Rabbi Yosef Goldman

As we’ve been saying: extremists are exploiting Israel/Gaza and the election to pit our communities against one another and undermine our democracy. It is a core white nationalist tactic. Don’t fall for it.

Straw donations are at the heart of the Adams indictment. @THECITYNY broke 2 huge stories about straw donors to his 2021 and 2025 campaigns. thecity.nyc/2023/08/18/eri…

This week marks the 33rd anniversary of the Crown Heights riots. It's one of those moments that altered the trajectory of New York City's history, and exposed glaring errors in how violence against Jews is treated - and perhaps more damningly, how the media (still) fails to understand it.

Jewish events at the DNC have been held at undisclosed locations under heavy security to protect them. This is why. Ironically, Agudath Israel is an organization that represents many non-Zionist Orthodox Jews and their event wasn't about Israel. Presumably, these protesters just followed visibly Jewish Jews to the venue and crashed their event. Ugly stuff by ignorant people who think they are the heroes of this story.

Ever seen a mixed Ethiopian and Yemenite Jewish henna? Take a break from the madness on here and enjoy this video taken by Aviraz Raz from 2021.

We don’t worship Baphomet, just his fashion sense.

הם טיפה קשורים להתיישבות כי הם מתנחלים, הם לא "עבריינים" אלא מחבלים, והם לא יטופלו על ידי רשויות האכיפה כי משטרת בן גביר לא נוגעת במתנחלים. ומראשיתה "ההתיישבות" לא התפתחה בצורה "חוקית וממלכתית". תמיד עברו על החוק ואף התגאו בכך. עכשיו כולנו אוכלים את מה שבישלתם

@ThePOTSPostman As someone who was developed chronic illness in high school and felt isolated for decades: take the time to connect with other folks with your illness, for practical support and also for emotional support and validation. They will see you fully, including with the illness. .

For those managing chronic illness, what’s one piece of advice you wish you had received earlier in your journey? Whether it’s about managing symptoms, navigating healthcare, mental health, or anything.

Good time to read my piece today on how Trump pretends to care about antisemitism when it can be blamed on the other political side, but looks the other way when it comes from his allies (and is far from alone in this): theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

@MyNameIsAviJ @MisfitTorah I mean, he was harassing not only the faculty and rashei Yeshiva but also the board of trustees. There must have been lawyers that could have presented him with an ultimatum with teeth.

@MyNameIsAviJ @MisfitTorah How was this malignancy allowed to continue for so long?

@MisfitTorah Cf. שישי of last week’s פרשה.

Five senior rabbis, including Israel's former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, published a video condemning visits by Jews to the Al-Aqsa/Temple Mount complex after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit on Tuesday haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

💥Ahead of the cabinet vote, Israel's attorney general warned ministers that Netanyahu's decree allowing him to handpick the next civil service commissioner is illegal and should not proceed. They approved his proposal unanimously. #roguestate #coup haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

-3 election deniers gained majority on GA state election board -On 8/3 Trump praised them at rally -On 8/6 board passed rule saying counties could only certify elections after "reasonable inquiry" -On 8/7 board reopened investigation into 2020 result in ATL Fulton County

Memo to the Trump campaign: The Swift Boat BS is a trick play run in the Super Bowl. Everyone knows about it now. You can’t just bust it out again and expect it to work the same way. I’ll tell you why.   1.    9/11 was 23 years ago, and the fear of a 9/11 world that existed in 2004 doesn’t bleed into everything anymore. As much as I wish national security motivated voter behavior like it once did, it doesn’t. (And if it did it would be muey bad for the guy who saluted the North Koreans and will do anything to sit next to Putin in the school cafeteria, but I digress.) 2.    John Kerry’s campaign was substantially reliant on his strength as a decorated Vietnam Veteran, and therefore his credibility to take on W was vulnerable to any attack – no matter how unfair and slanderous – on his military record. 3.    While I and many others admire John Kerry for his courage to come home and speak out against the Vietnam War, it was deeply polarizing to his own generation of veterans, and that resentment among some of his fellow veterans had been building toward him for decades by the time he ran in 2004. 4.    Kerry had been reluctant to release his military records. Tim Walz has been totally forthcoming and honestly I bet the dude would turn over his dental records, his step counter, and his screen time metrics if you asked. 5.    2004 was a different world, man. Anyone who questioned whether we should be in Iraq was said to be against the troops and even though W avoided Vietnam and had less than stellar attendance at his Air Guard unit, even an icon like Dan Rather had to resign after pursuing that story. I mean, the Dixie Chicks got canceled, and the Dixie Chicks are incredible! 6.    Tim Walz has released all his records, been very candid about what he did and didn’t do in the military, and has broad support from those he served with. Also, he’s running for Vice-President, not President, and it seems to me his time as a teacher, a coach, and a Governor is more central to his political identity and qualifications than his 24 years of service in the National Guard (which is admirable and impressive in and of itself by the way). 7.    Kerry was actively criticizing his opponent’s military record and inviting the world to decide the campaign at least in part based on the comparison. I have never heard either Kamala Harris or Tim Walz or any Democrat for that matter attack JD Vance’s military record. I served in Afghanistan with the Army, and it would never occur to me to criticize JD Vance’s service. Nor would Tim Walz ever do so. Vance served for 4 years and deployed to Iraq. Walz served for 24 years and was deployed to Europe to support active duty units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan (back then, prior to the optempo taking a toll on the active component, this is what the Guard was mostly doing at first). They should both be proud, and I’m sure that’s exactly how Tim Walz feels about it. 8.    We’ve learned a lot since 9/11, and one of the things we’ve learned is the danger of “gatekeeping” military service. At a time when suicide among veterans who served in combat zones and veterans or active duty troops who didn’t are both far too high, we’ve learned that reenforcing the inclination veterans have to compare their service to others and then think less of themselves … is dangerously harmful. I’m not kidding when I say we’ve learned that talking about Tim Walz the way JD Vance has been doing might actually do a lot of harm to the millions of servicemembers who completed their service without being deployed to a combat zone. It’s a dangerously cynical game and JD Vance knows better.  In conclusion: This attack isn’t about directly hurting the Harris/Walz ticket with actual voters. It’s a decoy, a running back throwing a pass or a punter throwing to a lineman. They’re counting on the media’s limited knowledge of how the military works to slow momentum and indirectly make voters think there’s a scandal. There isn’t.

Corporate media and press have tried desperately to find ANYTHING to return to "both sides" coverage so they've resorted to the swift boat lie. People have learned and adapted and won't tolerate this slander.

.@GovTimWalz is being called "Tampon Tim” as a slur, but it should be seen as a badge of honor. @NCJWMinnesota proudly led the effort to require tampons in every MN high school bathroom, since many cannot afford them. This law is an act of dignity, and other states should follow.

I wrote about how my psychedelic work is opening me up to my own pain and grief, as an abba, and as Someone Else’s son. shefaflow.org/our-blog/av-ho…

@academic_la It’s not just MAGA supporters. Progressives are painting this as a win for having convinced the party to dump Genocide Josh for a pro-ceasefire Walz.

As expected, MAGA is trying to paint appointing VP pick Tim Walz as anti-Israel and a surrender to the extreme left. Here are some quotes from the man himself. On October 7: "What was evident on Saturday morning was the absolute lack of humanity, the terrorism and the barbarism. That’s not a geopolitical discussion. That’s murder.” On the pro-Hamas demonstrations: "“I think when Jewish students are telling us they feel unsafe in that, we need to believe them, and I do believe them. Creating a space where political dissent or political rallying can happen is one thing. Intimidation is another.” On Zionism: "The ability of Jewish people to self-determine themselves is foundational. The failure to recognize the state of Israel is taking away that self-determination. So it is antisemitic.” If the extreme left supports this, that means they have become remarkably Zionist. Seriously, if we think this is not pro-Israel enough, we are being ridiculously self-entitled. Stop being pathetic.