Opinion

The devastating flash floods that struck Kerr County, Texas, on July 4 left a trail of destruction, claiming over 50 lives and leaving dozens of girls missing. As rescue efforts continue and communities grapple with the aftermath, the political discourse surrounding the disaster has taken an all-too-predictable turn. Democrats and left-leaning commentators have seized the opportunity to pin the blame on former President Donald Trump, weaving a narrative that ties the flooding to his administration’s policies on climate change and FEMA funding. The rhetoric is more akin to religious doctrine than legitimate criticism or reporting.

In a stirring demonstration of American–Israeli unity and determination, innovators, policymakers, investors, and academics gathered in Manhattan for Hack the Hate: Innovating Against Antisemitism in the Digital Age. Held on June 18, this high-impact event spotlighted cutting-edge technologies and transformative partnerships designed to counter the alarming surge in antisemitic violence, hate speech, and digital disinformation.

A city that was a center of culture, finance, and political power, with a large and thriving Jewish community, elected an anti-Semitic mayor. The impact on two residents of that city would change the Jewish world forever. What are the lessons we can learn from that today?

At 4 o’clock in the afternoon, my wife and I gathered along with several thousand other Rehovotites to pay our final respects to Sergeant Ronal Ben Moshe. Ronal fell with six of his comrades in the Israel Defense Corps Battalion 605, part of the 188th Brigade Combat Team, fighting to detoxify Gaza from the curse of Hamas. Like most of the attendees, we didn’t know Ronal personally. Nevertheless, he was our child. We learned about the strength, wit, energy, heroism, and big smile that characterized this 20-year-old. Our eyes glistened as we listened to his officers, father, brother, sisters, and many friends eulogize him. His loss is devastating to his loved ones, and every one of us shares in their grief.

At a recent meeting of Queens Jewish community activists, the conversation focused on Zohran Mamdani’s Democratic mayoral primary victory last month, how many votes it would take to defeat him in the November general election, and overcoming the reluctance of many Orthodox Jews to register as Democrats.

The victory of Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democratic Primary is the culmination of a decade-long parasitic takeover by socialists of one of the two major political parties in the country. This did not happen overnight, and it won’t be defeated overnight. This transformation—marked by a surge in far-left extremism—has alienated many voters, yet empowered divisive figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and set the stage for a potential AOC presidential run in 2028.