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For the past few weeks, journalists have had access to Twitter’s internal files. These files shed light on how the social media company worked with the government and within their own political biases to craft narratives and shift the social landscape to their own favor.  Hundreds of millions of people use Twitter directly per month, but that is not where this problem ends.  Twitter has become so ubiquitous that it shapes cable, network, and online media coverage.  Donald Trump’s presidency and his subsequent downfall could be attributed to Twitter.  

It’s often overlooked that in 2020, a miraculous and world-changing event occurred. With all the ink being spilled on the pandemic, George Floyd, and the presidential election, the most underreported story of that year was the normalization of relations between Israel and three of its Arab neighbors.

Twitter has released more internal documents from before Elon Musk took over the company. The revelations in this document dump have serious implications on the role of social media, government censorship, and public trust in the dissemination of information.

The New York Young Republican Club, the nation’s oldest Young Republican club, celebrated its 110th annual Gala on Saturday night with a black-tie event.  The Gala, which the club boasts has run without interruption during both World Wars and the Covid lockdowns, featured a large number of prominent local and national Republican figures. As with many Republican events, especially in deep-blue New York, the accusations of sympathizing with neo-Nazis and bigots flew early and often - yet that is only one side of the event the media is willing to tell.

Ever since Elon Musk bought Twitter, the political Right waited with bated breath to be vindicated for all the things that they have accused Twitter of being – an arm of the Democratic Party. The early indicators did not disappoint, as Musk was able to successfully lay off three quarters of the staff with no interruption of service and discovered a closet filled with sweatshirts adorned with the phrase #StayWoke. The real treasure trove came in the form of the Twitter Files, a data dump of internal emails and chats about silencing or outright banning a variety of voices from the Right. Here is a breakdown of what we have learned so far.

Each year, as Chanukah approaches, I look forward to these eight nights during which we have the opportunity to focus each evening on our connection with G-d and the miracles He has bestowed on us, Byamim HaHem u’Bzman HaZeh, on our people and in our own daily lives. The light of the ner Chanukah is particularly special. Through it we invoke our unique bond with G-d and His protection, His light, even in the times of our history and personal lives when we can only see darkness.  Embedded in these eight nights and days of Chanukah are nisim, miracles, that are already in existence, just waiting for us to tap into via the special power of the neiros.