WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

Graves of Jewish WWI vets discovered in Gaza, thousands of livestock stuck on ship heading to Israel, a seven-hour movie about Hitler to screen for sold-out crowd in Manhattan, and we’re kicking off Black History Month with the story behind Sammy Davis Jr.’s conversion to Judaism.

ISRAEL AT WAR

Far-right activists attend a convention this week in Jerusalem calling for Israel to resettle Gaza. (Getty)

For God and country | War reignites fringe movement to resettle Gaza: Some 2,000 people flocked this week to a conference in Jerusalem for the loudest and most high-profile event yet to rally support for resettlement. The crowd included influential rabbis, relatives of people murdered or abducted on Oct. 7, soldiers killed in combat since, and busloads of yeshiva students, many who said they hope to raise their future children in Gaza. Susan Greene, our correspondent on the ground in Israel, reports from the scene. Read the story ➤

Opinion: The recent revelations that employees of a United Nations group may have helped Hamas attack Israel may come as a surprise, but Josh Feldman writes in a new opinion essay that “such allegations are not glitches in the system, but rather the results of years of institutional decay and corruption.”

Related: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly instructed the Israeli army to examine a plan to distribute humanitarian aid, replacing UNRWA.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in the lobby of Chicago's City Hall Wednesday while the city council debated a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the war. (Getty)

The latest…

By the narrowest of margins, the Chicago City Council voted to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. Mayor Brandon Johnson cast the tie-breaking vote after 23 members voted in favor and 23 against. At least 47 cities passed similar resolutions.

Students for Justice in Palestine went to court to stop the University of Florida from shutting the organization down, but a federal court declined to intervene, saying it’s clear the university is not actually planning to carry out its threat.

A suburban Minneapolis school district is facing a federal investigation for Islamophobic discrimination after suspending two Muslim students who chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

A member of the Los Angeles City Council who called for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war won the support of a pro-Israel group, sparking infighting in the leftist organization that helped put her into office four years ago.

Banners of Phillip Schwartz’s Holocaust artwork on display at an Episcopal church. (Michael Del Rossi)

Why a Jewish artist thinks his exhibit’s cancellation is evidence of censorship and antisemitism: Phillip Schwartz was baffled when a high-profile art space wanted to recontextualize an exhibition of his Holocaust-related work in relation to current events in the Middle East by adding the work of a Palestinian artist. Instead, he chose to showcase his Holocaust art in a more welcoming space — an Episcopal church. Read the story ➤

Plus…

Thousands of lambs and calves are in dire condition, stuck on a ship headed to Israel that has been diverted by Houthi threats, adding another month onto the voyage.

IDF troops operating in Gaza stumbled upon a well-preserved cemetery where they discovered seven graves belonging to Jewish veterans from World War I.

ALSO IN THE FORWARD

Reform movement unveils new logos and ‘artistic, abstract’ branding: Gone are the Hebrew letters and the stylized menorah that have been there for decades. In its place is a sleeker, less Jewish look. It’s meant to be “inviting to not-yet-engaged Jews,” a spokesperson said. The new logo drew mixed reviews on social media, where one commenter posted: “I think Reform Judaism has more important issues that need to be dealt with, but I am just a Jew in a pew.”

Plus…

Georgia on Wednesday became the latest state to codify the definition of antisemitism, a move that provides a guide for law enforcement and prosecutors when determining the motive behind an incident. The state’s sole Jewish legislator was targeted with an antisemitic postcard prior to the bill signing.

David Rubenstein, a philanthropist with a taste for Jewish history and artifacts, leads a group of investors who agreed Wednesday to buy a controlling stake in the Baltimore Orioles.

It’s the 22nd anniversary of the death of Daniel Pearl, the Jewish Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered in Pakistan. Pearl’s father, Judea, penned this poem in his memory.

The real story behind Sammy Davis Jr.’s conversion to Judaism involves a car crash, a Star of David medal and a lost mezuzah. Catch up with all of our stories marking Black History Month.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, is often talked about within political circles as a future presidential or vice-presidential candidate. (Getty)

🇺🇸 According to a new poll, 88% of Americans said they would vote for a Jewish presidential candidate, a 5 percent drop since 2020. (Gallup)

🩺 The National Health Service in England is offering tens of thousands of people with Jewish ancestry, who have a higher risk of developing certain cancers, a free genetic test in an effort to spot and treat cancer earlier. (Guardian)

💊 A former CVS employee filed a federal lawsuit in Florida against the company after she was fired for refusing to prescribe contraceptives due to her religious beliefs. (Religion News Service)

🎞️ A seven-hour film about Hitler, originally released in the U.S. in 1980, will screen to a sold-out audience this Sunday at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. (New York Times)

🍗 In an interview promoting the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David said his favorite episode of all 12 seasons is the one where he feels guilty about eating at a Palestinian-owned chicken restaurant. (Variety)

Mazel tov ➤ To Yuval Freilich, an Israeli fencer who won a gold medal in Qatar on Wednesday, moving him one step closer to advancing to the Olympics this summer in Paris.

What else we’re reading ➤ The Lublin Yeshiva Library was thought to be destroyed by the Nazis. Then its books started turning up … Why an Israeli artist won’t be attending her own exhibition in South Africa … A former member of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life reflects on the synagogue’s razing.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Watch the newly released trailer for the action spy thriller The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, starring Henry Cavill and directed by Guy Ritchie. It’s inspired by the true story of Winston Churchill’s top secret combat unit, which went on a mission to fight Nazis and changed the fate of World War II. (Fun fact: Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, was a member of the unit.)

Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh and Lauren Markoe 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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