by Debra | Oct 16, 2023 | Activism, Antisemitism, Featured Slider, Holocaust, Israel, jewish news, Judaism, Media, News, tikun olam
by Debra Rich Gettleman
“Hate never goes away; it just goes underground until it is given a little oxygen.”
— President Joe Biden
78% of Americans 45 and older support the U.S. pro-Israel stance against Hamas. Before you celebrate the fact that the majority of us believe in Israel’s right to defend herself against the brutal murderous Hamas terrorists who kidnapped, raped, and murdered innocent civilians on October 7th, hear this:
Only 48% of Americans under the age of 45 believe the U.S. should voice public support for Israel.
This comes from a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. The same poll noted that only about 44% of Americans say Israel’s response so far has been appropriate.
While some in the media seem to report this as good news, I’m having trouble accepting that. Maybe it’s my “Nudelman negativity,” (my mom’s family’s predilection to see every glass half empty), but Israel needs us right now. And if only a week has passed since the disgusting rampage Hamas led on Gaza, how does this bode for the future?
Black Lives Matter groups rally against Israel as Pro-Palestinian student groups on our top University campuses sign statements condemning Israel at a time when there should be no question of moral equivalency.
President Biden, appearing strong and presidential, affirms that America stands with Israel, full stop. But eight out of 10 Americans fear the current war will broaden across the Middle East and possibly across the world.
Israel sanctifies human life and urges innocent Palestinians to evacuate Northern Gaza. Hamas refuses to allow them to leave by blocking roads, bombing cars, and confiscating car keys.
We see more and more mainstream press outlets blaming Israel for the plight of everyday Palestinian civilians who want to escape the war-torn area and flee for safety. But where is the outrage at Hamas for holding an innocent civilian population hostage, using children as human shields, and blowing up their own infrastructure to wage a public relations campaign against Israel?
According to the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, a group that monitors violent language and threats on social media, in the first 18 hours after the Hamas attack, threats and calls for violence against Jews rose by approximately 488 percent.
So, what can you do?
Stay informed
No matter how ugly and ruthless the Hamas crimes against humanity are, do not stop reading. Do not turn off the tv. Do not look away. These are real images and facing them head on is critical at this moment.
Educate yourself
Read everything you can. Understand what is actually happening. Don’t simply listen to one side of the story. Pay attention to facts and draw honest conclusions based on evidence.
Visit ADL blog Debunking: Myths and False Narratives About the Israel-Hamas War
Don’t hide
Tell people you are Jewish. Tell people where you stand. Tell your colleagues and employer to stand up for Israel. In fact, the ADL is asking CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and other corporations to sign a corporate pledge to fight antisemitism and stand with their Jewish employees.
Tell your story
Remaining silent will not protect anyone. Speak your truth with facts and compassion. Disagree when friends, family, or co-workers say something insensitive or blatantly antisemitic. Saying nothing at this point in time is tantamount to agreeing with the false narratives, anti-zionist propaganda, and ill-informed justification for Hamas’ unbridled cruelty, violence, and disregard for the sanctity of human life.
by Debra | Oct 15, 2023 | Activism, cooking, Featured Slider, Israel, jewish chef, jewish food, jewish news, Judaism, tikun olam
by Debra Rich Gettleman
We all ache from the photos and videos we are seeing in the press, on tv, and in social media. Israel is under attack in the worst way. October 7th, 2023, saw the most Jews massacred in a single day since the Holocaust.
Jews being slaughtered, antisemitism rearing its ugly head in the name of Palestinian pride, and fear of more death and violence to come, makes us feel abject terror and hopelessness.
The antidote
Action. Helping others. Generosity of money, spirit, and time. And most importantly, raising our voices in support of the Jewish state. Over the next days, Jewish Life Now will bring you inspiring stories of ordinary people finding ways to stand tall, speak out, and raise money for Israel in their efforts to defeat Hamas and win the war against evil.
Breads Bakery
Breads Bakery on New York’s Upper East Side has launched “Strand with Us,” a campaign initiated by Israeli baker Siman Tov, who partnered with Breads to create heart shaped challahs in an effort to raise funds for the victims of Hamas’ brutal attacks.
The strands of dough braided together to form the heart shaped challot inspired the campaign name. In his Instagram post, Siman Tov writes, “We braided this heart shaped challah to express our solidarity and support for those affected by these tragic events in Israel.” He adds, “Challah is a symbol of unity.”
Where the money goes
All proceeds from the heart-shaped challah sales which will be available at all 5 Breads Manhattan locations will be donated to Magen David Adom, Israel’s National Emergency Pre-Hospital Medical and Blood Services Organization.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyTfwXGu6zH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
by Debra | Oct 13, 2023 | Activism, Antisemitism, Death, Featured Slider, Israel, jewish news, Judaism, Students On Campus
By Debra Rich Gettleman
“We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.” This statement was signed by over 30 Harvard student groups this past week.
Well, it’s about time someone took action against idiocy, bigotry, and ignorance. If 30+ student organizations at Harvard blame Israel for the malevolent terrorist attacks on innocent civilians in Gaza last Saturday, they ought to be willing to sign their names to that statement.
The Backlash
Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, is tired of careless University students making outrageous claims and hiding behind prestigious learning institutions. If those students want to express their heinous opinions, they need to do it publicly and Ackman and a host of other high profile business leaders want to know their names so they can be sure to never hire any of them in the future.
Of course, Harvard is declining to share the students’ names who belong to the groups that signed the letter blaming Israel solely for the vicious Hamas attacks. Ex Harvard president and Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers, agrees with Ackman but ultimately softened and excused the student’s behavior as “naïve and foolish” noting that “Many of these groups never saw the statement before it went out.”
In a CNN business report by Matt Egan on Thursday, Ackman’s Twitter (X) post was quoted stating, “One should not be able to hide behind a corporate shield when issuing statements supporting the actions of terrorists.” Jonathan Neman, CEO of Sweetgreen restaurant chain, agrees with Ackman posting on X “I would like to know so I know never to hire these people.”
Money Talks
With the fear of monetary reprisals and professional blacklisting, students who signed these documents are suddenly issuing statements of apology and claiming ignorance. They’re even accusing Ackman of harassment and contending that they didn’t have a chance to read the statement until it was too late. Well, welcome to adulthood where the council you keep matters and belonging to a hate group speaks volumes about your morals, principals, and character. Frankly, lamenting about not having time to read the statement before signing it sounds a lot like our lame political process where congress is pressured to sign thousand-page bills and instructed to read those bills only after they pass them.
And it’s not just Harvard. New York University’s Student Bar Association also came out saying that Israel bears total responsibility for all loss of life in this unprecedented attack. In response, a major Law Firm, Winston & Strawn rescinded a job offer to one of NYUs law students.
The Anti-Defamation League has called on CEOs to continue to speak out against hate and to sign a pledge to fight antisemitism. CEO of ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, affirmed, “For companies that have Jewish employees, Jewish customers, Jewish investors, Jewish shareholders, or simply have a modicum of a conscience, this one should be easy.”
I praise every CEO who is standing up against the disgraceful, inhuman torture and heinous celebration of death that Hamas, Hezbollah, and even Harvard have publicly endorsed. If it was sheer ignorance or naivete on the part of all of these college groups and law school students, then it is time for them to learn that actions have consequences. You cannot be reckless with words. You cannot be indifferent to hatred. And you cannot claim innocence when you are supporting organizations that maim, torture, and desecrate the dignity of life.
by Debra | Oct 5, 2023 | AI, Creativity, Culture, Events, Featured Slider, Holidays, jewish news, Sukkot, sukkot
by Debra Rich Gettleman
The real question to ask ourselves about Sukkot today is, “Does the Lulav shaking need to be done by a human in order for one to fulfill the mitzvah?”
Huh? You’re asking yourself. Like can my dog do it? Well, the answer to that is obvious. Your dog doesn’t have opposable thumbs. So, um…no. But what about your AI trained robot?
Symbolism of the Lulav
We shake the lulav and etrog during Sukkot for several reasons. While not actually commanded in the Torah, the ritual is clearly outlined in multiple commentaries.
Some say this harvest time of year is when we are judged for rainfall and therefore, we must ask God to send winds to bring the rains. Others believe that the etrog, palm, myrtle and willow represent the four-letter name of God. By uniting them, we channel the divine energy into ourselves and the world. Some interpretations suggest that each of the four species relates to a specific human limb: the etrog refers to the heart, the palm to the spine, the myrtle corresponds to the eyes, and the willow, the lips. By combining the four, we are best able to serve God. And finally, there is kabbalistic interpretation suggesting that each individual part represents different aspects of Jews and their learnedness and willingness to perform mitzvot. Only through bringing all of these Jews together can the Jewish people continue to thrive.
Meet Spot
Check out this video posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. (By the way, when can we stop alluding to Twitter? It’s cumbersome and at this point, if you don’t know that X is the reincarnated Twitter, you’re probably not on it and should just go read a book.)
Spot is a trained Boston Dynamics robot who lives with Tablet Magazine’s fabulous contributing editor, Dara Horn. As for the missing etrog in the video. Horn posted this morning on X, “For those wondering where the etrog is: This industrial robot does a lot of things really well, but I didn’t trust it with my etrog’s pitom!”
What do the Rabbi’s say?
As is usually the case with our tribe, Rabbi’s disagree about whether Spot, or any future incarnation of Spot, can fulfill the netilat lulav mitzvah?
Rabbi Mark Goldfeder gives an emphatic “yes” to accepting robots as members of the tribe. He even affirms that they can be counted towards a minyan. “If I see something that for all intents and purposes looks human,” he told the Arizona Jewish Post, “I cannot start poking it to see if it bleeds.”
So, the question remains unanswered. As for me, the bigger question is “How could @DaraHorn, the contributing editor @tabletmag afford a $75,000 robot dog?” I guess she gets paid more than this humble contributing editor.
by Debra | Oct 2, 2023 | Arts, Celebrity, Featured Slider, Influencers, Judaism, Media, Music, Performance
by Debra Rich Gettleman
Ok, can we be frank for one minute? There are times to make political statements, and then there are times to make yourself look like an idiot.
Disrupting an entire rock concert with a message about foreskin, seems to fall into the idiot column. But that’s just me.
Concert Chaos
At Pink’s recent San Antonio concert, a heckler disrupted Pink’s singing by yelling about the evils of circumcision. Apparently, this guy had a message on his cell phone that he needed Pink to see. “Circumcision: cruel and harmful” is what the screen displayed.
“What does that say?” asked a befuddled Pink. Then, addressing the guy, she said, “Oh wow. You’re making a whole point right now, aren’t you? Do you feel good about yourself? Are you going to be alright? You spent all this money to come here and do that? Come on, dude.”
The pro foreskin provocateur continued to scream at Pink as the crowd began cheering the singer on in a show of support. Then, Pink added, “I’m gonna have to buy a Birkin bag with that ticket money.” She followed up suggesting that security, “Get that s— out of here.,” as her team escorted the inciter from the building.
Difference of Opinion
Let me just say that people are entitled to have differing opinions on circumcision. It is, however, considered by many to be the single most important ritual in Judaism because it physically symbolizes the covenant between God and the Jewish people.
Pink, publicly open about her Judaism, became a target for the anti-circumcision movement after she posted a photo of her 2-year-old son at the beach without his diaper in 2019. It turned into a whole Instagram kerfuffle in which Pink finally removed the post out of disgust for social media malevolence, saying, “I deleted it because you’re all f-ing disgusting. And now I’m turning off my comments and shaking my head at the state of social media and keyboard warriors, and the negativity that you bring to other people’s lives. There is something seriously wrong with a lot of you out there. Smfh. Here’s a picture of the pelican we obviously caught and abused for hours before dangling baby penis in its face.
My overall take on Pink’s handling of the situation? She’s F-ing perfect!
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