A Catch Up Kvetch
But Always Some Good Stuff at the End
This post is free to read, but I really appreciate deeply discounted annual paid subscriptions of $36, which allow me to keep writing. And if that’s too much of a commitment, you can buy me a coffee! Or just share this post with your friends!
After a little more than a week, “tuned out” to hyper focus on personal issues - because, no, life doesn’t stop kicking you underneath this veil of international catastrophes - there is simply too much to unpack.
To be clear, life is still beating the shit out of me. Each day is some new, freshly baked hell! But I can not kvetch about my personal life here, only the state of the world. Just know that you are not alone in the nonstop bombardment of the life stuff + the world stuff. At least we have each other.
Where to begin!
The full-on, pro-Hamas protest in Philadelphia, featuring Hamas flags and a Jew hung in effigy, was attended by about 200 people. This is in the same city where only about 30 people showed up for a protest for the Black history monuments torn down from Independence Mall just last week. I am simply dumbfounded by it all.
ICE continues to murder people and cruelly ravage families and communities, while many of the very necessary protests and rage continue to be diminished by an unhealthy and inexplicable focus on Israel.
And if not stone silent about Iran, people are out in the streets or on TikTok supporting the Iranian regime. And after a “no big deal, I guess” rant about how the “Jews did 9/11,” Huda Kattan may finally face some backlash after simping for the Ayatollah.
A clusterfuck of a race for a critical Congressional seat where a slew of pro-Israel moderates (Gill, Way, Barlett, Grayzel) and a JStreet-style progressive (Malinowski) could split the vote in favor of a DSA anti-Israel candidate in a very moderate and Jewish district. With attack ads on the JStreet candidate from AIPAC and a waste of a DMFI endorsement on a candidate with no shot, muddying the waters and wasting everyone’s time, money, and sanity.
Kalshi is not an accurate predictor. But Tashesha Way, while qualified and lovely, does not even place here. This really frustrates me as DMFI is one of the few political organizations I have felt good about giving money to. This is wildly short-sighted and not reflective of the reality on the ground.
Then there is the Miss Rachel intra-jinsta fight (I am team Roots here, but I still love Eitan and think he offers a great critical and comedic voice to our little world). No one will convince me that, while maybe unintentional, she is not causing irreparable harm to the Jewish community. You will also not convince me that the whole “antisemite of the year” award is a good idea. Truly, everyone and everything is just a disaster.
So what do we do? We look to the helpers. And Miss Rachel ain’t Mr. Rogers.
Here is some gratitude for the real helpers:
We thank State Senator Shariff Street and State Representative Tariq Khan for moral clarity that should not be controversial. Donate to Street’s critical Congressional primary campaign here.
New on PBS: Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History is a four-part series tracing the rich, complex relationship between Black and Jewish Americans — defined by solidarity and strained by division.
I missed Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib’s local event due to the “life stuff,” but several friends went and said it was wonderful.
I still hope to see Sarah Hurwitz and Dara Horn next month, but things are very touch-and-go at the moment.
Speaking of touch and go, I am still supposed to go to Israel FOR THE FIRST TIME in just three weeks! But between the craziness of my life right now and the ever-impending threat of war with Iran, I have no idea if this is actually going to happen. But my bags are literally half-packed.
Also, please enjoy Israel’s First NBA All-Star: Deni Avdija
Also enjoying School Spirits season three with my daughter as we both crush on this Jewish king!
Also this:
I need your good news! Please share good Jewish news, good political news, or just personal good news in the comments!
Do I know what's in Rachel Griffin-Accurso’s heart? No, I do not. Am I still convinced that she's an antisemite? Yes, I am. She's just too damned comfortable with those who hate us, and if you read the comments sections on any of her posts, they are filled with antisemitic comments. So, if nothing else, antisemites feel awfully comfortable around her. That speaks volumes, in my view.