Elon Musk’s X’s chatbot descended into full antisemite mode recently, a reflection, unfortunately, of where much of society stews today. To read more about the mindless mirror of malevolence, click here.
Category Archives: Journalism
Letter Published by The New York Times
To the Editor:
In his lengthy lamentation about Israel’s ostensible descent into genocide, Omer Bartov somehow overlooks a most germane distinction between Israel’s war to vanquish an enemy bent on its destruction and murderous campaigns like those that took place in Bosnia, Darfur, Armenia, Rwanda and Cambodia — and certainly the one carried out by Nazi Germany.
How Israel is waging its war against an enemy that has loudly declared its genocidal intentions is rightly open to criticism, and subject, too, to a reasoned defense. But it is a strange sort of “genocide” that can end immediately with the rulers of the attacked region simply laying down their arms, releasing those they kidnapped who are still alive and leaving the scene.
(Rabbi) Avi Shafran
Staten Island
Integrity and Ignominy
When Claire Shipman was appointed acting president of Columbia University, she pledged her “steadfast commitment to… integrity.”
Her score on that count is the subject of my most recent Ami column, which you can read here.
Mindless Maliciousness
There is a most worthy lawsuit in play, which you can read about here.
My Father’s Matzo
A Pesach-themed piece I wrote for the Boston Globe can be read here.
Silenced Voices
President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees American independent news outlets like Voice of America, was greeted with cheers in some circles. In others, not so much.
To read about the issue, please click here.
The Worst of Times
My lie-dar is well honed; it beeps when my eyes lay upon tendentious falsehoods in media reports.
To read of what set off some recent beeps, please click here.
Slippery Slur
Did you know that the Torah says to vote for Kamala Harris? Or that she’s a radical socialist? Me neither. And what “socialism” encompasses might surprise you. You can read my thoughts on the matter here.
Foodless in Gaza?
There’s something strange I’ve noticed in photos of Gazan civilians. To read what it is and what it seems to mean, please click here.
Saying the Loud Part Out Loud
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was born in Trenton, New Jersey, is 74 years old… and… sit down if you must… is a social conservative!
Who knew?
To read why I wax somewhat cynical regarding that revelation, click here.