JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.

WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

Two boys at Jewish high school say they had a relationship with a female staffer, Harvard says it will no longer take positions on public policy, various faith groups back Rastafarian prisoner, and why Orthodox Ohioans are upset about a new crosswalk light.

 ISRAEL AT WAR

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, and John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, talking about the Rafah attack Tuesday at the White House. (Getty)

Images of death and devastation in Rafah rattle some of Israel’s most ardent defenders:The viral images of devastation — including that of a decapitated child — triggered an outpouring of horror on social media. Avi Mayer, a longtime pro-Israel activist and former editor of The Jerusalem Post, called for Hamas’ surrender, but his tone was one of exhaustion. “The images from Rafah are terrible,” he said. “This war has gone on for too long. It’s time for it to end.” Read the story ➤

The latest…

• The IDF said its airstrike on a targeted area in Rafah was nearly a mile from a displaced persons camp, and is investigating if a hidden stockpile of weapons and other combustibles may have caused secondary blasts leading to dozens of deaths.

  
  

• The White House said the Rafah attack was “heartbreaking,” but would not cause President Joe Biden to freeze additional arms shipments to Israel.

  
  

• U.S.-made weapons were used in the Israeli strike in Rafah on Sunday, according to a CNN analysis.

  
  

• The U.S. military temporarily suspended aid deliveries into Gaza by sea, after the $320 million floating pier it set up was damaged by bad weather.

  
  

• Israeli intelligence has been spying on the International Criminal Court for nine years, according to a new investigation by the Guardian and two Israel-based magazines.

  
  

• We told you last week about a non-Jewish Palm Beach County executive who is investing more than $700 million of county funds in Israel bonds — money that goes to finance Israel’s military efforts as it wages war with Hamas in Gaza. Now a group of Palestinian Americans is suing him.

  
  

• A Seattle museum temporarily closed after dozens of its staff members walked out to protest an exhibit about fighting discrimination across ethnic groups that they claimed “conveyed Zionist perspectives.”

  
  

• New York City’s annual Israel parade is set for this Sunday. Gone will be the festive decor, the bands, and the overall celebratory atmosphere. Instead, the message of the parade can be boiled down to three words: “Bring them home.”

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ALSO IN THE FORWARD

In “Self Portrait with Flaming Heart,” Audrey Flack paints herself as the Virgin Mary. (Courtesy)

Fiercely committed and as unapologetic as ever, this 92-year-old artist is having a moment: Audrey Flack is confronting the misogyny and antisemitism of the art world in a new memoir and exhibit, painted in the last three years and combining iconography from Marvel comics, Disney and Judeo-Christian imagery. In one, she reclaims Mary as a compassionate Jewish mother. “We have strong powerful women,” Flack said, speaking of Jews. “We have Queen Esther, but Mary is the one you go to when you are hurt, when you cry.”

Two boys at a Modern Orthodox high school said they had a ‘relationship of a sexual nature’ with a female staff member:The head of the Los Angeles school said Tuesday in an email to parents, which was obtained by the Forward, that the woman is no longer on campus and has been directed not to communicate with anyone in the school community. The matter has been referred to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Plus: Why the humble onion is the most Jewish allium of all.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested last week during Harvard’s graduation ceremony. (Getty)

🏫  Harvard said on Tuesday that it will refrain from taking official positions on controversial public policy issues, after months of grappling with a campus fractured by debate over the Israel-Hamas war. (Crimson)

🚘  An Orthodox man in Beachwood, Ohio, raised concerns at a city council meeting about new motion-activated crosswalk lights because it may cause observant Jews to violate Shabbat. (Cleveland Jewish News)

🗳️  Brandon Herrera, a far-right Texas congressional candidate who joked about the Holocaust, lost his Republican runoff Tuesday after pro-Israel groups spent more than $1 million to help his opponent. (Haaretz)

🪖  The remains of a Jewish U.S. soldier who died in 1944 and was buried with Nazis in a mass grave in occupied France were given to U.S. officials Tuesday during a ceremony in Germany. (Stars and Stripes)

💈 A Rastafarian man whose hair was cut in prison is appealing his case to the Supreme Court. He’s got support from a broad range of faith organizations — including the Women of Reform Judaism — who claim the prison infringed on his religious rights. (Religion News Service)

Shiva call ➤  Al Ruddy, the Oscar-winning producer of The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby, died at 94

What else we’re reading ➤  What do public school students in New York City learn about Haredi culture? So far, very little … A mysterious photo album from Auschwitz takes center stage in New York … Separated after Oct. 7, an Israeli high school basketball team reunites in New York City.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

New overnight: For the latest episode of her podcast, Bari Weiss interviewed Jerry Seinfeld, who broke down when recalling his December trip to Israel to visit the families of the hostage families and the site of the massacres. “It was the most powerful experience of my life,” he said.

On a lighter note, he thinks it’s funny that pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt his shows. “It’s so silly,” he said. “They want to express this sincere, intense rage, but it’s a little off target,” noting that comedians don’t have much political power.

The conversation about Judaism, antisemitism and Israel starts at around the 22:30 mark.

Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh and Talya Zax 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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