Snapshot

The list of non-Jews, non-Israelis and non-Palestinians who I won’t be taking guidance from about Judaism, Israel and anti-Semitism continues to grow. The newest addition: Melat Kiros. The Democratic nominee for Colorado’s Congressional District 1 joins a long list.

In the UK, broadcasters are not permitted to report on elections on election day itself. What a contrast from here, where for weeks I’ve been receiving regular reports from the Secretary of State on how many primary ballots have been returned. Some are very detailed — for example how many Democratic or Republican ballots have been returned. It feels like there’s an undercurrent there.

I never understood people who said Trump was Israel’s best friend. One thing we know about Donald Trump is that he is unreliable. Suddenly, for Israel’s “best friend,” uranium enrichment by Iran, a 747 from Qatar and cutting Israel out of Saudi-US engagement — all red lines for Israel and its allies — are on the table. With a best friend like this, who needs enemies?

The year I was a graduate student at the London School of Economics overlapped with the peak of pro-EU sentiment. It was the year of the single largest accession of 10 new member states. As a student of post-communist transition...

The problem with holding an industry conference in New York City is not mainly the high cost of hotel rooms or conference spaces. It’s the temptation of what’s happening outside. There is no way I could be in Manhattan for the annual American Jewish Press Assn. meeting without visiting family and friends.

“No offense[/dropcap] . . . ” “Fact is . . . ” “I’m sorry to say . . . ” “If I didn’t know better . . . ” Do you spot what these have in common? They are all clichés that mean the opposite of what they say.

When anti-Israel activists decided to protest an Israeli real estate expo outside a synagogue in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood, Ben Auerbach (grandson of the late Ralph and Carolyn) had a great response — energetically singing, dancing and proclaiming his faith in G-d and the Jewish people.

Last Sunday I had the pleasure and honor of speaking to the Ellis D. Greene Post #344 of the Jewish War Veterans, sharing with them my travels to Munich with members of the Colorado and Oklahoma National Guards for the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Dachau. If you’ve never been to a JWV meeting, I highly recommend it — what a respectful, knowledgeable and thoughtful group!

I like the confluence this year of Shavuot falling during Jewish American Heritage Month (inaugurated on the 350th anniversary of Jews arriving in New Amsterdam) — because the classic Shavuot cheesecake is actually an American invention. You know the one — smooth, dense, a light tang and absolutely decadent. A first bite that, like Proust’s Madeleines, is transportive. 

As[/dropcap] a self-confessed trainspotter, I wasn’t surprised by the lessons I gleaned about Israeli society from public transport (“Light rail, heavy lessons,” Snapshot, IJN, April 24). So too, riding the streetcars in the city of New Orleans.