WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

Congress to introduce bipartisan Combating Antisemitism Act, death threats sent to Israel’s Eurovision contestant, venue cancels concert by band named The Jews, a sneak peek of Harvey Keitel’s new Holocaust miniseries, and New York cracks down on Passover scams.

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ISRAEL AT WAR

The exhibit of paintings of hostages features the work of eight Philadelphia women artists. (Courtesy)

In more than 200 paintings, a tribute to the spirit of the Israeli hostages: Philadelphia artist Sivia Katz Braunstein was staying on a kibbutz on Oct. 7, visiting her sister and celebrating Simchat Torah, when she was rushed to a safe room. Back home, she had the idea to paint portraits of all of the hostages, and reached out to other Philadelphia women artists to join her in the project. Braunstein is one of eight artists featured in a new exhibit at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. Read the story ➤

Related: A threatening letter was sent to the CEO of the museum this week, referencing the war and invoking acts of terror against Jews committed by the Nazis.
Also in Philadelphia: A court ordered a local movie theater to move forward with screening an Israeli film Tuesday night less than a day after the venue canceled the screening, saying it did not want to be seen as taking sides with Israel at this particularly tense time.

A Jewish student watches a protest in support of Palestinians in November at Columbia University. (Getty)

Safe schools for Jews? Hillel revamps its college guide in response to campus turmoil:Hillel has for more than a decade released profiles of colleges with information about their Jewish enrollment, Jewish course offerings and the availability of kosher food. The new features focus on whether a school has held a vote to boycott Israel, as well as campus responses to antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Read the story ➤

Related…

Several Jewish groups filed a complaint on Tuesday with the U.S. Department of Education alleging that Ohio State University has failed to address discrimination and harassment of Jewish and Israeli students on its campus since Oct. 7. It joins a growing list of schools already under investigation.

The department also opened an investigation into similar allegations at Princeton University. It was sparked by Zachary Marschall, a conservative activist who has filed complaints against over a dozen universities in the past six months.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, speaks in front of the White House on Tuesday after he and other hostage family members met with Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty)

The latest…

Vice President Kamala Harris, in a Tuesday meeting with the families of American hostages in Gaza, said the Biden administration has “no higher priority than reuniting the hostages with their loved ones.” Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of 23-year-old Hersh, told reporters outside the White House that the meeting was “very productive.”

Iran is smuggling weapons into the West Bank, according to Iranian, Israeli and U.S. officials.

At a protest organized by Christians for a Free Palestine in the cafeteria of the U.S. Senate Tuesday, several dozen demonstrators demanding a ceasefire as well as aid for Gaza were arrested.

Bret Stephens, a conservative New York Times columnist and longtime defender of Benjamin Netanyahu, called for the Israeli prime minister to step down in a new column, highlighting the discontent with Netanyahu even among pro-Israel hawks.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with members of Jewish media outlets on Monday. (Courtesy)

More than a hundred cities and towns across the U.S. have passed resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he “will not succumb” to pressure. “I’m going to continue to say it,” Adams said. “The hostages should be returned, Hamas should be destroyed, and we don’t want innocent children to die, nowhere.”

A concert venue in Brooklyn canceled a scheduled performance by an Israeli band named The Jews, citing a problem with the “political nature” of their name.

Eden Golan, who is set to represent Israel at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden, has reportedly been receiving death threats. The organizers of the event condemned the harassment.

Experts are running training sessions for prospective Israeli counselors — and the American summer camps that will welcome them — to help both sides prepare for a summer in the shadow of Oct. 7.

ALSO IN THE FORWARD

Zach Zucker as Jack Tucker, before he got new shoes. (Dylan Woodley)

Zach Zucker wants to be a modern-day court jester: Comedian and clown Zach Zucker is now in his second month at the SoHo Playhouse, playing Jack Tucker, his standup comic alter ego. Each night is different. Zucker goes off on tangents, feeds off the audience’s energy and sometimes doesn’t even get through half of his planned material. But that’s part of the ride. “I owe the audience,” Zucker said.“I have to give them a good show. But I don’t believe that a good show means doing the exact show.”

Defense admits Blaze Bernstein’s ‘unlawful killing’ in first day of long-awaited trial:Samuel Woodward, the man accused of murdering gay Jewish teenager Blaze Bernstein in 2018, will testify in his own defense, his attorney said Tuesday in opening arguments. The trial’s opening underscored Woodward’s affiliation with Atomwaffen Division, an American extremist group in which prosecutors said he was deeply involved — and which his defense argued preyed on “profoundly vulnerable” loners like him. Members of the neo-Nazi group will likely also testify for both the prosecution and defense.

Plus: With all of the traditions on the Seder night, here’s a little humor to lighten the mood and keep everyone awake.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

An illustration of an astronaut enjoying a Shabbat dinner on the moon. (Midjourney)

🌔 It used to be that a Jewish astronaut in space wanting to know when Shabbat or a festival would begin would use the same time as Mission Control back on Earth in Houston. But now NASA is creating a lunar-centric time system. (Guardian)

🇺🇸 A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress is introducing the Combating Antisemitism Act on Wednesday, looking to address concerns among American Jews that antisemitism is on the rise since Oct. 7. (NBC News)

🗳️ A division of the Orthodox Union pledged to spend millions of dollars to mobilize Jews and other faith-based groups to vote in upcoming primaries and fall elections in several states. (NY Post)

📈 As it does each year, New York officials issued a warning to beware of businesses claiming to offer Passover specials, like car-cleaning services, but are actually charging more to take advantage of the Jewish community. “This is blatantly antisemitic,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. (X)

📚 A superhero, a scientist and a T. rex who scares his seder guests star in 2024’s new Passover children’s books. (JTA)

Quotable ➤ “No, most Christians aren’t white Christian nationalists who see Donald Trump as a God-like figure. Most are ignoring politics and wrestling with their faith.” — Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei writing in Axios about social media’s “reality distortion bubble.”

Shiva call ➤ Richard Leibner, a Hollywood agent who made news anchors into stars, died at 85.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

The upcoming six-part miniseries The Tattooist of Auschwitz, starring Harvey Keitel and debuting May 2 on Peacock, is based on the bestselling novel of the same name and inspired by a real-life love story set in the concentration camp. The couple survived the Holocaust and had a son, Gary Sokolov, who attended the London premiere of the series on Tuesday. People “need to know that in the worst of times there is always hope,” he said. “You have to believe that it will get better and it will.”

Thanks to PJ Grisar, Jacob Kornbluh and Lauren Markoe 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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