Dear Insurrectionists and Fascists: I’m Sorry I Offended You: Dana Millbank, Washington Post, Sept. 2, 2022
“… Of course, Biden’s semi-fascism remark was directed at MAGA leaders such as Trump and McCarthy — not the masses they’ve hornswoggled with their anti-democratic lies. But McCarthy used a classic fascist tool: casting the powerful in-group as the persecuted. … Is there no limit to the authoritarians’ hurt feelings? Insurrectionists are victims. Fascists are victims. Even right-wing fashion victims are victims…” [President Biden did not single out MAGA leaders in his Philadelphia talk but referenced all President Trump’s supporters. – Ed.]
“The guideline must be clear: a state [Iran] that denies the Holocaust, a state that acts out of hatred and belligerency, a state that threatens the State of Israel’s right to exist, is ineligible to sign deals that will only embolden it, is ineligible for kickbacks or funds, is ineligible for concessions, under any circumstances.” – Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressing the German legislature in Berlin. (JNS, Sept. 6, 2022)
“Many defense officials who were his [Mossad chief, Meir Dagan] brainstorming partners, tend to estimate that the window of that strategic change [that at some point in time, Israel would be required to shift from the strategy of preventing an Iranian bomb at all costs – to the strategy of conducting itself under the assumption that Iran is a nuclear power] should have already taken place 3-4 years ago, in close proximity to Trump’s withdrawal from the deal. The Israeli moves for this new nuclear age are accelerating now. In this new position, the strategy which dominated the Cold War era is less relevant, the main reason being that the Ayatollah regime is also driven by Messianic considerations, meaning that the worse it is for them here on earth – it will be better come judgement day. In a central square in Tehran is a clock, counting down the time the “Zionist entity” is annihilated – give or take, 20 years from now. This could be viewed as a curiosity. It probably shouldn’t, though.” – Amir Rapaport writing on the necessity for a new balance of terror on Israel’s part vis a vis Iran’s nuclear ambitions. (Israel Defense, Aug. 29, 2022)
“The Munich Massacre was a ghastly reminder of the worst side of mixing sports and politics. The attack was the antithesis of the famed supposed Olympic spirit. The Black September movement hijacked the games to put the Palestinian cause on the world map. It changed the world forever. The need for the security that is now required at every high-profile sporting or entertainment event can be traced back to Munich 1972. A dotted line connects the Munich Massacre to the more recent attacks by al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The world thought that terrorism against Israelis and Jews would remain at that, but that is not the way terrorism works. Germany, of all places, knows that what starts with attacks on the Jews does not end there.” – Editorial commemorating the Munich Massacre that took place on September 5, 1972. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 5, 2022)
“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic.” — Pres. Joe Biden before an Independence Hall lit bright by blood-red light. And while the president attempted to clarify that not all his political opponents were extremists, he insisted that extremism was at the heart of the modern GOP. “There’s no question the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Trump and MAGA Republicans. And that’s a threat to this country.” — Philip Wegman.(Real Clear Politics, Sept. 2, 2022)
“Our Tail Gunner Joe (of semi-truck driving expertise and brilliant legal training fame) in a single week smeared roughly half the country as un-American “semi-fascists.” Then in one of the creepiest speeches and background sets in American political history, Joe Biden railed that “Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are a threat to the very soul of this country.” Franklin Roosevelt declared war on Japan in careful, sober, and exacting presidential tones; Joe Biden all but declared war against half his own people like a raving lunatic…. Will Biden now recall FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith to alter more government documents, or hire another informant such as Clinton lackey Christopher Steele, or round up 50 more intelligence “experts” to swear that Hunter’s next lost laptop is proof of Russian-Trump collusion? What exactly is fitting preemptive punishment for Biden’s soul-threatening un-American enemies—solitary confinement in a D.C. jail for a year without charges? Leg irons? SWAT teams awaiting them in their driveways? Early morning raids at their houses while they are still in their underwear? Phone grabs while dining out with their wives at restaurants or in airports?” – classicist and writer Victor Davis Hanson. (American Greatness, Sept. 4, 2022)
“No American president has ever spoken in such an openly hostile way about his fellow citizens. But Biden’s divisive language is music to leftist ears. In Biden, they have found an authoritarian who is willing to crush people who disagree with them, or as they put it, “fascists.” … They love “Dark Brandon” and his war on the “MAGA crowd,” whom they clearly consider to be illegitimate and beneath contempt. They believe that anything is justified if it keeps Trump and the “MAGA Republicans” out of power.” – Mathew Boose. (American Greatness, Sept. 4, 2022)
“We will never stop speaking the truth. We have no choice because we’re not going to have a country love.” – former President Donald Trump on the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid. “The evil and malice of this demented persecution of you and me should be obvious to all entities,” Trump added, callingthe raid “a desperate effort to distract from Joe Biden’s record of misery and failure.” (National Review, Sept. 4, 2022)
‘I’m hearing from [FBI personnel] that they feel like the director [Christopher Wray] has lost control of the bureau.” — Kurt Siuzdak, a lawyer representing FBI whistleblowers. ‘They’re saying, ‘How does this guy survive? He’s leaving. He’s got to leave.’ (Daily Mail, Sept. 1, 2022)
“… I just watched a video of a young man taunting an Orthodox rabbi who had his hands down. And this boy punched this rabbi. Just punched him and knocked him out for absolutely no reason, other than the fact that he was being hateful. We’ve reached a point in our country … where we’re becoming divided … by people who claim to be politicians, people who claim to be acting in our best interests. They’re not, they’re really not. Love, kindness, humanity, decency, dignity – these are the things that are in our better interests and in the better interests of our children. We’re called the United States of America for a reason.” – actress Sharon Stone in a video message released on her Instagram account referencing a recent assault against an Orthodox rabbi. (WIN,Sept. 4, 2022)
SHORT TAKES
LIZ TRUSS SET TO BECOME NEW UK PRIME MINISTER, ‘GREAT FRIEND OF ISRAEL’ (London) — Liz Truss, currently the country’s foreign secretary, has been elected as the Conservative Party’s new leader and thus the U.K.’s new prime minister. She faces immediate pressure to deliver on her promises to tackle a cost-of-living crisis walloping the U.K. and an economy heading into a potentially lengthy recession. (WIN, Sept. 5, 2022)
NEW IDF CHIEF: FIRST ORTHODOX JEW CHOSEN FOR POSITION, ‘MOST SUITABLE OFFICER’ (Jerusalem) — Major General Herzl (Herzi) Halevi will serve as the IDF’s 23rd Chief of Staff, replacing Aviv Kochavi at the end of the year. Halevi studied in the Himelfarb religious high school in Jerusalem and was a member of the religious scouts. He is the first Orthodox Jew to serve as chief of staff. (WIN, Sept. 4, 2022)
‘THIS IS A THIRD INTIFADA,’ PALESTINIANS SAY AMID GROWING TERROR(Ramallah) — The growing violence in Judea and Samaria is a sign that a third major escalation has begun. The recent uptick in terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, as well as the active resistance with hot weapons to IDF arrest raids in terrorist hotbeds such as Jenin, is a conscious decision on the part of Palestinian groups and individuals, Palestinian sources told Israel Hayom. (WIN, Sept. 5, 2022)
ISRAEL SENTENCES GAZA AID WORKER TO 12 YEARS FOR FUNDING HAMAS TERROR (Jerusalem) — An Israeli court sentenced a Gaza aid worker to 12 years in prison after he was found guilty of several terrorism charges in a high-profile case in which independent audits and investigations found no evidence of wrongdoing. Mohammed Halabi, the Gaza director for the international Christian charity World Vision, was arrested in 2016 and accused of diverting tens of millions of dollars to the Islamic terror group Hamas that rules the territory. (Times of Israel, Aug. 30, 2022)
IVORY TREASURE: FIRST TEMPLE-ERA RELICS DISCOVERED IN JERUSALEM (Jerusalem) — An extraordinary discovery was recently unearthed in Jerusalem when Israeli archeologists uncovered an assemblage of ivory plaques dating to the First Temple period. These plaques are among a few found anywhere in the world, and the first of their kind to be found in Jerusalem. The Excavations were conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Tel Aviv University at the Givati Parking Lot in the City of David in Jerusalem, close to the Kotel plaza. The ivories, considered one of the costliest raw materials in the ancient world, even more than gold, were found among the ruins of a palatial building in use when Jerusalem was at the height of its power during the eighth and seventh centuries BCE. (United With Israel, Sept. 5, 2022)
ISRAELI STUDY: NO EVIDENCE COVID-19 CAME FROM BATS (Tel Aviv) — Contrary to the opinion formed during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a new Israeli study has concluded that there is no clear evidence that COVID-19 was transmitted from bats. According to the study, bats have a highly effective immune system that enables them to deal relatively easily with viruses considered lethal to other mammals. (United With Israel, Sept. 5, 2022)
SHIREEN ABU AKLEH LIKELY KILLED BY IDF GUNFIRE IN JENIN, ISRAEL ADMITS (Jerusalem) — An IDF investigation found that an Israeli soldier was likely to have accidentally shot Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during a gunfight in Jenin in May, and dismissed the need for a criminal probe. The IDF clarified that no absolute statement of guilt was possible given the impossibility of determining with certainty who shot the fatal bullet. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 5, 2022)
ISRAELI FAMILIES OF MUNICH OLYMPICS MASSACRE VICTIMS AGREE TO COMPENSATION DEAL WITH GERMANY, AVOIDING 50TH ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY BOYCOTT (Jerusalem) — Last month, the families of 11 victims of the 1972 attack threatened to boycott the Sept. 5 ceremony in Munich, calling Germany’s compensation offer “a joke.” According to The New York Times, Israeli President Isaac Herzog had planned to skip the ceremony as well. The new agreement brings the total compensation package to 28 million euros ($27.9 million), a substantial increase from Germany’s previous offer of 10 million euros. (JTA, Sept. 1, 2022)
TURKISH WARSHIP DOCKS IN ISRAEL, FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE(Haifa) — For the first time in over a decade, a Turkish warship docked in an Israeli port, a sign of the rapprochement between the two countries and Israel’s close alliance with NATO. Turkish destroyer F-247 TCG Kemalreis, which sailed into the Haifa port along with the U.S. Navy ship USS Forrest Sherman, is part of a NATO drill. (Ynet, Sept. 3, 2022)
RCMP SAY SUSPECT IN SASKATCHEWAN STABBING RAMPAGE FOUND DEAD, BROTHER STILL AT LARGE (Weldon) — One of two brothers, Damien Sanderson, 31, sought following a stabbing rampage in Saskatchewan was found dead in a grassy field not far from where 10 others lost their lives and many more were injured on the weekend. Meanwhile, the other brother, Myles Sanderson, 30, who has a violent criminal record and is considered dangerous remained on the loose, but he may be injured. Police had been looking for them since the attacks early Sunday at 13 locations in and around the First Nation and the nearby village of Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon. Police believe some of the victims were targeted and others were chosen at random. No motive for the attacks has been given. (CP24, Sept. 5, 2022)
CHILE’S VOTERS REJECT FAR-LEFT CONSTITUTION (Santiago) — Chileans voted to reject a proposed far-left constitution that was packed with gender-politics provisions and would have dramatically expanded the state. Nearly 62 percent of Chile’s voters opposed the new version with 99.74 percent of ballot boxes counted. The constitution-revision process was initiated after a wave of violent protests — decrying the high cost of living and higher education, poor health care, and general economic inequality — swept the country in late 2019. Then–president Sebastián Piñera of the country’s center-right government caved to their concerns and promised to draft a new constitution. (National Review, Sept. 5, 2022)
RUSSIA TO KEEP NORD STREAM PIPELINE SHUT, CITING MECHANICAL PROBLEMS (Moscow) — Kremlin-controlled energy company Gazprom PJSC is suspending supplies of gas to Germany via the Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline until further notice, raising the pressure on Europe as governments race to avoid energy shortages this winter. Gazprom said it had found a technical fault during maintenance of the pipeline, which connects Russia with Germany under the Baltic Sea. The pipeline will remain shut down until the issue is fixed, without giving any timeline. (WSJ, Sept. 2, 2022)
JUDGE ORDERS HALT TO DOJ REVIEW OF DOCUMENTS SEIZED FROM TRUMP (Miami) — Federal judge U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon ordered a halt to the Justice Department’s review of materials seized from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, describing a threat to institutions and the risk of media leaks that could cause harm to Trump. Her order included permitting a so-called special master to review the seized materials for potential attorney-client and executive privilege. (Politico, Sept. 5, 2022)
ACTIVISTS ACCUSE BLM LEADER SHALOMYAH BOWERS OF STEALING $10 MILLION: LAWSUIT (NY) — Shalomyah Bowers, the new leader of the national Black Lives Matter non-profit “siphoned” more than $10 million in fees from donors to pay his consulting firm, according to a lawsuit. The BLM leader claims the case against him is nothing more than a power grab by disgruntled activists trying to wrest control of the movement. (NY Post, Sept. 3, 2022)
A GROUP OF JEWS MASSACRED OVER 800 YEARS AGO REVEAL A SECRET ABOUT JEWISH GENETICS (Norwich) — In 2004, construction workers in Norwich were clearing ground for a shopping center when they discovered the remains of 17 children and adults. In 2011, initial DNA testing showed the skeletons were Jewish, and in 2013 they all received a Jewish burial. Now, a British study of the DNA extracted from the bones of six individuals reveals that Ashkenazi Jews developed a unique genetic variation centuries earlier than realized. Last week, Current Biology, a scientific periodical, posted the study led by Selina Brace of the Natural History Museum in London. (JTA, Sept. 1, 2022)
PBS AIRS AN UPPER WEST SIDER’S HILARIOUS DOCUMENTARY ABOUT GRIEF AND OTHER STUFF (NY) — The “stuff” in the title of Judith Helfand’s new documentary, “Love & Stuff,” is meant to be taken (mostly) literally. We’re talking photographs, nail clippers, shoes, etc. This is the stuff Helfand’s mother Florence left behind when she died of metastatic colon cancer in 2013, and which her middle-aged daughter cannot bear to throw away. The film premieres on PBS’s “POV” series, (NY Jewish Week, Sept. 4, 2022)
FOR FURTHER REFERENCE
The U.S. and the Holocaust | Inside Look | Ken Burns Documentary On PBS: WGCU Public Media, YouTube, Aug. 12, 2022 — The U.S. and the Holocaust is a three-part, six-hour series that tells the story of how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century, and how this struggle tested the ideals of our democracy.
How the 1972 Munich Massacre Unfolded, Through the Eyes of Athletes in the Olympic Village: Jon Marks, JTA, Sept. 2, 2022 — Bobby Jones headed to bed on Sept. 4, 1972, expecting a grueling practice schedule the next day. After a standout sophomore season at the University of North Carolina, the future NBA Hall of Famer was in Munich as a member of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team, which had just advanced to the medal round.