“The wars of the Jews are always the ugliest. The Arabs won’t need to fight. The Jews, as usual, will destroy themselves.” — Yoni Netanyahu, late brother of P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu, to his parents in November 1973. (WSJ, Sept. 28, 2023)
“Our government won’t come within a kilometer of anything that even smells like Oslo”. — Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, characterizing the religious-right governing coalition’s view of rumours that some kind of “two-state solution”, backed by the Biden Administration to mollify the Palestinians, will be necessary to ensure Saudi Arabia’s adherence to rapprochement with Israel. (WSJ, Sept. 29, 2023)
“Instead of heeding this call, we see moves toward normalization. Any country that might sign a normalization agreement should be condemned and held accountable for its actions.” — Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah speaking for the first time on the possibility of a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. (Israel National News, Oct. 2, 2023)
“The Iranian regime may want to cut a deal with Washington, but it doesn’t want to bury the hatchet. It wants to make a deal with Washington to build a more powerful hatchet. The Washington establishment’s refusal to acknowledge this reality—let alone support policies aimed at weakening Iran or preventing it from becoming a regional hegemon and nuclear-armed state—indicates something horrible about the state of that establishment. It has become so mesmerized by its ideology and its partisan biases that it refuses to see the danger.” – Caroline Glick on the depth of Iran’s infiltration of the US foreign-policy establishment and the Biden administration. (Algemeiner, Oct. 2, 2023)
“Mr. Biden, among possible Democratic alternatives, seems the candidate most likely to hand the White House back to Mr. Trump. In clinging to his desire to be a two-term president, Mr. Biden threatens to be the agent of a Trump restoration even as he desperately portrays himself as the antidote to Trumpism. . . Spinning this reality under the rug will be a tall order for the White House, even with the help of a compliant and blinkered national media. . . .” — Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. (WSJ, Sept. 29, 2023)
“Mr. Biden and his crew have made it clear that their reelection campaign will consist of two elements: the preservation of abortion access in the states and the defense of democracy itself—ostensibly from Mr. Trump and his crew. Here’s the problem with that. Once you have made “democracy” congruent with “the outcome that I want,” any result other than that becomes contrary to “democracy” and hence a threat that justifies violence”. — Michael McKenna on why a close 2024 presidential election “could lead to violence.” (Washington Times, Sept. 30, 2023)
“. . .the right to think is a natural right and thus is immune from governmental reach. The natural rights of human beings, which the Ninth Amendment requires that the government not deny or disparage, means that there is no moral or legal basis for government punishment of thoughts. This includhe government.” — Andrew F. Napolitano. (Daily Press, Sept. 30, 2023)
“We don’t take an oath to a country, we don’t take an oath to a tribe, we don’t take an oath to a religion, or a queen, or a tyrant or dictator, or wannabe dictator. We do not take an oath to an individual, we take an oath to the Constitution, to the idea that is America and we’re willing to die to protect it.” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, in a thinly-veiled reference to former President Donald Trump, in remarks at his retirement ceremony (Trump last week, in remarks on his Truth Social platform, accused Milley of giving China’s military a “heads up” about Trump’s policies, undermining his authority as commander-in-chief, in the last days of his Presidency. (Milley is being succeeded by Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, the second Black officer to take this role, who has been accused of privileging “woke” troop training.) — Gordon Lubold. (WSJ, Sept.29, 2023)
“Men of my father’s generation didn’t leave the house without their hats, invariably fedoras. Now the U.S. president goes about in a baseball cap. I wonder, has the first Reform rabbi yet worn a baseball cap to conduct a Sabbath service? . . . Decorum is defined as behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety, and it is decorum precisely that is being outraged by the abandonment of the old institutional dress code. Senators need all the dignity they can martial, and dressing down can only subtract from what they have left.” — Joseph Epstein, after the U.S. Senate initially voted to “go Fetterman”;subsequently, after a massive public outcry, it was forced it to rescind its vote, quickly and unanimously. (WSJ, Sept. 27, 2023)
“Trudeau is trying to crush free speech in Canada. Shameful.” — Billionaire businessman Elon Musk has weighed in on the federal government’s latest edict that podcast producers that earn revenue of $10 million or more must now register with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The CRTC also set new conditions for online streaming services to operate in Canada effective Sept. 29. The regulations “require certain online streaming services to provide the CRTC with information related to their content and subscribership.” (Epoch Times, Oct. 1, 2023)
“Our government won’t come within a kilometer of anything that even smells like Oslo”. — Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, characterizing the religious-right governing coalition’s view of rumours that some kind of “two-state solution”, backed by the Biden Administration to mollify the Palestinians, will be necessary to ensure Saudi Arabia’s adherence to rapprochement with Israel. (WSJ, Sept. 29, 2023)
“Instead of heeding this call, we see moves toward normalization. Any country that might sign a normalization agreement should be condemned and held accountable for its actions.” — Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah speaking for the first time on the possibility of a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. (Israel National News, Oct. 2, 2023)
“The Iranian regime may want to cut a deal with Washington, but it doesn’t want to bury the hatchet. It wants to make a deal with Washington to build a more powerful hatchet. The Washington establishment’s refusal to acknowledge this reality—let alone support policies aimed at weakening Iran or preventing it from becoming a regional hegemon and nuclear-armed state—indicates something horrible about the state of that establishment. It has become so mesmerized by its ideology and its partisan biases that it refuses to see the danger.” – Caroline Glick on the depth of Iran’s infiltration of the US foreign-policy establishment and the Biden administration. (Algemeiner, Oct. 2, 2023)
“Mr. Biden, among possible Democratic alternatives, seems the candidate most likely to hand the White House back to Mr. Trump. In clinging to his desire to be a two-term president, Mr. Biden threatens to be the agent of a Trump restoration even as he desperately portrays himself as the antidote to Trumpism. . . Spinning this reality under the rug will be a tall order for the White House, even with the help of a compliant and blinkered national media. . . .” — Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. (WSJ, Sept. 29, 2023)
“Mr. Biden and his crew have made it clear that their reelection campaign will consist of two elements: the preservation of abortion access in the states and the defense of democracy itself—ostensibly from Mr. Trump and his crew. Here’s the problem with that. Once you have made “democracy” congruent with “the outcome that I want,” any result other than that becomes contrary to “democracy” and hence a threat that justifies violence”. — Michael McKenna on why a close 2024 presidential election “could lead to violence.” (Washington Times, Sept. 30, 2023)
“. . .the right to think is a natural right and thus is immune from governmental reach. The natural rights of human beings, which the Ninth Amendment requires that the government not deny or disparage, means that there is no moral or legal basis for government punishment of thoughts. This includhe government.” — Andrew F. Napolitano. (Daily Press, Sept. 30, 2023)
“We don’t take an oath to a country, we don’t take an oath to a tribe, we don’t take an oath to a religion, or a queen, or a tyrant or dictator, or wannabe dictator. We do not take an oath to an individual, we take an oath to the Constitution, to the idea that is America and we’re willing to die to protect it.” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, in a thinly-veiled reference to former President Donald Trump, in remarks at his retirement ceremony (Trump last week, in remarks on his Truth Social platform, accused Milley of giving China’s military a “heads up” about Trump’s policies, undermining his authority as commander-in-chief, in the last days of his Presidency. (Milley is being succeeded by Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, the second Black officer to take this role, who has been accused of privileging “woke” troop training.) — Gordon Lubold. (WSJ, Sept.29, 2023)
“Men of my father’s generation didn’t leave the house without their hats, invariably fedoras. Now the U.S. president goes about in a baseball cap. I wonder, has the first Reform rabbi yet worn a baseball cap to conduct a Sabbath service? . . . Decorum is defined as behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety, and it is decorum precisely that is being outraged by the abandonment of the old institutional dress code. Senators need all the dignity they can martial, and dressing down can only subtract from what they have left.” — Joseph Epstein, after the U.S. Senate initially voted to “go Fetterman”;subsequently, after a massive public outcry, it was forced it to rescind its vote, quickly and unanimously. (WSJ, Sept. 27, 2023)
“Trudeau is trying to crush free speech in Canada. Shameful.” — Billionaire businessman Elon Musk has weighed in on the federal government’s latest edict that podcast producers that earn revenue of $10 million or more must now register with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The CRTC also set new conditions for online streaming services to operate in Canada effective Sept. 29. The regulations “require certain online streaming services to provide the CRTC with information related to their content and subscribership.” (Epoch Times, Oct. 1, 2023)
“President Biden said he would allow in up to 125,000 refugees in fiscal year 2024, including up to 50,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean. It’s the cap he’s set the past two years, but in practice the government has fallen far short.” [Illegal immigration since his 2021 accession now has passed seven million.] — Stephan Dinan. (Washington Times, Sept. 29, 2023)
“I have determined that Secret Service protection for Robert F. Kennedy [a Democratic Presidential candidate whose father and uncle were assassinated] is not warranted at this time”. — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. [Ed.: Kennedy, has now indicated he will probably announce an independent third-party candidacy]. (Washington Times, Sept. 26, 2023)
“I have determined that Secret Service protection for Robert F. Kennedy [a Democratic Presidential candidate whose father and uncle were assassinated] is not warranted at this time”. — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. [Ed.: Kennedy, has now indicated he will probably announce an independent third-party candidacy]. (Washington Times, Sept. 26, 2023)
“President Biden is. . .a strong union supporter: ‘I’m proud to say “union”. I’m proud to be the most pro-union president.’ Even as unions have sunk to their lowest point during his presidency: The 2022 unionization rate (10.1%) is the lowest on record.” — J.T. Young. (Washington Times, Sept. 26, 2023)
“The Strategic Oil Reserve, set up in response to the Arab oil embargo of 1973, held 638 million barrels of oil (maximum capacity 714 million barrels) when President Biden took office in January, 2021. Now, after he withdrew millions of barrels from it (some sold to foreign nations, including China) to lower domestic gasoline prices, it stands at 347 million barrels, an alarmingly low level given domestic conditions and foreign military threats. (By contrast, China, through purchase of discounted Russian oil, has stockpiled its highest level in three years.).” — Bill Gertz. (Washington Times, Sept.26, 2023)
“In 1960 only 5% of babies were born to unwed mothers in the U.S. In 2019 it was almost 50%. U.S. children are the most likely in the world to live with only one parent. This is an enormous problem. . .[but] little noted or studied [today] when good standing in academic circles seemingly has more to do with the political correctness of your research and less to do with its rigor or usefulness. . .the intellectual cowardice in recent years has been stunning.” — Jason L. Riley, (WSJ, Sept.26, 2023)
REPORT: ISRAEL ATTACKED IRANIAN WEAPONS CONVOY IN SYRIA(Jerusalem) — Media outlets affiliated with the opposition in Syria reported on an Israeli attack in the town of Al-Dimas, northwest of Damascus. The Syrian website Voice of the Capital reported that the attack was aimed at an Iranian arms shipment that was going to be transferred to Lebanese territory. (Jewish Press, Oct. 1, 2023)
ISRAEL ADDS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF SHEKELS IN AID TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (Jerusalem) — Israel recently slashed the gasoline tax it had been collecting from the Palestinian Authority by 50% as well as taken other measures to ease the financial situation in Ramallah. The 1994 Protocol on Economic Relations (aka the Paris Protocol) between Israel and the PLO stipulates a 3% rate but Israel has recently decided to collect only 1.5%, as shown in a recent document signed by the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories office several days ago. This will save some 80 million shekels ($21 million) for the Palestinian Authority on an annual basis. (Jewish Press, Oct. 1, 2023)
PALESTINIANS IN GAZA LAUNCH ROCKET-THEMED PERFUME (Gaza Strip) — A video that surfaced via Palestinian media on Sunday showed a perfume shop in Gaza announcing its newest missile-themed fragrance. Though the missile perfume may not give off the same odor as a rocket after it is launched, the presentation depicts a missile used in recent rocket attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip. A tweet from an Israeli reporter named the fragrance as Burak 100, after the long-range rockets used against Israel from the Islamic Jihad. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 3, 2023)
NEW ZEALAND’S LABOUR GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE A PALESTINIAN STATE AFTER OCTOBER 14 ELECTIONS (Wellington) — Justice for Palestine and Alternative Jewish Voices on Sunday reported with considerable glee an announcement by New Zealand’s ruling Labour Party that if it is re-elected on October 14, it would recognize the State of Palestine by inviting the Head of the General Delegation of Palestine to present his credentials as an Ambassador to New Zealand. (Jewish Press, Oct. 1, 2023)
‘IS THE POPE CATHOLIC?’ SHARON OSBOURNE DOESN’T HOLD BACK WHEN ASKED IF ROGER WATERS IS ANTISEMITIC (London) — British television personality Sharon Osbourne has called former Pink Floyd vocalist Roger Waters an antisemite following the release of a new documentary in which close former colleagues of the musician detailed his long history of antisemitic comments. Speaking on the British show The Talk, Osbourne — who is the wife of Ozzy Osbourne, the former lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath — said that Waters routinely insulted Jews and that the 80-year-old was no longer relevant. (Algemeiner, Oct. 2, 2023)
DEMOCRATIC SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN OF CALIFORNIA DIES AT 90 (LA) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90. Feinstein, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state — including environmental protection, reproductive rights, and gun — but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground. (VIN News, Sept. 29, 2023)
WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES CIVIL RIGHTS ACT APPLIES TO FORMS OF ANTISEMITISM (Washington) — The Biden administration is touting what it regards as a “landmark” move in the implementation of its National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. “Eight federal agencies clarified—for the first time in writing—that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits certain forms of antisemitic, Islamophobic, and related forms of discrimination in federally funded programs and activities,” the White House stated. “These wide-ranging protections provide important tools to curb discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics and to better protect the civil rights of all Americans.” The agencies making the civil-rights statement include the Departments of Agriculture; Health and Human Services; Homeland Security; Housing and Urban Development; Interior; Labor; Treasury; and Transportation. (VIN News, Sept. 29, 2023)
JEWISH AMERICAN SCIENTIST WINS NOBEL PRIZE IN MEDICINE FOR COVID VACCINES (Stockholm) — Drew Weissman, a Jewish-American scientist who contributed heavily to the development of effective COVID mRNA vaccines, won the Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine alongside colleague Katalin Kariko. The prize, among the most prestigious in the scientific world, is selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute Medical University and also comes with 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1 million). (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 2, 2023)
IN CHICAGO, A BLACK-LED CHURCH AND A JEWISH COMMUNITY ARE ADDRESSING PAINFUL HISTORY THROUGH A SUKKOT FESTIVAL (Chicago) — Earlier this month, 40 people gathered in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood to design a sukkah. But they hadn’t come together only to build a hut for the upcoming Jewish festival of Sukkot, which begins on Friday evening and revolves around Jews erecting and dwelling in temporary structures for a week. For this interfaith, intergenerational group, constructing the impermanent space was a step forward in what they hope is an enduring relationship between a Jewish community on Chicago’s North Side and a Black-led church on the West Side. (JTA, Sept. 29, 2023)
A NYC EXHIBIT EXPLORES THE ETROG’S JOURNEY AROUND THE JEWISH WORLD (NYC) — The thick-skinned citron is required for various rituals during the harvest holiday of Sukkot. Together with Warren Klein, the curator of the Bernard Museum of Judaica at Temple Emanu-El, and Sharon Liberman Mintz, curator of Jewish art at the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Teplitsky did a deep dive into the etrog. The trio’s probing into the history, use, care, dissemination and symbolism of the etrog culminated in a book, “Be Fruitful: The Etrog in Jewish Art, Culture and History” that was published in 2022. From that research was born the exhibit, “Etrog, The Wandering Fruit,” currently on display at the Bernard Museum, located inside Temple Emanu-El on 5th Avenue and 65th Street in Manhattan. (JTA, Sept. 29, 2023)MCCARTHY BECOMES FIRST SPEAKER IN HISTORY OUSTED (Washington) — For the first time in U.S. history, the House voted to remove a speaker Tuesday, ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy after a bloc of disaffected GOP colleagues joined with Democrats on a 216-210 vote. The only previous vote to oust a speaker using a “motion to vacate” came in 1910, when Republican Speaker Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois easily survived. Despite the dubious milestone, McCarthy’s allies on Tuesday pledged to nominate him in a coming floor race for the gavel, the second since early January. The chamber, with a government shutdown deadline looming again in mid-November, now must elect a new speaker. Generally, that is the job of the majority party — but with the Republican conference splintered, it could take time for another member among their ranks to garner the votes required to secure the gavel. (Roll Call, Oct. 3, 2023)
SIGNERS OF HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP LETTER LAND GOVERNMENT JOBS(Washington) — Several of the 51 signatories to the letter in October of 2020 declaring the New York Post’s story about Hunter Biden’s laptop to be “Russian disinformation” have since been given government jobs. Three of the most prominent signers – former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former CIA Senior Operations Officer Paul Kolbe – have been given positions with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) newest initiative, the “Homeland Intelligence Experts Group” (HIEG). The HIEG, announced on Tuesday by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, is set to include “private sector experts who will provide their unique perspectives on the federal government’s intelligence enterprise to DHS’s [Intelligence and Analysis] and the Office of the Counterterrorism Coordinator.” (American Greatness, Sept. 21, 2023)
IRAN CAN PRODUCE FISSILE MATERIAL FOR NUCLEAR BOMB WITHIN TWO WEEKS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (Tehran) — Iranian leaders are not pursuing a nuclear weapons program but have the capacity to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear device in a matter of weeks, according to the Department of Defense. (Washington Examiner, Oct. 2, 2023)
IRANIAN OFFICIAL ADMITS COUNTRY’S ROLE IN LEBANON TERROR ATTACK THAT KILLED 241 US TROOPS (Tehran) — In an interview with Iran’s state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Issa Tabatabai for the first time described how he helped establish the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and carry out attacks against Americans and Israelis while serving as the representative in Lebanon of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamist regime in Iran. (Algemeiner, Oct. 2, 2023)
PAKISTAN MOSQUE BOMBING KILLS 51 (Islamabad)—A suicide bomber killed at least 51 and wounded over 140 in the midst of a religious procession in the western province of Balochistan. Security across Pakistan, which is amid a political crisis, continues to deteriorate, as over 100 people have died in terrorist bombings since January, usually attributed to either Islamic State or the Pakistani Taliban. (WSJ, Sept. 29, 2023)
ISRAEL ADDS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF SHEKELS IN AID TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (Jerusalem) — Israel recently slashed the gasoline tax it had been collecting from the Palestinian Authority by 50% as well as taken other measures to ease the financial situation in Ramallah. The 1994 Protocol on Economic Relations (aka the Paris Protocol) between Israel and the PLO stipulates a 3% rate but Israel has recently decided to collect only 1.5%, as shown in a recent document signed by the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories office several days ago. This will save some 80 million shekels ($21 million) for the Palestinian Authority on an annual basis. (Jewish Press, Oct. 1, 2023)
PALESTINIANS IN GAZA LAUNCH ROCKET-THEMED PERFUME (Gaza Strip) — A video that surfaced via Palestinian media on Sunday showed a perfume shop in Gaza announcing its newest missile-themed fragrance. Though the missile perfume may not give off the same odor as a rocket after it is launched, the presentation depicts a missile used in recent rocket attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip. A tweet from an Israeli reporter named the fragrance as Burak 100, after the long-range rockets used against Israel from the Islamic Jihad. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 3, 2023)
NEW ZEALAND’S LABOUR GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE A PALESTINIAN STATE AFTER OCTOBER 14 ELECTIONS (Wellington) — Justice for Palestine and Alternative Jewish Voices on Sunday reported with considerable glee an announcement by New Zealand’s ruling Labour Party that if it is re-elected on October 14, it would recognize the State of Palestine by inviting the Head of the General Delegation of Palestine to present his credentials as an Ambassador to New Zealand. (Jewish Press, Oct. 1, 2023)
‘IS THE POPE CATHOLIC?’ SHARON OSBOURNE DOESN’T HOLD BACK WHEN ASKED IF ROGER WATERS IS ANTISEMITIC (London) — British television personality Sharon Osbourne has called former Pink Floyd vocalist Roger Waters an antisemite following the release of a new documentary in which close former colleagues of the musician detailed his long history of antisemitic comments. Speaking on the British show The Talk, Osbourne — who is the wife of Ozzy Osbourne, the former lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath — said that Waters routinely insulted Jews and that the 80-year-old was no longer relevant. (Algemeiner, Oct. 2, 2023)
DEMOCRATIC SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN OF CALIFORNIA DIES AT 90 (LA) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90. Feinstein, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state — including environmental protection, reproductive rights, and gun — but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground. (VIN News, Sept. 29, 2023)
WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES CIVIL RIGHTS ACT APPLIES TO FORMS OF ANTISEMITISM (Washington) — The Biden administration is touting what it regards as a “landmark” move in the implementation of its National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. “Eight federal agencies clarified—for the first time in writing—that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits certain forms of antisemitic, Islamophobic, and related forms of discrimination in federally funded programs and activities,” the White House stated. “These wide-ranging protections provide important tools to curb discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics and to better protect the civil rights of all Americans.” The agencies making the civil-rights statement include the Departments of Agriculture; Health and Human Services; Homeland Security; Housing and Urban Development; Interior; Labor; Treasury; and Transportation. (VIN News, Sept. 29, 2023)
JEWISH AMERICAN SCIENTIST WINS NOBEL PRIZE IN MEDICINE FOR COVID VACCINES (Stockholm) — Drew Weissman, a Jewish-American scientist who contributed heavily to the development of effective COVID mRNA vaccines, won the Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine alongside colleague Katalin Kariko. The prize, among the most prestigious in the scientific world, is selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute Medical University and also comes with 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1 million). (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 2, 2023)
IN CHICAGO, A BLACK-LED CHURCH AND A JEWISH COMMUNITY ARE ADDRESSING PAINFUL HISTORY THROUGH A SUKKOT FESTIVAL (Chicago) — Earlier this month, 40 people gathered in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood to design a sukkah. But they hadn’t come together only to build a hut for the upcoming Jewish festival of Sukkot, which begins on Friday evening and revolves around Jews erecting and dwelling in temporary structures for a week. For this interfaith, intergenerational group, constructing the impermanent space was a step forward in what they hope is an enduring relationship between a Jewish community on Chicago’s North Side and a Black-led church on the West Side. (JTA, Sept. 29, 2023)
A NYC EXHIBIT EXPLORES THE ETROG’S JOURNEY AROUND THE JEWISH WORLD (NYC) — The thick-skinned citron is required for various rituals during the harvest holiday of Sukkot. Together with Warren Klein, the curator of the Bernard Museum of Judaica at Temple Emanu-El, and Sharon Liberman Mintz, curator of Jewish art at the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Teplitsky did a deep dive into the etrog. The trio’s probing into the history, use, care, dissemination and symbolism of the etrog culminated in a book, “Be Fruitful: The Etrog in Jewish Art, Culture and History” that was published in 2022. From that research was born the exhibit, “Etrog, The Wandering Fruit,” currently on display at the Bernard Museum, located inside Temple Emanu-El on 5th Avenue and 65th Street in Manhattan. (JTA, Sept. 29, 2023)MCCARTHY BECOMES FIRST SPEAKER IN HISTORY OUSTED (Washington) — For the first time in U.S. history, the House voted to remove a speaker Tuesday, ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy after a bloc of disaffected GOP colleagues joined with Democrats on a 216-210 vote. The only previous vote to oust a speaker using a “motion to vacate” came in 1910, when Republican Speaker Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois easily survived. Despite the dubious milestone, McCarthy’s allies on Tuesday pledged to nominate him in a coming floor race for the gavel, the second since early January. The chamber, with a government shutdown deadline looming again in mid-November, now must elect a new speaker. Generally, that is the job of the majority party — but with the Republican conference splintered, it could take time for another member among their ranks to garner the votes required to secure the gavel. (Roll Call, Oct. 3, 2023)
SIGNERS OF HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP LETTER LAND GOVERNMENT JOBS(Washington) — Several of the 51 signatories to the letter in October of 2020 declaring the New York Post’s story about Hunter Biden’s laptop to be “Russian disinformation” have since been given government jobs. Three of the most prominent signers – former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former CIA Senior Operations Officer Paul Kolbe – have been given positions with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) newest initiative, the “Homeland Intelligence Experts Group” (HIEG). The HIEG, announced on Tuesday by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, is set to include “private sector experts who will provide their unique perspectives on the federal government’s intelligence enterprise to DHS’s [Intelligence and Analysis] and the Office of the Counterterrorism Coordinator.” (American Greatness, Sept. 21, 2023)
IRAN CAN PRODUCE FISSILE MATERIAL FOR NUCLEAR BOMB WITHIN TWO WEEKS: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (Tehran) — Iranian leaders are not pursuing a nuclear weapons program but have the capacity to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear device in a matter of weeks, according to the Department of Defense. (Washington Examiner, Oct. 2, 2023)
IRANIAN OFFICIAL ADMITS COUNTRY’S ROLE IN LEBANON TERROR ATTACK THAT KILLED 241 US TROOPS (Tehran) — In an interview with Iran’s state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Issa Tabatabai for the first time described how he helped establish the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and carry out attacks against Americans and Israelis while serving as the representative in Lebanon of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamist regime in Iran. (Algemeiner, Oct. 2, 2023)
PAKISTAN MOSQUE BOMBING KILLS 51 (Islamabad)—A suicide bomber killed at least 51 and wounded over 140 in the midst of a religious procession in the western province of Balochistan. Security across Pakistan, which is amid a political crisis, continues to deteriorate, as over 100 people have died in terrorist bombings since January, usually attributed to either Islamic State or the Pakistani Taliban. (WSJ, Sept. 29, 2023)
