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JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.

WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

Today: Pro-Palestinian student group promises “week of rage” to coincide with Oct. 7 anniversary, Netanyahu may fire defense minister, Jerry Lewis’ unreleased Holocaust movie gets fresh look, and you’ll never guess who was Lauren Bacall’s first cousin.

OUR LEAD STORY

Emet Marwell, wearing a prayer shawl in the colors of the transgender flag. (Shana Sureck)

A bar mitzvah for a transgender man in the shul where he once had a bat mitzvah

For Emet Marwell, 28, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, it was the same bimah, and the same Torah portion. This time, instead of marking a transition out of childhood, the ceremony marked his gender transition.

Among the texts he turned to was Psalm 15, which asks of God, “Who may dwell in your sacred tent?” The answer: Anyone “who speaks truth from their heart.” That passage helped Marwell choose a new first name: Emet, which means truth in Hebrew.

Marwell also found validation in pikuach nefesh, the Jewish law that prizes the preservation of life over all else. Transitioning, he said, “was what I needed to save my life.”

Next up? He’s applying to rabbinical school.

ISRAEL AT WAR: DAY 347

Students at a pro-Palestinian rally in April on the University of Southern California campus. The school joined others — including Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, Syracuse and the University of Texas — in adopting a policy of “institutional neutrality.” (Getty)

On campus…

Universities are trying a new strategy on Israel and Gaza: Say nothing.

Students for Justice in Palestine announced a national “Week of Rage” beginning on Oct. 7 “to mark a year of genocide in Gaza.”

The Senate plans to advance a contentious bill to crack down on antisemitism on campus, but it has some detractors because it classifies most anti-Zionism as antisemitic, upsetting free speech advocates.

A California school district is being sued for allegedly creating ethnic studies courses in secret that contain antisemitic material.

The Cornell professor who praised the Hamas attack — and has since apologized — can resume teaching, since his statements were made “as a private citizen in his free time,” the school said.

Demonstrators during an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv Monday night, calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages. (Getty)

War room shuffle…

► Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is close to replacing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

“To rid himself of meddlesome Gallant, Netanyahu would appoint a rookie and risk all-out war,” writes Amos Harel in an analysis for Haaretz.

A European ambassador said Gallant was the only person in the Israeli government “whose word we could trust,” and warned that shuffling out the defense chief may risk hostage talks.

“What Netanyahu is doing at the moment,” said opposition leader Benny Gantz, “endangers Israel’s security in the most tangible way that I can remember having been done by a prime minister during a war — and in general.”

And elsewhere…

Argentina saw a 44% spike in antisemitic incidents in 2023, with most occurring after Oct. 7, according to a new report.

“For most of the past year, none of the three major American carriers — United Airlines, American Airlines, or Delta — have flown to Israel,” reports Jay Solomon in The Free Press. Israeli officials told him that “it’s feeding into the economic and diplomatic isolation that Iran’s leaders are seeking.”

90% of children under 10 in Gaza have received the first dose of the polio vaccine, thanks to a recent public health campaign orchestrated with the U.N.

ALSO IN THE FORWARD

Jerry Lewis in 1972, during the shooting of the film The Day the Clown Cried. (Getty)

Clowns and concentration camps

Jerry Lewis directed and starred in a film about a circus performer sent to a concentration camp where he entertained Jewish children headed for the gas chambers. The 1972 film was never released.

The film was intended to give Lewis, a slapstick comedian, a chance to prove his talents as a serious storyteller. He prepped by traveling to Europe and visiting concentration camps.

Everything that could go wrong did. The filmmakers never secured proper permits, Lewis feuded with one of the producers and funding was pulled. Lewis was forced to personally cover the expenses of paying the cast and crew, almost sending himself into financial ruin.

Our intern Olivia Haynie traveled to the Venice Film Festival to watch a new documentary about the film, which sheds light on the doomed production.

Plus…

A Jewish real estate tycoon, Steve Witkoff, was playing golf with former President Donald Trump on Sunday when a would-be assassin took aim. Their friendship dates back decades to a ham sandwich incident.

Fun fact about Lauren Bacall, whose 100th birthday would’ve been Monday: Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres was her first cousin.

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WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Volunteer teacher Hope Kaufman leads Haitian students during an English language class Friday at the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, Ohio. (Getty)

🐱 Faith leaders in Springfield, Ohio, are working to counter false claims that Haitian immigrants are eating cats and dogs — and are encouraging Haitians not to move out of the state. (Religion News Service)

Related: Is the “eating cats” conspiracy the new blood libel?

✡️ The most religiously diverse county in the U.S. is Montgomery County, Maryland, per new census data. Jews make up 9.3% of the population. (Religion News Service)

🪨 Harvard physics professors have long shared a bizarre piece of show-and-tell with their students: a small block of uranium that was once part of a secret Nazi nuclear project. (Harvard Magazine)

Mazel tov ► To Israeli-Dutch author Yael van der Wouden, who was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for fiction for her debut novel, The Safekeep, a drama set in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Shiva call ► Mark Podwal, an artist whose work adorned museums, synagogues and opinion pages, died at 79.

What else we’re reading ► Pope Francis to ask forgiveness for church’s sins ahead of historic Vatican summit … Does a “diverse” campus mean more conservatives? … Reggae star Matisyahu reflects on a tumultuous year.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Actors Kristen Bell and Adam Brody discuss their new interfaith Netflix series. (Courtesy)

What we’re listening to ► The latest episode of the Armchair Expert podcast features an interview with Kristen Bell and Adam Brody on their new Netflix series, Nobody Wants This, about a non-Jewish sex podcaster who dates a rabbi. “I wanted to be Jewish all growing up,” Bell said, noting that she was “one of two gentiles” in an “entirely Jewish neighborhood” in a Detroit suburb. She also revealed that the original title of the series was Shiksa, but was changed after focus groups were unsure what the term meant.

Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Beth Harpaz for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at [email protected].

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