According to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin, the release of a new documentary film called “Soul on Fire” about the life of Holocaust survivor, author, teacher and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Elie Wiesel couldn’t be timelier. At a time of an unprecedented surge of antisemitism and demonization of Israel, Wiesel’s example of courageous truth-telling is needed more than ever. He is joined in the latest episode of Think Twice by Wiesel’s son Elisha, who works on Wall Street and for Israeli startups, as well as being a leading human rights activist. Elisha Wiesel said that he and his late mother, who passed away earlier this year, had been searching for a filmmaker to do a documentary about his father before choosing writer/director and producer Oren Rudavsky. He says that acting on his father’s instructions, they have refused to let anyone produce a film based on Wiesel’s classic Holocaust memoir, Night but believed a well-made documentary could help keep his memory alive as well as reintroduce a new generation to his work. The film traces Wiesel’s Holocaust experience and journey back to life after surviving the camps and then his rise to prominence as an activist and author. But the key incident in it concerns his confrontation with President Ronald Reagan live on national television when he unsuccessfully sought to persuade him not to visit a military cemetery in Bitburg, where German SS soldiers were buried in 1985. Elisha Wiesel, who was present at the White House for this event says that looking back at it now, he sees how difficult it was for his father, who liked Reagan very much, to lecture him in front of the country. But it was a classic example of how to “speak truth to power,” in the service of a great truth. He also says that those Jews who speak out against Israel since Oct. 7, 2023 and in favor of “free Palestine” are not following his father’s example. Elie Wiesel was an ardent Zionist and never chose to criticize the Jewish state whether or not he always agreed with its government because he understood how that would be used by antisemites. “Many of these people think that they're acting in keeping with my father's values. You know, I've seen signs at Israel-hating rallies that actually say, know, Elie Wiesel said, you know, the enemy, the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. So, a lot of people go around and they think, you know, ‘I'm being Wieselian. I'm not indifferent. Look at me.’ But of course, I think my father hadn't properly envisioned at the time that he made that statement, how we've gone past, we've gone beyond indifference. We've gone straight to what I like to think of is indignant ignorance.” He said that the current generation of young American Jews, “Don't feel what I feel in my heart. When Israel is attacked, it's visceral. It's gut level. It's emotional. This is 50% of my brothers and sisters in the Jewish people, so many of whom came, whether fleeing the Farhud in Muslim lands or the Holocaust, you know, to get to Israel. These are my people, my brothers and sisters, who have gotten to a place where they can finally defend themselves and create the state that is transforming the world with its inventions and its ideas. Elisha Wiesel compared the “Free Palestine” movement and support for Israel-hating New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to the punk rock music he loved as a teenager.“So much of the free Palestine movement to me, and so much of the tear it down, anarchy, let's end capitalism, has all of the violence of punk rock without the good music. It's just people looking for change without thinking too hard about what they're going to build or what should be built.”
When Jews gather in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this month, will their rabbis seek to rally them to stand with Israel and against the surge of antisemitism fueled by blood libels against the Jewish state? Or will they instead use their pulpits to virtue signal their support for the false charges of “genocide” being hurled at Jerusalem? Those are the questions that JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is posing. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, chair of the Rabbinic Zionist Coalition, who lamented the fact that so many Jews rely on outlets like The New York Times and NPR for news, which base their coverage on an uncritical acceptance of an anti-Israel and pro-Hamas narrative. He says the Rabbinic Zionist Coalition is needed more than ever now because as the post-Oct. 7 war drags on with antisemitism growing, Israel needs both the support of American Jewry and their spiritual leaders more than ever. He believes that the imperative for rabbis is to remember that “we should not allow our relationship with Israel to be defined or determined by Israel's enemies.” Weinblatt said he was concerned by the way a growing number of young rabbis are embracing an anti-Zionist agenda promulgated by opponents of the Jewish state. Their opinions were, he said, as is the case with many young Americans, influenced by progressive ideologies that falsely labeled Jews and Israel as “white” oppressors. Moreover, he said it was essential for all Jews to recognize the centrality of the land of Israel in Judaism. While some are focused on misleading allegations about Israeli behavior, even if some of the charges lodged against the Jewish state were true, “We do not love Israel because Israel is perfect, nor do we need Israel to be perfect for us to love her.” The mainstreaming of antisemitic attitudes and blood libels is, he said, simply a reversion to the pre-Holocaust reality in which Jew-hatred was normal. He pointed out that there are many great young rabbis who are inspiring their congregants to have a stronger connection with Israel. But part of the problem is the way some of the seminaries educating rabbis are admitting open opponents of Israel’s existence, something, he said, they would not do if candidates for admission were homophobic or racist. These institutions do so because they are desperate for students and also because they, too, are influenced by progressive attitudes about Israel. Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you liked this episode, watch more Think Twice here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsksduy16U5Kb-ZQdW5aIj7xGhY1kk6i0&si=ar3F8TsXM898lAJi Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel. Become a JNS Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC24cdDLzkNJf2_CNNzdI-UQ/join
With mainstream media parroting Hamas propaganda about “genocide” in Gaza, the post-Oct. 7 surge in antisemitism is likely to continue to get worse, says JNS editor–in-chief Jonathan Tobin. Those blood libels are not only fueling the sort of Jew-hatred that is impacting students on college campuses but also raising the threat of more violence directed at synagogues, schools and other Jewish targets. He’s joined on this week’s episode of Think Twice by Michael Masters, the National Director and CEO of the Secure Community Network (SCN), the organization that is responsible for the security organization for the North American Jews. The SCN monitors threats to Jews and advises community organizations on safety issues providing its own version of an Iron Dome for the community. According to Masters, the antisemitism crisis on college campuses is not the product of spontaneous efforts to support Hamas and attack the pro-Israel community. The immediate mobilization of protesters and materials for them was organized and coordinated. And much of it was funded by foreign state actors, especially Iran. Moreover, he says these efforts were not merely expressions of free speech but took the form of organizing manuals that were clearly aimed at facilitating violence and other illegal acts. The most ominous development, Masters points out, is that in the wake of pressure from the Trump administration on colleges and universities to stop tolerating and encouraging Jew-hatred, the pro-Hamas activists are switching tactics. Instead of building takeovers, they are now emphasizing the targeting of Jewish individuals, such as professors and students. Their goal is to silence and intimidate people from speaking out on behalf of Israel and in defense of the Jewish community. The security expert points out that in the current atmosphere, Jew-hatred unites both the extreme left and the extreme right in a “circle” in which white supremacists and Islamists join together to target Jews. As such, he asserts that what is needed is a unified Jewish community that will advocate against antisemitism and also to get the funding needed to adequately protect Jewish institutions. While the SCN has a list of recommendations for enhancing Jewish safety, Masters emphasizes the need for training for those responsible for security. While Americans have a Second Amendment right to carry firearms, he says the key to protecting the community is putting weapons in the hands of those who are trained to use them in an emergency. Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel.
Jewish students should expect to be confronted by more pro-Hamas mobs and antisemitism when returning to college this fall, says JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin. With legacy media mainstreaming Hamas propaganda and blood libels against Israel, it’s likely that the surge of antisemitism throughout American education that began after the Hamas-led Palestinian Arab attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, will continue in the coming months. He’s joined in the week’s episode of Think Twice by Cornell Law professor and Legalinsurrection.com founder William Jacobson who says it’s “going to be a very hot fall” with respect to anti-Israel activity. Jacobson believes that the pro-Hamas movement is in retreat as a result of Trump’s crackdown, which has caused many schools to act swiftly to quash antisemitism on campus, lest they lose federal funding. But given the widespread belief in the lies about Israel committing “genocide” in Gaza, antisemitic groups like Students for Justice in Palestine will be even more aggressive than in the past two years. It will be up to colleges and universities to ensure that those who break the rules and engage in illegal activity in the name of “Palestine” are held accountable. Israel-haters have, Jacobson says, co-opted the entire left-wing movement, sidelining causes like Black Lives Matter and making activism for the destruction of Israel their main goal. This movement is being aided with funding from Qatar and other malign actors and is also seeking to co-opt the right via influencers like Tucker Carlson. But, he says, their main target is America itself and not just the Jews. “If you wanted to destroy the United States from inside, what would you do differently than the left and now the Islamists are doing to our educational system, which is pitting students against each other based on skin color and identity group? And that's what the mainstream Jewish community refuses to address. Jacobson says that Trump’s attempts to broker deals with universities like Harvard and Columbia is having an impact on the spread of antisemitism, in part, because of the decline in foreign students who have been a big part of the problem. But he cautions that enforcement of the provisions of those agreements are key, since these institutions are hoping to wait out Trump and go back to their discriminatory policies once he leaves office. The key to the problem is ridding the system of the plague of the woke catechism of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) which is at the core of the spread of anti-Jewish prejudice because it falsely identifies Jews and Israel as “white” oppressors. He criticized those mainstream liberal Jewish groups that refuse to oppose DEI. Jacobson said he’s not sure whether the education system can be saved. “We need to now figure out how we protect ourselves from the universities, not how we reform the universities. I do not believe that universities can reform themselves, at least not the so-called elite universities where we're having most of these problems.” Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel.
According to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin, Americans and many in the West seem to be blind to the threat posed by radical Islam and Islamist movements. Thanks to the successes of a red/green alliance that unites Marxists and Islamist antisemites who both hate the West, this attitude is leading to a fundamental shift that undermines the national identity of some nations and calls into question their willingness to defend civil liberties. This also involves not just tolerance for antisemitism and hatred for the state of Israel but legitimization and mainstreaming of the worst sort of anti-Jewish hate. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by Ben Poser, the executive editor of White Rose Magazine, which has devoted its most recent issue to a discussion of what it describes as “the death cult of Islam.” Poser believes that in the name of tolerance and pluralism, many in the West fail to understand that jihadist terror groups and their advocates aren’t so much distorting Islam as they are a reflection of its basic beliefs and texts. Moreover, the claim by Muslim apologists that the word “jihad” is merely about internal struggle rather than faith-based commitment to aggression and terror against non-Muslims is a deception. Poser points out that the notion that the West is uniquely or even solely guilty for slavery or imperialism is not just wrong. It also ignores the fact that historically the Muslim world was just as responsible for such practices and, unlike the West, never repented for its crimes. Indeed, as he notes, slavery continues to this day in the Islamic world though few in the West care to notice it. He says Western societies need not violate their own principles of civil liberties in order to defend their values against those who seek to impose Muslim practices that are antithetical to liberty and democracy. Moreover, they need to recognize that the while the red-green alliance seems to be solely focused on vilifying Jews—in which they falsely accuse Israel of genocide which is what the Islamists of Hamas seek to do—it is also a threat to the entire West and not just Israel and its supporters. It is, Poser declares, necessary to understand that groups like the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) that masquerade as a Muslim civil rights group, is directly linked to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood terrorists. The Brotherhood should, he says, be designated as a terrorist group, by the United States government. Washington should also stop treating Qatar, which funds these groups and is itself deeply implicated in the Islamic terror and indoctrination, as an ally rather than a dangerous foe. #geopolitics #news Chapters 00:00 The Nature of Islam and Its Perceived Threat 03:49 Understanding the Focus of White Rose Magazine 08:14 The Historical Context of Jihad 12:39 The Concept of Jihad: Internal Struggle or Conquest? 24:41 Islam's Compatibility with Western Civilization 31:26 Historical Perspectives on Slavery and Guilt 36:12 The Red-Green Alliance: Ideological Intersections 41:14 The October 7th Massacres and Ideological Jihad 43:35 Persecution of Christians in the Muslim World 50:36 Modern Slavery and Western Ignorance 54:56 The Rise of American Muslim Organizations Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you liked this episode, watch more Think Twice here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsksduy16U5Kb-ZQdW5aIj7xGhY1kk6i0&si=ar3F8TsXM898lAJi
If Israel’s plan for the “day after” the current war against Hamas ends is to secure a future of peace by pouring aid into the Gaza Strip, then JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin says Israel’s leaders are being delusional. That’s the same foolish mindset that led the entire Israeli military, intelligence and political establishment to believe that Hamas wouldn’t jeopardize the flow of cash and aid into the Strip by attacking as they did on Oct. 7, 2023. He’s joined in the week’s episode of Think Twice by Hudson institute scholar and Tablet magazine editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz who says that Israel’s leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political opponents lived in “dream palaces” in which they bought into the conceptzia that led them to think, “that all we have to do is find the correct amount of U.S. dollars to pay the Palestinians in Gaza and Hamas would basically transform itself into the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.” According to Leibovitz, the lesson of Oct. 7 and of the previous century of history is that the idea that Israel is, as its leadership always says, not at war with the Palestinian people, is a delusion. It is, he says, “absolutely straightforwardly false. Israel's war is 100% with the Palestinian people and we know this from the records of every single hostage who's returned” and spoken of how they were held and abused by ordinary Palestinian civilians, not terrorists. “We are fighting a war against a population that is hellbent on destroying us for no apparent reason. They are not kind of under the spell as some of our self-appointed intellectual and moral betters like to tell us.” Nor is it, he asserts, “because of some generational trauma or the ‘occupation’ or living in Gaza. They are pursuing a very distinct and easy to understand faith that tells them that in their midst, there is a usurper, the Zionist entity and it must be destroyed. Leibovitz also believes that the emphasis in the pro-Israel community on winning the information war against the Hamas propaganda with better hasbara is another delusion. He says that Israel should forget about hasbara because the Western media is not interested in facts or truth. The only thing to do is to win the war and defeat Hamas and not worry about the “day after.” He also points out that the arguments against defeating Hamas in order to save the remaining hostages simply isn’t rational because it will endanger more Israelis and these efforts to pressure the government to surrender to the terrorists just makes a deal even less likely. The writer also believes the efforts by some Jewish groups including the Jewish Federation in New York City to aid Gazans is indicative of a delusional effort to demonstrate their empathy for the Palestinians that will accomplish nothing. The same is true, he says, of what the Anti-Defamation League is doing. Leibovitz thinks the mainstream Jewish organizations’ failure to respond to the post-Oct. 7 surge in antisemitism illustrates their moral bankruptcy and the need to replace them with groups that actually serve the community’s interests and defend the Jewish people. Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel.
Not enough attention is being paid to the way foreign funders and supporters of terrorism are infiltrating into North America. That’s the conclusion JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin draws from a new report about the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood produced by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by ISGAP’s founding director and president, Charles Asher Small. According to Small, the Muslim Brotherhood is a century-old reactionary Islamist movement whose goal is to complete the work of Adolf Hitler and kill Jews and destroy the state of Israel. It’s just as interested in waging war on the West. To that end, it has spawned the Hamas terrorist movement and, with the financial assistance of Qatar, is also spreading its influence in the West. As ISGAP’s research revealed, the Brotherhood has made an impact in the United States as front groups like the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) pose as civil rights organizations while spreading hate for Jews. But it has made even greater inroads in Canada. There it has weaponized that country’s liberal political culture and lack of First Amendment free speech protections to promote the idea that any criticism of Muslim antisemitism is Islamophobia and illegal. As Small relates, it has led many Jewish groups and leaders to be silent on a growing problem of Jew-hatred. That is compounded by the fact that many Brotherhood associated groups are now also receiving money from the Canadian government. Small also discussed the way Qatari money is spreading antisemitism in higher education, something that is also advanced by the presence of so many foreign students from countries where Islamist views are normative. He says it’s important for groups that are advocating terror and being funded from the Middle East to be banned and cut off from funds. Similarly, universities should not be allowed to import Jew-hatred while bolstering their finances. Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel.
Patriotism seems to be out of style in the United States and many young people are also being influenced by toxic woke ideas that falsely smear Israel as an illegitimate “apartheid” state. That’s why JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin believes we need examples of Jews who dedicated their lives to serving both America and Israel more than ever. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by author Steven Ossad, whose latest book is dedicated to retelling the story of one of the greatest of American Jewish heroes: David “Mickey” Marcus, the West Pointed-trained American Jewish officer who helped lead Israeli troops in the War of Independence. Marcus is the most famous of the foreign volunteers who joined the fledgling forces of the newborn Jewish state in 1948. Ossad’s new book, Chasing The Shadow: Mickey Marcus’s 200 Days of Destiny is the first book in English dedicated to this subject to be published in 60 years. Speaking of his subject, the author says Marcus was the son of Romanian immigrants to the United States who “made it” in the era in between the two world wars. He graduated from West Point where he won acceptance from his classmates as a collegiate boxing champion. He then went on to a career in the law and the administration of New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia before returning to the service prior to America’s entry into World War Two. He was a highly-ranked Pentagon staff officer and played an important role in the occupation of Germany and the prosecution of Nazi war criminals. But in early 1948, he accepted an offer from the head of the government of what would soon become the state of Israel to organize and train the troops of the Haganah as it transitioned from an underground militia to an army of a beleaguered nation that was about to be invaded by five nations. He would go on to be the first Jew to be given the rank of aluf or general in 2,000 years and command the IDF’s troops that successfully lifted the siege of Jerusalem before being killed on the evening of a cease-fire in the conflict in a tragic friendly fire incident. According to Ossad, Marcus is a symbol of the shared national security interests of the United States and Israel and a symbol of the democratic values of an army that fights a common enemy. He also noted that in the current atmosphere of hatred for Israel and antisemitism, he had a very difficult time finding a publisher for the book before the University of Missouri finally accepted it. Chapters 00:00 Reviving American Jewish Heroes 03:25 The Life and Legacy of Mickey Marcus 11:42 Mickey Marcus: Myths and Realities 17:42 The Formation of the Israel Defense Forces 23:21 Mickey Marcus's Impact on Jewish Identity 29:54 Mickey Marcus and Military Training Manuals 32:10 Truman's Recognition of Israel 35:56 Mickey Marcus's Role in the 1948 War 42:14 The Battle of Latrun and Its Significance 47:49 Mickey Marcus: A Symbol of US-Israel Relations 53:59 The Legacy of Mickey Marcus and His Story Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel.
According to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin, Americans may be failing the Jeffrey Epstein Rorschach test. He says the eagerness of so many people to not merely jump to conclusions about the notorious case but to use it as a vehicle to promote antisemitism says a lot about contemporary America as well as the way Jew-hatred has been mainstreamed by the corporate media and popular culture. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by famed legal scholar and author Alan Dershowitz. The retired Harvard Law School professor is someone who has been in the middle of the Epstein controversy as one of his attorneys and was at one time one of those falsely accused of participating in his crimes. That charge was retracted by his accuser. He says he wants all the material related to the case released by the government. But he warns though that those who anticipate that there are some terrible secrets yet to be revealed will probably be disappointed.
With talk of a U.S.-brokered cease-fire/hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas in the news, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is asking whether the proposed agreement will allow the terrorists to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Israel’s two main goals of the post-Oct. 7 war—freedom for the hostages and the eradication of Hamas—are still mutually exclusive. He says it remains to be seen whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can insist on the sort of tough terms that will ensure that the Jewish state’s security isn’t compromised by an agreement that lets the terrorists survive the war they started with unspeakable atrocities. He’s joined by Israeli military analyst Elliot Chodoff who says that after 22 months of fighting, the Israel Defense Forces are exhausted and are ready for a break in the fighting against Hamas in order to rest and refit its units. He also says that although the terrorist group is not wiped out, the IDF has “smashed” its military formations and capability. What is left are guerilla forces that harass Israeli soldiers and is what he calls the “thug” level, in which operatives of the Islamist group intimidate the population of the Gaza Strip. Those thugs will likely prevent the creation of a planned “humanitarian city” in the southern sector of Gaza as well as any hope of realizing President Donald Trump’s idea of turning the area into a resort. Chapters 00:00 Ceasefire Negotiations and Hamas's Future 02:53 IDF's Achievements and Costs of War 05:59 Political Dynamics and Military Strategy 08:43 Challenges of Urban Warfare and Guerrilla Tactics 11:46 Economic Implications of Prolonged Conflict 27:15 Taxation and Economic Challenges in Israel 29:35 IDF's Mistakes and Successes: A Critical Analysis 33:39 Intelligence Failures: Understanding the October 7th Attack 38:31 Iran's Strategic Position and Future Threats 50:32 Syria's Role and the Future of Israeli Relations 53:02 The Abraham Accords: Prospects for Saudi Recognition
Anti-Israel extremists on both the left and the right are becoming more vocal and dangerous. But, according to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin, Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City primary and the rebuff of Tucker Carlson by President Donald Trump, demonstrates that the left is far more dangerous right now. He’s joined on this week’s episode of Think Twice by Townhall.com political editor and Fox News Radio host Guy Benson who is deeply troubled by the way so many people have sympathized with the murderers, rapists and kidnappers of Hamas rather than democratic Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks. Chapters 00:00 The Shift in Democratic Support for Israel 03:39 The Rise of Extremism in Political Discourse 09:37 The Impact of Zoran Mamdani's Candidacy 17:46 The Intersection of Identity Politics and Extremism 23:36 The Broader Cultural War and Its Implications 28:54 The No Kings Movement and Its Implications 33:36 Bipartisan Responses to Foreign Policy 40:56 The Rise of Extremism in Political Discourse 49:41 Evaluating Trump's Second Term 54:56 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook
Being someone who opposes Israel’s existence and favors legitimizing terrorism and antisemitism now means never having to say you’re sorry in New York City. That’s the conclusion JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin drew from the victory of Socialist Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic mayoral primary in New York City. According to Tobin, Israel’s enemies in the Middle East have suffered devastating defeats. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior analyst and JNS columnist Ben Cohen who believes Mamdani’s win must be seen in the context of an “eye-watering escalation of hate crimes against Jews” in New York since Oct. 7, 2023. Cohen also sees this as an example of how the antisemitism of the elites and the rougher version of Jew-hatred that happens on the streets has merged in the form of the pro-Hamas mobs chanting to “globalize the intifada” that Mamdani supports.
In this episode of "Think Twice," host Jonathan S. Tobin, editor-in-chief of JNS.org, welcomes Professor Amy Wax, a tenured law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a leading voice on issues of academic freedom, to discuss the increasingly narrow boundaries of acceptable discourse in America’s elite universities.
As environmentalist extremist turned pro-Hamas activist Greta Thunberg’s refusal to watch the film of the atrocities committed by the Palestinians on Oct. 7, 2023 indicated, the Jewish state’s foes may not be interested in listening to the truth about the war in Gaza. But according to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin, it is still imperative for pro-Israel advocates to continue to speak out and highlight the facts of the conflict. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by legal expert Thane Rosenbaum, author of the new book, “Beyond Proportionality: Israel’s Just War in Gaza.” Rosenbaum argues that the attempt to smear Israel as having committed war crimes or a genocide in Gaza is not only an outrageous lie. He sees the attempt to shape the narrative of the war in this manner as “the intersection between antisemitism and international law.”
Can Israel afford to say “no” to the president who has been its best friend since the founding of the modern Jewish state? According to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin, that’s a question that may have to be answered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if President Donald Trump’s optimism about his negotiations with the Iranian regime is vindicated by events.
In the Internet era and politically bifurcated societies, is constructive disagreement, a concept that is at the heart of traditional Talmud study, even possible anymore? JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin admits that he’s skeptical about whether political discourse can be anything other than a zero-sum game in the current atmosphere. Tobin is joined on this week’s episode by one person who believes that it doesn’t have to be that way. Daniel Taub, a mediator, writer and former Israeli diplomat is the author of the new book, Beyond Dispute: Rediscovering the Jewish Art of Constructive Disagreement. According to Taub, the tools to bring us closer together can be found in those that are part of the Jewish tradition. What’s more, he points out that the methods that are used in Talmud study arose out of a period of even worse Jewish disunity, during the last years of the Temple era 2,000 years ago and the period that followed its destruction.
There were serious concerns raised about the way Israel seemed to have been sidelined during President Donald Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East. But JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin says that those worries need to be balanced recognizing that Trump has earned the trust of the pro-Israel community. He also believes that the substance of his policy address during the trip in which he said that the U.S. would reject both nation-building and appeasement and instead take a realist approach to dealing with the region would be better for the Jewish state in the long run. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by Shoshana Bryen is Senior Director of The Jewish Policy Center and Editor of inFOCUS Quarterly. Bryen says that those worried about Trump and Israel shouldn’t panic. More than that, she noted that the way so many countries in the Middle East were showing eagerness to be friends of the United States since the start of Trump’s second administration was highly encouraging. “The good news is that the United States is perceived now as a strong horse in the region,” said Bryen. And, she added, that's bound to be good for Israel as well as America. Bryen acknowledged that the fact that the war with Hamas can’t be ended quickly or easily will inevitably create some tensions with the United States since Trump dislikes “forever wars” and doesn’t want to be tied up in them. But she added that Washington has continued to send arms to the Jewish state to prosecute the war and is doing so without the conditions and criticisms that the Biden administration employed to try to hamstring Jerusalem’s efforts. Bryen agreed that the optics of Trump accepting a plane from Qatar, a “frenemy” of the United States, as a gift were bad. But she explained that it was not something from which the president would personally benefit. The Qataris are untrustworthy and connected to Iran and Hamas and host the Muslim Brotherhood. But she also pointed out that their recent conduct indicated that they knew that Israel’s successful actions in Lebanon and Syria had significantly weakened Tehran. The United States needs to be engaged in the region because the alternative is China, America’s chief geostrategic rival and moderate Arab nations don’t wish to be dominated by Beijing. Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel. This episode of Think Twice is sponsored by The Jewish Future Promise — ensuring a vibrant and thriving future for Jews and Israel. Sign the pledge: https://jewishfuturepromise.org/sign-the-promise/
How can American Jews help revive a community beset by assimilation and a declining sense of Jewish peoplehood among so many of its members? The answers to that have long been apparent, says JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin. Support for Jewish education, especially day schools, Jewish camps and trips to Israel is essential. But how can support for this effort be mobilized and energized? One answer is the Jewish Future Promise, a nationwide effort to get people to make a non-binding pledge that if there are any charitable contributions made upon their passing that 50% of it will be left to Jewish causes. Tobin is joined in this week’s episode by Mike Leven and Hadara Ishak, respectively the founder and the chief executive officer of Jewish Future Promise. According to Leven, who is a successful businessman in the hospitality industry, his hope for the project involves more than money. He wants parents to have conversations with children about the importance of supporting Jewish causes and in so doing, help reinforce a sense of continuity and their obligations to their fellow Jews, both in the United States and in Israel. Ishak noted that of the $6.3 trillion being donated to charitable causes in the United States, some 18 to 20% of that total comes from Jews. Yet only 11% of all the money given by Jews went to Jewish causes. They figured if that could be changed, then resources for all of the most vital needs of the Jewish people could be found. And that is what Jewish Future Promise hopes to achieve. They say the pledge isn’t about trying to persuade people not to give to non-Jewish causes but rather to remind them of the importance of investing in the Jewish future. While many people value acceptance by the non-Jewish world, Leven argues that such acceptance can’t be counted upon and that they need to remember that Israel is the “insurance” of the Jewish people’s survival. He said that this is even more true than ever after the Hamas-led Palestinian terror attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He wants Americans to take pride in the accomplishments of the Jewish people, especially in Israel. One of the more encouraging developments is that the Jewish Future Promise is also attracting support from non-Jews, such as actress Patricia Heaton, a passionate supporter of Israel who recently became the 100,000 promiser. The group is also sponsoring a program for young people called Jewish Youth Promise involving them writing a letter to their future selves about their commitment to the Jewish people. Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel. This episode of “Think Twice” is sponsored by The Jewish Future Promise—ensuring a vibrant and thriving future for Jews and Israel.Sign the promise: https://jewishfuturepromise.org/jns/
According to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin, the horrific Hamas-led Palestinian attacks on southern Israel that took place on Oct. 7, 2023 raise troubling questions about the reactions from the international community. Rather than rallying to Israel’s defense, much of the world responded with a surge of antisemitism that has impacted the lives of Jews around the world as well as isolating the Jewish state. He is joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by Israel Ellis, author of 10.7 The Wake Up Call: Global Terrorism and the Rise of Antisemitism in a World Gone MAD. Ellis, a Canadian entrepreneur and author who has a son who serves in the Israel Defense Forces, says his new book is an effort to answer the question of how this catastrophe could have happened. It’s also intended as a primer about the facts about Oct. 7 and the war against Hamas in response to the denial about the atrocities as well as the lies that have been spread about the Jewish state’s conduct in the conflict.He spoke of his outrage about the Jew-hatred that is made itself felt throughout North America and especially in his home of Toronto in which sympathy for the Palestinians’ “death cult” and hostility to Israel has become widespread. He pointed out that one of the key factors in transforming colleges and universities into hotbeds of pro-Hamas activism and hostile environments for Jews is the corrupting influence of money from Qatar and Iran. Ellis also thinks that the importing of students from the Middle East who have helped lead antisemitic demonstrations and illegal activities has helped transform these schools since the 1990s when he studied the Middle East.Ellis believes a big part of the problem that Israel faces is the way the West, especially the Obama and Biden administrations in the United States and the Justin Trudeau government in Canada “betrayed” Israel by appeasing Iran and undermining the war on Hamas. He is hopeful about the new administration of President Donald Trump, whom he believes is a “messenger of God,” whose outlier personality and role as an agent of “chaos” has brought about a necessary change in the conversation about the Middle East.Ellis also believes that an imperative of the post-Oct. 7 world is to create Jewish unity. He believes that can only be achieved in Israel by the creation of a constitution and a change in the way the Knesset and government are elected. Though he admits it seems an unlikely prospect, he asserts that when you consider that “Israel is a land of miracles,” anything is possible.Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel.This episode of “Think Twice” is sponsored by The Jewish Future Promise — ensuring a vibrant and thriving future for Jews and Israel.Sign the promise: https://jewishfuturepromise.org/jns/
The willingness to succumb to antisemitism is always a sign of a sick society, says JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin. The mainstreaming of Jew-hatred in the media, popular culture and political discourse since Oct. 7, 2023 has created a perilous moment for Jews but it is also a sign of just how lost so many Americans have become. He believes what’s needed now is a willingness to understand that it is Western civilization, which has its roots in Judaism, that is under attack as much as Israel.He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by Newsweek senior editor-at-large and podcaster Josh Hammer, the author of the new book, Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.JNS will host its inaugural International Policy Summit on Monday, April 28, 2025. This daylong event will convene government officials, policymakers, diplomats, security experts, leaders of pro-Israel organizations, and influencers for vital discussions aimed at addressing Israel's critical challenges and opportunities in a post-Oct. 7 world.Registration at this point is for invitees only. However, you can submit a request for registration at the following link: https://reg.eventact.com//welcome?Form=iZpQAAA&c=iOAE&Event=iUJEAAA⟨=enListen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.This episode of “Think Twice” is sponsored by The Jewish Future Promise — ensuring a vibrant and thriving future for Jews and Israel. Sign the promise: https://jewishfuturepromise.org/jns/
Bharrat
Statistics is a science and therefore, all the information taken for the analysis must be properly analyzed, and which is more important: in a scientific manner. For example, this service checks all the boxes in terms all of these: https://myassignmentlab.com/do-my-statistics-homework.html, therefore I do my statistics homework there. Professionals in the field of academia know their work well and know how to collect, store and present the information. However when it comes to misleading or speculative arguments, I'd rather abstain listening to self proclaimed or biased experts, regardless of the topic chosen. As for the topic in question. I'd put it this way: according to the vast historical evidence, statistics clearly shows that aggressor states, leading expansionist policies against their neighbors, tend to portray themselves as victims. Statistics based on history precedents is science.