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JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT. |
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WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION |
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New poll finds Jews could sway swing states for Harris, Biden and Netanyahu to talk today about Iran, pro-Palestinian Columbia student group calls for violence, trailer released for young Bob Dylan movie, and Holocaust survivor who became TikTok star dies at 100. |
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The Feld family fled Hurricane Milton, driving from Tampa to Atlanta, where they will spend Yom Kippur. |
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Milton and the minyans
Hurricane Milton is barreling towards the west coast of Florida at 175 miles per hour, and is expected to make landfall tonight. Some experts are calling it Tampa Bay’s strongest storm in a century. Congregations throughout the southeast have offered safe haven — and free tickets — to evacuees seeking Yom Kippur services. One rabbi I spoke to fled with six Torahs in her car, while a family driving to Atlanta packed their trunk with family heirlooms for safekeeping — including a tallit passed down for generations. Read the story ►
Related: A Chabad rabbi who lives in a mandatory evacuation zone in Fort Myers has opted to stay put and plans to host Yom Kippur services. “We have people that need help, so there’s no way I can leave,” he said, adding, “God will help us.” Read the story ► |
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An interview between Ta-Nehisi Coates, left, and Tony Dokoupil is causing controversy. (CBS) |
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A hit piece of journalism, or just a hit piece?
Ta-Nehisi Coates, the award-winning author, has a new book out comparing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to the Jim Crow South. Tony Dokoupil, a Jewish anchor on CBS’ morning show, pressed him about it in an interview. Some critics said Dokoupil’s questions were one-sided, and now CBS executives said it fell short of editorial standards for impartiality. Our Louis Keene spoke with a journalism ethics expert to get their take. Read the story ► |
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Doug Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris planted a pomegranate tree at their residence on the first anniversary of the Hamas attack. (Getty) |
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A tree by any other name
Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, planted a pomegranate tree at their residence at the Naval Observatory to honor the victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The fruit holds special prominence in Jewish thought — often a symbol of hope and renewal — and is traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah. And yet: the contemporary Hebrew word for pomegranate, rimon, means grenade. Our language columnist, Aviya Kushner, explains. Read the story ► |
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– From our Sponsor: Martin Peretz– |
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| ISRAEL ALONE by Bernard-Henri Lévy |
| Weaving in fifty years of experience with Israel, Bernard-Henri Lévy analyzes global responses to October 7, the new virulent waves of the oldest hatred in the world: anti-Semitism, why Israel is waging this existential war against barbarism alone, and what’s at stake for Israel and the world. |
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Former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 7 anniversary event on Monday in Miami. (Getty) |
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The latest… An estimated 71% of Jewish voters across seven swing states favor Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a new poll released today from the the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
The group has also made a new ad playing off of former President Donald Trump’s comments that Jews who vote Democrat should have their “heads examined.” In the 30-second video, Jews are seen in a doctor’s office doing just that.
Trump has also made comments about immigrants with “bad genes” coming into the country. Our columnist Rabbi Jay Michaelson was on CNN for a lively discussion about it. Watch it here.
The “Uncommitted” movement, which held back support for President Joe Biden during the primaries over his pro-Israel stance, encouraged its supporters on Tuesday to vote for Harris.
Both Trump and Harris have done outreach to Jewish and Muslim voters. They’re both also targeting Mormons.
The Trump Organization is mulling getting into the luxury hotel business in Israel.
Biden will host a High Holiday call with Jewish voters today, Harris will host one on Friday. Her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, is set to speak at a campaign fundraiser next week for Jewish donors at a private home in D.C. |
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Protesters in Washington, D.C., hold watermelon signs in support of Palestinians. (Getty) |
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The symbols of 10/7
Yellow ribbon pins, dog tag necklace, keffiyehs … and watermelons? Our culture reporter, Mira Fox, put together a guide to the symbols that have become unavoidable since the outbreak of the war. “People have learned to succinctly display their position through various visual cues,” she writes. Read the story ►
Opinions… Years before Oct. 7, Leonard Cohen wrote a song that anticipated its darkness, writes Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin.
Ibrahim Dalalsha, a West Bank Palestinian argues that a two-state solution — one Israel, one Palestine — remains achievable, and more necessary than ever.
Plus… A stabbing attack injured six Wednesday in Hadera. The assailant has been ID’d as a 36-year-old Israeli Arab.
Israel struck a residential building in Syria overnight “in an attempt to assassinate a high-ranking Hezbollah member.” Seven people were killed, and it was not immediately clear if the targeted terrorist was among the dead.
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak today about Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran for an Oct. 1 missile attack. A scheduled trip today to D.C. by Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, was delayed until after the call.
“A letter signed by 130 Israeli soldiers warns that they will no longer serve unless the government works to obtain a hostage and ceasefire deal,” Haaretz reports.
In case you missed it: Our editor-in-chief, Jodi Rudoren hosted a conversation with Lee Yaron, the author of a new book profiling 100 of the victims and survivors of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, at an event Monday night in Washington, D.C. Watch it here.
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WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
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Students gathered at Columbia University Monday to mark the anniversary of the Hamas attack. (Getty) |
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On campus: A pro-Palestinian group at Columbia called for “armed resistance” and “violence” … Tufts University suspended its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine … Vandals defaced a statue at Harvard … Some Republicans are threatening to punish colleges that allow pro-Palestinian protests. (JTA, NBC, NY Times, Guardian)
📈 Antisemitic hate crime in New York City increased 74% — from 158 incidents to 275 — in the past 12 months, according to NYPD data, which also reported an “overall 30% rise in hate crimes against all groups in the city this year.” (NY Jewish Week)
🤦 Oklahoma amended its requirements for Bibles in classrooms, so that Bibles that don’t funnel sales funds to former President Trump could also be included. (AP)
🇮🇱 Israel elected a new Sephardic chief rabbi, after months of the post being vacant. The vote for an Ashkenazi chief rabbi ended in a tie, with a second round of voting set for next week. (Religion News Service, Times of Israel)
📺 A streaming service affiliated with Fox News is airing a number of faith-based series — including a show about a pastor-turned-football coach, and another on Catholic saints hosted by Martin Scorsese. (Variety)
Shiva call ► Lily Ebert, an Auschwitz survivor who gained international attention in recent years thanks to a bestselling memoir and a TikTok account run by her great-grandson, died at 100. |
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Watch the just-released trailer for the forthcoming movie about Bob Dylan’s rise to fame, starring Timothée Chalamet as the Jewish troubadour. It arrives in theaters on Dec. 25.
Dept. of corrections: An item in Monday’s Forwarding incorrectly stated that the majority of Israelis think not enough is being done to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza. A new survey found the opposite.
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Thanks to Louis Keene, Jacob Kornbluh, Lauren Markoe and Julie Moos 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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Jewish journalism you can trust! |
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Invest in the future of Jewish journalism. Become a monthly member during our High Holiday donor drive to support the Forward all year long! |
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