WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

GOP senators block aid to Israel, Facebook to rule on graphic content related to the war, Norman Lear said antisemitic experience led to his social consciousness, and why non-Jews are displaying menorahs this Hanukkah.

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ISRAEL AT WAR

Liz Magill, president of the University of Pennsylvania, is facing calls to resign. (Getty)

The presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania backtracked Wednesday, and condemned calling for the genocide of Jews.

The school administrators, along with the president of MIT, came under intense criticism after they testified on Tuesday at a congressional hearing about antisemitism on campuses. They were repeatedly asked if “calling for the genocide of Jews” was against the universities’ respective codes of conduct; all three presidents said the answer depended on the context.

Donors and alumni are calling on the presidents to resign, and Pennsylvania’s Jewish governor also weighed in. The president of MIT, who is Jewish, has not publicly addressed the issue since Tuesday.

Read the story ➤

Israeli soldiers at the funeral Wednesday for Master Sergeant Gil Daniels, who died in battle. (Getty)

The latest…

Hours before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, Israel’s security forces had signs that terrorists would seek to infiltrate from Gaza into Israel, but failed to notify the organizers of the Nova music festival, according to a blockbuster Haaretz report.

Far-right Jewish groups in Israel are planning a “March of the Maccabees” through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem Thursday night to call for the reestablishment of “Jewish control” over the holy site. Officials worry it could inflame tensions.

Republican senators blocked a White House request for $106 billion in emergency aid primarily for Israel and Ukraine Wednesday as conservatives balked at the exclusion of immigration reforms they had demanded as part of the package.

Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli announced Thursday she’s leaving politics. (Getty)

Head of the Israeli center-left Labor Party, Merav Michaeli, announced on Thursday that she is leaving political life, and that the party will hold a leadership contest within the next four months.

Two posts with graphic content — one on Facebook from the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, and the other on Instagram from a bomb site in Gaza — were taken down, and then restored. An independent panel at Meta, which owns both platforms, will now weigh in, with potential ramifications for how users will be able to talk about the war online.

Around 1,000 Israeli volunteers are taking photos and streaming drone video shot from above, giving both municipal and military leaders views they might not otherwise have. They’ve formed the National Drone Patrol.

A commitment in writing for the “right of the State of Israel to exist” is now a requirement to become a citizen in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Local politicians describe Israel’s security as a historical responsibility to protect Jews after perpetrating the Holocaust.

Members of Neturei Karta take part in a “March For Palestine” in London in October. (Getty)

Who is the Orthodox group at pro-Palestinian protests? A fringe Haredi sect, known as Neturei Karta, is distinguished by its strongly anti-Zionist stance. It actively works to undermine Israel and advocates for its dismantling. As our Mira Fox explains, the group has been causing controversy for decades — including receiving money from Yasser Arafat and attending a conference on Holocaust revisionism, hosted by Iran. Read the story ➤

Sixth grade questions about Israel and Gaza, and the teacher who answers them: Does Hamas terrorize other countries? Is the U.S. going to fight too? Those are some of the questions Erica Rothblum, head of the Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy in Los Angeles, gets from her students each week. “They are old enough to understand complexity, and to ask really interesting questions and have really interesting thoughts,” Rothblum told our editor-in-chief, Jodi Rudoren. ”And they are young enough to still think that the adults in their lives have all of the answers.” Read the story ➤

ALSO IN THE FORWARD

(iStock)

First-person | I’m a grown-up. I still love playing dreidel: The game has a lot to teach us: history, tradition and low-stakes gambling. Our Beth Harpaz is thrilled by the motion of the top and the larger Jewish story it represents. In the words of her friend’s mother, a Holocaust survivor, “life has these bumps” — just like a game of dreidel.

Who will replace former Rep. George Santos? Less than a week after the House expelled Santos for lies and other ethical transgressions, the scramble is on to fill his empty seat. Voters will do that in a special election in February. The Democratic and Republican parties will reveal their candidates by the end of the week. Our senior political correspondent, Jacob Kornbluh, introduces you to the frontrunners.

Plus…

There’s a new Netflix film about Bayard Rustin, a civil rights leader who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington. His legacy paved the way for the Jews who attended the March for Israel last month, writes our editor-at-large, Robin Washington.

Norman Lear, who died Wednesday at 101, once told the Forward that an early experience of antisemitism formed his social consciousness. “My empathy went out to people who are automatically disliked just because of who they are,” Lear said.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Sifting through the rubble after the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires was bombed in 1994. (Getty)

🇦🇷 The AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires, the site of a 1994 bombing that killed 85 people, was the site of a false bomb threat Wednesday. (JTA)

💰 Robert Kraft, the Jewish philanthropist and owner of the New England Patriots, is matching a $100 million donation to his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism — giving the project $200 million in new funding. Earlier this year, our Arno Rosenfeld looked at how the foundation spends its money. (Wall Street Journal)

🕎 A Jewish dad said he’s afraid to light a menorah this Hanukkah. So he asked non-Jews to display them in solidarity. The project has quickly gained popularity, but some Christians are wondering if they should be co-opting Jewish symbols. (JTA)

🏒 Jack, Luke and Quinn Hughes made hockey history on Tuesday night when they became the first trio of Jewish brothers to play in the same NHL game. (JTA)

📺 The Peacock streaming service acquired the rights to the British sitcom Hapless. Described as a cringe comedy a la Curb Your Enthusiasm, its main character is a journalist at a fictional Jewish newspaper. Our reviewer said “the show feels fresh and funny.” (Deadline)

Mazel tov ➤ To Judith Plaskow, a pioneering Jewish feminist theologian, on being inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

What else we’re reading ➤ How to be antisemitic and get away with it … Hanukkah message of light in darkness feels uniquely relevant to U.S. Jews amid war … The Prince of Egypt live-action musical, retelling the story of Passover, is now streaming for Hanukkah.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Our editor-in-chief, Jodi Rudoren, is on the ground reporting in Israel. On Wednesday, she joined our senior columnist, Rob Eshman, on Zoom to chat about the war, the hostages, and her latest article — a harrowing story of a married couple, with a baby and a toddler, who spent 27 hours hiding in their home in Southern Israel while Hamas terrorists set the house on fire and obliterated their kibbutz. Said Rob: “It’s really one of the most visceral stories I’ve read about what happened down there.”

Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Beth Harpaz for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com.

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