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WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION |
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Today: Pro-Palestinian Columbia activist graduates • France, U.K., Canada threaten Israel with sanctions • Does Disney show have Messianic Jew? • And much more. |
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Sen. Chuck Schumer publicly backed Biden, even while privately questioning his age and chances of winning. (Getty) |
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Legacy on the line
The highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history is facing a legacy crisis. A bombshell new book out today, Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, claims that Sen. Chuck Schumer and other top Democrats knew President Joe Biden was struggling in his final year — but helped keep the extent of his decline under wraps.
The book reports that Schumer witnessed Biden’s decline first hand — including phone calls where the president would forget why he’d called — leaving the Senate majority leader worried enough to privately question whether Biden should run for reelection.
This comes just two months after Schumer scaled back the media tour for his book on antisemitism, amid backlash for siding with Republicans on a government funding bill backed by President Donald Trump. At the time, he defended the move as a lesser evil to a shutdown, but the moment left many in the Jewish community — especially younger progressives — disillusioned with the man who had been their most prominent voice in Washington. (Trump has repeatedly called Schumer “a Palestinian.”)
Now, as questions swirl around his loyalty to principle and public accountability, Schumer’s political twilight feels murky — a painful turn for the politician who once embodied Jewish political clout in America.
In related news: Schumer said he’ll introduce legislation to block Qatar’s $400 million gift to Trump of a new Air Force One. The Gulf state was a key financial backer of Hamas. (Axios)
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Biden stressed how the safety of American Jews and the Jewish people everywhere depended on the existence of the state of Israel. (Getty) |
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How Joe Biden developed his lifelong affection for Jews
As former President Biden battles Stage 4 cancer, contributor Benjamin Ivry reflects on Biden’s lifelong affinity for Jews. He admired Golda Meir, quoted from Old Testament texts, and often invoked Jewish suffering and resilience as an embodiment of courage and persistence. At a moment when Biden’s legacy is being reexamined, Ivry offers a reminder of how his Jewish ties helped shape his moral and political compass.
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Elsewhere in politics… The Senate confirmed Charles Kushner — Jared Kushner’s father and a former convict pardoned by President Trump — as the new ambassador to France. (Politico)
Critics — including some Christians — worry that Trump’s religious agenda will privilege his conservative Christian base, perhaps at the expense of other faiths. (AP)
Related: The Trump-supporting Christians behind Project Esther are accusing some Jews of antisemitism, writes Michelle Goldberg in an opinion essay. (New York Times)
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A girl holds plastic containers as displaced Palestinians collect water in Gaza on Tuesday. (Getty) |
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the military will take full control of Gaza, even as his government agreed to ease a months-long blockade by permitting limited aid into the territory. (Wall Street Journal)
The latest… Israel said it allowed in five humanitarian aid trucks on Monday, but experts warned that at least 500 are needed each day, calling the effort a “drop in the ocean.” (BBC, Reuters)
The leaders of the U.K., France, and Canada on Monday condemned Israel’s conduct in Gaza, urging an immediate ceasefire and greater aid access — and warning of possible consequences if it doesn’t comply. (JTA)
The U.S. shut down its Office of Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem, effectively cutting off the main diplomatic channel between Palestinians and Washington — just as Israel ramps up military operations in Gaza that have killed hundreds in recent days, according to local health officials. (Guardian)
Miki Zohar, a top official in Netanyahu’s party, warned that Israel may annex parts of Gaza if Hamas doesn’t surrender control and free the remaining Israeli hostages. (JTA)
Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s lead negotiator on American hostages, said Monday that “we’re closer than we ever were” to a deal with Hamas. (JTA)
Since returning home last week after 584 days in captivity, former hostage Edan Alexander has wolfed down beers and hamburgers and scrolled through Spotify, his mother said of his path to recovery. (AP)
The U.S. State Department is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of Hezbollah’s financial networks — particularly in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. (Bloomberg)
Israel recovered thousands of documents and personal items belonging to Eli Cohen, its most legendary spy, in a covert operation inside Syria. Cohen, whose espionage work and death by hanging was dramatized in a Netflix series starring Sacha Baron Cohen, is widely credited with helping Israel secure victory in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. (New York Times)
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A scene from Mickey Mouse Funhouse. (Courtesy Disney) |
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Is there a Messianic Jew on Disney’s Mickey Mouse Funhouse?
In an episode that’s drawing attention, Mickey and the gang learn about Hanukkah from their friend Hilda, a Jewish hippopotamus who speaks with a Southern drawl. She appears to be wearing a necklace with both a Star of David and a Jesus fish. The episode underwent several rounds of review by Jewish cultural and religious advisers, including rabbis, but the symbol was not flagged, reports our Hannah Feuer. Go deeper ►
Plus: Two competing websites are exposing public figures and celebrities who they claim either support or oppose Zionism. “The real question is what either site is accomplishing,” writes our Mira Fox.
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WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
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Mohsen Mahdawi, a pro-Palestinian student activist at Columbia University who was detained by immigration officials, earlier this month in Vermont. (Getty) |
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On campus…
🎓 Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was recently detained by federal immigration authorities over his pro-Palestinian activism, took part in the university’s graduation ceremony Monday. (Gothamist, New York Times)
📹. New video footage appears to capture the moments before Columbia graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was arrested. (CNN)
✍️ Columbia continues to investigate student journalists who covered pro-Palestinian protests, raising alarm among press freedom advocates. (Columbia Journalism Review)
And elsewhere…
⚖️ In three forthcoming decisions, the Supreme Court seems poised to broaden protections for religious rights — potentially at the expense of the long-standing separation between church and state. (Reuters)
👮 Fliers denigrating Jews were scattered across Squirrel Hill, the neighborhood where the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting occurred. It appears to be the work of the Goyim Defense League; police are investigating. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, JTA)
🇷🇴 A far-right Romanian presidential candidate whose party dismissed the Holocaust as a “minor topic” lost the election. (JTA)
⚽ Gary Lineker, the ex-soccer star and veteran BBC sportscaster, is parting ways with the network following criticism over his repost of an Instagram story about Zionism that included a rat emoji. (Guardian, JTA)
⚾ Former hostage Omer Shem Tov took the mound at Fenway Park on Monday to throw the ceremonial first pitch for the Red Sox’s Jewish Heritage Night. (Boston Herald)
Transitions ► Former Rep. Kathy Manning will be the next board chair of the Democratic Majority for Israel … Adam Katz was named the new president of Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. |
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Weird Al Yankovic is famous for parodying popular songs with new lyrics. Now imagine a Jewish version of him, rewriting tunes from Billy Joel, the Beach Boys and the Beatles into parables about small-town minyans, learning Talmud, and menorah lighting. Enter Schlock Rock, a band founded by Lenny Solomon in 1985. I grew up listening to their songs on repeat: My favorite was when they turned “Rock Me Amadeus” to “Rock Me Achashverosh.”
There’s a new, short documentary about Solomon called King of Schlock. Watch the trailer above, and read more about it here. |
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Thanks to Jake Wasserman 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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