JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.

WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

In today’s edition: Joe Biden, Dave Chappelle, Bob Dylan, Alex Edelman, Doug Emhoff, Pope Francis, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Martin Luther King Jr., Donald Trump, Ruth Westheimer, and three Israeli hostages — Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher — reunite with the families.

THE INAUGURATION

President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 13 at the White House. (Getty)

Transition of power

President-elect Donald Trump will start his day with a private service at St. John’s Church before meeting President Joe Biden at the White House this morning for the traditional Oval Office handoff. The two will then share a limo to the Capitol for the inauguration.

Biden entered office pledging to fight antisemitism. He leaves with it at an historically high level, after the Oct. 7 attack and response. (JTA)

As Trump takes the oath of office, he will utter the famous phrase, “so help me god.” It’s a term rooted in Christian nationalism, David B. Parker, a professor of history, writes in an opinion essay.

Rabbi Ari Berman, the president of Yeshiva University, will be one of several clergy delivering the benediction at Trump’s inauguration.

Plus…

A leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party plans to attend the inauguration, raising concerns because of the AfD’s history of antisemitism. (Reuters)

Stephen Miller, whose family escaped anti-Jewish pogroms a century ago, was known in the first Trump administration for his hardline views on immigration. In Trump’s second term, Miller will have more power. (Forward, New York Times)

Trump is expected to sign many executive orders within hours of taking office — including one for stricter immigration policies. Pope Francis called plans for mass deportations “a disgrace.” (AP, WSJ)

Trump vowed to delay the ban on TikTok. That should be music to the ears of Jewish content creators on the app. (Axios, JTA)

The outgoing Biden administration…

The Biden team resolved its investigations into allegations of antisemitism and anti-Arab discrimination at Emory University, Lehigh University, the University of Washington and Howard County Public Schools in Maryland. (JTA)

In one of his final social media posts as president, Biden quoted Psalms and asked Americans to “keep the faith.” (X)

Shelley Greenspan reflects on her years as Biden’s liaison to the Jewish community — including that time the president called her dad. (Jewish Insider)

THE CEASEFIRE

People gather in Tel Aviv on Sunday to watch a livestream of the release of Israeli hostages. (Getty)

Hostages freed

Three hostages — Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher — were released Sunday after 471 days in captivity. “I have returned to my beloved life,” Damari posted on Instagram, adding that “I’m the happiest in the world just to be.” (JTA, Times of Israel)

In exchange, Israel released 90 prisoners early Monday morning. If the 42-day first phase of the ceasefire holds, up to 1,904 prisoners — including more than 150 convicted of murder — are expected to be freed. (Times of Israel)

A United Nations official said more than 630 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza since the ceasefire began, a significant increase from earlier this month. (UN, X)

The next hostages-for-prisoner exchange is set for Saturday.

Political reaction…

“Today the guns in Gaza have gone silent,” President Joe Biden said in a brief speech on his final full day in office, adding that he “looks forward” to the end of the war. (JTA)

President-elect Donald Trump, speaking at a pre-inauguration rally in D.C. Sunday night, called the ceasefire “epic” and a result of “the Trump Effect.” (Haaretz)

Also at the rally was Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Mideast envoy, who is considering traveling to Gaza to ensure the ceasefire lasts. (JTA)

Other world leaders — including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — hailed the hostages’ release. (Times of Israel)

A Trump transition official suggested Indonesia as a possible location for 2 million Palestinians to relocate to while Gaza is rebuilt. (NBC News)

Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel, said he does not believe a two-state solution is possible. (Fox News)

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Israeli minister who opposed the hostage deal, resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet. (AP)

Public reaction…

At Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, tension turned to celebration — and then to anxiety. Many still worry about the power Hamas continues to exert. (JTA)

“My hopes are up. But my heart is heavy,” said one American immigrant to Israel. His feelings echo that of Jews around the globe. (JTA)

Quotable ► “We can experience suffering while still having the capacity to laugh. We can be longing for someone and capable of celebration, we can be weeping and resilient, we can be yearning and hopeful.” — Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh was killed by Hamas, in an essay in Time magazine.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. (Getty)

Of blazes and blessings

Opinion | What can Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Ruth and the biblical burning bush teach us about the California wildfires? “We are a people who know what it means to lose our homes. History has taught us to travel light,” writes Los Angeles-based Rabbi Naomi Levy. “Homes have burned, but our spirit cannot be consumed.” Read her essay ►

Plus…

Paul Robeson, the singer and civil rights activist, was invited to perform a concert in Moscow in 1949. He ended up singing in Yiddish.

We invited three Black Jews whose families had different experiences in the civil rights movement to write about one of their ancestors. Here are their essays.

And: Here’s how the Forward covered the 1963 March on Washington

CULTURE

Bob Dylan performs in 1974, one year before the release of Blood on the Tracks. (Getty)

The Dylan standard

Today is the 50th anniversary of the release of Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. The album “captured Dylan at the height of his writing powers, his vocals, and his guitar-playing in 10 mostly acoustic folk-rock songs featuring deceptively simple melodies, all of which combined to create the perfect vehicle with which to deliver these songs of searing pain, desperation and regret,” writes our music critic, Seth Rogovoy. “The result was arguably the greatest account of love and loss ever put to vinyl.” Go deeper ►

Plus…

Comedian Dave Chappelle, whose Nov. 2022 Saturday Night Live monologue was widely criticized as antisemitic, steered clear of similar jokes when he hosted the show this weekend. But he did discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Forward)

An Amsterdam venue cancelled the Jan. 25 show of Yohay Sponder, a veteran of Israel’s standup scene, after the club received antisemitic threats. The show has been moved to a new location, which will be revealed to ticket holders the day of the event. (Times of Israel)

Comedian Alex Edelman’s Emmy- and Tony-winning one-man show about his experience at a white supremacist get-together is going on tour — but with other people performing it. (Broadway World)

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Dave and Jen Miner, married in 1994, bought a new ketubah after their home burned in the California wildfires. (Courtesy)

🔥 A Los Angeles couple lost their home in the Palisades Fire just before their 31st anniversary. They spent the day buying a new ketubah to replace the one that was destroyed. (Forward)

👍 President Biden appointed 12 new members to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, including Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman. (USHMM)

📱 A new series of social media videos offers life lessons from 80 Holocaust survivors to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. (Times of Israel)

Quotable ► “Elon approaches the world as an alien visiting and trying to analyze how the humans work.” — Pundit Ben Shapiro discussing his trip to Auschwitz with Elon Musk. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Shiva calls ► National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductee George Kalinsky — who after a 1966 chance encounter with Muhammad Ali became Madison Square Garden’s official photographer, a position he held until his death — died at 88 … Rabbi Alvin Sugarman, the longtime leader of The Temple in my hometown of Atlanta, died at 86.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Home, at last: The three released hostages were helicoptered on Sunday to a hospital in central Israel, where they reunited with families. Watch the video above.

Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh 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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