Israel — like former President Donald Trump — then embrace antisemites. But at a time when leftwing antisemitism is on the rise, Robertson’s peculiar blend of odd theories about Jews and ardent love for Israel needs to be understood as not presenting any sort of threat to Jewish life.

As anti-Israel and anti-Zionist invective and activism in the form of the BDS movement and incitement (such as last month’s graduation speech at CUNY law school) increases, the Christian conservative movement that Pat Robertson helped found is the Jews most dependable ally. It ill behooves those on the left who look to a Biden administration that has embraced a toxic DEI agenda that grants a permission slip for antisemitism to defend Jews to at the same time regard friends like Robertson’s followers with suspicion and disdain.

Those who might bash Israeli Prime Minis-

ter Benjamin Netanyahu or AIPAC for mourning his passing because of the awful stuff Robertson said are missing the point.

Robertson was a flawed and problematic friend, yet his activism for Israel — and that of others he helped inspire on the Christian right — altered the political correlation of forces in this country in a way that did more good for the Jews than that of virtually any other person. In a world in which the Jews still have many powerful enemies, that ought to be enough for us to characterize the television preacher as someone who deserves to be remembered with far more gratitude than criticism.

of terrorism at the highest levels of Palestinian leadership, which has turned out to be the biggest obstacle to Palestinian progress.

That film would have shown something college students rarely see — how Palestinian leaders have suppressed their own people by fattening their personal bank accounts and teaching Palestinians that a Jewish state has no right to exist and is worthy only of hatred and rejection. If the Jewish activists in “Israelism” really cared about Palestinian well-being and conflict resolution, they would plant themselves at Palestinian offices at the United Nations as often as they do at the ADL.

But that would mean they’d have to be more balanced and even-handed, and who would want to star in that movie?

Sinkinson Suissa...

Continued from page 21

tack the Jewish establishment and let Jew haters off the hook. Indeed, the narrative ignores the great number of Jewish kids who never went to Jewish day schools but have been poisoned on Israel precisely by propaganda vehicles like “Israelism,” not to mention BDS campaigns that routinely malign Israel as a genocidal, baby-killing apartheid regime.

Evidently, the real culprits in “Israelism” are not the slew of anti-Israel groups dedicated to demonizing the world’s only Jewish state, but those Jewish schoolteachers and summer camp leaders who couldn’t curb their enthusiasm for sharing their Zionist pride.

Thus, the very notion of Israel advocacy in the film takes on a sinister tone, as if anything short of perfect even-handedness is an unforgivable sin. This coming from a documentary that is so one-sided it borders on boredom. When a filmmaker doesn’t mind being repetitive, boring and melodramatic for the sake of an agenda, you know it’s primarily propaganda.

But boring doesn’t mean it won’t be popular, for the simple reason that bashing Israel is the safe, conformist choice in today’s progressive circles.

In truth, the real rebels these days are the Zionists, because they don’t mind being unpopular if it means standing up for what they believe.

They believe that a people that yearns for 1,900 years to come home, and then creates against all odds an imperfect but vibrant and resilient nation bursting with innovation that helps the planet, is an endeavor worth defending and being proud of. These Zionists don’t feel duped by their education — they feel blessed.

Ultimately, though, watching “Israelism” made me feel worse for the Palestinians. For years, the dark secret of anti-Israel activists has been that they bash Israel a lot more than they help Palestinians.

By putting all their resources on going after Israel, these activists have perpetuated the illusion that the resolution of the conflict is a one-way street, with Israel having all the responsibility and Palestinians having no agency. A more courageous and compelling film would have exposed the corruption and glorification

Continued from page 17

faculty director Tabia Lee, who is black. She attempted to organize a program on antisemitism and the Holocaust.

Lee invited Jewish speakers of color — Jewish immigrants from the Middle East, one of whom was queer. However, since these speakers’ identities contradicted the “correct” view of Jews and Israel as white oppressors, Lee was ridiculed by her colleagues and eventually fired.

No evidence shows that DEI programs — despite bloated staffs and budgets of hundreds of millions of dollars — have actually helped improve the lives of members of marginalized communities on campus.

According to another Heritage Foundation study, the average university has more than 45 people working as staff responsible for promoting DEI, 4.2 times the number of staff that assist students with disabilities. The average university has 3.4 DEI personnel for every 100 tenured or tenure-tracked faculty members — a large number of whom draw six-figure salaries.

Yet, the Heritage study, which included surveys administered to students at 65 universities, accounting for 16% of all students in fouryear institutions in the United States, found that there was “little relationship” between DEI’s vast bureaucracies and minority students’ satisfaction with their college or university experience.

Tragically, the DEI industry has spread like a blight — so rapidly consuming vast quantities of money and spreading such a poisonous philosophy that excision seems the only solution.

Such was the conclusion of the State of Florida, which recently banned colleges and universities from spending any public funds on DEI initiatives.

In short, DEI initiatives ignore Jewish students and harm many of them, especially those who support the Jewish homeland. What’s more, DEI has no proven effect in improving the lives of any US college and university students. It’s clearly time to end the disastrous DEI experiment.

you will it, it is no dream’

‘If

Theodor Herzl