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Yes, we are brothers with a common fate and destiny. We will survive and thrive together, or history shows that we will not survive. We are people of the book. Books are made of words. Words are powerful and dangerous. Used properly, they can inspire, uplift, result in unfathomable achievements. Used to incite, to vilify, to degrade, they can lead to total and complete destruction.

Starting on Wednesday night and going through Monday, May 15, the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), with the help of other groups like the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), will be hosting a series of events to highlight the 75^th anniversary of the Nakba. Their goal is to continue to spread their revisionist history to Congress and the rest of the world about what happened in 1948.

I am proud to call Queens my home. What makes our borough so vibrant are the unique, tight-knit communities and neighborhoods that have persisted and thrived over the 40 years I have lived here. For my part, I have been proud to work to support and strengthen the Jewish communities of Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Forest Hills, and Flushing as President of Tomchei Shabbos of Queens.

The New York City Council has passed a resolution to recognize April 29 as “End Jew Hatred Day” each year. The move comes as officials try to combat the regular occurrence of anti-Semitic incidents in the city. While 41 members of the City Council voted in favor of the measure, two voted against it, and four abstained, leading to criticism from Jewish advocates.

There used to be a time when the policy differences between the two major parties could be solved with debate and compromise.  Things like tax rates, healthcare, entitlements, and dozens of other topics could be argued, with hardliners on either side but deals being struck.  Even with the division in the country, even if nothing gets passed and no unity is available, with each side becoming more and more entrenched, the issues themselves could be seen by the voting public as something that could be debated.  This is not true with the most fundamental cultural totem in our society today: the fundamental truth about human biological facts.

George Washington University’s Hillel is in the process of selecting a new student president. It seeks candidates who possess a “strong sense of Jewish Self” and are “willing to support others in building their own sense of Jewish self-confidence” – sensible traits for a potential Hillel president. Unfortunately, the Biden administration appears poised to repeal federal rules that ensure that religious groups like Hillel have the right to choose leaders possessing such characteristics.