lisasharkey

Two years ago today, October 7, 2023, I lay in bed, paralyzed by grief, my heart shattered by the atrocities unfolding in Israel. I felt as though I was suffocating as news of unimaginable violence poured in. I wept for the lives lost, the families torn apart, and the hostages. Worse still was the silence from those I once called friends. Silence is not neutrality. But from that darkness, resolve flickered. As a @HarperCollins book publisher, I vowed to amplify a voice of truth, resilience, and hope. I didn't know whose voice it would be at that time but the voice turned out to be that of Eli Sharabi, a former hostage whose story demanded testimony. Today, on the second anniversary of that harrowing day, his book Hostage went on sale, a testament to survival and the human spirit. Tonight, we filled one of America’s largest synagogues, Temple Emanu-El on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, with over 2,000 souls. From MSNBC to NPR, from Fox News to The New York Times, The Washington Post to The Free Press, his words have reached millions, cutting through the noise of division and indifference. It’s overwhelming, humbling, and yet profoundly reassuring. Eli says, “Hope is a muscle, and it needs to be exercised.” Today, we flexed that muscle together, lifting it high in defiance of hate, in celebration of resilience, and in commitment to a better tomorrow.

@NotifyNYC @FDNY Is there an update on this?

.@FDNY Activity: Expect traffic delays, road closures, mass transit disruptions & emergency personnel near West 72nd Street & Broadway, Manhattan. Use alternate routes.

She can write her own story - she can dance her own dance - she can flip the script - and she can surely wow a crowd. She's THAT GIRL. To see how much her confidence has grown since being on Dancing with the Stars is amazing and she was already SO incredible. The sky is the limit for #jordanchiles @ChilesJordan

Eli Sharabi, who was held hostage in Gaza: "I was treated worse than animal. NO ONE in Gaza helped me. The civilians saw us suffering and they cheered our kidnappers. They were DEFINITELY INVOLVED. My wife and daughters were murdered" This must go viral. The truth must be seen.

As Zohran Mamdani continues executing his agenda, this account is highlighting EVERY part of his administration. I need YOUR help to spread the word and expose his actions. Like, follow and retweet to help us reach 50,000.

Wow. Douglas Murray. A single minute. Give yourself a single minute to listen to this. This man is something else 👏🏽

Why did you delete this @ZohranKMamdani It was a brave message to make NYC jews feel safe. Deleting it on the other hand sends a VERY. CLEAR. MESSAGE. You could be a uniter. Instead you are a dogwhistling-radical behind deniability and a mask of spite and a snake smile

We are all so proud of you!

104 year old World War 2 Veteran Dominick Critelli performed the National Anthem on the saxophone at tonight’s game!

This is the best!

@Mr_Husky1 This is beautiful ❤️

"My name's Claudette. I'm 71. I drive the number 9 school bus, same route for sixteen years. Pick up kids at 7 a.m., drop them at school, repeat at 3 p.m. Most days it's just noise, backpacks, and asking kids to sit down forty times. But I see patterns. Like the boy in seat 14 who started getting on with wet hair every morning. Then soaking wet clothes. Then barefoot one day in October. I pulled over. "Sweetie, where are your shoes?" He looked down, embarrassed. "Water got shut off at home. Can't shower. My shoes got moldy." Nine years old. Walking to the bus stop barefoot because his single dad lost his job and couldn't pay the water bill. I drove to Walmart after my route. Bought him shoes. Size 3. Left them on his seat the next morning with a note, "Found these on the bus. Must be yours." He wore them every day after that. But then I noticed others. Girl wearing the same stained shirt three days straight. Boy who never brought lunch, stomach growling so loud I could hear it from the driver's seat. Kids who smelled unwashed, kids with holes in their backpacks. So I started keeping things on the bus. A plastic bin under my seat. Clean socks. Granola bars. Soap. Deodorant. Hair ties. School supplies. I'd leave items on seats like I "found" them. Kids would take them quietly, never asking questions. Parents started noticing. One mom stopped me. "My daughter came home with new crayons. She said you found them on the bus." I nodded. "Lost and found." She cried. "We can't afford school supplies right now. Thank you for not making her feel poor." Word spread somehow. Other parents started leaving things. Backpacks. Jackets. Lunch boxes. "For the bus lost and found," they'd say. I'd distribute them to kids who needed them. Then something bigger happened. The boy with the shoes, his name's Tyler, his dad got hired at a factory. First paycheck, he brought me $40. "For the lost and found," he said. "So other kids can find things too." Now there's a whole system. A "bus pantry" at the school. Supplied by families who can, used by families who can't. No applications. No proof of need. Kids just take what they need from the bin, like finding lost items. Other bus drivers started doing it. Twelve drivers in the district now. Feeding kids. Clothing kids. Giving them dignity disguised as coincidence. I'm 71. I drive a yellow bus full of loud children. But I learned this, poverty rides the school bus every single day. It sits in seat 14, seat 22, seat 7. And most people never see it because hungry kids get really good at hiding. So pay attention. On buses, in classrooms, at pickup lines. Some child is barefoot. Some child is hungry. Some child needs someone to "find" exactly what they're missing. Stock a bin. Leave supplies. Make poverty look like luck. Because no child should feel ashamed for needing shoes." . Let this story reach more hearts.... . Credit - unknown

41-year old Lindsey Vonn has qualified for her FIFTH Olympic Games in the downhill discipline. Vonn ended a five-year retirement in November 2024 to pursue her Olympic return.

We see you. We appreciate you. We thank you.

Happy Hanukkah!

@HenMazzig Thank you for always shining so brightly!

This Hanukkah felt heavy, a weight we all carried together. But it also served as a profound reminder. Although many consider Hanukkah a minor holiday, it sends a major message. For centuries, Jews have been outnumbered and outgunned—yet no matter how hard it gets, we stand up, stay true to who we are, and survive. In times of darkness, these flickering flames remind us that our light isn't just a tradition; it’s an act of resilience for generations. I’m recommitting to that light, and I hope we all do the same, all year round. 🕎✨✡️

The universe is handing us a sign on this eighth night of #Chanukah which this year falls squarely on the winter solstice . As the last flames of the festival of lights flicker and fade, the days will start growing longer again. And through this deepest, darkest, #solstice, with almost no moon in the sky, the Ursid #meteor shower will streak through the atmosphere, creating beautiful dances of light across the void. I want to believe there's always hope breaking through. We're all staring up at the same stars, connected by way more than what divides us. So let's carry the Chanukah spirit all year and light up hearts with love, wishing only good things for our neighbors and friends, everywhere . Like the blessing we say over these candles: Blessed are You, who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days... at this time. May those #miracles of light keep the wonder alive even in our darkest moments. Photo from last year when we went on vacation and our menorah broke and we needed to improvise so that night the Banana Menorah was born ! 🕎🌌☄️

Happy Hanukkah!

Great job dominating the news cycle. #JournalismMatters honored to be your publisher. @HarperCollins #harperinfluence

The Australian government failed to confront the threat of antisemitism with the seriousness it deserves, and more than a dozen Jews are now dead. We cannot allow that failure to be repeated in our city. New York’s next mayor must clearly define antisemitism and preserve the safeguards we have put in place to protect our Jewish community.

Happy Hanukkah!

“If you think this is a Jew problem, you are mistaken…. They want to destroy our entire way of life, and it will take a collective response to defeat this.” Australian television presenter @Erin_Molan on yesterday’s barbaric attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.