Texas rabbi's sermon the Shabbat after hostage crisis, Marilyn Manson's Nazi fetish, university launches new Jews of Color program, and man's home insulated with Yiddish newspapers.

THE WEEK IN POLITICS

'Israel has the right to exist, it has a right to its homeland,' said Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a N.Y. Democrat. (Getty Images)

Each Monday, Jacob Kornbluh, our senior political reporter, shares what’s in his notebook about New York, Washington, Jerusalem and beyond.

Exclusive | Jewish progressive group endorses Rep. Jamaal Bowman for re-election: Bowman, a first-term congressman from New York, has earned the backing of The Jewish Vote following a rigorous discussion with its members that included activists affiliated with far-left groups that have criticized Bowman’s support for Israel, including Democratic Socialists of America, IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Some context: Bowman, whose district spans parts of Southern Westchester County and the Bronx — including a large Jewish population in the Riverdale section of the borough — has taken an approach to Israel that is more nuanced than that of his progressive allies. He drew a strong condemnation from the socialist group’s national political committee following a congressional trip he took to Israel in November.

Sticking with the incumbent: “In a time when our democracy is at stake, we must recognize that Congressman Bowman is one of our best fighters,” said Rachel McCullough, political director of The Jewish Vote. She said that progressive Jews are not single-issue voters and “vote for candidates who stand for our values: care, compassion, equity, and a commitment to fight persecution and discrimination in every form.”Read the story ➤

In Washington: Rep. Grace Meng, a New York Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, has renewed an effort to double funding for grants to enhance security at nonprofit organizations following the hostage standoff at a Texas synagogue. In the now-stalled Build Back Better Act, which the House passed in November, Jewish groups secured an additional $100 million on top of the existing $180 million in such security grants. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged to increase funding to $360 million following a rash of antisemitic attacks in New York and New Jersey in 2019.

Rabbi Jack Moline of the Interfaith Alliance sent a letter on Friday to the two non-Jewish congressmen – Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska and Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat – who last week started a caucus “to advance Torah values,” cautioning them that it will do little to combat antisemitism and it “erodes the longstanding wall of separation between government and religion.”

In Jerusalem: Israel’s cabinet established a state inquiry into an alleged bribery scheme connected to the purchase of German submarines under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Leaders of the new government had pledged to investigate the matter when they took power. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett abstained; Netanyahu, who has been out of the public eye amid negotiations over a possible plea deal on other corruption charges, is expected to return to activities at the Knesset on Monday.

ALSO FROM THE FORWARD

He drew Leonard Cohen’s life, death and underwear: A new graphic novel, “Leonard Cohen: On a Wire,” explores the late singer-songwriter’s long career. Our PJ Grisar spoke with the book’s author, Philippe Girard, about finding inspiration in Cohen’s resilience and constant reinvention. “He led like a 1,000 lives and that’s something that is pretty obvious when you read about him,” Girard said. Read the story ➤

NBA player who used antisemitic slur says incident traumatized him:Myers Leonard said he had suicidal thoughts in the aftermath of the incident, in which he used the word “kike” to slam a competitor in an online video game, and has received treatment for PTSD. “I’ll be honest: I thank God I didn’t have a gun in the house that day,” Leonard told an audience at the Chabad of the University of Illinois, his alma mater. The NBA fined Leonard $50,000 and suspended him for a week; he has not played in the league since. He has met with Holocaust survivors and hosted basketball camps for Jewish children. Read the story ➤

Also: The University of Colorado has a new initiative to elevate voices and experiences of Jews of Color. “As a South Asian Jew, I want to talk about what happens if you are somebody who has a foot in both worlds where you experience racism in one world and antisemitism in the other,” said Samira K. Mehta, a professor who is spearheading the program.

And one more: In the finale of the New York Jewish Film Festival, an elderly Jewish widow discovers how to find pleasure in grief.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Anti-vaccine activists at a Defeat the Mandates rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday. (Getty Images)

💉 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others at a “Defeat the Mandates” rally in D.C. on Sunday compared COVID restrictions to Nazi torment of Jews in the 1930s. “Even in Hitler’s Germany, you could hide in the attic like Anne Frank did,” Kennedy told the crowd. Also at the rally, Rabbi Zev Epstein praised doctors who question the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. “The Talmud values wisdom over popularity,” said Epstein, an anti-vaccine activist even before the coronavirus pandemic. “Many Orthodox rabbis support the message of this rally.” (JTA, Washington Post, YouTube, Twitter)

🇺🇦 Jewish groups met on Sunday to discuss a potential emergency evacuation of Ukraine’s Jews if Russia invades. Officials estimate that about 75,000 Ukrainians are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. (Haaretz)

🎬 Actress Evan Rachel Wood revealed that the singer Marilyn Manson decorated their home with swastikas and Nazi memorabilia during their four-year relationship. Wood, who is Jewish, also said that Manson viewed Hitler as “the first rock star because Hitler was stylish, he was well spoken, and he knew how to manipulate the masses.” Wood’s comments, along with allegations that Mason abused her, were part of a documentary, “Phoenix Rising,” that premiered Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival. (Daily Beast)

🕍 An Israeli startup is selling panic buttons to U.S. synagogues. Gabriel, named after the horn-blowing archangel, offers buttons that can be placed all around the premises, each with a fisheye camera. “Unfortunately, bad news brings a lot of attention to a product like ours,” said Yoni Sherizen, the company’s founder. (Bloomberg)

🗣️ Peter Dante, an actor who is a regular in Adam Sandler movies, is being sued for allegedly yelling antisemitic remarks at a Jewish patron in a Los Angeles restaurant. According to the lawsuit, which seeks $1.5 million in damages, Dante called the elderly defendant an “Old Jew” with a “Jew nose,” chased him around the restaurant and bullied him in a threatening manner. (CBS L.A.)

😮 Best headline of the day: “If the walls in this Crown Heights house could talk, they’d speak Yiddish.” Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone, the social media editor for Chabad.org, discovered during a recent renovation that the walls of his 1920s home were insulated with Yiddish newspapers. (JTA)

Shiva call ➤ Cecile Klein, who spent seven months as Canada’s oldest person, has died at 114. She lived, with incomparable zest, through two world wars and two pandemics. In her mid-90s, she bought a watch and insisted on the 10-year guarantee. “She certainly was right and outlasted the watch,” said a family friend. (Canadian Jewish News)

Another shiva call ➤ Miriam Naor, former chief justice of Israel’s Supreme Court, died at 74. President Isaac Herzog said she would be remembered “as the queen of justice and as one of the titans of Israeli law — a wise, knowledgeable, sensitive, strong, and independent woman, who remained modest even as she sat on the highest courts in the land.” (Times of Israel)

What else we’re reading ➤ They met at a retreat for Jewish activists and deepened their bond at a Queer Talmud Camp … European Parliament advanced a bill to ban online advertising based on religion, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity … In case you missed it, there were two earthquakes in Israel this weekend.

ON THE CALENDAR

On this day in history: Neil Diamond, one of the most popular musicians of all time, was born on Jan. 24, 1941. He grew up in Brooklyn, and went to high school with Barbra Streisand – the two would bum smokes off each other. Diamond has sold 125 million albums and had several No. 1 hits – including his signature “Sweet Caroline,” which was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Diamond’s “knack for winning melodies and indelible hooks has obviously been the major factor behind his massive success,” writes Dan Epstein, our music critic, in an essay about why the 81-year-old star still matters. His “determined sense of self has been an intriguing thread that’s run throughout much of his music and career.”

Bonus: How Neil Diamond wrote his best song and worst album — and why it’s all Lenny Bruce’s fault

In honor of National Peanut Butter Day, check out this video of Gal Gadot trying Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for the first time.

TEXAS ATTACK AFTERMATH

Beto O’Rourke, a 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful now running for governor of Texas, spent Shabbat in shul as a sign of solidarity after last week’s attack. “Grateful to Rabbi Blumofe and members of the Agudas Achim synagogue for inviting me to today’s service,” O’Rourke wrote on Twitter. “The terror we witnessed in Colleyville made clear that it’s not enough just to stand with the Jewish community — we must fight hate, bigotry, and antisemitism across America.”

And more scenes from the first Shabbat after the attack:

Here’s our complete coverage of the attack and its aftermath.

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Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh for contributing to today’s newsletter.

You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com.

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