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Today: Jewish Columbia professor resigns in protest • The corruption case that could bring down Netanyahu • Sotheby’s to auction Ten Commandments • Wicked Hanukkah parodies and much more

OUR LEAD STORY

Doug Emhoff, First Lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden and their grandson Beau listen to Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove during a Hanukkah holiday reception Monday at the White House. (Getty)

Hanukkah, hope and the hora

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted on Monday night their final White House Hanukkah reception.

“Throughout my life, rabbis, Jewish friends, and colleagues have always been there for me and my family, especially during tough times,” Biden said. “They’ve taught me so much about the optimistic spirit of the Jewish people. Above all, they taught me one thing: we can never lose hope — hope, hope, hope.”

Biden also spoke of his commitment to bring home the hostages. Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, thanked Biden for spearheading the implementation of the nation’s first-ever strategy to counter antisemitism.

Among the hundreds of guests were our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren and senior political reporter Jacob Kornbluh. Democrats and leaders of liberal Jewish organizations privately acknowledged that this might be their last invitation to this event. Also in the crowd, taking selfies with guests, was Hunter Biden alongside his Jewish wife, Melissa Cohen Biden.

The kosher menu included an array of sushi rolls, seared filet mignon, potato and sweet potato latkes, and trays of sufganiyot — custard and jelly-filled donuts. A small group of guests spontaneously began a lively hora dance. Meanwhile, the White House Jewish liaison moved through the crowd, letting Orthodox men know that a minyan for Ma’ariv, the evening prayer, was being assembled in a nearby space.

ISRAEL

Benjamin Netanyahu in a scene from The Bibi Files. (Ziv Koren)

A damning portrait

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to testify today in a case related to a years-old bribery scandal that is finally having its day in court. The testimony was abruptly canceled during Netanyahu’s appearance on Monday, after several interruptions. Court is scheduled to resume tomorrow.

Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, got his hands on hundreds of hours of never-before-seen police interrogation footage of Netanyahu and some of his closest allies — including Sheldon and Miriam Adelson. “I think it became evident very quickly that the petty corruption that began the case had evolved into a kind of monumental corruption that was taking us all to the brink of World War III,” Gibney said of his new film. Go deeper ►

On the extremes

Opinion | A recent rise in attacks by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank is “a large stain on Judaism and on all of us,” said Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet security service. In a new essay, Coby Schoffman argues that the violence undermines Israel's democratic fabric and tarnishes its international reputation, and he calls on American Jewish philanthropy to address the issue. Read his essay ►

Related ► A little-known group that supports Gaza settlement, violent West Bank settlers and “revenge” against Palestinians “is trying to reshape the Israeli military — and may just succeed, with alarming consequences for the integrity of the IDF, and the future of Israel at large,” writes Yagil Levy, a professor of political sociology, in an opinion essay.

CULTURE

A rehearsal led by Dena Abergel, center, for New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker. (Erin Baiano)

‘Dena the ballerina’

In the leadup to Christmas, students from the School of American Ballet prep for 50 performances of The Nutcracker with the prestigious New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. Guiding them through the cued entrances, fixed routes and perfect pirouettes is Dena Abergel, an observant Jew who for a decade and a half has been preparing more than 120 children every year to perform in this beloved Christmas tradition. The structure and ritual of both ballet and Jewish observance are grounding, she says. “I think anything you’ve done your whole life — whether it’s pliés or tendus or davening — brings you back home.” Go deeper ►

Is The Carpenter a Bible film or an action thriller? (Courtesy Purdie Distribution)

Of muscles and men

What if, in his early days as a humble carpenter, before he amassed his 12 disciples or turned water into wine, Jesus befriended a mixed martial arts fighter? That’s the basic premise of a new movie which cuts back and forth between Rocky-style training montages and aphorisms from Jesus. Our culture writer Mira Fox says it’s part of a movement known as Muscular Christianity, and as an effort to bring young men into the church, “adding some punching is probably a good strategy.” Go deeper ►

Related: Why are the accents in Jesus movies so weird?

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

The University of Vermont’s Yaniv Bazini, right, gets the ball past Alex Bamford of Marshall University during the NCAA Division I Men's College Cup championship game Monday. (Getty)

On campus…

⚽ The University of Vermont’s soccer team won their first national championship Monday in an overtime nail-biter. The team was led by Israeli Yaniv Bazini, who now plans to play professional soccer. (Burlington Free Press, JTA)

😡 Columbia University professor Lawrence Rosenblatt resigned in protest after the school allowed Joseph Massad, a professor known for his anti-Israel views, to continue teaching a course on Zionism. (Jewish Insider)

🤷 Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, speaking at an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, criticized the University of Pennsylvania’s response to campus antisemitism, stating it “lost its way” in addressing the issue. (Jewish Insider)

And elsewhere…

🕍 Minnesota police are reviewing surveillance footage after two red swastikas were spray-painted on the entrance of Temple Israel, Minnesota's largest synagogue. No arrests have been made yet. (Star Tribune)

🪨 Sotheby’s is set to auction on Wednesday the oldest stone version of the Ten Commandments. But some experts are questioning its provenance and authenticity. (New York Times)

🇮🇹 Sara Funaro has been elected the mayor of Florence, Italy. She is the first woman and first Jew to serve in the role. (JTA)

🏠 A German court ordered the return of a local home to its Jewish owners, 85 years after it was forcibly sold under Nazi persecution. (Ynet)

🇬🇧 King Charles, who is battling cancer, accepted an invitation to travel to Auschwitz for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, which coincides with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp. (Mirror)

What else we’re reading ► Trump's cabinet selections represent an unusual slice of American religious life (Religion News Service) … ‘Book detectives’ step up hunt for Jewish-owned works looted by the Nazis (CNN) … Why A Charlie Brown Christmas almost didn’t air (The Conversation).

Transitions ► Devoted readers of this newsletter are familiar with the political coverage provided by our friend and colleague Ron Kampeas, the longtime D.C. correspondent for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. He is retiring, and friends and fans are gathering on Zoom this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET as he looks back on his career. Register here to attend.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

The a capella group Six13 released their annual Hanukkah song, a parody of “Defying Gravity” from the movie Wicked, which you can watch above.

Related…

Two Manhattan cantors have set the Adon Olam prayer to the tune of a song from Wicked.

Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin explains why watching Wicked is like studying a midrash.

My colleague Olivia Hayne writes that the novel which inspired Wicked offers a parable on the power of propaganda and echoes Nazi messaging about Jews.

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

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