6 hostages shot gangland style. J'accuse Bibi. How to rebut DJT trash talk & mean memes. Kennedy's kin disavow RFK, Jr. All about love: Kamala's marriage, Doug's pride. Tim's devotion, Gus' pride.
Newsletter #157
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
*The horrific, heart-crushing discovery on Saturday of six young hostages— including Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin (above, lower right) whose parents spoke days ago at the Democratic convention — murdered by Hamas just hours before their bodies were discovered, has sparked a massive general strike in Israel. For a comprehensive analysis and a wide spectrum of expert opinion on how, or whether, this grim development affects the current situation, see Ron Kampeas’ JTA piece .
*If you can bear the anguish, watch the funeral of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, “a child of light, love and peace.” His mother’s farewell to her “sweet boy” damn near tore me apart. Hersh leaves his parents, Rachel and Jon, and two sisters, Orly and Leebi (above).
*In PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s shouting match last week with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (above, left), Bibi— who keeps upping his demands for a ceasefire in order to prolong the Gaza war and keep himself out of jail — said he would continue to prioritize maintaining Israeli troops in the Philadelphi Corridor (the narrow strip of land along the 9-mile border between Gaza and Egypt) above saving the lives of the remaining hostages. By my measure of culpability, the six victims’ blood is not just on Hamas’s hands but on Bibi’s.
*“My biggest struggle is to rehumanize the Palestinians,” says writer-journalist Gideon Levy. “There’s a whole machinery of brainwashing in Israel which really accompanies each of us from early childhood, and I’m a product of this machinery as much as anyone else.” When Levy explains how Israeli Jews talk themselves into accepting the crimes of the Occupation, it’s no wonder he has been called by some “the most hated man in Israel,” and by others, “the most heroic.” I think he’s great.
U.S. POLITICS
*Advancing the goal of a national Democratic trifecta (winning the Oval, the House, and the Senate), the NY Buddy Group will present a Zoom conversation with Michigan Democrats, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, Rep. Hillary Scholten, Curtis Hertel, Kristen McDonald Rivet, and Carl Marlinga, moderated by MI Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Hear how they plan to keep Michigan Blue. Wed. Sept 11 @ 6 PM. RSVP
*When people ask me which candidates most deserve their help, I refer them to the NY Buddy Group, founded by veteran political activists, Sarah Kovner (above) and Anne Hess. To date, the group has supported 100+ candidates in tight races nationwide; raised $10 million+ for candidates; organized or hosted over 60 events; and strengthened 25 grassroots groups andGet Out the Vote and ballot initiatives. You needn’t be a NYer to be a Buddy. Contact Sarah <sskovner@gmail.com> or Anne <NYCahh@gmail.com> for a list of worthy candidates in winnable races.
* Focus for Democracy does candidate research to help us target our donations to high impact races with the best chance of a Democratic win.
*Scrap irony:
*Graduate level hypocrisy:
*Max Kennedy, the ninth of Robert F. Kennedy’s eleven children (above with his wife, Vicki), is “heartbroken” about his brother’s endorsement of DJT and by the many ways Bobby, Jr.’s views differ from the policies that mattered to their father.
* Five more of Bobby Jr.’s siblings call his endorsement a “betrayal” (above). His sister, Kerry adds, “I'm outraged and disgusted by my brother's embrace of Donald Trump.”
*Jack Schlossberg, son of Caroline Kennedy (above), and grandson of Pres. JFK, writes that his cousin Bobby, Jr. is “for sale. . . Kamala Harris is for the people — the easiest decision of all time just got easier.”
HARRIS-WALZ WATCH
*What’s in a name? Kamala (“lotus” in Sanskrit) is one of the names of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, good fortune, happiness, youth, and beauty. It’s a lovely name, if not as familiar to most of us as Ann, Sue, or Jane. “Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not,” said Kerry Washington before introducing Harris’ great-nieces at the Dem convention where the two little girls demonstrated how to say their Auntie’s name. Two months ago, Kamala’s husband Doug Emhoff had the best rebuttal to DJT’s trash talk. “Mr. Trump, I know you have so much trouble pronouncing her name, but here’s the good news: after the election, you can just call her Madame President.”
* A cosmic confluence of the personal and political had Kamala delivering her acceptance speech at the convention on the 10th anniversary of her wedding to Doug. Click his Instagram (above) for photos of the menschy couple who present our kids and grandkids with a warm, genuine, kind and affectionate, model of marital love.
*In stark contrast, whenever the Orange Man and his Stepford Wife are shown together, their relationship appears stiff, staged, icy, hostile, and let’s admit it, weird. People mag revisits a few of the couple’s embarrassing or antagonistic moments. (above). Yet another reason to avoid four more years in Trump land.
*May I have this Walz? Gus is proud of his dad, Tim. Tim is proud of his son Gus, who happens to live with neurodivergence. I’m glad their mutual devotion went viral.
*Hats off to Quentin R. Jiles for his in-your-face lecture about Tim and Gus Walz and the “actual emotions that men carry.” Don’t miss Jiles’ Instagram video, “If you come for Gus, you come for me.”
ABORTION
*Please rise to Michelle O’s challenge and “Do Something!” now to save abortion rights, or this virtual scene will be our future. Donate now to NARAL. Or the Nat’ll Family Planning and Reproductive Health Assn., or Jews for Abortion Access.
*If a national abortion ban passes. maternal deaths in the U.S. will rise by 24 percent. Among Black women, fatalities will increase by 39 percent.
FILM
*This 5-minute video, in which ordinary Americans define what “freedom” means to them, should be required viewing for all Civics classes, assuming Civics can still be taught in school without MAGA revisionists objecting to something or other. Each speaker in the film has a unique contribution, but I particularly appreciated the intensity of the young man named Tyler. How do you define freedom? I’d say my idea of freedom requires the government to butt out of our bedrooms and play no role in our private reproductive decisions. Without fundamental autonomy inside our own skin, it’s hard to exercise other freedoms — say, to plan a career or family, care for and support our kids, achieve financial stability and pursue happiness as we see fit.
BOOKS
*For a deeper dive into this timeless subject, see On Freedom, the new book by Yale historian, Timothy Snyder, who explores all aspects of freedom, “what it is, how it’s been misunderstood, and why it’s our only chance for survival.” I just ordered it from my favorite independent bookseller.
*Arthur Magida’s Two Wheels To Freedom chronicles the astounding adventures of a 20-year-old Jew who hid in Berlin during WWII, faked IDs for hundreds of desperate Jews, sabotaged Nazi weapons, and biked 600 miles to safety in Switzerland as the Gestapo closed in on him. Order here.
*By reproducing their five-year correspondence in the 1960s, Mary Huff Stevenson’s Our Words Were Our Bond chronicles her relationship with her mother in this story of quotidian family conflict, intimacy, class consciousness, and enduring love.
*Officially published next week: Salinger’s Soul, by Stephen B. Shepard, is a dazzlingly fresh take on the “personal & religious odyssey” of the author of The Catcher in the Rye and other classics of modern fiction.
JEWS
*Several ultra-Orthodox yeshivas in New York purposely and systematically deny their students the basic knowledge and skills needed to function in the modern world. Compelled ignorance is child abuse. But I had no idea of the extent of this shanda (scandal) until I watched Abigail Pogrebin’s probing JBS interview with an advocate from Yaffed, a group that works to insure equal education for Yeshiva students
PODCASTS
*I’m mad for all of Sarah Jones’ characters . Now, they — and their creator— have a podcast, “America, Who Hurt You?” Listen here.
MUSIC
*Sweden’s a cappella band of singing fathers create harmony on so many levels. Together, their mellifluous voices and their kids’ obvious contentment present a symphony of comfort, closeness, and love.
SHAMELESS FAMILY PROMOTION
*Rabbi David Wolpe will interview my daughter, Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer, co-authors of the insightful, delightful new book, It Takes Two to Torah, at the Streicker Center in NYC on Thurs 9/5 @7:30 EDT (free) RSVP here.
*American Jewish University recorded the recent converation (hosted by AJU) between me and my daughter, NY Times journalist, Robin Pogrebin, about my memoir, SHANDA, and the secrets that bedevil our lives.
Letty, your newsletters continue to be a masterclass in curating meaningful information. Brava and love, Marcia and Tom.
Thank you for including so much we need to know in one post