Shabbat shalom!
It’s really hot and getting me cranky. But despite my crankiness, I will try and be positive and shed some good news along with my usual crabby blather. And on that good news front, how awesome was it to see a guilty verdict for one of the more loathsome characters on the planet, Steve Bannon? And while it makes me sad to watch how the orange turd abused the patriotism and loyalty of his ardent supporters, I thought Thursday’s prime time January 6 hearing, led by Liz Cheney, was an important step in laying out why the orange turd should not be allowed anywhere near the levers of power. And the fact that even Merritt Garland was cranky in his little press conference, leads me to believe it’s not just the heat getting him cranky, but the prospect of indicting the disgraced former President. Now that would be good news! And if that isn’t enough to put a smile on your face, how about the video of Senator “Fistpump McRunpants” fleeing like a chicken from the MAGA storm troopers he was fist pumping minutes earlier?! Comic relief.
Job well done January 6 Committee! Now it’s time to hand this off to the Justice Department and let the legal proceedings begin.
On the Jew news front, lot’s to discuss. If history is your thing, I recommend the new book by preeminent journalist Walter Meade, “Arc of the Covenant”, which thoroughly debunks the many myths about the power of the Jewish lobby and it’s influence on Zionism and the creation of Israel. He tries to explain why polling in America shows 55-70% support for Israel, yet the Jewish population is only 2%, and white Evangelicals only 14%. And he dispels many historical myths, such as how “Harry Truman saved the Jews” and maybe Stalin deserves more credit! You can listen to an interview of Meade with this link Click here.
Now, here are some other carefully curated news about Jews, selected by yours truly from various Jewish sources such as The Forward, Times of Israel, Kveller, etc.
- Under the Israeli radar: -Small headlines like this one, “Kohavi meets Morocco’s defense minister, army chief on second day of landmark trip” are indicators of political and military cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors. This builds on the success of the Abraham Accords, one of the only bright spots of the Trump administration. Israel’s head of the IDF signed a Memorandum of Understanding with his counterpart in Morocco, opening the doors for Israel to sell weapons to the African country. I predict you will be seeing more of these headlines in the near future. For more, click here.
- Sports Beat: Jewish NFL quarterback Josh Rosen signs deal to join Cleveland Browns – The Cleveland Browns signed former first-round draft pick Josh Rosen as a backup quarterback Friday, as the team awaits word on the fate of its expensive starter Deshaun Watson. Rosen, who is Jewish, was a standout in college at UCLA, but has failed to find his footing since being drafted 10th by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. Rosen went 3-13 in starts for the Cardinals and Miami during his first two seasons. He was with Atlanta last season and appeared in four games. How sweet that he will be the back up QB for Jacoby Brisket! For more, click here.
- From the Anti-Semitism Desk: Holocaust memorials in Buchenwald and Berlin vandalized in same week – (JTA) — In the same week, sets of unidentified individuals cut down trees planted to commemorate Holocaust victims near the former Nazi camp of Buchenwald in Germany and drew swastikas onto one of the concrete slabs of Berlin’s Holocaust memorial.Near Buchenwald, the perpetrators on Tuesday sawed off the tops of seven trees planted along a road that used to lead to the camp, the DPA news agency reported. The trees were planted earlier this year as part of a commemorative project titled “1,000 beeches for Buchenwald,” through which relatives of some of the victims murdered there planted dozens of trees commemorating their families across the campground. The perpetrators did not take any branches, leaving the tree tops lying near the trunks. The International Auschwitz Committee, an association of survivors of that former camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, called the incident a “hateful and calculated demonstration of power by neo-Nazis.” Police told DPA that they do not have concrete information on the perpetrators. For more, click here.
- A priest, a rabbi and an imam walked into a wedding — for 500 couples: No, not the beginning of a lame joke. So many weddings have been postponed and re-postponed during this pandemic era. But love persists. Last weekend, it was on public display at Lincoln Center, where a bevy of brides and grooms in gowns, tuxes and jazzy ensembles said a collective “I do” in a symbolic ceremony and danced the night away. “I thought it was sort of a schtick, but it turns out it wasn’t,” said Rabbi Matt Green, one of the officiants. He said it was his first time working directly with Christian or Muslim clergy. “The minister referred to Jesus as ‘rabbi Jesus’ on stage,” he recalled, chuckling. “And I was like ‘why not!’ You know, sure.” Read the story ➤
- Speaking of true love: 💕 A nice Jewish girl met a nice Jewish boy with “Be a Mensch” tattooed on his bicep while riding the New York City subway. They struck up a conversation, and then parted ways. It had all the makings of a romantic comedy. But they’d failed to exchange contact info, so the woman turned to social media. Her simple plea — Does anyone know this guy? — was retweeted tens of thousands of times. Until, finally … well, I won’t spoil the ending. (NY Jewish Week) But, Steven and I are considering getting the same tattoo as part of our branding efforts for Mensches With Wrenches!
- On culture: Netflix is dropping Part 2 of “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” this coming Friday. Sandra and I give two thumbs up to Part 1, as this is some great historical fiction that takes place from the 1920’s and onward, pre formation of Israel. For a trailer, click here.
- Under pressure, Jewish federation network announces opposition to abortion ruling: When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, most Jewish groups rushed out statements in opposition – including organizations like the American Jewish Committee that generally seek to stay above the partisan fray. But one establishment stalwart remained conspicuously quiet: the Jewish Federations of North America, which represents more than 100 local federations and has an influential policy voice in Washington. But after pressure from Jewish feminists, including a Chicago congresswoman, and questions from the Forward, CEO Eric Fingerhut came out against the court ruling this week. Read the story ➤
That’s all for this week. Stay cool out there everyone, and remember, let’s also be careful out there!
Brad out.
Jew News Review 