Shabbat shalom! And a special shout out this week to all the mom’s, (especially my own), who have wonderful children to celebrate them on Mother’s Day! And if celebrating mom isn’t exciting enough, we have a Celtics game 7 as icing on the Sunday cake! If you thought game 6 was stressful, take another hit of Xanax for game 7. And Go Green! (And happy birthday Max!)
In our home, we have a tradition of celebrating Mother’s Day by planting our annuals gardens, a labor of love that puts an even bigger smile on my wife’s beautiful face. This year I missed the annual trek to Briggs nursery where we convert the SUV into a greenhouse on wheels, chock full of flora, and draw all kinds of attention from other wide-eyed Briggs patrons wondering how the hell we are going to fit everything.
So, enjoy the weekend everyone! The weather should be great for whatever you have planned!
This week was a Xanax week in the news. Following the orange turd’s liable verdict for sexual assault and defamation, which should be no surprise to anyone, the ignominious idiot appeared in a “Town Hall” on CNN in which he spewed more lies and insults and doubled down on his big lies. Most of the Republican audience cheered him on and even laughed along with him on his most putrid comments. This treasonous, treacherous rapist is going to be the Republican nominee for President. And, according to recent polls, has a slight edge to beat Biden in the general. Un-fucking-believable. As Andrew Sullivan put it so aptly, “the emergency is still here; that Trump is more likely than not returning to the White House as of now; and the interlude of these few precious years when this monster wasn’t daily assaulting our constitution, sanity, and our sense of decency is over.” Ugh.
Israeli’s had a real reason for double dosing Xanax this week. Following the death of a Palestinian prisoner on a hunger strike in an Israeli prison, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fired 104 rockets into Israel, then Israel retaliated with an assassination on 3 PIJ operatives, the PIJ countered with 400 rocket barrage, most destroyed by the Iron Dome, and some falling on their own people in Gaza. More than 30 Palestinians in Gaza, including civilians and militants, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on leaders of Islamic Jihad, which is designated by the United States and European Union as a terror group. One Israeli civilian has been killed by a rocket from Gaza.
And if that isn’t enough to make Israeli’s anxious, there is a shortage of Fruit Rollups in the country that is starving for the Tik Tok induced craze of wrapping ice cream in the leathery fruit snack. Two Americans were arrested at Ben Gurion Airport for smuggling over 650 pounds of the sugary treat in several large suitcases.
What else is going on across the Jew S of A you ask? Well, asked and answered. Here, once again, is your weekly buffet of carefully curated news for Jews, copied and pasted from the likes of The Forward, JTA, Kveller, Jewish Boston, Times of Israel, and other notable Jewy journals.
- Why the yeshiva world is rooting against the 76ers:Philadelphia’s NBA team is one win away from securing a spot in the Eastern Conference Final. But the Philadelphia arena that serves as their home court is meant to host the biggest yeshiva gathering in the world on a June day when there would be a final-round basketball game if the 76ers make it past the Celtics and go all the way. Which would mean a last-minute scramble to rearrange the yeshiva event, Adirei HaTorah, which draws thousands of men for live music, dancing, prayer and speeches. Let’s hope the Celtics put an end to that issue. Read the story ➤
- The State Department told Truman not to recognize Israel. He did it anyway. This Sunday, May 14, marks the 75th anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence — and President Harry Truman’s official nod to the new state 11 minutes later. Truman’s historic move, which set off a cascade of international acknowledgements, came as a surprise to Israelis, members of his own administration and, crucially, the Soviet Union, with whom the United States was competing for allies in the Middle East. Read the story ➤
- 📚 Florida’s department of education rejected two textbooks about the Holocaust proposed for high schools, as part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ crackdown on what he calls “woke indoctrination.” Separately, the Texas legislature passed a bill that would allow public schools to employ chaplains. (JTA, Religion News Service)
- 😨 A New Hampshire man whom authorities say kept a framed picture of Hitler and a Nazi uniform in his home was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on gun charges. Separately, in England, a man who shared right-wing extremist content in a Telegram channel titled “Hitler group” was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for possession of explosive substances. (New Hampshire Union Leader, Daily Star)
- ‘He needs to go’: Long Island Jews react to George Santos’ indictment – As Rep. George Santos appeared in federal court yesterday to face charges including wire fraud, money laundering and lying to Congress, Jacob Kornbluh of The Forward, took the pulse of political leaders and voters in Santos’s district. After months of outrage over his deep well of lies, “it is clear that George Santos cannot continue to represent” the heavily Jewish district, said Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County’s executive. Read the story ➤
- 😢 Gunter Demnig, a 75-year-old German artist, has spent three decades placing stones outside the last known residences of Holocaust victims, across 30 European countries. He will soon place the 100,000th of what he calls “stumble stones” — and said he plans to continue embossing the cobblestones with victims’ names and the dates and circumstances of their deaths, and installing them by hand, “as long as my knees are OK.” (News18)
- Is it OK for a Supreme Court justice to accept a gift basket of bagels and babka? The ethics of the Supreme Court have been in the spotlight following a ProPublica investigation documenting lavish gifts to Justice Clarence Thomas from Texas billionaire Harlan Crow. Beth Harpaz of The Forward has a different kind of story — about a justice who rebuffed an appetizing offer from her high school classmates for fear of violating the court’s ethics rules. In February 2021, amid the solidifying of the court’s conservative majority, a member of an alumnae Facebook group proposed sending Kagan a gift basket in solidarity. Several dozen women chipped in for a spread to remind Kagan of home, complete with Russ and Daughters’ famous babka. Before the organizer, Ann Starer, sent the package, she had a moment of questioning: Would the gift violate any ethics rules? So she reached out to Justice Kagan, who said she wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting it. But, Kagan wrote, “I’m very grateful.” Read the story ➤
That’s all folks! Let’s hope for a Celtics win on Sunday to make for an even happier Mother’s Day! And hey, let’s remember to be careful out there.
Brad out.
Jew News Review 