WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

Survey finds that Jews who experience antisemitism give more to charity, another U.S. city calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, new Texas law allows chaplains to replace school guidance counselors, and why Prince William is going to shul.

Did you know that the Forward now has a full time correspondent in Israel for the first time in seven years? Susan Greene, a veteran journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist, touched down in Israel in January and has been bringing you insightful reporting on the constantly changing situation that you won’t find anywhere else.

We were able to bring Susan on to the team thanks to the generosity of our members. Making a generous contribution to the Forward not only means receiving the perks of membership; it means strengthening our ability to bring you the most important and most interesting Jewish stories of the day.

ISRAEL AT WAR

Arik Turkenich outside his Tel Aviv escape room business. He lets all players win because, he said, Israelis “can’t afford losing.” (Susan Greene)

Israelis take to ‘escape rooms’ that mimic war: Typically, these role-play rooms challenge groups of up to 20 to “escape” some scenario by solving a series of riddles and puzzles, using props, costumes, lights and effects around a storyline involving, say, aliens, monsters, gangsters or serial killers. But since January, many are choosing a Gaze-themed storyline. “I think there are people sitting there feeling angry,” Arik Turkenich, an escape room operator, told our Susan Greene, adding, “they’re wanting to kick some Arabs’ ass.” Read the story ➤

New survey of Orthodox Jews shows vast differences in attitudes toward Zionism: The survey, published this week, found that 94% of Modern Orthodox respondents, compared with 51% of Haredi Jews, identify as Zionists. The poll also revealed that among Modern Orthodox voters, President Joe Biden is favored by 60% compared to former President Donald Trump with 40%, while 92% of Haredim support Trump. Read the story ➤

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, vetoed a resolution at the U.N. Tuesday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. (Getty)

Plus…

President Biden is pressing Congress to send $14 billion to Israel, more than three times the $3.8 billion the U.S. sends to Israel in a normal year. Here’s an explainer of how the aid money would be spent.

The U.S. defended Israel in front of the International Court of Justice at The Hague Wednesday as part of a hearing on Israeli control over the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

In yesterday’s newsletter, we told you how the president of Brazil compared the Gaza war to the Holocaust. Now the presidents of Bolivia and Colombia have joined that chorus.

Hamas’ sexual violence on Oct. 7 was “systematic and deliberate,” according to a new report released this morning.

Protesters today in Tel Aviv wearing masks depicting Israeli hostages held in Gaza. (Getty)

Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right Knesset minister, said that bringing the hostages home was “not the most important thing.”

The Durham City Council passed a resolution urging the Biden administration to call for a ceasefire. The North Carolina city is one of around 70 nationwide that have taken such measures.

Israeli officials said on Tuesday that terrorists have repeatedly tried to hack the country’s train system. The news comes days after hackers tried to gain control of the communication network on an El Al flight from Thailand to Tel Aviv.

Several airlines — including KLM, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways — said they would resume flights to Israel in March. The routes had been suspended since the start of the war.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) in 2021. (Getty)

New York congressman, losing favor among Israel supporters, teams up with Rep. Rashida Tlaib: Facing a strong primary challenge from a Democrat backed by AIPAC, Rep. Jamaal Bowman is joining forces with one of Congress’ most vocal Israel critics. Tlaib and Bowman formed a joint fundraising committee and are expected to hold their first event together next month. Bowman has strongly condemned Hamas, but he has also joined several of his colleagues in condemning Israel and calling for an immediate ceasefire. Read the story ➤

Opinion | As a new resident of Israel, I’m learning what it means to grieve with a nation: “Oct. 7 lines every Israeli’s consciousness; every smile is one comment away from sorrow, every greeting one question from tears,” writes Sruli Fruchter, a rabbinical student. “The pain in Israel is discreet but overwhelmingly present — a constant awareness of past and possible death.” Read his essay ➤

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ALSO IN THE FORWARD

Zone of Interest is about a Nazi officer who lives with his family next door to Auschwitz. (A24)

The sound designer for Zone of Interest explains his 600-page bible of Auschwitz sounds: In the film about Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss, now available to stream, the horrors of the death camp play out almost entirely in the realm of the sonic. Johnnie Burn, Oscar-nominated for sound design on the film, was charged with creating a soundscape of barking dogs, humming electrified fences and aural reenactments of camp revolts. In an interview, Burn said that his deeply researched process included capturing audio of French and German speakers and even crafting a map of Auschwitz to geolocate the distance from Höss’ garden and the noises of the death camp. “Everything you hear has a kind of legacy of truth in it,” Burn said.

Plus…

A coalition of Jewish groups and other organizations is fighting an effort to replace guidance counselors with chaplains in public schools in Texas.

A candidate for the Los Angeles school board racked up big endorsements. Then his antisemitic social media activity came to light.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

In an abrupt about-face, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will start imposing a fee on people who try to frivolously ban books in his state. (Getty)

📚 After two years of Florida schools making headlines for pulling Anne Frank’s diary, Schindler’s List, Saul Bellow novels and other Jewish books, Gov. Ron DeSantis conceded that his state’s book challenge policy has gone too far. (JTA)

👶 Parents of a British girl were astonished to find that her father’s place of birth, Israel, had been scribbled out of a copy of the baby’s birth certificate submitted as part of a passport application. Officials are investigating the incident. (Independent)

🇬🇧 Staying in the U.K. … Prince William said on Tuesday that he would visit a synagogue in the coming days to take part in a conversation about the rise in antisemitism. In a statement, the palace said, “The prince and princess were profoundly concerned by events that unfolded in late 2023 and continue to hold all the victims, their family and friends in their hearts and minds.” (Jewish News, X)

🇷🇺 A Russian court once again extended the pretrial detention of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who has been accused of spying. The Jewish journalist was arrested nearly a year ago. (AP)

🎒 A Jewish professor who resigned from MIT over its handling of antisemitism has accepted a post at Yeshiva University. (JTA)

💰 Jews who experienced antisemitism gave significantly more to charity than those who have not, according to newly published data. Also, the median donation from Jews who experienced antisemitism, $2,290, was nearly double that of Jews who did not, $1,150. (JTA)

What else we’re reading ➤ In The Washington Post, our Talya Zax reviews The Ukraine, a new collection of short stories about “tough, brave, funny, wounded people who find fellowship even though they’re not often looking for it.”

Shiva call ➤ Philip Kutner, a blind educator who was active in the worldwide Yiddish community, died at 97. The Yiddish Book Center recorded Kutner’s oral history.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

(Getty)

A poster by political artist “Bod” calling for a ceasefire in Gaza is seen at a bus stop on Wednesday in England. The poster portrays Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as characters from the movie Grease.

Thanks to PJ Grisar, Lauren Markoe 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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