1.Not This Time

"Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s rise to national prominence is cause for celebration even if he wasn’t chosen to be Kamala Harris’s running mate.

"Enormously popular in his home state, Shapiro is an example that at a time when incidents of anti-Semitism are at historically high levels, American Jews are usually judged by their work and the content of their character, rather than their faith.

"One exception is in the brutal world of Presidential politics. A VP candidate’s worth is determined wholly by their chance to help rather than hurt the ticket. Opposition to Shapiro from some unions and the progressive wing of the Democratic party, however myopic or unfair, may have made Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota a safer bet." From Jewish Journal: "A Shapiro by Any Other Name"

"When it came to speaking publicly about Vice President Kamala Harris and the man she chose over him to be her own running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Shapiro had a point he wanted to make. 'I lean on my family and I lean on my faith which calls me to serve,' Shapiro said at a rally Tuesday in his hometown, Philadelphia. 'And I am proud of my faith!'

"Shapiro went on to quote, as he frequently does, an adage from Pirkei Avot, an ancient code of Jewish ethics. He had quoted it earlier in the day in a statement on Walz’s selection. 'Now, hear me, I’m not here to preach, y’all, but I want to tell you what my faith teaches me,' Shapiro said. 'What does it say? My faith teaches me that no one, no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it. That means that each of us has a responsibility to get off the sidelines, to get in the game and to do our part.' " From JTA: "Josh Shapiro embraces Jewish identity at rally for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz."

2.Potomac Two-Step Now a Walz

Did you know Tim Wall wrote a master's thesis on Holocaust education, just as his own school's approach drew criticism? "In it, Walz argues that the lessons of the 'Jewish Holocaust' should be taught 'in the greater context of human rights abuses,' rather than as a unique historical anomaly or as part of a larger unit on World War II. 'To exclude other acts of genocide severely limited students’ ability to synthesize the lessons of the Holocaust and the ability to apply them elsewhere,' he wrote."

For more on the man, there is, "Kamala Harris selects Tim Walz, pro-Israel Minnesota governor, as her running mate."

3.Keep at It

Hallelujah! The Squad is down two. Wesley Bell defeated Squad member Cori Bush in the St. Louis Democratic primary. "Bell’s campaign received a big boost from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, whose super political action committee, United Democracy Project, spent $8.5 million to oust Bush. She was targeted after repeated criticism of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

"It was a gameplan that worked earlier this year in New York. In June, United Democracy Project spent $15 million to defeat another Squad member — U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman. Bowman lost to George Latimer, a pro-Israel centrist." Ilhan, Rashida, can you feel it?

4.Cool Your Jets or Else

The Islamic Republic of Iran wants revenge. While flexing muscles is understood, it has the luxury of using any number of proxies to get it. A direct attack might result in a war where one well-executed sortie can shut down oil production for months. Hezbollah or the Houthis may be an easier route. Hamas happens to be otherwise occupied, but maybe they can try too.

That said, “White House officials believe that intensive diplomatic efforts to temper Iran’s retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week may be having an effect, The Washington Post said on Tuesday, while also reporting that the Biden administration was enraged by the timing of the assassination.

"The Middle East has been bracing for a possible new wave of attacks by Iran and its allies following Haniyeh’s death, along with the killing of top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike in Beirut hours earlier. While Israel has not commented publicly on Haniyeh’s death, Tehran has blamed Jerusalem and vowed that it must be made to pay the price.

"A blitz of diplomatic efforts in recent days has seen the US — along with its allies in the West and the Middle East — push both Iran and Israel to cool tensions and prevent the region from erupting into all-out war. Read more in The Times of Israel: "Iran could rethink Israel attack amid strong diplomatic pressure from US"

5.Best Games Ever

Israel won three medals - including a gold - in historic day at Paris Olympics. "Tom Reuveny won Israel’s first gold medal of the Paris Olympics Saturday in the men’s iQFoil windsurfing final, while Sharon Kantor nabbed silver in the women’s event and artistic gymnast Artem Dolgopyat won silver in the floor exercise.

"The three medals bring Israel’s total count in Paris to six, surpassing Israel’s previous record of four at a single Olympics, which it achieved at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Saturday was also the first time Israel won three medals in a single day."

Meanwhile, Jewish wrestler Amit Elor won gold for the US, extending a five-year undefeated streak. "Elor, who is Jewish and the daughter of Israeli immigrants who moved to the United States to train as athletes, bested Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 in the gold medal contest Tuesday evening to extend a five-year winning streak. The win makes Elor, 20, the all-time youngest U.S. gold medalist in wrestling."

6.October 7th, Altered State

This is a side of the story we have not heard before.

"The massacre that unfolded was a devastating disruption of the euphoria synonymous with rave culture. Terrorists killed, raped, tortured, injured, and traumatized rave attendees at the Nova Festival in in the south of Israel. It is important to recognize that a significant majority of more than 3,000 attendees who were subjected to horrific mass violence were also under the influence of substances that distorted their perceptions, delayed their responses, and made them disproportionately emotionally sensitive. This fact adds an important dimension to how we consider the needs of the survivors and the place this attack now holds in psychedelic history as the worst 'trip' ever recorded.

"An important dimension of the Oct. 7 attacks that has received little news coverage is the fact that the massacre at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering (now more commonly known as the Nova Festival) was not only the largest terror attack in Israel’s history, and the worst Israeli civilian massacre ever, it was also the largest psychedelics-related act of violence in history.

"The Nova Festival was an open-air psytrance music festival near kibbutz Re’im organized by the Tribe of Nova (A Little for the Soul Ltd.) together with the Brazilian psytrance festival group Universo Paralello. Billed as a celebration of 'friends, love and infinite freedom,' it was scheduled to coincide with the final day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. As the sun rose on Oct. 7, amid the pulsing beats and vibrant atmosphere of the open air rave, Hamas invaded.

"Sunrise was also the moment at which many rave participants had just begun to experience the full psychoactive effects of the psychedelic substances they had taken. At the same moment, Hamas invaded the festival premises and began shooting at participants, chasing them down the surrounding fields, raping them, and kidnapping them, festivalgoers were under the acute effects of drugs like 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), while running for their lives in an attempt to escape the terrorists.

"The attack on the Nova Festival resulted in 364 civilians killed, at least 40 hostages taken, and many more assaulted and injured. It also led to a significant number of festivalgoers arriving at the emergency room who were still under the influence of psychedelics and therefore presenting medical teams with additional mental health needs." 

Tablet Magazine's article, "The Worst Trip Ever," covers in detail Israel's response and care plan for the individuals affected.

7.Bagel Boy Meets Girl

A multicultural husband-and-wife team thinks New York is ready for miso, matcha and and gochujang bagels. I'm here for it. There's more to life than sesame and plain, after all.

"Last year, the pair launched a bagel-baking business, Bagel Joint, serving up homemade Asian-Jewish bagel creations. What makes Bagel Joint stand out, Sacks said, is their embrace of other ethnic flavors alongside traditional Jewish classics. Their elaborate creations include 'The Transmitter,' a take on a tuna salad sandwich, made with a miso seaweed and salt bagel, confit spicy tuna salad, cucumbers, lettuce and yuzu kosho mayo. They’ve also made Thai green curry bagels, fig and olive bagels and Piri-Piri bagels, and bake up other fusions of baked goods like matcha yuzu black and white cookies, and savory babkas like a salted duck egg and taro babka."

I appreciate that not everyone visits NYC regularly, so here we share some recipes to tempt you, featuring some of the same flavors the bakers use.

For Your Calendar

Through September 2

"Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away."

For its regional premiere, the most comprehensive exhibition ever presented on Auschwitz is coming to Boston and The Saunders Castle. The exhibition features more than 700 artifacts of immense value to world history and all of humanity.

Tickets at The Castle at Park Plaza