What’s Waiting for Israel in Rafah?

Israel is moving forward with plans for an operation in the crowded Rafah area of Gaza, where Hamas battalions hide behind over a million displaced Palestinian civilians.

High-intensity combat will wind down after Rafah, humanitarian aid will no longer be hijacked by Hamas, and safety for civilians can be realized. Total victory is within reach.

…the IDF presented a plan to the War Cabinet to evacuate the civilian population from this location. Unfortunately we know that Hamas will do everything it can to hinder the evacuation to safety of these civilians and will continue to put innocent lives at risk….

The more time goes on and civilian casualties continue to mount, and with public opinion noticeably eroding, the more impatient Biden has become with Netanyahu’s one-track mind. On

Chuck Schumer’s Speech: Friendly Advice or Diplomatic Attack?

In a controversial speech, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that Israel may become a pariah and urged new elections.

Across college campuses and elsewhere, Jews are under siege and watching their backs. Pro-Hamas mobs are using Israel’s defensive war in Gaza—the same war Schumer said needed “significant course corrections”—as their key ammunition to target Jews.

By piling on, Schumer, intentionally or not, has made American Jews less safe.

Schumer should be applauded for speaking with such conviction, commitment and candor, especially by those he was representing -– not just New Yorkers, but the majority of American Jews.

Schumer’s call for new elections in Israel, coupled with his criticism of Netanyahu’s leadership, disregards the fact that Netanyahu was democratically elected. Any meddling in another nation’s democratic process is unacceptable.

What’s Behind Trump’s TikTok Flip-Flop?

Though Trump was once strongly in favor of a TikTok ban, the former president is now urging his fellow Republicans to reconsider their support of a bill which will ban the social media app if it doesn’t ditch its Chinese owners.

Trump fears the legislation would strengthen one of his nemeses: Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The former President resents the social media company’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg…

His reversal now is also partially the product of a lobbying campaign connected to a GOP megadonor with connections that reach into Trump’s inner circle.

Trump’s flip-flop demonstrates once again the futility of ascribing any kind of coherent ideology to the former president.

How Can We Celebrate Purim in a Time of War?

Here are three takes on how the joyous holiday of Purim will be affected by this dark and challenging chapter of Jewish history:

After eight chapters recounting how the Jews of ancient Shushan in Persia evaded a plot to kill them, the story turns to revenge. The Jews kill more than 75,000 people from the kingdom…[Rabbi] DeGroot wants Jews to take another approach: facing down the uncomfortable implications of Chapter Nine at a time when the Jewish people are responding — emotionally, spiritually and militarily — to the deadliest attack on them since the Holocaust.

There is so much to mourn: the terrible events of Oct. 7, the incomprehensible suffering of the hostages being held by Hamas, the ongoing war and the daily toll it is taking. I have not even mentioned the resurgence of antisemitism in the United States or the many other tragic events taking place around the world.

And yet, we are told to “increase our joy” in this month of Adar…

…while we will be celebrating Purim in our homes and communities, there are still thousands of soldiers stationed in the cold of the Golan Heights, the heat of the Jordan Valley, and in the depths of Gaza. We must do everything we can to show those soldiers we are thinking of them and caring for them.

What Do the “Red Hands” for Ceasefire Really Mean?

Celebrities at the Oscars wore pins with an image of a red hand in support of Palestinians and in support of a ceasefire. Some Jewish activists say that the image of red hands has a dark and violent meaning.

[The hands bear] an eerie resemblance to the bloody hands of a Palestinian Arab who had participated in the lynching of two Israelis at the start of the Second Intifada in 2000 in an iconic photograph of that awful moment…

…like so much of American “advocacy” for Palestinians, the pins are a wink-wink, nudge-nudge endorsement of violent terror against Jews.

…there is no clear evidence that the hand on the pin was a reference to the picture of Salha…

“The Artists4Ceasefire enamel pin is composed of a red background to symbolize the urgency of the call to save lives,” the website said. “The orange hand conveys the beautiful community of people from all backgrounds that have come together in support of centering our shared humanity. The heart being cradled in the center of the hand is an invitation for us to lead with our hearts, always, to lead with love. When we lead with love, we understand that all of our fellow beings deserve to be loved and protected.”

What’s New & Delicious in Jewish Cuisine?

Here are three takes on what’s cooking in the world of Jewish food:

No matter what social media algorithm you’re currently entrapped by, you have likely come face-to-screen with lavashak, a Persian-style fruit leather that most closely resembles the American fruit roll-up, despite its very different flavor profile.

More than any other food, I feel that baba ta’mar are a tangible reminder of my Babylonian roots. A thin four-inch round cookie made with a crispy, unsweetened dough, topped with sesame seeds and a soft, creamy date filling.

Lox wasn’t always the silky, buttery-cured salmon found nearly everywhere today. For Eastern European Jews, it was herring salted to last through the winter. Many think of lox as a Jewish staple, but the preparation has its origins in Scandinavia. The traditional curing method was using a salty brine, not smoking the fish.

Today’s Hot Issues

What’s Waiting for Israel in Rafah? Chuck Schumer’s Speech: Friendly Advice or Diplomatic Attack? What’s Behind Trump’s TikTok Flip-Flop? How Can We Celebrate Purim in a Time of War? What Do the “Red Hands” for Ceasefire Really Mean? What’s New & Delicious in Jewish Cuisine?