Frontlines

I ran into former New York Governor George Pataki the other day, and I thought to myself how close Congressman Lee Zeldin came to duplicating the feat that Mr. Pataki pulled off in 1994. Actually, Zeldin got more votes than Governor Pataki (2,703,401 vs. 2,538,702) but still lost. By amassing so many votes, he brought in four new Republican Congressmen to New York State. It helped the Republican Party claim the majority in the House.

We pray every weekday: “On the righteous, on the devout, on the elders of Your people the Family of Israel, on the remnant of their scholars, on the righteous converts and on ourselves- May your compassion be aroused Hashem, our G-d, and give goodly reward to all who sincerely believe in Your Name. Put our lot with them forever, and we will not feel ashamed, for we trust in You. Blessed are You, Hashem, Mainstay and Assurance of the righteous.”

With the release of Brittney Griner after ten months of captivity, President Biden might have opened a channel to finally make peace between Russia and Ukraine. As Michael Shear and Peter Baker put it, “The release of Ms. Griner, who turned 32 while in custody, was a rare bright spot in the confrontation between Mr. Biden and Vladimir V. Putin, the President of Russia, over Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.”

As the world was marveling and amazed by the superhuman achievements of proud Jewish swimmer Mark Spitz at the Munich Olympics in 1972, Muslim terrorists aligned with the Black September organization shocked and threw Western Civilization into chaos and turmoil.

On November 23, two bags filled with nails, shrapnel, and explosives were remotely detonated during rush hour at bus stops in Jerusalem. Canadian yeshivah student Aryeh Schupak was killed. Israeli Tadese Tashume Ben Ma’ada, age 50, father of six, originally from Ethiopia, died later from his wounds. Someone I know was one of the over 20 who were wounded. He was left with a nail in his diaphragm and in his arm. He is an American citizen. The other injured American citizen was Naomi Pilichowski, who was featured in a New York Post article on November 25.

With the passage of Mikhail Gorbachev at age 91 during the heat of the Russian War against the Ukraine, the stark contrasts between two eras takes shape.