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JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT. |
| WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION |
|  | | Good morning from Arlington, Virginia, where I’m reporting a story about two lifelong Jewish friends who are about to share a very unusual ending. I’ll preview it here for you first next week.
In this edition: Kinky Friedman, Mel Gibson, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Jude Law, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Dr. Ruth Westheimer — and why some Jews are pushing for a TikTok ban. |
| | |  | Demonstrators in Tel Aviv calling for the return of hostages react after the ceasefire is announced. (Getty) |
| The first phase of the Israel and Hamas ceasefire-for-hostages deal was expected to start Sunday and see the gradual release of 33 hostages over 42 days. But its tenuous nature was already evident Thursday, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a “last-minute crisis” with Hamas was holding up approval. The Israeli cabinet has delayed the deal’s ratification — citing these disputes, which Hamas denies.
Opinion | Why the hostage and ceasefire deal is both reassuring and terrifying: “American Jews awakened by the horrors of Oct. 7 — and the horrors in the months since — should not return to slumber,” writes our editor-in-chief, Jodi Rudoren. “We can help build a stable future for Israelis and Palestinians by supporting the organizations and politicians who reflect our American and Jewish values — of human rights and democracy and tikkun olam — supporting everyone who is ready to repair this holy and broken place.” Read her essay ►
Opinion | 5 crucial questions for Israel post-ceasefire: The ceasefire offers a temporary respite after 15 months of war, but significant uncertainties remain, including Israel's commitment to ending the conflict, the potential impact on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition if far-right members rebel, and the future governance of Gaza. “The next few weeks of negotiations will be crucial in determining whether this fragile ceasefire can evolve into a lasting peace,” writes our Tel Aviv-based columnist, Dan Perry. Read his essay ►
Opinion | Gaza ceasefire is the result of political machination — not Donald Trump: “The die was cast back in September,” writes Rabbi Jay Michaelson, when Netanyahu added four members to his coalition, making him less reliant on support from his far-right cabinet ministers. “In other words,” Jay writes, “this moment didn’t happen because Trump’s strength brought an end to the war. It happened because internal Israeli politics made it easier for Netanyahu to alienate his farthest-right coalition partners, and Trump’s promises of greater Israeli domination made it even easier.” Read his essay ►
More opinions…
Analysis: The timing of the deal drew comparisons to the 1981 release of American hostages from Iran just minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president. But in this instance both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump can claim a rare bipartisan victory, writes our senior political reporter Jacob Kornbluh.
Related: Behind the scenes of how two feuding presidents, and their teams, joined forces to get a deal. (Axios) |
|  | An Israeli soldier on Thursday at the site of the Nova music festival, the day after a ceasefire was announced. (Getty) |
| More on the ceasefire… The deal has brought renewed attention to Kfir and Ariel Bibas, the youngest hostages held by Hamas, who are expected to be among the first released, though their condition is unknown. (JTA)
A Bibas cousin said hostage families are experiencing a “roller coaster” of emotions right now. (Times of Israel)
Many Palestinians are cheering the deal. “I feel joy despite everything we’ve lost,” said one 27-year-old resident of Gaza. (Times of Israel)
Some supporters of Trump, who previously praised his strong stance on Israel, are now disappointed over his endorsement of the ceasefire deal, which they believe undermines Israel's security. (JTA)
Israelis themselves are divided over the deal, with right-wing groups and some bereaved families saying this will only lead to more danger and death. (Times of Israel)
During his Senate confirmation hearing for secretary of state Wednesday, Sen. Marco Rubio said the U.S. should revoke visas for any “supporter of Hamas.” (JTA)
Lufthansa said it would resume flights to and from Israel on Feb. 1. For a long while, El Al was the only major airline making trips, leading to record profits in 2024. (Times of Israel, Wall Street Journal)
Quotable ► “Our beloved son Hersh and so many other innocent civilians should have been saved long ago by a deal like this one, especially since the framework for today’s deal has been in place since May 2024. We will struggle with that failure for the rest of our lives.” — Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin. (Washington Post) |
| | |  | TikTok users protested last March outside the U.S. Capitol Building. (Getty) |
| Ticking clock
China-based TikTok plans to shut down U.S. operations of its social media app on Sunday, when a federal ban is set to take effect, barring a last-minute reprieve from the Supreme Court. Congress decided to ban the app because lawmakers believe it poses a national security threat and could allow the Chinese government to mine Americans’ data.
Some lawmakers also accused the app of purposefully biasing its algorithm to favor pro-Palestinian content as part of an anti-Israel agenda, with one House representative saying that the app was “brainwashing our youth” with “rampant pro-Hamas propaganda.”
Our digital culture reporter, Mira Fox, explains why a TikTok ban won’t stop the spread of these messages.
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| | Social scrolls
When Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022, he allowed the return of antisemites and white supremacists who had been suspended or banned. Many users threatened to leave the platform, but more than two years later, “nothing has become the new Twitter,” writes Mira. Sure, there are upstarts like Threads and Bluesky, but neither has yet to match the sheer size of Twitter, now called X. Despite a deluge of offensive posts “X is still more fun,” Mira writes, even if people “feel kind of guilty using it.” Read her essay ► |
| |  | | |  | Jude Law tracks down a neo-Nazi terror cell in the new movie The Order. (Courtesy Vertical) |
| (Jude) Law and order
The Order, a new movie starring Jude Law, shares the true story of the white supremacist terror cell that murdered Jewish radio host Alan Berg, robbed banks and Brink’s trucks and planted bombs outside synagogues and porn shops throughout the 1980s in the Pacific Northwest. It’s “a propulsive thriller,” writes our PJ Grisar in a review, but the film “risks minimizing the factors that furnished our current nativist moment, and the growing appeal of militarism beyond the usual, racially resentful suspects.” Read his review ►
Plus… |
| | WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
|  | Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have been living in Miami since they left the White House. (Getty) |
| 💸 Jared Kushner's investment firm is set to double its stake in an Israeli financial firm, just days before his father-in-law, Donald Trump, returns to the White House. (JTA)
💰 Jewish Voice for Peace, an American anti-Zionist group, agreed to pay more than $600,000 to the U.S. government to settle a claim alleging it committed fraud when it received a COVID-era loan, even though groups engaged in political or lobbying efforts were not eligible for the loans. (Dept. of Justice, Jerusalem Post)
🍞 Silver Moon Bakery, an Upper West Side bakery known for its challah, is facing eviction over unpaid rent. Locals are still mourning the loss of another beloved neighborhood spot following the recent closure of Absolute Bagels. (NY Jewish Week)
🎶 The Louisville Orchestra is set to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 25 by performing a one-act opera composed by a Jewish prisoner inside a concentration camp. (eJewishPhilanthropy)
✝️ Mel Gibson’s long-gestating sequel to 2004’s The Passion of the Christ may finally see the light of day. The actor-director said on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he hopes to begin filming The Resurrection of the Christ in 2026. (Hollywood Reporter)
🎶 Kinky Friedman, the frontman of The Texas Jewboys country band, died last year. But he left a posthumous surprise: A new album, due out in March. (New York Times)
What else we’re reading ► In an interview with an Orthodox magazine, Mike Huckabee, Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, explains why it’s good to have a non-Jew in the role (Ami) … Democratic senator writes new book called It Takes Chutzpah (NPR) … Dr. Ruth accumulated boxes of papers. Now a sex institute is sifting through them (New York Times). |
| | |  | Our Rukhl Schaechter whipped up this video overnight explaining how to talk about a ceasefire in Yiddish. Let’s hope all the di orevnikes come home soon. |
| Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh and Talya Zax for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Julie Moos for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at [email protected]. |
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