News

From many perspectives, Israel is now in a seemingly endless downward spiral. Three EU members – Norway, Ireland, and Spain – recently recognized Palestine as a State. Others indicate they will follow suit. It is unclear what this means, but certainly it is a blow to Israel and its people.

I give credit to the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills for arranging the Shavuos forum and for the 100 or so people for showing up. However, I think there may have been a bit of a bait-and-switch, or a gaslighting of sorts, for the people who came expecting to hear what we can do about the widespread problem of anti-Semitism on college campuses and beyond. Instead, we heard that actually, anti-Semitism is not that big of a problem.

Much has been shared on the ongoing election for the vacancy at the Queens County Surrogate’s Court. Supreme Court Justice Cassandra A. Johnson, a candidate in this race, has been a regular at Jewish community functions. With Primary Election Day on the horizon, I took a few minutes to talk with the candidate on her observations of our community.

(June 17, 2024 / JNS) Americans have seen this movie before. Politically motivated masked thugs who gather to intimidate, silence and sometimes inflict violence on the objects of their hate are nothing new in this country. Yet the ubiquitous use of masks—whether in the form of bandannas or Palestinian-style keffiyehs worn by supporters of the Hamas terrorist group to conceal their identity—has become a disturbing staple of contemporary American life.

Like many residents throughout the five boroughs and across the New York Metro area, I was pleasantly surprised by Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision to “indefinitely pause” the implementation of Congestion Pricing. Rather than seeing this as a cynical calculation, as some have alleged, I see the Governor’s decision as a deeply pragmatic response to the crescendo of public concerns that I and many others have raised for years. As the countdown to June 30 implementation date neared, everyday New Yorkers did what we do best: We spoke up for ourselves and said we won’t accept a bad deal! I applaud Governor Hochul for having the courage, not just to listen to us, but to take a tough stand against this misguided policy.

In the “good old days” of protesters in the immediate aftermath of October 7, those who demanded the destruction of the Jewish state at least had the decency to do so under the guise of separating their support for the Palestinian people from their support for the genocidal terrorists that committed those atrocities.  At that time, most of the people on the streets had their faces uncovered, assuming they’d be out there for only a short while.  These people were accustomed to getting their way after a tantrum.  As the war drags on, these people are elevating their rhetoric, and their tactics, and are doing so under the cover of anonymity.  The physical masks went on, so the rhetorical masks are now off.