Shabbat shalom from sunny Palm Springs! And welcome to new subscriber and friend of the family, Zach Gekow!
What a week! If the desert sun isn’t enough to cause me a stroke, the news certainly will. Just when you thought the Republican Party could go no lower, they censure two of their own who dare to tell the truth and defend the constitution, and in the same breath claim the insurgents who ransacked our capital spreading feces on the walls and leaving several dead and countless injured were engaged in “legitimate political discourse”!!! And before you get up in my craw for being too negative, according to a recent study, relentless positivity can be more toxic than you think and there are healthy elements of being a curmudgeon and seeing the glass half empty! I’m in fashion at last! But enough negativity, check out this fabulous Palm Springs attraction also known as “Sandy’s favorite place to visit.”
Pictured below is yours truly at Sunnylands, the historic home of the Annenbergs, who built their wealth on the trio of once dominant publications, TV Guide, Seventeen andThe Daily Racing Form. Walter Annenberg’s father, Mo, was a Jewish immigrant and self-made millionaire who was eventually thrown in jail for tax evasion by the same judge who threw Al Capone in jail. Mo, who loved his son, cut a deal to keep Walter out of jail with him. Walter then dedicated himself to making money legitimately, and clearing the family’s good name. There is some great history at this amazing home that if you ever get to this area, I strongly suggest you check out. It is considered the Camp David of the west coast and continues to be an active center with a mission to facilitate peace, democracy and social equality, as well as a tourist attraction. The museum happened to be featuring Israeli artist, Yaacov Agam, who is well known for his sculptures and kinetic art.
Now, let’s talk Jew news, and there was plenty of it last week.
Whoopi-doo – Whoopi Goldberg made a few comments on her ABC show, The View, that were clearly stupid in the best case, and while I am sure she did not mean it with any malice, anti-semitic in the worst case. After making the stupid comments about the Holocaust not being a race issue, she proceeded to double down on that concept in her apology tour on the Colbert show, saying even more dumb things, which really ignited the social media frenzy that followed. ABC’s response was to suspend her for two weeks. I think ABC had to do something in response, but many have pointed out that the media giant missed a learning opportunity, and rather than suspend her, they could have assigned a few camera men and editors to join her on a tour of the Holocaust Museum and really leverag the issue as a learning opportunity.
Whoopie said some stupid things, hopefully some positive comes out of it, enough said.
The “A” word in Amnesty International Report – And I don’t mean “Amnesty”. The global defender of human rights recently released a report that Israel’s treatment of people subjugated under their rule in the West Bank is a form of Apartheid. The very word, for those of us old enough to remember, was originally applied to the legal and social structures that supported white supremacy in South Africa. In my humble opinion, it is not an appropriate analogy, but when something looks like a duck, walks like a duck and squawks like a duck, you are probably dealing with a duck. I have not read the full report, and do not intend to, but I have been watching reactions in the US and Israeli press and punditry. Amnesty makes a convincing case that they are taking a very legal view of the definition in international law. The Israeli and Jewish press call out a double standard. Seems like groundhog day to me. Wherever you fall on this “A” word debate, there are clearly social and legal mechanisms and structures in place that discriminate against the Palestinian people. And the Israeli government has been doing very little about this issue for decades, so the argument that this is a “temporary” situation carries little weight in my opinion. So, if this report can in any way move the parties forward in negotiating a two state solution, then it could be a good thing. So, another example of the power of positive thinking!
The hot new word game – Just as Wordle is going viral, there is of course a Jewish spin on this new word game called, you guessed it, Jewdle! There are many spinoffs, but this one originated in Australia, and is a bit more difficult since it is based on a six letter word vs the original 5 letter version. Here is a link to a story on this new game from The Forward. Click here for more on Jewdle
We are rushing out to drop off a Hirsh at the airport, so will end it here without the usual links to other Jew News. So, please continue to be careful out there!
Brad out.
Jew News Review 