WWMS: What Would Mom Say?

Today would've been Mom's 103rd birthday. If she was still here, I'd probably would've been on a flight to PBI  for the celebration. Somehow, that had become a regular event and this morning, when I awoke to get ready for minyan, I briefly wondered why I wasn't headed to the airport. Briefly. For about 5 seconds. Before I opened one eye enough to notice I am in my little townhouse and not in the big house on Pond View Drive. 

Like all daughters, the relationship with my mom had its moments. I didn't turn out to be the slim, beautiful daughter who took after her mother; I was always a Schwaidelson through and through. I wasn't accountant material; I was a writer/theater artist who obsessed about Oxford commas, not commas in big numbers. I wasn't a lot of things, but after a while, she kinda figured it all out. But her insistence that I had a fat ass was never accurate. It probably was the only thing that wasn't fat, but that stopped mattering a while ago. 

But I did get a few things from here for which I am forever grateful. While she was kind to others, she was blunt and brutally honest with me on a number of issues whether I wanted her to be or not. I am very much like her in that I tend to tell you the truth if you ask for my opinion. Here, in Minnesota, it's called being a New York Jew. Mom would call bullshit on that; she would say they just can't handle the truth. (Thank you, Aaron Sorkin. Mom loved him.)

This morning, I had to pick up an order at Macy's, so I decided to wander around Hugedale (aka Mall of America) for a while. Mom loved getting me into a mall. As I strolled around, looking at stores I'd never seen before, I wondered what we would've talked about...other than I didn't need yet another teapot. For reasons I cannot explain, I got to thinking about the last actual conversation we had. It was, oddly, political. The night before she died, we were watching the news; when then Feckless Candidate came on, she asked:

Why hasn't anyone popped this guy yet? He's a disgrace to the Republicans. If your father was alive, this would kill him.  Dead. On the spot.

I'm pretty sure she told him all about that the next morning when she met him for breakfast at Cafe Olam ha-Ba.

But that got me to thinking about  MTG...Marjorie Taylor Greene... and her about-face on MAGA....and what passed for an "apology" from her for her pre-election "toxic rhetoric." I heard her walk back stuff, but I never heard any level of ownership or accountability for her actions or her words. I kept waiting for her to fess up for actively supporting the death threats against Vice President Pence. No such luck. 

As reported in The Georgia Recorder:

The controversy has stemmed from the posts Greene made before she was elected to Congress in November.

In those posts, she endorsed a range of conspiracy theories, including that several deadly mass school shootings were staged, and liked a post that called for putting a bullet in the head of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat.

She also questioned the veracity of the Sept. 11 attacks.

In her floor remarks Thursday, Greene recanted some of her rhetoric, saying “school shootings are absolutely real,” and that the 9/11 attacks “absolutely happened.” She said that in late 2018, she began to identify “misinformation” in QAnon posts, and stopped believing what she had been reading.

Greene blamed the media for the controversy around her posts, accusing reporters of using “teeny, tiny pieces of words that I’ve said” to misrepresent her views.

Some of her social media rhetoric, largely from 2018 and 2019, was publicly documented before her election. But after House Republican leaders tapped her for the Education and Labor Committee, Democrats expressed outrage at that assignment, citing her comments about school shootings.

Obviously, I wasn't alone in thinking something was missing from her ramblings. In fact, Alyssa Milano wrote an open, very eloquent, letter to MTG in her blog on Substack, Here it is in full:

Nov 17, 2025

Congresswoman Greene,

Let’s skip the pleasantries. They were never your thing anyway.

So…you’ve suddenly discovered that Donald Trump, the man you treated like a messiah, is not loyal and that the MAGA movement is not safe, not sane, and certainly not rooted in anything constitutional. And you’re shocked that he’s attacking you, endangering you, calling you a traitor. As if you didn’t know he had it in him. Puh-lease. 

Here’s the part you don’t get to skip: 

You helped create this monster. You fed it. You protected it. You celebrated it. And now that it’s finally turning on you, you want sympathy? Understanding? A moment of national concern? 

No. Absolutely not. NOPE.

You don’t get to unleash political poison into the bloodstream of American politics and then act surprised when it reaches your own veins. You don’t get to cheer on Trump while he smears, threatens, and dehumanizes everyone in his way, and then clutch your fake pearls when he finally does it to you. You don’t get to empower a movement built on conspiracy, cruelty, and violence, and then cry foul when you become its latest target

Let’s be honest, you calling for the release of the Epstein Files, isn’t courage. It’s fear. You don’t suddenly care about truth or justice. And you definitely don’t care about the victims. You are calling for the release of the files because you’re afraid of what unchecked power looks like when it’s no longer aimed at your enemies. The Epstein case is a perfect cultural lightning-rod and your supporters love that shit. You saw the polls and are reacting accordingly. Jump off the sinking MAGA ship, am I right, MTG?

Now you’re talking about accountability and transparency. Ha! Where was that energy on January 6th? Where was your outrage when Trump incited a mob to storm the Capitol? When they hunted Democratic lawmakers through hallways? When they called for the hanging of the Vice President? When police officers were beaten, crushed, and traumatized doing their jobs?

Where was your moral clarity then, MTG?

Where was your voice when Democratic governors were receiving kidnapping threats?When election workers were doxxed and terrorized? When a man broke into Nancy Pelosi’s home with a hammer and nearly killed her husband? When threats against Democrats, judges, school boards, and public servants skyrocketed?

You said nothing.

And this isn’t new behavior. You chased a Parkland school-shooting survivor, David Hogg, down a Washington sidewalk, taunting him and calling him a “coward.” You screamed through President Biden’s State of the Union address like you were the most unprofessional person to ever be elected into office. You voted against the Frederick Douglass Human Trafficking Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act, (one of only twenty members of Congress to oppose a bipartisan bill designed to help trafficking victims).

You amplified QAnon conspiracies. You suggested school shootings were staged. And while Democrats were being targeted, when a militia plotted to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and when Governor Josh Shapiro’s home was set on fire in an arson attack with his family inside, you offered no outrage, no sympathy, no defense of democracy.

I could go on. But I think you get the picture, Congresswomen. I’m not buying it.

If you want redemption. If you want to step into the light, there is only one door:

Public, unequivocal accountability. Not the performative kind with hair and make-up. Not the “Trump hurt my feelings” kind. Not the victimhood you’ve perfected. Real accountability means going fully public with everything you know, every lie, every scheme, every threat, every abuse of power you witnessed, tolerated, or assisted. If you want redemption, start with the truth. All of it.

Until then, this isn’t a moral awakening. It’s simply the consequences of your own choices arriving right on schedule.

Sincerely,

Alyssa Milano

See, Milano gets it right.  I absolutely believe MTG must be held accountable for the damage her actions and pronouncements inspired. If, in fact, she began to have doubts about what she was reading in 2018, explain to me why she was still spouting this shit in 2024? 

All this begs the question what's next for MTG? You'd have to be living in Fantasyland if you think she's not planning something very public. She's gotta be eying the senate or the governorship of Georgia. Brian Kemp, the current governor, will not be eligible for re-election in 2026 when his current term expires, opening the door to an interesting race. Even with two Democratic senators, there is no guarantee the governorship with go blue. Will the people of Georgia rally behind Greene? Who knows. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

My mother would shrug her shoulders and tell me none of this matters, that America will right its own ship, and that the Constitution withstand the wind. I'm not so sure I believe her at the moment, and would counter that Feckless Felon is a master of smoke and mirrors, that he and his cabal are great at diversion, manipulation, and misdirection. He might've signed off on the Epstein files, but have you seen them yet? He tore down an entire wing of the White House to turn it into the Faux Gold Ballroom, but what was he trying to keep We, the People from really seeing? Epstein, fer sure, but also political pardons? Russian influence peddling? Saudi business deals? All this and his family foray into falling bitcoin? 

It's all about the money, y'know. Even the proposed money with his face on it. Whether it's rebuilding in Gaza, selling out Ukraine to the Russians, or blowing up boats in the Caribbean, you can be your own buckos that the Feckless Family Members are making a buck off the deal. This family does absolutely nothing that does not enrich their private coffers. And there is no way some of those pardons weren't prepaid. And some were less than veiled threats to other governments, including backing a pardon for Bibi in his corruption trial in Israel. And let's not forget the ex-president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in a sweeping drug case. Not only were US lawyers and prosecutors caught off guard, but so were officials in Honduras. I would love to know how much that cost...and where the money finally went.

And right now, indications are that Feckless Felon is not as healthy as he wants us poor shmucks to believe. Multiple photos of Sleeping Ugly have surfaced in recent weeks. And he called President Biden Sleepy Joe? Pot/kettle, people. Not only is he sleeping through meetings, but watch him walking. Yeah, I get it; he's old, but his gait is real off kilter. I thought The Borowitz Report got it in one:

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Boasting about his cognitive health, on Monday Donald J. Trump asserted than an MRI performed on his brain found nothing.
“I had a perfect MRI,” he told reporters. “The greatest doctors in the country looked at my brain and came up empty.”

Trump said there was no point in releasing his MRI because “there’s nothing to see,” adding, “It’s like the East Wing.”

Yup. That's about right. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week 

It doesn't cost anything to be kind...

unless we're talking about politics.

In that case, lay it all out on the table.

The Tao of Helen

Me and mom...a few years apart

Thus It Begins

I have two catch-phrases these days. They are not interchangeable, yet they are somewhat related. In no particular order, they are: 

1. If someone tells you who they are repeatedly, you should probably believe them. 
2. Follow the money

Can't say it took too long for Mayor-elect Mamdani to show us who he still is: an antisemite. He may be an anti-Zionist, but underneath all that glitzy nepo-baby charm beats the heart of a true Jew-hater. His statements after the protests at Park East Synagogue should a) come as no surprise to anyone, and b) clue us all in on what to expect in the future. 

Nefesh B'Nefesh is an organization that helps people who are either deciding to make aliyah...the act of "going up" to live in Israel or are in the process of immigrating. They do not sell land, provide housing, or promote neighborhoods. What they do is provide assistance in applying for alyiah, provide information about actually living there, working there, and having a life there. Last time I looked immigration to Israel was not an illegal act in international law. 

But Mamdani seems to think it is. Thursday afternoon, he issued a statement through his press secretary, Dora Pekec: 

The Mayor-elect has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so. He believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation, and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.

So, it's now illegal to immigrate to Israel from the United States? Or is all immigration to Israel illegal? And if the mayor-elect believes he can declare this to be illegal, what's next? Morning minyan where we say a prayer for Israel is in violation of international law? He may have condemned the use of violent language, but he did NOT condemn those who stood screaming in front of a shul.

Yeah, he's only gonna be mayor and he has no say in these sorts of policies...but he can impact trade with Israel in New York City. He can openly support BDS without fully understanding the impact on Palestinian workers who rely on Israeli jobs for a living wage. He is so uneducated and ignorant of the reality of Israel that it's pathetic. He is so busy supporting his Globalize Intifada friends that he neglects to mention that this is the same movement that supports death penalties for gay and transgender people who happen to wander into Gaza. He talks about safety for all, yet he promotes executions for those same people. Thank G-d he won't have any real power!

And if that's not bizarre enough, he pays homage to President Felon at the Gold-Plated house. Talk about a weird meeting. They looked like they were best buddies, and Feckless Felon even told his new BFF it was okay if he called him a fascist. No, I'm not kidding. 

Apparently, and it's on tape, Feckless Felon said, "That’s OK, you can just say it. It’s easier, it’s easier than  explaining it.” 

On Saturday, NBC's Kristen Welker asked him about it.

“After President Trump said that, I said, ‘Yes,’” Mamdani said.

He added, “That’s something I’ve said in the past and I say today. And I think what I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement, about the politics that has brought us to this moment, and we also wanted to focus on what it could look like to deliver on a shared analysis of an affordability crisis for New Yorkers." 

Mamdani referred to other past negative comments about Trump, telling Welker, “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe.” 

So the takeaway here is that Mamdani still thinks President Felon is a fascist despot. Well, that's something but.....

Look at the pictures of that meeting. Notice anything weird? I did. The great and powerful Tangerine is sitting.

Why isn't he standing? Why does he look like an orange version of FDR? Is he incapacitated in some way? The power dynamic is off in every one of these pictures. One can argue that the only time he gets belligerent is when he has the upper hand and can intimidate his victim. Mamdani is totally not giving him any real reaction. But we'll get to that in a minute.

Google the meeting and watch any of the zillion video clips. President Felon rambles and tells his usual assortment of lies about the economy, but watch Mamdani's face. He gives away nothing, not even when he occasionally produces some weird-ass smile thing. If I saw this in a film, I'd tell them to get a better actor. Neither one of them is telling the truth and it's amazing to watch which is the better liar. Feckless believes what he says....which is his own tinfoil cap. Mamdani, on the other hand, is measured, taking it all in, filing it in his mental roll-a-dex for use at a future date. This guy is crazy like a fox eying a henhouse. He definitely has aspirations. Thankfully, he cannot be president....he was  born in Uganda to non-American parents. 

But be that as it may, there's money involved in that meeting. Whether it's Feckless Felon dangling a carrot, or Mayor Nepobaby holding more pedo-files, it remains to be seen who is gonna pay off whom.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

We lost Cantor Mitch yesterday. I can't say I knew him well, but for a time, he was one of the minyan regulars. You couldn't help but like Mitch; he was affable and funny and had an amazing voice...even when he insisted on grandstanding during shacharit. He was a long time hazzan in St. Paul, had a legion of adoring fans, and was a great cook. Go figure. And in the world of small worldisms, his son, following his incredible vocal footsteps. is the hazzan at the other shul in my hometown on Long Island. Mitch will be missed by many, and with all my heart, I hope he finds peace in the olam ha'ba. May his memory forever be for a blessing for everyone who knew him. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving. 

Wherever you take the pipsqueaks to get them outta the kitchen,

may it be a fabulous adventure!

And Another Thing....

Since I got back two weeks ago, I have been steadily trying to process a whole boatload of information. The sheer normalcy of everyday life in Israel is astounding. People ride the buses and trains, go to the markets and supermarkets, eat in cafes and restaurants, go to the beach, walk in the parks, and even now, have an ear open to the sirens even though there is currently somewhat of a cessation of hostilities. I say somewhat because everyone knows this is not over. Armed Hamas fighters are reported to be hiding out throughout the tunnels. My friend (and cohort in adventure) Jen has a wonderful blog and wrote about our trip to Nova, but this section was edited out. I asked her for it because she wrote what I could not. 

Bomb shelter at Nova/photo by Jen

 Both at the Nova site and at Tkuma there are bomb shelters and signs posted in Israel's three official languages (Arabic, English and Hebrew) instructing you what you need to do in case there is a missile alert.

There are bomb shelters at all the bus stops and public areas in the Gaza Envelope and if no shelter is available, you lay down on the ground and cover your head. You have 15 seconds to get to a safe place.

  

On October 7th, the terrorists first fired multiple rockets into Israel and counted on people herding themselves into bomb shelters and make their murderous attack more "efficient." The terrorists killed anyone they encountered. They didn't stop to ask if you were Jewish, Muslim or Christian, Ba'hai or Buddhist. They didn't stop to ask if you were in favor of a Palestinian state or not. They killed and have been doing it nearly non-stop since Israel left Gaza in 2005. That's nearly 20 years ago.

Today, the United Nations Security Council approved President Felon's 20 point "peace plan" for Gaza, Hamas did not. In a statement, Hamas leadership did not. The Washington Post reported:

Hamas, in a statement, said the resolution “does not meet the level” of Palestinian political and humanitarian demands. 

 “It imposes a mechanism to achieve the [Israeli] occupation’s objectives,” the group said. 

Turning in their weapons, as the peace plan demands, Hamas said, “must remain an internal national matter” tied to the end of the Israeli occupation....

...While initial elements of the plan — a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and expansion of humanitarian aid to Gaza — have at least partially been carried out, the rest has been stalled.

The U.S.-sponsored resolution enshrines the complete plan in international law, establishing a vaguely defined Board of Peace, headed by Trump with membership chosen by him, that for two years will control virtually every aspect from security and governance to reconstruction of Gaza.

The highlight is mine. Draw your own conclusions, just make sure you follow the money.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.... sources in Gaza report that Hamas is stockpiling weapons outside Gaza. The Palestinian Authority was approached and asked not to destroy their arsenal, but to hold it for Hamas. The PA, in an odd moment of clarity, declines the request.  KAN-news floated an unsourced report that Hamas was stockpiling weapons in Yemen and unnamed African states with the intent of smuggling them into Gaza. Since the report is unsourced and I could not find other confirmation, I'm not endorsing this theory. HOWEVER, (and is there always a however) it's not a big stretch to see the possibilities there. Additionally, there are grumbles that President Felon is considering dropping the disarmament portion of the "peace plan." 

And if you're wondering why this is not acceptable, look at this picture.

This is not a playground climbing toy. This is a playground bomb shelter in Sderot, the city that has been under constant siege since 2005..when Israel left Gaza. That's right. Israel vacated Gaza and Hamas began firing missiles at Sderot. It is not a military installation or an armaments manufacturing center. It is a town whose schoolyards are in missile range of Hamas. Children in Sderot only know life with bomb shelters...some even have underground play areas because being above ground is not reliably safe during the day, at night, whenever. 

The children of Sderot have spent the last 20 years living a reality no one wants to acknowledge exists. But it does. Herein lies one of the biggest differences between Israel and Hamas-controlled Gaza: Hamas built tunnels to protect their fighters, not their civilians. Israel built happy looking bomb shelters and underground playgrounds to protect their children. 

Think about that for a while.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

If you haven't been to Israel, you don't get to have an opinion

about life there because you don't know squat.

If you haven't been to Israel lately, you need to go back.

Israel defies the imagination. 

It's frickin' magic....warts, faults, and all.

To There And Back

October 14, 2025 ~
dead hostages returned

Coming back from Israel is never easy, and a week later, I am still processing the experience. To be there on the heels of the living hostage release was joy muted with the sadness that came with the return of the corpses. No matter how joyous one might be, even the freed hostages, all Israel was grieving with the families who gathered to bury their dead. You see, those hostages, those who were murdered at Nova, at the kibbutzim, on the road, and in the tunnels belong to all of us. They are family. Our  family. And we, עם ישראל, the People of Israel, mourn together. Being there as bodies are repatriated for burial, defies any and all description. The national sadness is palpable; it shades the return of the living. 

All of Israel, כל ישראל, may join together to mourn, but that does not mean all of Israel is united in their opinion about their government. There are deep philosophical and political divides that threaten to tear apart the country. The split between the secular Israelis and the ultra-orthodox factions is deep and dangerous. Israel is a democracy, and like the U.S., you get the government you elect. Sorta. Israel has a coalition government, meaning differing factions have to join forces to cobble enough votes to elect a Prime Minister. The result? No one is happy. 

But there is one thing all of Israel can pretty much agree on: they are surrounded by countries who, in the past, have tried to kill them all. 

Right now, it's just Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza...all proxies for Iran. For over 70 years, Israelis have lived with wars, homicide bombers, and  

Can you spot Israel?

missiles directed at this tiny (in comparison to its Islamic neighbors) state....that is start-up nation. A highly successful bed of technology, medical research, civic applications, and desert agriculture. They have a long track record of sharing their innovations worldwide, yet their neighbors want them dead. Do they think they will just move in, take over, and continue the scientific progress made by Israel? Maybe they're really thinking about buying that bridge in Brooklyn. 

The country that gave you WAZE, drip irrigation, USB flash drives, and cherry tomatoes just wants to live in reasonables security. They don't want terrorists swarming out of tunnels and over fences to murder kids at a music festival, grandparents, kids, and whole families in their homes. And if someone swarmed over your borders, trust me, you'd do whatever was necessary to take them out while ensuring this never happened again.

And if some rando American politician says he supports boycotting Israel or believes Israel doesn't have the right to exist as a Jewish state, I'd be suspicious of him, too. Especially if he doesn't make the same statement about the 57 Muslim states that include 15 who operate under Sharia law. And refuses to call out terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi, I sure as hell wouldn't vote for someone who espoused that kind of rhetoric. But we'll get to that in a minute.

I really did very little adventuring on this trip...unless you consider the hunt for Bamba Halva an adventure. I think every grocery store in Herzliya recognized us on site as the Bamba ladies. See, that was the beauty of this trip. It was regular. We did a whole lotta regular stuff. Sure, we had the wedding and we were on baby-watch, but we also got to the Eretz Museum in Tel Aviv and the Islamic Art Museum in Jerusalem. We hit a lot of grocery stores, too. We cooked, we baked, and even taught Jen the basics of mah jongg. It was everyday living and I loved it. I got a better feel of the daily rhythm, a sense of what life might be like.....if.

Still, I am an American with American habits, sensibilities, and proclivities. Can I really make the leap? Well, after this visit I'm thinking it might actually be do-able. I'm not there quite yet, but..........

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have a few things to say about the election of Zohran Mamdani:

1. I may be a New Yorker, but I do not live in the city and I did not vote for mayor.
2. I did, however, vote for Jesse Ventura, so I have "vote NO" experience.
3. I firmly believe you elect the government you deserve and I firmly believe New York City...all five boroughs...deserve Zohran Mamdani.
4. And perhaps most importantly, if someone tells you repeatedly who they are, it's best to believe him/her.
5. Remember, four years isn't that long, so if he proves to be a terrible mayor, he's gone.
6. If he proves to be a terrific mayor, great. I'll be happy to be proven wrong.

And while I'm on the subject of American politics, I can think of no better time to starve everyday working Americans while demolishing their access to healthcare than November....the lead up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Demanding federal workers work without pay or back pay is a great way to garner support for your administration while you bulldoze that White House. 

2025 White House 
ornament

And as if that's not enough, the theme for this year is 150 Years of White House State Dinners....in a room that no longer exists. 

And I cannot shake the idea that there's a big, giant piece of performance art coming as he magnanimously reinstates benefits, standing on the balcony arms out wide like Evita while Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Darryl Strawberry, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Ross Ulbricht, and Stewart Rhodes stand beneath tossing rose petals in the air. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Donate, donate, donate. Help if you can. 

Your local relief shelf needs more than just food. 

They need diapers, wipes, underwear, socks, and feminine supplies.

So many people not-so-slowly falling into the cracks.

Live and In Person: The WP in Israel ~ Week 3

Last Tuesday, we made the trip south to the Nova Festival site. Nothing, not even seeing the shelters in which kids hid during the attack prepares you for being at the site. It is silent there. Talk, if there is any at all, is hushed. I stood to one side and watched parents tidying their daughter's memorial site. Some memorials are full of yahrzeit candles and mementos, almost like little grave sites although there are no burials there, But the field of pictures and stories on posts is overwhelmingly sad. Your heart breaks every time you read about the smiling face staring back at you. These people came to dance and sing, not be murdered. You tread carefully amongst the posts, pausing to read each story, taking a moment to see what team scarf is tied to the side, what little things are left for the person who once was. These pictures, full of seemingly joyous faces, are vacant reminders of what could have been. The partners they left behind, the children they would never have, the laughter they would never share. The music they would never dance to again.

We also went to the car wall at Tkuma where the burnt vehicles were taken from Rte 232, Be'eri, Nir Oz, and other places. The skeletons are stacked, but each one out belonged to someone...a family, a senior resident, kids out for a fun weekend. These are not simply metal; they are the eyewitness to murder. This shell of an ambulance once contained more than a dozen Israelis trying to escape the terrorists. They were shot up with automatic weapons, before an RPG was thrown in, incinerating them all. 

At the Tkuma site, there is a memorial tent with testimony from those who survived the massacre. Listening to them tell their  stories is heart-wrenching and terrible. And important to hear. Jacqueline Gliksman was called by her son in the US. He told her to turn off the lights and be still. She came face to face with gunmen who searched her house, then inexplicably took her phone and left her alive. You can watch her tell her story in an extended interview. She is so worth hearing. At the end, there is a film of a cross-section of Israelis....Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze...talking about their own connection to October 7th...and ultimately their unexpected connection to each other. 

And in the end, that's exactly what Israel is about...the connections we have to each other. Israel, warts and all, is NOT an apartheid state, it's a democracy. Imperfect, flawed, and frustrating beyond belief, but a democracy all the same. The United States is no different. Especially not now. 

As my departure looms, I've already started thinking/worrying about election day in America. While I had no ballot for this year, that does relieve me of general election worries. Several states have gubernatorial elections but one state, Pennsylvania, has an interesting supreme court retention election. 

PA Justices Wecht, Donohue, and Dougherty

Three justices on this liberal-leaning court are up for reinstatement. At the bottom of the ballot, there is a simple YES/NO question asking if the justice should be retained for another 10 year term. This is supposed to be a non-partisan process, but alas....The GOP et al have poured millions into this race to stop their reinstatement. Philadelphia's public radio station, WWHY explains why there is concern:

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has a 5-2 Democratic majority, so an across-the-board loss for Democrats in Tuesday’s election could produce a 2-2 ideological split for two years. Political stalemate could likely prevent their seats from being filled until the next judicial election in 2027, potentially leaving the court unable to decide voting or election-related cases through next year’s midterm elections.

If the justices are not retained, it provides an opportunity to ultimately replace the liberal justices with more conservative ones. Interviewed on CBSNews, Lauren Cristella, provided insight into what's at stake:

"We're seeing a lot of the partisanship that you see at the national level has hit home here in Pennsylvania," said Lauren Cristella, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, a nonprofit civic group based in Philadelphia. "And races that were typically not supposed to be partisan, the races don't even have Rs or Ds on the ballot, you'll not see that when you go to the polls on election day. But the partisanship at the national level has certainly affected this race and the spending you're seeing."...  

..."They typically aren't contentious races," Cristella said. "In fact, only one person has not been retained since that change in 1968. That was in 2005."

However, if justices are not retained, that would trigger an election. But that wouldn't happen until 2027, and Cristella said there's no mechanism in state law for a special election.

The governor could appoint interim justices to fill seats until that election, however they would also need approval from two-thirds of the state Senate, currently held by Republicans.

"With the way we're seeing, like, even the state budget go right now, I don't see anyone getting confirmed if that scenario were to happen," Cristella said.

This is not unlike what the GOP attempted to do in Wisconsin last year. What should be a non-partisan process is being turned into a political referendum. Your state supreme court's ability to rule on state issues like the state election process, voter eligibility, and the act of voting itself is crucial. Setting up kangaroo courts to kowtow to partisan interests is not in the best interest of the public, especially when free and fair elections are at stake. We have already witnessed the havoc of ridiculous attempts to overturn elections on national, state, and local levels. And if the Republicans succeed in interfering with state supreme court elections, you can bet your last bucko they're gonna be attempting to buy every state in the union.

Being the alarmist my sons think that I am, I got to wondering about what it would take for President Nero to invoke the Insurrection Act as a first step toward martial law. And if that happens, how far is he from overturning the Constitution? We have watched him make unilateral decisions without due process since he was sworn in again. He dances while millions of Americans are facing food insecurity. The great improvement to health care he promised in the first term and touted in the second never materialized while costs spiraled because he refused to continue tax credits. 

[*Now that the courts have ruled suspension of SNAP is illegal...just wait for him to take credit for magnanimously re-instating SNAP] 

OR

[Updated: President Nero is releasing only enough to cover half a month's funds needed for food benefits. What if he's attempting to provoke riots....and then claim sending in the troops is justifiable?]

And while the Great and Terrible Orange thinks we're not noticing the man behind the curtain, "two federal prosecutors have been placed on administrative leave just hours after describing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as perpetrated by 'thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters.'" He spends billions on his whims, many Americans are worried about skyrocketing heating costs in winter and whether or not they can pay for medicine and health care. The only thing he gives one shit about is lining his own pockets, giving tax breaks desperately needed by working Americans to his billionaire buddies, and pardoning friends who, just like him, foist grandiose lies on the American public. George Santos had a great role model, didn't he?

MeanwhiIe, back at the ranch, I worry what a Mamdani mayoral administration will mean for NYC, the Jews, and the arts. I hear him talk about wanting to teach about Jews in the school, and I looked at the proposed curriculum, Hidden Voices and while it seems innocuous enough, this is a guy who can't manage to call out Hamas as terrorists; I wonder how many revisions it will take before this curriculum more closely resembles UNRWA anti-Israel, anti-west lessons for children. 

Based on his track record of anti-semitic, anti-Israel statements coupled with his desire to arrest Netanyhu if he comes to the city, makes me fundamentally not trust him. Leopard/spots. Mamdani has, according to the AP, stated, "While he says he supports Israel’s right to exist, he describes any state or social hierarchy that favors Jews over others as incompatible with his belief in universal human rights." Does he object to 57 Islamic countries, 15 of which are considered Sharia states, most of which do not allow non-Muslims to be residents, citizens, or active participants in any branch of government? I can't tell if he sees those as similar problems to Jews living in a Jewish but democratic country. The double standard that he implies worries me.

But here's the thing: if New Yorkers elect Mamdani, they will elect the government they deserve. At the end of four years, they can decide if this is the government they want. 

This is my last post from Herzliya. In a few hours, I'll be heading to Ben Gurion to catch the 5 a.m. flight to Amsterdam, and then on to the Twin Cities. And I want to say something about just being here. 

Folks, this really is not an apartheid country. Transportation/road signs are in Hebrew/Arabic/English. Israel is decidedly not "white;" it's a rainbow of colors. I dare you to tell at a glance a Mizrachi from an Arab. Lots of women wear "religious" head coverings, not just Muslim women. You really don't even notice after a while and besides, no one appears to care. No one cares if your straight or gay, or any other part of that rainbow. You still get to serve in the army. You hear so many languages on the street, not just Hebrew. People are just people moving through life. Is it perfect? No, but neither is the US or anywhere else. 

Before you demonize Israel and the Israelis, I suggest you put your money where your mouth is and come here to see for yourself. In the meantime, these are not the enemies you're looking for. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Come to Israel.

Come sit in a park and watch children

with grandparents especially

That's the best equalizer there is.

Live and In Person: The WP in Israel ~ Week 2

Writing from outside the US is an opportunity to explore a different perspective and, perhaps, to see my country through different eyes. That does not mean that I will understand or agree with a different perspective, but it does allow me the chance to think about my take. Nor does it mean I have to buy into the mythology of America and its politicians. Probably just the opposite. I find myself wondering how a pussy-grabbing-sexual-predator with a trail of bankrupt business can be hailed as anything but a self-serving narcissist who is bent on overturning the Constitution while he allows the most vulnerable citizens to slide further into dire poverty while lining his own pockets again and again and again. What emoluments clause?

President Felon is hailed as a hero here.. I get that. He and his team got the living hostages back and progress is being made on getting the bodies back. This is a good thing and while I do not trust his behavior nor his motives, I understand the collective sigh of relief that this part is over. This part. Not for a New York minute do I believe the conflict with Gaza is over. Not by a long shot. All this ceasefire is doing is allowing Hamas to regroup. Their continued refusal to disarm, their public execution of "traitors," and the inability to produce the rest of the hostage bodies for return to Israel are pretty big red flags that they are not exactly interested in giving up on the river to the sea concept. Trump's braggadocio is out of control because the peace he claims to have secured is just not secure. As my Israeli friend told me, "We're just waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Amit Segal

In an excellent interview with The Free Press's Rafaela Siewert, Israeli journalist Amit Segal covered a wide range of topics....and clarified for me a lot of Israeli thinking. At the end of the piece, he talks about the driving force behind all Israeli politics. (I made the transcript directly from the video)

"I would say, first of all, that politics in Israel is organized around, not economy like in the states and most countries on earth, but about security or insecurity or fear. That the very idea of Israel and this is what people …I’ll give an example JD Vance‘s book taught me a lot about America that I didn’t know, The Hillbilly Elegy ... The Israeli elegy is the fact that no matter where you are in Israel right now, you are 80 minutes, the most, from someone armed who wants to kill specifically you, if he only had the chance. And most of the times eight minutes 10 minutes, 15 minutes. This is why economy could never be the top priority for voters. So this is the number one thing. If you want to offer Israel is hope offer them security first."

The line that brought it all together is:someone armed who wants to kill specifically you. 

Just think about that for a few minutes. Specifically You. 

That's a radically different mindset from the ones most Americans carry in their pockets. Yes, I know we are beginning to shift on that. We hide our Magen David necklaces. Cover kippot with baseball caps. Eschew t-shirts in Hebrew. But I don't think we're at the point where armed terrorists are roaming the streets. Or are they? You tell me. 

We are approaching a new level of heightened awareness outside of Israel. The pro Gaza movement turned out not to be about politics, but about Jew-hatred and ancient blood libels. It's been like this for more than 2000 years and obviously, it's not going away. And if you wonder why I know that...it's because since the ceasefire all those protestors and celebrities have not said shit. Crickets from them. No anger when Hamas executed its own people in a televised event in a public square. There's a cessation from hostilities...and they're still attacking Jewish soccer fans in the UK. The call for globalization of the intifada continues. The hate preached has found new homes in the hearts and minds of those who need a scapegoat in order to exist. What better scapegoat than the one you think can't or won't fight back? Until the scapegoat fights back. Suddenly, Israel is no longer the mouse that roared...it becomes the pest that needs extermination. From the river to the sea, right?

Segal repeatedly (and correctly) makes the point that unless education in Gaza changes, nothing will change. It will take 20 to teach Gazan kids not to hate. And I imagine the road to trust will be even longer. At the same time, those same lessons have to find their way into the mainstream. I'm even less optimistic about that. 

Notes in the Wall.

And then, there's Jerusalem. I am not the world's biggest fan of that holy city. I have, like most people with a vagina, issues with misogynistic treatment of women at the Western Wall. Still, the Wall draws me to it each time. I can say a thousand times that I'm not going, yet still find my way there. I had names to put in the wall. Names of people important to me who are battling serious illness. People I say a mi sheberach for every morning at minyan. I'm not all that sure about lots of things, but I believe in the power of belief in healing. As I stood there, as I touched my forehead to the cool stone of a wall that has withstood much of our history, my heart breaks for us, for my family, my friends, for Israel, for the United States, for the world at large. Tears come, surprisingly unbidden, but I let them come. I cannot account for the draw, the connection, or the power that comes from standing at that place. My DNA is home. My heart is home. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

If you're in the area, make it a point to visit 

The Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem. 

The clock, watch, and music box collection is spectacular.

Seeing the Marie Antoinette Pocket Watch

in person is worth the trip.

The original Marie Antoinette Pocket watch
made by Breguet

Live and In Person: The WP in Israel

Einav Zanguaker reunited
 with her son,Matan 

It’s hard to know where to begin this week...or not. So, let’s start with the obvious: I am coming to you live and in person from Herzliya, Israel. There was a wedding involved, and the need for some time away from Minnesota. So while the trip was planned several months ago, the timing could not be more auspicious. I arrived 2 days after the release of the live hostages, and now, I am watching reports of body repatriation slowly move forward. We see pictures of the live hostages reuniting with families and friends, and the burial of those who were kept as gruesome trophies. We are painfully aware that the process of returning to some new normal for all the families will not be easy, smooth, or without serious therapy. These live hostages have been subjected to physical and psychological torture. They have weathered the emotional and bodily abuse we can not dare to imagine. Some were told their families were dead...when in fact they were not...while others were told the opposite. Some believed they would come home to wives and children that had been murdered on October 7th, 2023.  

Danny Miran removes his
son's picture from display at
Ben Gurion Airport

Yet, these incredibly resilient people survived. Their paths forward will be their own journeys. They will learn how the world turned against Israel, Jews, and even the hostages themselves. They'll eventually catch up with the news only to learn the victims had been cast in the roles of the aggressors. But for the members of Be'eri, Nir Oz, and K'far Aza, places that had reasonably good relations with their neighbors in Gaza, places that supported peace outreach and cooperation, learning those neighbors invaded across the border with intimate knowledge of the town layouts in order to kill them all, their roads will be even harder to traverse. The best the rest of us can do is to be active, articulate witnesses to the cruel, bullshit that is Hamas. 

And from the lest we forget department: a guy Mohammed Nazzal spoke to Reuters

DOHA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Hamas intends to maintain security control in Gaza during an interim period, a senior Hamas official told Reuters, adding he could not commit to the group disarming - positions that reflect the difficulties facing U.S. plans to secure an end to the war.
 
Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal also said the group was ready for a ceasefire of up to five years to rebuild devastated Gaza, with guarantees for what happens afterwards depending on Palestinians being given "horizons and hope" for statehood.
 
Speaking to Reuters in an interview from Doha, where Hamas politicians have long resided, Nazzal defended the group's crackdown in Gaza, where it carried out public executions on Monday. There were always "exceptional measures" during war and those executed were criminals guilty of killing, he said. 

PRESSURE TO DISARM 

While Hamas has broadly expressed these views before, the timing of Nazzal's comments demonstrates the major obstacles obstructing efforts to cement a full end to the war in Gaza, days after the first phase of the ceasefire was agreed.

They point to big gaps between Hamas' positions and U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza, ahead of negotiations expected to address Hamas' weapons and how Gaza is governed. 

I particularly enjoyed the line:

...a ceasefire of up to five years to rebuild devastated Gaza, with guarantees for what happens afterwards depending on Palestinians being given "horizons and hope"

If you need a translation, allow me to clarify: Hamas remains active in Gaza. The ceasefire will last UP TO five years...which means they can resume their efforts to attack Israel without fear of any condemnation after that time. Horizons and hope = the complete destruction of Israel and the "removal of all Jews and others" from the river to the sea. And executions of their own citizens in the public square. In other words, it's back to business as usual.

So, if you're delusional enough to believe President Felon delivered some kind of lasting peace deal that would guarantee Israel's safety, there's this bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you at a bargain price. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch..........

Yesterday was No Kings Day and by all counts, it was pretty successful. According to Strength In Numbers, an independent, data-driven analysis of politics, public opinion, and elections to be found on Substack, the numbers are pretty impressive.

Strength In Numbers partnered with independent Atlanta-based science newsroom The Xylom on Oct. 18, 2025, to produce a crowdsourced estimate of turnout for the second “No Kings Day” protests held around the country. This follows our first attempt at crowdsourced crowd-counting for the first protests held in June.

Our median estimate is that 5.2 million people participated in a No Kings Day demonstration somewhere in the country on Saturday, with an upper bound of 8.2 million people. We provide an “estimate” and not a “count” because we are making predictions of turnout in protest sites where official records are still missing.

Our estimate is based on reports from local officials, local organizers, and attendees, and suggests the count from organizers — who report 7 million participants nationwide — may be a bit optimistic (but is not impossible). Still, regardless of whether the precise number is 5, 6, 7, or 8 million, Saturday’s events are very likely the biggest single-day protest event since 1970, surpassing even the 2017 Women’s March demonstrations against Trump.

The protests come as Donald Trump’s approval rating hit a new low last week, and as Democrats look likely to win upcoming races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia.

The photos you can find online are also pretty impressive. As is the spreadsheet they produced. That alone is worth seeing so you can check your own city. Even MAGA strongholds filled their public squares. People are upset and they are, indeed, taking to the streets. Can tiki torches and pitchforks be far behind? 

Of course, our Man-Who-Would-Be-King-in-Chief, had to post the most childish, idiotic video in support of his coronation on Bullshit Social.

Sir Bedbug's version

That said, seems we already have a king...according to JD Vance's official page on via Bluesky . I cannot pretend to fathom what prompted Vice President Bedbug to post such a ridiculous clip. I guess it just wasn't enough that his boss dumped shit all over protesters. Nope; he had to come out in support of this charade. Sir Bedbug certainly has expectations of heirdom, although I cannot understand why. What does he think he's gonna be? Clown Prince? The three stooges are way ahead of him in the lineup. The best he can hope for is evil prime henchman or maybe court jester. Hard to say. 

Look, it keeps coming back to the same thing: when Hamas tells you their final solution is the total annihilation of Israel and its Jewish population, you have to believe them. I mean, how many times do we have to go through this before we do? Same thing with President Felon. He keeps telling us he has no intention of leaving the Oval Office....especially after he decorated it with all that cheesy gold plastic...even if he has to suspend the midterms and/or the Constitution. Ever hear the phrase shadow docket? If you haven't, you soon will. 

The government shut-down is already hitting thousands in their wallets, and not just federal workers. The Speaker's refusal to recall the House is nothing but a hostage maneuver against the most at-risk portions of the population. When are President Felon's loyal minions gonna figure out they're left holding a very empty bag with no meds, no food, no heat, no roof, and no hope? But hey! This is their choice, right? You elect the government you deserve. 

Question: do you think the Nobel committee takes into account what he's doing here? Just wondering if destroying your own economy impacts your deservedness for getting the peace prize. 

The bride and groom

But rather than leave you all on this dreadfully depressing note, I will tell you there is nothing like a modern Israeli wedding for group dancing, screamingly funny skits, and overall good times. The groom's friends did a wonderful send-up of him and I can't remember laughing that hard at any wedding. There were wonderful speeches, heartfelt hugs...and a general sense of relief that the hostages were home. There was something special about families coming together to celebrate knowing other families had been reunited. 

Yes, everything has been impacted by the hostages, and weddings are no exception. This one might have just been that much more lighthearted because this is Israel and for the moment, we are all breathing a little bit easier. No one takes those moments lightly; they are cherished. 

On an odd note: the wedding was held in Yafo, and as luck would have it, the rooftop venue overlooked the Yafo Stairs. The stairs haven't changed a bit.....but I am afraid I have.

   1969                                        2025                        

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

If you happen to be in Tel Aviv and want a great dinner,

visit CLARO;TLV. 

You will not be disappointed@