Does It Really Matter?

Jaylani Hussein

In the land of excessive weird, my weird-shit-o-meter went off the scale last week. In a press conference on November 24th, CAIR-MN's executive director, Jaylani Hussein,  claimed the Somali community being targeted in Minnesota is the direct result of an "Israel First" campaign by the current administration, and not as the result of recent fraud charges in a variety of social programs. I just don't understand his logic, and as I read his statement, I was even more confused. As reported in MSN.com:

"Fraud is a serious issue. We are all taxpayers, and any money that is stolen, whether federally or locally or state county, impacts all of us,” Hussein said about 14 minutes into the press conference. “But I want us to also note that in these stories, what is missed is the fact that the victims, oftentimes are poor children, poor families who rely on that support, and we ask and we urge for accountability and transparency.” 

Later, Hussein went back to discussing the “America First or Israel First topic,” while also defending Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, two right-wing media personalities who platform or promote antisemitic and white nationalist voices. 

We believe this is an Israeli First public campaign targeting a very vulnerable community, the Somali-American community, and a very vulnerable congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, as an effort to try to win back the many young Americans who believe that America should not be getting into wars for other countries,” Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of CAIR’s Minnesota chapter, alleged at a Nov. 24 press conference. 

Hussein then tied the so-called “coordinated campaign” to conservative podcasters Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, claiming that the “Israel First” agenda is similarly going after right-wing voices critical of America’s support for Israel. 

“I know for sure that this campaign mirrors the same campaign targeting Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, major influencers on the conservative side, who have gained tremendous support in the younger generation of Republicans who are refusing to accept that America will continue to take [on] the wars of Israel, destabilize the Middle East, lose American soldiers, lose their own tax dollars while committing carnage and lossage in the lives of Muslims,” said Hussein. 

Okay, it sounds kinda like he's blaming Israel for the perpetration of fraud on the communities in need, that the Somalis were actually the fall guys for Israel's control of US immigration policy. At the same time, however, he seems to be defending Tucker and Owen.  Why?  That's the part I just don't get. 

I'm just a wee bit confused here. How is this going to benefit the 2% of Minnesotans who happen to be Somali? If you really wanna see something interesting, The Minnesota Reformer has a great piece on Somali citizen status. About 90% of Somalis living here are natural born or naturalized citizens of the United States. It's much different from what you're hearing on the news. 

In the end, what really matters is that a few bad actors have undermined the peaceful existence of this community by perpetrating fraud on such a grand scale that is staggering to imagine. Let's not mention the part where Ladan Mohammed Ali took $120,000 in a paper bag to the home of a juror in the FEEDING OUR CHILDREN fraud trial. Although, coming from a place where baksheesh was SOP, this should not be a big shocker. I always thought of it as misunderstanding our culture... where stuff like that is done in back rooms and under tables, rather than on the front porch. Cultural difference, right?

In TC Jewfolk, Rabbi Adam Spilker of Mount Zion Temple spoke about his hesitancy to speak out and why he disregarded it: 

“Whereas 10 years ago we stood side-by-side with the Muslim community after the bombing at Dar Al-Faroow and other similar situations, and they too with us after the Tree of Life shooting, our relations are strained,” Spilker said. “And there were people I knew were going to be at this event who have not spoken to October 7 and to have not responded to my outreaches since October 7. 

“It gave me pause for thought, and then I acted on what I know is my values, which is that we have to speak out for our neighbors here. And I did so, and I pray that it might also thaw some of the relations, and help some in the Muslim community realize that we need to be focusing on relationships here and not in Israel and Gaza."

Clergypeople in support of the Somali community

Regardless, the Jewish community leaders joined faith leaders of all the religious communities to support the Somali community against the draconian immigration bullshit President Felon is slinging our way. Statements from the major Jewish organizations in town absolutely protest what is happening to the Somali community. Not all that long ago in a place not all that far away, similar shit happened to us. No one came forward then. Nor did anyone come forward after October 7th. But we really never expect anyone to do that. 

The Jewish Community Relations Council:

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) condemns President Trump’s remarks referring to Minnesota’s Somali community as “garbage.”

That is dehumanization – and when such language comes from elected leaders, ideas that should remain at the extreme margins of society are pulled into the civic mainstream.

Minnesota’s Somali community – like all communities – is diverse, complex, and not a monolith. Treating any group as one undifferentiated mass is itself a form of dehumanization.

As Jews, we carry the memory of what happens when people are spoken about as less than human. Our history is scarred by moments when Jews were depicted as filth, vermin, or disease. In our present, Zionists and Jews are dehumanized in public discourse. These echoes cannot be ignored.

Jewish tradition insists that every person is created b’tzelem Elohim – in the image of God. The rabbis teach that to degrade a single human being is to diminish what is sacred in us all.  

Dehumanization is not merely offensive; it is dangerous. Across history and in our own time, treating human beings as “garbage” clears the psychological path toward violence. Before people are harmed, they are dehumanized.

The appalling fraud schemes in Minnesota demand serious solutions (including the ongoing investigations and prosecutions) but invoking those challenges to justify broad attacks on an entire community does nothing to solve the problem. It only deepens division and heightens the risk of lawless disorder.

We affirm the words of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said this rhetoric “violates the moral fabric of what we stand by in this country as Americans.” We agree.

Minnesotans of every background must push such rhetoric back to the margins – and hold leaders accountable when they normalize it.

JCRC will continue advocating for a public square rooted in decency, truth, and shared responsibility.

 Jewish Community Action:

To our Somali neighbors: we see you, we cherish you, and we stand with you. Your safety, your dignity, and your place in this community matter deeply to us. 

Our children play together. We work together. We celebrate together, and we show up for each other when our communities are under attack. We are family, and we keep each other safe. 

You are our friends, our colleagues, our neighbors, our caregivers, our educators, our rideshare drivers and business partners. Minnesota is a stronger place because of the resiliency of the Somali people and our shared commitment to a better future. 

Right now, we must all meet this moment with compassion, courage, and unity. When any group in our community is unfairly targeted and harassed, we have a responsibility to show up for one another. As Rabbi Emma Kippley-Ogman said at a press conference last week, “Minnesota is made of all of us together, and we are not sending anyone away. We refuse to be divided because we are neighbors who stand together in love."

We stand with our Somali neighbors, but where were they when our people were slaughtered on October 7th? Why aren't their voices raised against the violence against Muslims in Sudan or Nigeria? Why are we the only ones experiencing a drive toward genocide against us, yet still reaching out to support others? Is it because we know what it's like? Or maybe it's because we still believe in being stronger together, even when the together is not reciprocated? 

I made the mistake of doomscrolling through comments on a post about the indigenousness of Jews in Israel, and way too many demands that we stop saying that and go back to Poland or Germany or "wherever we came from." That same person was raving about from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. And that, in turn, reminded me of The Voyage of the Damned. 

If no one wants Jews, and Israel/Palestine is Judenrein, where do we go?

All those people want us dead. It's just that simple, isn't it? And what really gets me is that they think they can take over start-up Israeli technology and have it all run. There is an element of fanciful thinking, wishful thinking that Israel's successes are inheritable. That's not reality, is it?

When they came for the Latinos, no one raised much of a voice.

When they came for the Somalis, few raised a voice.

When they came for the trans-soldiers and officers, no one dared raise a voice.

Except for the Jews. We stood with everyone. We protested and marched and made waves for what was right and just and civil. We wrote letters and postcards and stood on street corners. When we said never again, we meant for everybody. 

Then they came to celebrate the Hamas massacre of Israeli kids and kibbutzniks while calling for the annihilation of Israel and everyone came. 

But in the end, folks, we have to ask ourselves if any of it matters.

Once upon a time, I thought it did. I'm not so sure now. 

In researching this week's epistle, I came across The Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Study comparing 2014 and 2024. Interesting number, to say the least. In rounded numbers, the population of Minnesota is between 5,800,000 to 6,000,000. 1% of that is approximately 60,000. Muslims, on the other hand, make up about 3%...180,000. If the number are right, we are a shrinking population in this state.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....

 

Matt Sepic/MPR News

There was a fire at the Masjid Hamza Al-Mahmood Foundation and Baitul Hikmah Academy in Prior Lake last night. As of 9 p.m. tonight, the cause of the fire remains unknown. Violence against religious institutions is not unknown in Minnesota. Synagogues are routinely defaced, mosques have been targeted in the past. Just recently, a Catholic Church suffered a mass shooting of schoolchildren at mass. Was this a targeted incident? We don't know yet. It happened in winter when electrical, furnace, and heater fires are common place. Did some crazy person set fire to this houses of worship? Thankfully, it was in the middle of the night and no one was there. Will conclusions be jumped to? You betcha they will. 

And if it was arson, we'll raise money to help them rebuild because that's what we do. 

I promise to report on the cause of the fire as soon as it's known. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Mebbe we should look into buying Greenland. 

Just a thought. 

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.