NKC Occasional Update

News, Views and To-Dos

May 10, 2024

What Art Friedson Has On His Mind

Before I start, let me note that as I write this, President Biden is speaking against Jew hatred at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Annual Day of Remembrance observance, while his predecessor is in a courtroom watching a porn star testify about the payments she received from him to prevent her disclosure of a tryst they engaged in four months after Baron Trump was born. Now tell me why this election is close? What kind of world are we living in?

You can ask the same question about the virulent anti-Israel and often anti-Jewish sentiment sweeping through college campuses today embedded in the pro-Palestinian movement. A recent report by Tel Aviv University and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) documents a 103% rise in antisemitic incidence in the United States this year, with 75% of American college students reporting that they have experienced or witnessed acts of antisemitism on campus!

I'm going to lose some friends for this, but I want to give you my personal opinions about what is happening on college campuses today.

Calling for the destruction of Israel and threatening Jews is a far cry from supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to have a state of their own. If you are interested in the welfare and political rights of the Palestinian people, you need to be protesting Hamas.

Hamas planned, orchestrated, and executed a pogrom that brutally murdered over 1,200 Israeli civilians, and as the new film by Sheryl Sandberg documents, inflicted unimaginably brutal acts of sexual violence against women. (You can watch the full film, Screams Before Silence, here.)

The mailboxes at Kibbutz Nir Oz. Red stickers for those who were killed, blue for released hostages, and black for those still held by Hamas.

(Photo Credit: Art Friedson)

They did it because a new alliance was forming to counter the Islamic radicalism of their sponsors in Iran. They did it because the backlash in Israel to Bibi and his radical right-wing supporters was growing steadily, and that could have led to peace. They did it because there is no role for Hamas in a peaceful world. 

Hamas sure as hell didn’t do it for the benefit of the Palestinian people.

I’m not going to belabor this, but a few responses to the awful and misleading rhetoric on campus are, I think, essential. But first, if you haven’t read them yet, be sure to read Palestinian-American Mo Husseini’s 50 Completely True Things (it’s less than a 5-minute read), and the open letter from Jewish students at Columbia.

Signs at Northwestern University including calls for the elimination of the State of Israel

(Photo Credit: Dave Byrnes/Courthouse News)

Israelis are neither majority White nor colonialists. It’s been a long time since Jews of North African descent have overtaken white Ashkenazi Jews in the Israeli population, partly because of the total expulsion of Jews from many Arab countries. (So much for "Go back to Poland.") To deny the indigenous roots of Jews in the Holy Land is to deny history, and refute Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures. They are absurd, made-up claims cooked up to support false narratives.

I am at a loss to understand how supporters of LGBTQ+ rights can be supporting Hamas, when Hamas persecutes and terrorizes the LGBTQ+ community. How do supporters of women’s rights come to support the people who intentionally, viciously and gleefully raped women on October 7^th and continue to do so to women still being held hostage? How do supporters of human rights enthusiastically support people who hide beneath hospitals and schools both to protect themselves and to use civilian deaths as a publicity tool? Ah, you say you're supporting Palestinian rights, not Hamas. But Hamas is what you get if no one stops them.

Don't forget how simple it is to bring this conflict to an end. If Hamas releases the hostages, Israel will leave immediately. Yes, there will be pressure from Israel's right flank to stay, but it won't happen. The Israeli public has no stomach to stay.

If you really want the conflict to end, then call for the release of hostages and the insertion of a pan-Arab/Palestinian Authority interim government of Gaza that will work on rebuilding Gaza instead of diverting building materials to dig more tunnels and build more missiles.

None of this is meant to excuse the current government of Bibi Netanyahu. I am certainly no fan of Bibi. In a Trumpian effort to save his own skin, he has created a government that is wildly out of line with the sentiments of the majority of his country, alienating Diaspora Jews at the same time. He has weakened the Palestinian Authority and undermined their control of the West Bank, while allowing the Qataris to strengthen Hamas in Gaza. He has turned a blind eye to the very few but very awful bands of messianic Jewish terrorists in the West Bank. For all his talk about being the one who keeps Israelis safe, the worst massacre of Jews the world has witnessed since the Holocaust happened on his watch.

All this said, I still hold out hope for a future of two indigenous, legitimate people coexisting in two states, sharing a mutual geography with borders that exist mainly on maps. We got a glimpse of that future just last month when Israel was joined by the United States, Great Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt in neutralizing the unprecedented missile attack by Iran. Unimaginable things are indeed possible, if only we can allow our minds to go there.

I feel bad for the poor people of Gaza. I feel bad for all the Israeli families who have been devastated by the horrific pogrom on October 7^th and who continue to be traumatized by the failure of Hamas to release the hostages and end the war. I feel bad for all the Jewish college kids who are afraid to cross their campuses. I feel bad for American college students who missed out on their high school graduations because of Covid and who will now either suffer disruptions to their college graduations or miss them entirely.

And certainly not least, I feel bad for America. Trump made it okay for racists and haters of all kinds to emerge from the shadows and bring out the worst in us. These are tough times to be sure, but I still believe that when faced with the choice of hateful chaos or decency -as we will be in November- Americans will choose wisely. Let us all hope, pray and act to make it so.

With Nancy Kohn

Perspective is everything. Look at the headlines and you'd think that the most pressing issue among younger voters is the war against Hamas in Gaza. Well, think again. Axios reports on a Generation Lab survey taken just this week that found that only 13% of college students list the conflict as "most important to them," far behind healthcare reform (40%), educational funding and access (38%), economic fairness (37%), racial justice (36%), climate change (35%), gun safety (32%), immigration (21%), and terrorism (15%). Notice anything about the list? Joe Biden is championing all these issues.

Best ad of the week. At last week's Biden Midwest Finance Committee meeting we previewed the newest ad, Prosecute, that features a Dallas OB/GYN who had to terminate her pregnancy after discovering the fetus had a fatal condition. We watch her face as David Muir reports on TFG's comments that he would be okay if some states monitor women's pregnancies and prosecute them if they violate abortion bans. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Congressional report card. The NYTimes has a special interactive video posted where they ask eight questions to both Democratic and Republican Members of Congress who have announced they are leaving Congress. How do these frustrated folks describe the current Congress? Dysfunctional, difficult, chaotic and unproductive are some of the answers. Don't worry, its not all doom and gloom.

Heroes deserve medals. Last Friday, in a White House ceremony, President Joe Biden awarded to the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 American heroes. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, former Secretary of State and climate czar John Kerry, as well as athletes and actors were honored. Check out the full list here.

What I'm reading. I've just finished Ruth Reichl's, The Paris Novel, a delicious tale with lots of food passages. Next up? The NYTimes keeps coming up with new lists of books. This time, they've gone all out with their list of The Book Review's Best Books Since 2020, broken down into many different fiction and non-fiction genres in a clever interactive format.

What I'm watching at home. As we sweat out the fate of Count Alexander Rostov on A Gentleman in Moscow (we know what's coming...we both loved the book), we've inserted something lighter in our viewing schedule. Elsbeth is a CBS comedy/detective drama starring Carrie Preston as a quirky Chicago lawyer sent by the courts to New York City to monitor some suspicious police activity. It's a fun diversion.

Just Cause Spotlight

Since founding Just Cause in 2015, we have worked with nearly 60 Chicago-area and national nonprofit organizations whose missions' span education, environment, social justice, health, human rights, arts and culture and more.

Nancy Kohn and Lisa Acker, partners, help nonprofits reach new heights. Whether it’s a high-level strategy or rolling up our sleeves to help with immediate tasks at hand, we are paving the way.

If you need an assessment of fundraising potential, a multi-year fundraising plan, hope to launch a capital campaign, develop new models for cultivation activities, design an anniversary fundraising program, create donor-focused communications, elevate your board's role as ambassadors, or expand your overall capacity, we are here to help! Learn more about us at Just Cause.



Virtual: Stacey Abrams in conversation with Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton

Join IWIL Training Academy's annual virtual spring fundraiser on Wednesday, May 15th for an evening of discussion with our very special guests… Stacey Abrams and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.

Stacey Abrams is a former Georgia House Minority leader, voting rights activist, and best-selling author.

The fundraiser will be held virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, May 15th from 5:00 PM-6:00 PM CST. RSVP here to reserve your ticket today.

By supporting IWIL Training Academy’s fundraising events, you ensure that the organization can continue to provide a high-quality training program to teach Democratic, pro-choice women to run for office at no major cost to participants.

FYI - Lt. Gov. Stratton is an IWIL Training Academy alum from 2011!

In Person: Meet Senate Candidate Representative Colin Allred

He's the star of the Lone Star State and the guy who might actually send Ted Cruz packing into retirement.

Congressman Colin Allred will be in Chicago on Friday, May 31st. A reception hosted by Marisa Murillo, Susan Rogers, Bob Satawake, and Ambassador Wally Brewster will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Chicago.

To RSVP for the reception, click here. For further information or to arrange a private meeting with the candidate earlier in the day, contact Nadine Zaky Kotb at (518) 650-4797.







Stuart Rosenberg

(1955 - 2024)

Stuart at our wedding

(Photo credit: Jeremy Lawson Photography)