“As the High Holy Days segue into a mundane routine, the Israeli public has become accustomed to a strange new normal: the morning terrorist shooting attack is followed by the afternoon car-ramming attack, and sandwiched between them the news feed is filled with descriptions of violent Arab rioting in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. A day that ends without a body count is considered a miracle – one that doesn’t always happen.” – Meir Deutch, director of policy and government relations at Regavim. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 24, 2022)
“I’ve been living under police protection for years, I’m getting used to these situations but I’m still shocked. But they won’t scare me, I won’t stop my fight.” — Imam Hassen Chalghoumi to Actu Seine-Saint-Denis in the wake of the incident at the mosque he serves in the Paris suburb of Drancy. The prominent French imam has vowed to continue combating antisemitism and advancing interfaith dialogue with the Jewish community following an attempted attack on his mosque by a knife-wielding assailant. “When we criticize Islamism, we liberate Islam, we liberate the Muslim world, and not only in France,” he declared. (Algemeiner, Oct. 24, 2022)
“Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.” — Kim Kardashian speaking out against ex-husband Kanye West’s antisemitism in an Instagram story. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 25, 2022)
“Jewish parents should be aware … that those are not proto-Nazis making college life hell for their children from Berkeley to NYU. In the U.S. Congress, those are not proto-Nazis fomenting hatred of Israel. In the State Department, it is not neo-Nazis who are urging treaties and amity with an Iranian regime that has vowed to exterminate the Jewish state and its people. Nor is it neo-Nazis assaulting Jews in Brooklyn, or neo-Nazis at the New York Times maligning the Jews and their homeland. Yet sadly among those last-mentioned maligners are … American Jews and even some who pride themselves on repairing the world. All of this is known to the filmmakers to PBS, which is why they and others have taken such care to redirect any potential anxiety about the precipitous rise in anti-Jewish politics away from such threats toward the more convenient and already disparaged far-right.” – Prof. Ruth Wisse in an article critical of Ken Burns’ PBS six-part documentary The U.S. and the Holocaust. (Mosaic Magazine, Oct. 13, 2022)
“I will probably have to do it again. I ran twice. I won twice. I did much better the second time than I did before, getting more votes than any sitting president in the history of our country by far. . .And now in order to make our country successful, safe, and glorious again, I will probably have to do it again.” — former President Donald Trump, speaking to a Republican rally in Texas. (NYPost, Oct. 23, 2022)
”Power will be even more concentrated in the hands of Xi Jinping” The new appointees are “all loyal to Xi,” [the new appointments {to the seven-member standing committee of the CCP are his subordinate allies]. There is no counterweight or checks and balances in the system at all,” said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a Chinese politics expert at Hong Kong Baptist University. The lineup appeared to reflect what some commentators called ‘Maximum Xi’, valuing loyalty over ability. . .” Xi, who took power in 2012, was awarded a third five-year term as general secretary, discarding a custom under which his predecessor left after 10 years. The 69-year-old leader is expected by some to try to stay in power for life. He promoted allies who support his vision of tighter control over society and the struggling economy.” – political columnist Joe McDonald (Washington Times, Oct. 23, 2022) “[The] situation in Ukraine. . .is constantly veering towards further uncontrolled escalation.” — Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to his French counterpart in a telephone call. Shoigu said Moscow had concerns Ukraine could use a “dirty bomb” in the conflict, without providing evidence to support the suggestion that Ukraine might use such a weapon. [Shoigu’s reference has raised fears that Russia will claim a “false flag” operation to justify the use of extreme measures—extended air and missile attack against Ukraine [or even tactical nuclear weapons – Ed.]. Russian forces appear to be preparing to withdraw from close to Kherson, ordering a fresh evacuation of civilians, and laying the ground for the potential loss of the city of Kherson itself. [Shoigu, Russia’s Defense Minister, has reportedly been in repeated contact with American military leaders recently—Ed.] – journalist Peter Beaumont. (The Guardian, Oct. 24, 2022)
“Surveys of likely voters are more relevant to campaigns and election outcomes. They are better predictors of election outcomes because they include people who routinely vote, follow the news, and have opinions. At this point in the process, no one should be paying any attention at all to surveys of registered voters. Likely voters are what matters now. Among the 127 surveys of registered voters, the Democrats led the generic-ballot test in 61, the Republicans led in 50, and there were 16 ties. The average result of these surveys of registered voters was almost even between the parties. The 45 reported surveys of likely voters tell a very different story. In these surveys, the Republicans led the generic-ballot test in 42 of them. The Democrats led in just three. The average result for the ballot test in these surveys of likely voters was a clear Republican lead.” – political columnist John Fund. (National Review, Oct. 23, 2022)
“We’re all familiar with the fact that the press has historically leaned to the left. That’s not what we’re looking at now. We’re looking at something very, very different. We’re looking at the press as being a part of the intelligence community. They are the ones who are putting these operations out there.” – Political columnist Lee Smith commenting on the Russiagate hoax. (Rumble, Oct. 22, 2022)
“I’m a Pennsylvanian and have never understood Fetterman’s appeal. At all. Every time I’ve heard him speak or seen him posing in photos with his phony tough-guy act, I’m astounded that he was ever chosen for anything more than an extra on Pawn Stars. So I decided to visit Braddock, Pennsylvania, the town of 1,800 people where Fetterman was first elected to political office (he was Braddock’s mayor for thirteen years). I wanted to see if there was something about the guy I was missing. What I learned was that when it comes to matters of economics and public safety, Fetterman is even more incompetent than I thought. … If you don’t believe me, just spend five minutes walking the streets of Braddock, Pennsylvania, the most damning Dr. Oz ad of all.” – Assistant editor at The Spectator World Teresa Mull. John Fetterman is the Democratic candidate for US Senate, running against Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz. (Spectator World, Oct. 20, 2022)
“… in the coming couple of years, we’re going to need to continue with the mechanisms we have, but the move off of fossil fuels … is going to happen much faster because of Russia.” – Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. While Trudeau acknowledged that the Russian invasion had caused global demand to surge for Canadian sources of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil, he predicted that the net effect would be a faster phase-out of the Canadian oil and gas sector. (National Post, Oct. 19, 2022)
“I’ve been living under police protection for years, I’m getting used to these situations but I’m still shocked. But they won’t scare me, I won’t stop my fight.” — Imam Hassen Chalghoumi to Actu Seine-Saint-Denis in the wake of the incident at the mosque he serves in the Paris suburb of Drancy. The prominent French imam has vowed to continue combating antisemitism and advancing interfaith dialogue with the Jewish community following an attempted attack on his mosque by a knife-wielding assailant. “When we criticize Islamism, we liberate Islam, we liberate the Muslim world, and not only in France,” he declared. (Algemeiner, Oct. 24, 2022)
“Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.” — Kim Kardashian speaking out against ex-husband Kanye West’s antisemitism in an Instagram story. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 25, 2022)
“Jewish parents should be aware … that those are not proto-Nazis making college life hell for their children from Berkeley to NYU. In the U.S. Congress, those are not proto-Nazis fomenting hatred of Israel. In the State Department, it is not neo-Nazis who are urging treaties and amity with an Iranian regime that has vowed to exterminate the Jewish state and its people. Nor is it neo-Nazis assaulting Jews in Brooklyn, or neo-Nazis at the New York Times maligning the Jews and their homeland. Yet sadly among those last-mentioned maligners are … American Jews and even some who pride themselves on repairing the world. All of this is known to the filmmakers to PBS, which is why they and others have taken such care to redirect any potential anxiety about the precipitous rise in anti-Jewish politics away from such threats toward the more convenient and already disparaged far-right.” – Prof. Ruth Wisse in an article critical of Ken Burns’ PBS six-part documentary The U.S. and the Holocaust. (Mosaic Magazine, Oct. 13, 2022)
“I will probably have to do it again. I ran twice. I won twice. I did much better the second time than I did before, getting more votes than any sitting president in the history of our country by far. . .And now in order to make our country successful, safe, and glorious again, I will probably have to do it again.” — former President Donald Trump, speaking to a Republican rally in Texas. (NYPost, Oct. 23, 2022)
”Power will be even more concentrated in the hands of Xi Jinping” The new appointees are “all loyal to Xi,” [the new appointments {to the seven-member standing committee of the CCP are his subordinate allies]. There is no counterweight or checks and balances in the system at all,” said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a Chinese politics expert at Hong Kong Baptist University. The lineup appeared to reflect what some commentators called ‘Maximum Xi’, valuing loyalty over ability. . .” Xi, who took power in 2012, was awarded a third five-year term as general secretary, discarding a custom under which his predecessor left after 10 years. The 69-year-old leader is expected by some to try to stay in power for life. He promoted allies who support his vision of tighter control over society and the struggling economy.” – political columnist Joe McDonald (Washington Times, Oct. 23, 2022) “[The] situation in Ukraine. . .is constantly veering towards further uncontrolled escalation.” — Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to his French counterpart in a telephone call. Shoigu said Moscow had concerns Ukraine could use a “dirty bomb” in the conflict, without providing evidence to support the suggestion that Ukraine might use such a weapon. [Shoigu’s reference has raised fears that Russia will claim a “false flag” operation to justify the use of extreme measures—extended air and missile attack against Ukraine [or even tactical nuclear weapons – Ed.]. Russian forces appear to be preparing to withdraw from close to Kherson, ordering a fresh evacuation of civilians, and laying the ground for the potential loss of the city of Kherson itself. [Shoigu, Russia’s Defense Minister, has reportedly been in repeated contact with American military leaders recently—Ed.] – journalist Peter Beaumont. (The Guardian, Oct. 24, 2022)
“Surveys of likely voters are more relevant to campaigns and election outcomes. They are better predictors of election outcomes because they include people who routinely vote, follow the news, and have opinions. At this point in the process, no one should be paying any attention at all to surveys of registered voters. Likely voters are what matters now. Among the 127 surveys of registered voters, the Democrats led the generic-ballot test in 61, the Republicans led in 50, and there were 16 ties. The average result of these surveys of registered voters was almost even between the parties. The 45 reported surveys of likely voters tell a very different story. In these surveys, the Republicans led the generic-ballot test in 42 of them. The Democrats led in just three. The average result for the ballot test in these surveys of likely voters was a clear Republican lead.” – political columnist John Fund. (National Review, Oct. 23, 2022)
“We’re all familiar with the fact that the press has historically leaned to the left. That’s not what we’re looking at now. We’re looking at something very, very different. We’re looking at the press as being a part of the intelligence community. They are the ones who are putting these operations out there.” – Political columnist Lee Smith commenting on the Russiagate hoax. (Rumble, Oct. 22, 2022)
“I’m a Pennsylvanian and have never understood Fetterman’s appeal. At all. Every time I’ve heard him speak or seen him posing in photos with his phony tough-guy act, I’m astounded that he was ever chosen for anything more than an extra on Pawn Stars. So I decided to visit Braddock, Pennsylvania, the town of 1,800 people where Fetterman was first elected to political office (he was Braddock’s mayor for thirteen years). I wanted to see if there was something about the guy I was missing. What I learned was that when it comes to matters of economics and public safety, Fetterman is even more incompetent than I thought. … If you don’t believe me, just spend five minutes walking the streets of Braddock, Pennsylvania, the most damning Dr. Oz ad of all.” – Assistant editor at The Spectator World Teresa Mull. John Fetterman is the Democratic candidate for US Senate, running against Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz. (Spectator World, Oct. 20, 2022)
“… in the coming couple of years, we’re going to need to continue with the mechanisms we have, but the move off of fossil fuels … is going to happen much faster because of Russia.” – Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. While Trudeau acknowledged that the Russian invasion had caused global demand to surge for Canadian sources of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil, he predicted that the net effect would be a faster phase-out of the Canadian oil and gas sector. (National Post, Oct. 19, 2022)
SHORT TAKES
HERZOG TO PRESENT BIDEN WITH EVIDENCE IRANIAN DRONES BEING USED IN UKRAINE (Jerusalem) –– President Isaac Herzog is expected to present US President Joe Biden with evidence indicating that Iranian UAVs are being used against Ukrainian civilians as part of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Herzog arrived in Washington Tuesday morning, ahead of the meeting with Biden. According to Herzog’s office, the Israeli defense establishment “has established that there are UAV fragments in Ukraine that are identical to those developed in Iran.” (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 25, 2022)
CONFIRMED: SUNAK, FRIEND OF ISRAEL AND JEWISH COMMUNITY, BECOMES UK’S PRIME MINISTER (London) — Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is set to become Britain’s first prime minister of color after being chosen to lead a governing Conservative Party. Sunak takes over from Liz Truss, who quit last week after 45 tumultuous days in office. Sunak, friendly to Israel, has been supportive of anti-BDS legislation and has expressed willingness to move Britain’s embassy to Jerusalem. In an interview with the Jewish Chronicle in August, Sunak described the Jewish state as a “shining beacon of hope” and pledged to increase government funding to combat antisemitism in Britain. (WIN, Oct. 25, 2022)
ZELENSKY AGAIN IMPLORES ISRAEL FOR MILITARY AID, SLAMS INACTION OVER IRAN-RUSSIA ALLIANCE (Kyiv) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued another impassioned plea for Israeli military assistance as his country’s armed forces attempt to reverse the Russian invasion, citing Moscow’s “alliance” with Iran as the key strategic justification for a shift in Israel’s policy of only providing the democratic government in Kyiv with humanitarian aid and defensive equipment. In a pre-recorded message to a conference hosted by the Israeli news outlet Haaretz, Zelensky emphasized that the words “Iran” and “Iranian” were frequently mentioned at operational meetings of the Ukrainian military and intelligence leaders. However, the contributions of Ukraine’s allies were also discussed. “Unfortunately, the words ‘Israel’ or ‘Israeli’ are not heard at that moment,” he said. (Algemeiner, Oct. 24, 2022)
LION’S DEN TERRORIST GROUP VOWS ‘HARSH’ REVENGE AS SENIOR MEMBER REPORTEDLY KILLED (Jenin) — A senior member of the Palestinian terrorist group Lion’s Den was reportedly killed in an explosion in the West Bank’s city of Nablus on Sunday, with the organization blaming Israel for the attack. Tamer Kilani’s motorcycle exploded at 1:30 a.m. in what the Lion’s Den labeled an “assassination,” accusing Israel for attached a bomb to the vehicle. The group threatened a “harsh, agonizing and painful revenge” for his death. (Israel Hayom, Oct. 23, 2022)
FAMILY COURTS REFUSE TO APPOINT LEGAL GUARDIAN TO EMBRYO-SWAP BABY (Rishon Etzion) — The family courts in Rishon Lezion denied the state’s petition to assign a legal guardian to an unborn baby with disputed parenthood who is expected to be born in the next few days. Last month, it was revealed that a woman who had undergone IVF treatments at Assuta Medical Center had discovered that the embryo that was implanted in her was not genetically hers or her husband’s. Following this discovery, the courts ruled that genetic testing should be done to discover who the genetic match to the embryo is. The decision was upheld despite an appeal by the woman who has been carrying the baby. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 25, 2022)
ISRAEL TO BUILD A MUSEUM DEDICATED TO ALBERT EINSTEIN AT UNIVERSITY HE HELPED FOUND (Jerusalem) — An $18 million museum dedicated to the legacy of Albert Einstein will be built in Jerusalem. The Israeli government approved a plan Sunday to establish a new home for Einstein’s extensive materials, including some 85,000 documents, on the campus of the Hebrew University, which Einstein helped found a century ago. (JTA, Oct. 24, 2022)
SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOCKS BIDEN, QUESTIONS MENTAL ACUITY, MUCH PREFERRED TRUMP (Riyadh) — The elderly president’s questionable mental state has made him somewhat of a laughingstock in the Kingdom. Bin Salman, 37, has been mocking Biden in private, making fun of his gaffes and questioning his mental acuity, a WSJ report says. Indeed, the 79-year-old president has been showing signs of dementia, and a significant percentage of Americans, including Democrats, are questioning his mental state. The crown prince also much preferred former President Donald Trump. Bin Salman and Trump had a close relationship, largely due to the former administration’s tough stance on Iran, which also threatens the Saudis. (WIN, Oct. 25, 2022)
ADIDAS CAVES TO PRESSURE, ENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH KANYE WEST OVER VILE ANTISEMITISM (Berlin) — German sportswear giant Adidas has decided to end its partnership with controversial rapper Kanye West, who in recent weeks has been spouting vile antisemitism. The decision could be announced as early as Tuesday, a Bloomberg report said, citing sources who asked to remain anonymous, saying the discussions were private. West had already been dropped by Gap and Kering SA, as well as by his talent agency and MRC Studios, over his antisemitic tirades. Adidas shares fell as much as 3.2% in Frankfurt trading, reaching the lowest since April 2016. (WIN, Oct. 25, 2022)
LEE ZELDIN WINS CRITICAL JEWISH SUPPORT AS HE GAINS ON GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (NY) — The New York State governor’s race has become close in recent weeks, good news for an influential Orthodox voting bloc and a Jewish billionaire who is supporting the Republican candidate, Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin. A Quinnipiac University survey released last week found Gov. Kathy Hochul with only a slight 50 percent lead to Zeldin’s 46 percent, with Zeldin gaining on the once heavily favored Democratic frontrunner who took over for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo after he resigned amidst sexual harassment allegations. Zeldin, who earned former President Donald Trump’s endorsement this month, received a $4 million campaign boost through a pair of Super PACs largely funded by Jewish billionaire Ronald Lauder, who is an heir to the Estèe Lauder cosmetics company. (NY Jewish Week, Oct. 24, 2022)
OHIO GOP CANDIDATE DEFENDS ‘JEW YOU DOWN’ COMMENT BY SAYING JEWS HAVE ‘SOLID MONEY PRINCIPLES’ (Ohio) — Facing criticism about her use in 2014 of the antisemitic phrase “Jew you down,” the Republican nominee for a competitive state Senate seat in Ohio this week said she was just trying to praise Jews’ frugality. Michele Reynolds, a business owner and former public sector employee running as the GOP candidate in the state’s 3rd Senate district, self-published a book for business owners in 2014. In it, she wrote, “I learned from other cultures on how they spend their money. Have you ever heard the term ‘Jew you down’? This culture has a reputation for not wasting resources.” (JTA, Oct. 21, 2022)
PROMINENT JEWISH YOUTUBER ETHAN KLEIN MAKES HOLOCAUST JOKE ABOUT BEN SHAPIRO, LEADING TO HIS SUSPENSION (Bel Aire) — Popular Jewish YouTube personality Ethan Klein was suspended from the platform for a week after he made a Holocaust joke about prominent right-wing Jewish pundit Ben Shapiro, escalating a war of words between two large Internet political factions over what constitutes antisemitic statements between Jews. Klein, whose YouTube channel h3h3 Productions has more than 6 million subscribers, said Monday on his “The H3 Podcast” that “if there’s another Holocaust and people start rounding up the Jews again, I hope Ben gets gassed first. Or last.” (JTA, Oct. 21, 2022)
ASIAN AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRATS DROPS BY 5% (Washington) — Democratic support among Asian- and South Pacific -Americans drops by 5%, Republican support rises 2%, a rising trend paralleling even larger Hispanic- and Black-American shift. (Daily Caller, Oct.19, 2022)
CONFIRMED: SUNAK, FRIEND OF ISRAEL AND JEWISH COMMUNITY, BECOMES UK’S PRIME MINISTER (London) — Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is set to become Britain’s first prime minister of color after being chosen to lead a governing Conservative Party. Sunak takes over from Liz Truss, who quit last week after 45 tumultuous days in office. Sunak, friendly to Israel, has been supportive of anti-BDS legislation and has expressed willingness to move Britain’s embassy to Jerusalem. In an interview with the Jewish Chronicle in August, Sunak described the Jewish state as a “shining beacon of hope” and pledged to increase government funding to combat antisemitism in Britain. (WIN, Oct. 25, 2022)
ZELENSKY AGAIN IMPLORES ISRAEL FOR MILITARY AID, SLAMS INACTION OVER IRAN-RUSSIA ALLIANCE (Kyiv) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued another impassioned plea for Israeli military assistance as his country’s armed forces attempt to reverse the Russian invasion, citing Moscow’s “alliance” with Iran as the key strategic justification for a shift in Israel’s policy of only providing the democratic government in Kyiv with humanitarian aid and defensive equipment. In a pre-recorded message to a conference hosted by the Israeli news outlet Haaretz, Zelensky emphasized that the words “Iran” and “Iranian” were frequently mentioned at operational meetings of the Ukrainian military and intelligence leaders. However, the contributions of Ukraine’s allies were also discussed. “Unfortunately, the words ‘Israel’ or ‘Israeli’ are not heard at that moment,” he said. (Algemeiner, Oct. 24, 2022)
LION’S DEN TERRORIST GROUP VOWS ‘HARSH’ REVENGE AS SENIOR MEMBER REPORTEDLY KILLED (Jenin) — A senior member of the Palestinian terrorist group Lion’s Den was reportedly killed in an explosion in the West Bank’s city of Nablus on Sunday, with the organization blaming Israel for the attack. Tamer Kilani’s motorcycle exploded at 1:30 a.m. in what the Lion’s Den labeled an “assassination,” accusing Israel for attached a bomb to the vehicle. The group threatened a “harsh, agonizing and painful revenge” for his death. (Israel Hayom, Oct. 23, 2022)
FAMILY COURTS REFUSE TO APPOINT LEGAL GUARDIAN TO EMBRYO-SWAP BABY (Rishon Etzion) — The family courts in Rishon Lezion denied the state’s petition to assign a legal guardian to an unborn baby with disputed parenthood who is expected to be born in the next few days. Last month, it was revealed that a woman who had undergone IVF treatments at Assuta Medical Center had discovered that the embryo that was implanted in her was not genetically hers or her husband’s. Following this discovery, the courts ruled that genetic testing should be done to discover who the genetic match to the embryo is. The decision was upheld despite an appeal by the woman who has been carrying the baby. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 25, 2022)
ISRAEL TO BUILD A MUSEUM DEDICATED TO ALBERT EINSTEIN AT UNIVERSITY HE HELPED FOUND (Jerusalem) — An $18 million museum dedicated to the legacy of Albert Einstein will be built in Jerusalem. The Israeli government approved a plan Sunday to establish a new home for Einstein’s extensive materials, including some 85,000 documents, on the campus of the Hebrew University, which Einstein helped found a century ago. (JTA, Oct. 24, 2022)
SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOCKS BIDEN, QUESTIONS MENTAL ACUITY, MUCH PREFERRED TRUMP (Riyadh) — The elderly president’s questionable mental state has made him somewhat of a laughingstock in the Kingdom. Bin Salman, 37, has been mocking Biden in private, making fun of his gaffes and questioning his mental acuity, a WSJ report says. Indeed, the 79-year-old president has been showing signs of dementia, and a significant percentage of Americans, including Democrats, are questioning his mental state. The crown prince also much preferred former President Donald Trump. Bin Salman and Trump had a close relationship, largely due to the former administration’s tough stance on Iran, which also threatens the Saudis. (WIN, Oct. 25, 2022)
ADIDAS CAVES TO PRESSURE, ENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH KANYE WEST OVER VILE ANTISEMITISM (Berlin) — German sportswear giant Adidas has decided to end its partnership with controversial rapper Kanye West, who in recent weeks has been spouting vile antisemitism. The decision could be announced as early as Tuesday, a Bloomberg report said, citing sources who asked to remain anonymous, saying the discussions were private. West had already been dropped by Gap and Kering SA, as well as by his talent agency and MRC Studios, over his antisemitic tirades. Adidas shares fell as much as 3.2% in Frankfurt trading, reaching the lowest since April 2016. (WIN, Oct. 25, 2022)
LEE ZELDIN WINS CRITICAL JEWISH SUPPORT AS HE GAINS ON GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (NY) — The New York State governor’s race has become close in recent weeks, good news for an influential Orthodox voting bloc and a Jewish billionaire who is supporting the Republican candidate, Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin. A Quinnipiac University survey released last week found Gov. Kathy Hochul with only a slight 50 percent lead to Zeldin’s 46 percent, with Zeldin gaining on the once heavily favored Democratic frontrunner who took over for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo after he resigned amidst sexual harassment allegations. Zeldin, who earned former President Donald Trump’s endorsement this month, received a $4 million campaign boost through a pair of Super PACs largely funded by Jewish billionaire Ronald Lauder, who is an heir to the Estèe Lauder cosmetics company. (NY Jewish Week, Oct. 24, 2022)
OHIO GOP CANDIDATE DEFENDS ‘JEW YOU DOWN’ COMMENT BY SAYING JEWS HAVE ‘SOLID MONEY PRINCIPLES’ (Ohio) — Facing criticism about her use in 2014 of the antisemitic phrase “Jew you down,” the Republican nominee for a competitive state Senate seat in Ohio this week said she was just trying to praise Jews’ frugality. Michele Reynolds, a business owner and former public sector employee running as the GOP candidate in the state’s 3rd Senate district, self-published a book for business owners in 2014. In it, she wrote, “I learned from other cultures on how they spend their money. Have you ever heard the term ‘Jew you down’? This culture has a reputation for not wasting resources.” (JTA, Oct. 21, 2022)
PROMINENT JEWISH YOUTUBER ETHAN KLEIN MAKES HOLOCAUST JOKE ABOUT BEN SHAPIRO, LEADING TO HIS SUSPENSION (Bel Aire) — Popular Jewish YouTube personality Ethan Klein was suspended from the platform for a week after he made a Holocaust joke about prominent right-wing Jewish pundit Ben Shapiro, escalating a war of words between two large Internet political factions over what constitutes antisemitic statements between Jews. Klein, whose YouTube channel h3h3 Productions has more than 6 million subscribers, said Monday on his “The H3 Podcast” that “if there’s another Holocaust and people start rounding up the Jews again, I hope Ben gets gassed first. Or last.” (JTA, Oct. 21, 2022)
ASIAN AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRATS DROPS BY 5% (Washington) — Democratic support among Asian- and South Pacific -Americans drops by 5%, Republican support rises 2%, a rising trend paralleling even larger Hispanic- and Black-American shift. (Daily Caller, Oct.19, 2022)
NEW YORK SUPREME COURT REINSTATES ALL EMPLOYEES FIRED FOR BEING UNVACCINATED, ORDERS BACKPAY (NY) — The New York State Supreme Court has reinstated all employees who were fired for not being vaccinated, ordering back pay and saying their rights had been violated. The court found that “being vaccinated does not prevent an individual from contracting or transmitting COVID-19.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams claimed earlier this year that his administration would not rehire employees who had been fired over their vaccination status. NYC alone fired roughly 1,400 employees for being unvaccinated earlier this year after the city adopted a vaccine mandate under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. (Fox News, Oct. 25, 2022
The Nazi History of Adidas, The Sportswear Giant That Took Weeks To Drop Kanye West Over Antisemitism: Andrew Lappin, JTA, Oct. 24, 2022 — As rap star, Kanye West continually refuses to back down from his antisemitic rants, some of the many institutions he has ties with have begun to jump ship.
WATCH: Kim Kardashian Condemns Antisemitism, Breaks Silence Over Kanye West’s Tirades: World Israel News, Oct. 25, 2022 — Celebrities Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Kris Jenner stated their support for the Jewish community following Kanye West’s anti-Semitic rants. Kim Kardashian is West’s ex-wife.
WATCH: Kim Kardashian Condemns Antisemitism, Breaks Silence Over Kanye West’s Tirades: World Israel News, Oct. 25, 2022 — Celebrities Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Kris Jenner stated their support for the Jewish community following Kanye West’s anti-Semitic rants. Kim Kardashian is West’s ex-wife.