News

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Yom Tov. This year was different for me due to the fact that I am still in availus and could not participate in the Hakafos during Sukkos and on Simchas Torah. It is no fun standing around while there is singing and dancing on Simchas Torah. I cannot imagine having to go through this every year. It was also a different year for the Jewish community due to what happened last Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah in Israel and what has transpired since then. There were various approaches. Some shuls seemed to act as business as usual, while others toned down the joy or had special programs, such as a siyum.

On November 13, Trump accepted the invitation of President Biden and met the president at the White House. Traditionally, that would not have been a big deal. However, it did not happen four years ago because Trump refused to meet with Biden. At that time, and to this day, Trump has refused to admit he lost the 2020 election.  In contrast, despite Trump not meeting with him in 2016, when Trump won, Biden met with him even though Biden’s vice president lost. There was little opposition to the meeting in Democrat Party circles. That is how adults act. Melania Trump did not accept First Lady Jill Biden’s invitation to meet at the White House at the same time. It just proves that Donald and Melania have one thing in common: They engage in boorish behavior.

As of the time I am writing my column it is unclear who will be our next president. Therefore, I will not address the candidates directly. Instead, I will comment on how the media has covered this election. The media had an excuse in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic; they have no excuse this time.

Last week I wrote about whether the Senate would have the courage to vote down Trump’s clearly unqualified picks who have baggage or views beyond the pale. It did not take too long to find out. Despite calls made by Trump, and VP-Elect Vance accompanying Matt Gaetz to meetings with key senators, it was clear that there was a group of senators who were not going to budge no matter what. So, the bully backed down and Gaetz withdrew his nomination.

Kristallnacht occurred on November 9, 1938. Although the word Kristallnacht has been translated as the “Night of Broken Glass,” much more occurred. There were attacks on Jews in the streets along with arrests, arson, and looting. One would have thought that those days were gone. Sadly, they are not.  On November 7, Israeli soccer fans and other Jews were chased and attacked in the streets of Amsterdam by Palestinian supporters. History repeats itself.

In last week’s column, “Senate 1, Trump 0,” I wrote that “I would not be surprised if Trump fires FBI Director Christopher Wray and tries to bring in an unqualified loyalist such as Kash Patel.” An FBI director’s term is 10 years, which was set to be longer than any president’s term to gain independence from the White House. This was due to President Richard Nixon’s misuse of the FBI. Nixon’s acting FBI director and nominee for the permanent post, L. Patrick Gray, resigned in 1973 after it was revealed that he was giving the White House daily briefings on the FBI’s Watergate investigation and that he destroyed documents relevant to the inquiry.