Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. antisemitism envoy, pledged to elevate Holocaust education and combat what he called a “global problem” of ignorance-driven antisemitism during…
Category: Other
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Midrashic Musings on Toldot: What if Jacob had been nicer to his brother?
“Isaac loved Esau, because of the game in his mouth.” — Genesis 25:28 But whose mouth? And what kind of love leaves one son hungry for a blessing, and the other aching to serve? It was near sundown. The sky hung low and red over…
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From Moral Certainty to Moral Agony: Why I Support Death Penalty for Terrorists
Before October 7, 2023, I was uncompromisingly, viscerally opposed to the death penalty. I even wrote a blog post spelling it out: You read it all the time in the news: convictions overturned after 20, 30 years. Innocent people locked away for…
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Pluralistic Anti-Antisemitism. A Minifarce
Penelope is visited by a pluralistically conceived action group tasked by the local council with helping to combat antisemitism by going door-to-door. One group member: Hallo, we’re a pluralistically conceived action group tasked by the local…
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Hamas’ preparation for 10/7 was hidden in plain sight by a political agenda
The intel on Hamas attack plan was there, but IDF simply refused to believe it, probe finds I follow David Horovitz but was disappointed by his op-ed of 19 November. I agree with his premise with regards to Netanyahu’s culpability in and…
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Mamdani Won: What Now?
1) A Tale of Two Cities When past New York City mayor Bill de Blasio visited my former shul in New York a decade ago, he joked of how he was once at an international mayoral conference with Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai, and that…
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Vevey Unveiled: History, Culture, and Jewish Heritage on Lake Geneva
Perched gracefully between the mirrored surface of Lake Geneva and the vine-draped hills of Lavaux, the town of Vevey embodies Switzerland’s quiet poetry. It is a place of breathtaking beauty — the kind that makes you slow down, breathe…
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Offering Rebuke
The November 5 incident at Toronto Metropolitan University was beyond disturbing. Even setting aside the rising antisemitism it reflects, the prospect that uninvited people would interrupt a private event in a private space, damage property, and…
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Trump’s Hero’s Welcome for MbS Masks Fragile Foundations
President Trump’s November 18 reception for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was one of the most extravagant the White House has hosted in years. Military bands, fighter jet flyovers, and a 120‑person state dinner signaled not just a…
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Jewish Continuity Is a Choice, Not a Guarantee
Jewish history is defined not by uninterrupted survival, but by conscious choice. What unites us is the understanding that history only lives when we decide it does. Each generation has confronted the question: will we continue the Jewish story…
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