Shabbat shalom!
A big tip of the kippah this week to the DNC, as they planned and managed a convention that, even if you are not a Democrat, you would have to admit was a performance that exceeded all expectations. And an even bigger tip of the kippah to Kamala Harris and her speech writers and strategists. Her speech on Thursday blew me away, and I was lukewarm on her from the beginning. I must confess that I was calling for an open convention, mostly out of pure historic fascination. But boy am I glad I was wrong. Kamala killed it Thursday night, and proved to the nation that she is a presidential force to be reckoned with, and has the guts, fortitude and capability to slay the orange dragon and rid the country of his orange stain once and for all. And, she apparently makes a mean brisket!
It’s feeling good to be a Democrat in America again! The MAGA nuts, with their “America is a hellscape” narrative, left the door wide open for Democrats to appropriate the themes of patriotism and freedom, which they did with abandon. There was so much red white and blue, and talk of patriotism and freedom, you would have thought this was a Ronald Reagan Republican convention! Not only did the speakers and entertainers keep the Dem flock from bickering and on their feet most of the night, they also reached out to Republicans via Adam Kinzinger and Independents via Oprah Winfrey. In the end, Kamala’s speech electrified the party, a speech she delivered with passion, eloquence, and confidence. According to one analysis of her 45 minute speech the terms America, American, Americans were uttered 34 times; country or nation, 20 times; freedom, 12 times; opportunity, 6 times; Democrats or Democratic party, 0 times.
It’s amazing that its been just over 30 days since Biden stepped down, which is a testament to the extraordinary work Kamala and her organization have done in presenting her story, uniting a broad and diverse party, and concisely articulating a strategy of “moving forward”. They have successfully tacked the party to the center, leaving behind, I hope, the identity and grievance politics of the woke left. At least for now, Harris and Tim Walz have laid the foundations for a center-oriented, optimistic, and patriotic campaign.
It remains to be seen if they can keep the party centered and win the election. After all, this convention has been mostly a star-studded kabuki theater, and this time, the show was pretty damn good. But the Republican and MAGA critics will have their knives sharpened, and the woke left will probably start making noise as well, so don’t expect smooth sailing ahead, but do expect there will be plenty of headwinds so tacking and keeping the boat afloat will require significant political courage and campaign skills.
Those of us with an interest in the middle east were particularly keen on hearing Kamala’s views on Gaza and the region generally. There has been a lot of criticism so far from the pro Israel right, mostly about her and Biden’s current pursuit of a ceasefire, her snubbing of Nut-and-yahoo’s speech to congress, and a few other things, but I would say she threaded that nuanced needle pretty damn well. “And let me be clear,” she stated forcefully, “I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on Oct. 7. Including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival.”
And then, to the “non committed” who were disappointed that a “pro-Palestinian” speaker was not allowed on the dais, she threw an empathy bone: “At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking. President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity. Security. Freedom. And self-determination.”
Harris, like the Democratic Platform, supports a two state solution. I think her empathy and comments on Gaza are genuine. And, more importantly, she added one other line about the Middle East. “And know this: I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists.” As I have written previously, we need a new strategy beyond appeasement and “Don’t” for dealing with Iran, a bad acting nation that is the bank and command center of the jihadist axis of countries that want to eliminate the Jews and the Jewish state. Hamas is a relatively small, tactical nuisance to Israel. The real enemy of the Jews sits in Tehran. Let’s hope a Harris presidency can take that threat on directly and bring some peace to Israelis and Arabs alike.
Recall about a month ago at the Republican National Convention, the crowd erupted after Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks began his speech by asking those who support Israel to cheer. “If someone tried that at the Democrats’ convention, they’d be booed off the stage!” Well guess what Brooks, you shithead, the Dems erupted with deafening applause after Kamala’s comments on Gaza. In fact, upon reflection, this was a very Jewish Democrat convention. The Tuesday program began with an invocation from Los Angeles Rabbi Sharon Braus. Then, on Wednesday night, the parents of an Israeli-American held hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, led thousands of attendees to stand in silence, aside from when they chanted “Bring them home,” while they spoke emotionally for nine minutes about their son and the more than 100 other people Hamas is still holding captive. It continued with enthusiastic embraces of Gov. JB Pritzker, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Bernie Sanders from the tens of thousands in the packed United Center; and it featured primetime speeches from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who used the platform to speak out against antisemitism, followed by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who, wearing his blue “Stand Up To Jewish Hate” pin given to him by Robert Kraft, reveled in his Jewish identity and how it has strengthened since Kamala became vice president and as she now seeks one final promotion.
Now, let’s talk Israel. I wish I had some good news to report, but at the time of this posting, Israelis continue to brace for a strike from Iran or Hezbollah or both. It’s possible that this long-anticipated attack may have been put on hold by Tehran, while Israel and Hamas have been busy negotiating the last details of a US proposed bridging offer to try and close a hostage and temporary ceasefire deal. Secretary Blinken has stated that Israel accepted the bridging offer and since Bibi has not publicly negated that declaration, it is inferred that he is on board. But apparently, that bridging offer is a bridge too far for Hamas, as they have already rejected it, and many are concluding that the deal is dead in the water, with the sticking points being Bibi’s insistence that the IDF maintain a presence in the Philadelphia and Nitzarim corridors in order to prevent Hamas from re-arming themselves for another October 7 (a position I agree with).
Meanwhile, this week the IDF discovered six more dead hostages hidden behind a fake wall in a tunnel. Early evidence shows they suffered gunshot wounds. Sadly, I am not optimistic that we will ever see any more hostages alive unless the IDF finds them sooner rather than later.
Now, here’s some news for Jews that doesn’t suck:
- Radio Shaq – NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recorded a video message for Israeli kids whose relatives were killed or taken hostage on Oct. 7. “I just wanted to give you guys a shoutout and let you know I love you,” Shaq said, before ending the video with a string of Hebrew messages including “Shabbat shalom” and “Baruch Hashem.”
- One of Israel’s flag bearers in the Paralympics is a survivor of Oct. 7 – Israeli wheelchair tennis player Adam Berdichevsky lost his leg in a boating accident in 2007, and has since won six national championships in his sport and competed in two Paralympic Games. Now, he is heading into his third Paralympics after facing adversity of a far different kind. On Oct. 7, he and his family hid for 14 hours in their home at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on the Gaza border while Hamas terrorists attacked the community, killing their neighbors and taking five people hostage.Berdichevsky, 41, was rescued, and his family was evacuated to Eilat. Next week, he will serve as a flag bearer for Israel’s delegation, which includes 28 athletes. He says he feels a newfound purpose after surviving the Oct. 7 attack.
- On the DNC sidelines, a Jew and a Palestinian from Chicago are leading a daily run for a ceasefire in Gaza – CHICAGO — Richard Goldwasser and Anan Abu-Taleb have been running together for years. But this week, the pair have been getting an especially early start — commuting from their homes in the suburbs to Buckingham Fountain, a lakefront landmark here, to pound the pavement in support of a ceasefire in Gaza. Goldwasser, an American Jew who grew up in the suburb of Skokie, and Abu-Taleb, a Palestinian-American who grew up in Gaza, have been running together for five years. Introduced by a mutual friend, they discovered that they’re both avid marathoners. Now, with tensions and protests over Israel and Gaza swirling in and around the Democratic National Convention, they’ve invited others to join them on morning runs every day of the convention that, they hope, will be a small gesture to bring about a ceasefire in the 10-month-old conflict.
- Barbra Streisand, Susie Essman and 30,000 others join ‘Jewish women for Kamala’ call – Susie Essman, the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star who has gained fame for her foul-mouthed tirades, had a message for the more than 30,000 people who tuned into a Zoom event for Jewish women last week: Embrace Kamala Harris’ laughter. “Yes, Kamala laughs,” Essman said. Then, using a Yiddish termthat translates, roughly, to “sourpuss,” Essman added, “She is not a farbissina punim. This is a woman filled with a life force and humanity.” Essman was part of a star-studded roster on “Jewish Women for Kamala,” the latest in the Democratic presidential candidate’s series of virtual rallies for specific demographics. It follows “Jewish Americans for Kamala Harris,” which was held with some of the same speakers earlier this month. Both were organized by the Jewish Democratic Council of America. The biggest name on the call was Barbra Streisand, who urged participants to be “rebellious,” citing Jewish tradition.
That’s a wrap for the week. We are off to the cape for a few weeks of family fun. I may take a break, depending on what’s going on. Have a great weekend everyone, donate to Kamala, and, hey, let’s continue to be careful out there
Brad out.
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