A large group of clergy men and women, representing Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities, are traveling to Texas to help separated immigrant families. 10 of these good folks are rabbis, with all 4 of the Jewish movements represented. 

The purpose of their trip is to observe, assist, and peacefully protest this terrible situation that involves over 2,000 children. Since the policy of breaking up families at the border has been recently changed, I’m hopeful things will turn around for the better.

We have a huge immigration problem, that’s for sure, but we must take a compassionate approach to fixing it. It is a felony to enter the country illegally and we can’t continue to have such chaos; however, we also need to provide safe haven when appropriate to refugees and others who are truly in fear for their lives. 

Everyone that enters illegally is entitled to a hearing. That is only fair. Some detainees languish for years before the court can even see them. There are numerous cases of children being abused and assaulted as they wait, without any adult to care for them. Allowing children to stay with a relative in a family detention center is a much safer and more humane option and the cost is no greater. I would also like to see more care being provided for the disabled and special needs individuals. 

Those of us who are lucky enough to be born American citizens should never take that privilege for granted. Our ancestors struggled so we could have a better life. All of my great grandparents and one of my grandmothers was an immigrant. My family has been here since the early 1900’s and I am so grateful every single day.

I can certainly understand why other people are willing to risk their lives and their children’s lives to get here. I try to put myself in their shoes and consider how they’re feeling before condemning them. America is the best place on earth; a lot want to be here. Can we take everyone? Unfortunately, no, but we do have room for legal immigrants, especially ones who can benefit the country with their skills. (Obviously, there must be a vetting process to keep out criminals and terrorists, but there is nothing wrong with bringing in good families.) 

There is no quick fix to illegal immigration. Pretending it will magically go away is foolish. We can enforce the law without being cruel. We must take a biblical approach, focused on the God-given humanity of every person, rather than a hard-hearted one of extreme punishment and separation.

The evil entity known as  Jewish Voice for Peace is still up to their dirty tricks; the latest victim is the Durham, North Carolina City Council. The Tower just published part one of a 3-part series that documents this outrage. It is truly horrifying to see public officials specifically targeted with lies in an attempt to discriminate against the Jewish community and Israel!

Along with their typical Anti-Semitic and Anti-Zionist propaganda, JVP spread a rumor that the Durham police were training in Israel because it “helps the police terrorize Black and Brown communities here in the U.S.” (I don’t understand what that’s supposed to mean, because Israel is NOT racist at all, but whatever.)

6 of the 7 City Council members, who should be aware of what’s happening in their own city, signed a petition to ban training in Israel. One big problem: the training never happened. Talk about uniformed and lazy officials who don’t even bother to fact check before voting. 

Durham’s Mayor fast-tracked the petition before summer vacation, pandering to college students who are puppets of JVP, when he should’ve been more concerned with full-time residents and with following standard city procedure. 

The main goal of all this insanity was, of course, to push Durham to adopt a BDS resolution—something I am sad to say has happened. It so tragic, so unnecessary and so shameful that the BDS terror campaign continues, despite tons of real and honest coverage that proves BDS is nothing more than an anti-Israel hate campaign designed to bankrupt the country and its citizens. 

I’m eager to read the rest of the series and encourage everyone else to follow along. We can not allow city and state governments to be hoodwinked by radical fringe groups whose only goal is to create chaos and bitterness. 

Jewish Voice for Peace is NOT a Jewish group. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: they are a sick bunch of lunatics who must be legally stopped from spreading their poison.

A 50-member Jewish group in Sweden has been forced to disband after relentless Neo-Nazi threats and attacks. The police, who claim they can’t find the culprits—perhaps they don’t want to?—have offered little help, despite four years of constant abuse. Offenses include swastika graffiti, broken windows, trespassing at the homes of members, and a picture of Adolf Hitler hung in the building where the group worshipped. 

Chairwoman Carinne Sjoberg said that everyone in the community, who are mostly Israelis connected to the university, is terrified, adding: “My mother and father are Holocaust survivors…it was like stepping into their shoes in the 1930’s.”

Think about how surreal it must be for that poor lady! The child of survivors, literally in fear for her life, that it could happen all over again. Just sickening and so unjust!

This is part of a troubling pattern of anti-Semitism in Scandinavia. In 2015, there was a shooting at the Copenhagen synagogue and Norway has the dubious distinction of being known as the most anti-Semitic country in the West. Iceland’s shameful ban on circumcision, coupled with Sweden’s indifference to hate crimes, demonstrates an on-going effort to humiliate and hurt the Jewish community—on purpose.  

Even the famous and influential are not exempt. Actor Kim Bodnia, who starred on “The Bridge” TV show, was driven out of Malmo, Sweden. If he feels unsafe, to the point of leaving a hit role, how could the average citizen not be afraid? 

The rest of the world, particularly America and Israel, needs to put serious pressure on these governments to take action now. Victims are being blamed instead of criminals, told that they should just move away. That is not the answer! Let the ones responsible go to jail, rather than telling good citizens to leave their own country. We are supposed to be a society of human rights, a fair legal system, and protection from discrimination. In Scandinavia, none of those basic freedoms exist anymore, and that is a crying shame. 

Riding a NYC subway can be an unpleasant experience, particularly when it’s overcrowded. One angry lady’s rant, over a lack of seating, was so unhinged, it went viral on Twitter. 

The lady, who happens to be black, took offense when another black lady with 3 children were forced to stand because other riders didn’t offer them a seat. An Orthodox Jewish man asked her to stop and that’s when it got nasty. 

Full details can be found here. In a nutshell, she claimed that if a Jewish family had needed a seat, it would’ve been provided, but the black family was being denied due to racism. (Clearly, not the case.) Towards the end of her outburst, she claimed that “your people treat my people differently in our community,” meaning that she feels Jews discriminate against blacks in their shared neighborhoods.

While I find her behavior horrendous and totally unnecessary, it’s the last part that really worries me because it demonstrates that tension between the two groups continues to persist. I’m old enough to remember the 1991 riots in Crown Heights that were sparked by a Jewish man accidently running over a black child with his van. The amount of violence and hatred that was sparked from that one incident, decades ago, is still simmering and a lot of folks don’t want to talk about the deep wounds that never healed. 

In Brooklyn and the Bronx, where the Orthodox and blacks live together, they are in close proximity, but rarely mix. It’s terrible to see such fear and anger, on both sides. I’m truly afraid that somebody could be seriously injured or killed from this feud that just will not end.

We do have a problem with prejudice in America; I’m willing to recognize that. Racism and anti-Semitism are both awful and nobody should be discriminated against. But we need to be reasonable and look at the circumstances before accusing someone else of being hateful. Preferring to sit down instead of stand on a subway has nothing to do with prejudice and everything to do with comfort. Sure, it would’ve been courteous to offer up a seat, but it’s not a legal requirement. Unfortunately, the days of chivalry are behind us and it seems like even pregnant ladies, the elderly, and small kids aren’t accommodated. 

The man who taped this incident now says he regrets posting it. I think it’s a good lesson for everyone to remember that there is no privacy in a public place. We need to be careful about the words we choose. Any conversation can become a viral video and that’s a double-edged sword. Perhaps the lady who started all this nonsense will do some soul searching within her own heart, rather than pretending she knows what’s inside the heart of another. Calling someone a racist is a very serious charge and it should never be made lightly.