Shabbat shalom!
This week’s Tip of the Kippah goes to the management at Marriott Bonvoy in Virginia, who took a principled stand by barring antisemitic conspiracy crank Stew Peters from speaking at an event hosted by the USS Liberty Veterans Association. While others waffle in the face of fringe bigotry disguised as “veteran advocacy,” Marriott chose menschkeit over mendacity.
Thanks for reading The Jew News Review! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Peters, best known for spewing holocaust denial bullshit and venom about Jews, vaccines, and whatever else trends on Telegram, was scheduled to bring his particular brand of bile to a conference that’s long been a magnet for Israel-bashers and revisionist historians. But thanks to Marriott’s leadership, hate speech didn’t get room service this time. In an age where hospitality chains sometimes host Holocaust deniers alongside continental breakfast, it’s refreshing to see a corporation say, “Not in our lobby.” So, a well earned Tip of the Kippah to the staff and leadership who made the call: I see you, I appreciate you, and I raise a complimentary bottled water in your honor.
Kol hakavod! (well done!)
This weekend, I am particularly anxious about the news of an imminent deal to release more living and dead Israeli hostages in exchange for a temporary truce and the release of more murderous Palestinian prisoners. There is no question in my mind that this new progress on the hostage front is a direct result of increased military pressure along with Israel’s new method for controlling and distributing aid in the region, a method that bypasses Hamas all-together. I have been a pretty harsh critic of the Nut-and-Yahoo administration’s use of food as leverage in this ongoing nightmare, but I have to admit, cutting out Hamas from looting aid trucks and stopping them from raising funds by selling that aid at inflated prices in the market is a brilliant approach that will also result in Gazans finally finding the courage and support to turn against Hamas. And it is this turn of events that is directly bringing Hamas back to the negotiating table. Are there some start up glitches with the new process? Obviously, but Israel will iron them out. Let’s hope for more good news this weekend.
A few weeks ago I wrote about Dan Senor’s State of World Jewry Address he gave in New York. Dan’s address expanded upon many of the topics he covers on his Call Me Back podcast, but it primarily focused on the challenges ahead for Diaspora Jewish communities in a post-10/7 world. Dan also laid out a first draft of an action plan for Jewish Peoplehood that is no longer “prominent and weak” but one that is instead “Jewish and strong”. His plan emphasized the need for American Jews to find a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to their heritage to ensure the community’s vitality. He called on all Jews to help counter the prevailing negative trends by “living a Jewish life” and underscored the urgency of investing in Jewish education, culture, and institutions to ensure a vibrant and resilient future.
And then last week I had dinner with my brother-in-law’s family. During dinner, my 26 year old nephew, who was raised Jewish, went to Jewish day camp, had his Bar Mitzvah in Israel, and is now dating a religious Jew, stated that he was no longer comfortable wearing a Star of David publicly due to the latest surge in anti-semitism and his discomfort with what is happening in Israel.
And it got me to thinking: what does Dan mean by “living a Jewish life?” And how can we help our kids grow up to be “Jewish and strong”? This Substack, The Jew News Review, is one of my personal answers to the latter question. I started writing this blog as a way to help myself re-connect with my Jewish heritage, but also, more importantly, as a way to reach out to the younger generations in my family (and now beyond), to help them connect to their own Jewish personal brand. To help guide them on their journey to be “Jewish and strong”.
Are You Living Jewish or Just Feeling Jewish?
There are two kinds of Jews in the world: the kind who live Jewishly, and the kind who feel Jewish while watching Seinfeld reruns or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But let’s be honest—feeling Jewish is seductive. It requires no follow-through or weekly attendance at shul. It’s cultural identity by osmosis. You grew up around kugel and bagels and lox, hearing from Bubbie and Zaydie that all non-Jews were Goyim, and learning through life that “oy” covers roughly 87 emotions. Mazel tov! You feel Jewish. You have a favorite deli. You can spot another Jew at Costco by instinct alone. You wrapped your trees in blue ribbon. You cried watching Schindler’s List. You post #NeverAgain on Instagram. It’s a vibe.
But living Jewish? That’s harder. That’s action. That’s showing up. That’s putting on pants and going to synagogue when it’s raining. That’s schlepping your kids to Hebrew school or day school and pretending you totally remember how to chant the V’ahavta after the Sh’mah. It’s building a sukkah from IKEA that collapses in the wind.
I didn’t grow up Orthodox, or even particularly observant. After my Bar Mitzvah I basically became a lapsed Jew. My Jewish identity was more cultural pride meets salty fish loyalty meets Woody Allen Jewish anxiety. But recently, maybe it’s an age thing or retirement, I have started asking: is feeling Jewish enough? Or am I just spiritually coasting on my Substack blathering and our holiday traditions?
Because here’s the thing: I am starting to believe that Jewish life is not just a spectator sport. You don’t get credit for thinking Barbra Streisand is a national treasure and Sandy Koufax was the greatest pitcher ever. That’s just taste and opinion. A Jewish life is built the hard way—one mitzvah, one kvetch, one awkward Kiddush cup spill at a time.
Living Jewishly means learning the rhythms. It means lighting candles even when the kids are screaming and the dog just threw up and you’re 95% sure you left the oven on. It means marking time—not just with calendar alerts, or a new series on Netflix, but with rituals that tether you to something ancient and weird and wonderful. A life where mourning and celebration are spelled out in centuries-old choreography. Where you don’t have to invent meaning from scratch every time a tragedy hits, because the playbook is already there.
And look, I get it—modern life is already a mess of obligations. Who has time for a religion that demands you stop working and eating bacon once a week? But here’s my experience: every time I lean into Jewish practice, even just a little—Shabbat dinner (on Sunday), Grandparent Day at the Temple, this weekly blog post, —I feel more like myself. Not in a narcissistic way, but in the sense that I’ve dropped anchor in a culture storm.
So, maybe it’s not enough to feel Jewish. We have to live Jewish. And maybe that is more important now, in these times of surging antisemitism, than ever. I’ve always felt proud to be a Jew. To be part of this remarkable people that have accomplished so much for so long, despite amazing hardships and near extermination. The haters are going to hate. They have for millenniums, and we are kidding ourselves if we think this will ever go away. But we need to live our Jewish values proudly. And we should remember Senor’s line he took from Douglas Murray, we need to be “Jewish and strong”, not “prominent and weak”. Or as Bruce Springsteen said in his “New York City Serenade” “Walk tall, or don’t walk at all”.
Now, without further ajieu, here is your weekly smorgasbord of superbly selected semitic stories from sources such as The Forward, JTA, The Times of Israel, Haaretz, Nosher, Kveller, and Jewish Boston to name a few.
- Strange bed fellows at a unified Harvard? Trump’s criticism of Harvard has unexpectedly united a campus long divided over Gaza, free speech, and the future of higher education. A former student Hillel president was introduced at a Tuesday rally by a student who gave speeches at a pro-Palestinian encampment last year. The two could “still fight the common fight together,” the latter said. The rally was organized to support international students after Trump announced plans last week to strip Harvard of its ability to enroll them. A federal judge temporarily blocked that move on Friday. “School pride is probably at an all-time high,” said a student from Pakistan, as the university prepares for commencement this week. (New York Times)
- Elsewhere on campuses…
- The Trump administration is widening its campus investigations beyond the Ivy League to schools like the University of California, with Leo Terrell, the head of the Justice Department’s antisemitism task force, warning of potential “massive lawsuits.” (Bloomberg)
- In a shift that could mark progress in California’s ethnic studies debate, Jewish lawmakers are now teaming up with leaders from other racial and ethnic caucuses on a bill to combat antisemitism in schools. (JTA)
- Brandeis University and its Hillel chapter are renovating a former campus building into a 28,000-square foot Center for Jewish Life. (Brandeis)
- Is Trump good for the Jews? Well, personally, I don’t think the orange man is good for humanity. But this question is a debatable one. In the first SAPIR sponsored debate, two prominent Jewish voices take opposing sides of this emotionally charged question: Jason Greenblatt, who served as Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East and worked for him for 20 years, and Rahm Emanuel, former chief of staff to President Obama, Mayor of Chicago, and US Ambassador to Japan. Moderated by SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens, IMHO, unfortunately, Greenblatt wins this debate. Rahm, a potential presidential candidate, came across a bit cheesy, emotional, and less prepared. You be the judge: Link to Debate.
- The orange man at it again….
- President Trump on Tuesday said that if Canada joined the U.S. as the 51st state, it wouldn’t have to pay for access to the Golden Dome, the missile defense system modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome. (The Hill, Axios) Canada to Trump: Drop dead.
- A Spanish hatmaker said its four-decade tradition of selling felt black fedoras to Orthodox Jews in the U.S. was at risk due to the orange man’s trade war. (Reuters)
- Elsewhere in politics…
- Bruce Pearl, the Auburn University basketball coach and outspoken advocate for Israel and combating antisemitism, may be recruited to run for Alabama’s open Senate seat. (Jewish Insider)
- Times of Israel’s most-read story this week: Official who posted antisemitic rhetoric becomes Pentagon press secretary
- Israel announces biggest West Bank settlement expansion in decades – Israel is embarking on the largest expansion of West Bank settlements in decades, its finance minister announced Thursday, a step meant to reinforce Israeli control of the territory. Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right moronic minister who holds authority over civilian affairs in Israel’s settlements, announced the establishment of 22 settlements in the West Bank. Some are existing outposts that the Israeli government considered illegal but will now authorize. Others will be new towns. Most of the world considers the West Bank to be occupied by Israel and considers Israeli settlements there illegal according to international law. Israel, which disputes that stance, conquered the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War; the first settlements were established there shortly afterward.
- Israel prepares to call up 450,000 soldiers amid mounting toll on reservists and their families – TEL AVIV — Tzemach David Schloss has spent 290 days in Israel’s army reserves over the last 19 months — close to half of the time that has passed since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He says the hardest part isn’t just the danger of combat, but of what he experienced when he first came home.“I didn’t want to get too close to my wife or children because I was scared that any minute I’d be called up again,” he said. Soon, he was. “My son was born during the war into my arms at home, and a week later I was back in the rubble of Gaza, where at any given moment you can get shot,” he said. “I’ve probably spent more time in uniform than with my baby. That horrifies me,” Schloss added. On Monday, the Israeli government authorized calling up as many as 450,000 reservists over the next three months — more than were called up on Oct. 7, 2023, and the most at any time in Israel’s history. When the first call-ups in support of an expanded offensive in Gaza went out last month — despite a decision made in November to cap reserve duty in 2025 at two and a half months — it was the seventh time being called up since Oct. 7 for some. Let’s hope a truce makes the call up moot.
That should do it this week. Happy Shavuot everyone! Enjoy the rest of the weekend, maybe living a Jewish life celebrating the delivery of the Torah? And be safe out there.
Brad out.
Jew News Review 