David Schraub

At 39, it’s rare for me to hear a new mispronunciation of my name, so congrats to KLM for hitting me with “Skrobe.”

I really wish we could make the necessary and important point about how much hateful Islamophobia is being directed at Mamdani without saying, "Actors could never get away with saying it about the Jews!"

Because, you know, Mel Gibson still gets plenty of work.

Anyway, in conclusion my view is that while there are valid reasons to be concerned about Mamdani, he is clearly superior to Cuomo and I really wish the valid concerns weren’t overshadowed by existential doom-mongering.

OTOH, his answer to the Q about the Pakistan Day celebration (vs the Israel parade) was an obvious dodge (probably bc I don’t think he has a good answer on it and it simply does reveal an area where his nominal “equal rights for all people—everywhere” principle does not guide him consistently).

The JTA Q&A with Zohran Mamdani: 'I don't begrudge folks who are skeptical of me' - Jewish Telegraphic Agency The NYC mayoral candidate weighs in on synagogue safety, divestment from Israel, Hanukkah movies and more.

The interview @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social did with JTA is really interesting reading.

On the plus side, there’s a core empathy there, including for those “skeptical” of him, that’s really refreshing to see. That sort of openness should be rewarded, not punished.

I'm flying out Monday/arriving on Tuesday/talking Wednesday/leaving Thursday, so it is 50/50 whether I'll remember any of the trip, but it should be interesting!

I think I may have a couple of Swedish followers?

Anyway, if you happen to be in Stockholm this week, I'm keynoting the Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism's annual conference on Wednesday (9:45 AM).

Zohran Mamdani campaigned a lot and appears not to hate the voters whose support he's seeking. Here's what other Democrats can learn from his unorthodox strategy.

Old and busted: “A computer can never be held accountable, therefore a computer must never make a management decision.”

New hotness: “A computer can never be held accountable, therefore a computer should make all the management decisions.”

Here too, Jonathan Greenblatt believes we should extend “a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath.”

I’m imagining you time-traveling back to comfort your past self:

“Nothing could be worse than this!”

[future you]: “Um, I guess I have good news about that ….”

Fun discovery of the day: Nathaniel is INTO limes.

A little tanginess won’t stop him!

Sorry to Canada once again.

18 innings LETS DO IT!!!

The Enthusiasm of a Man Child As I approach forty years old, it is natural to reflect on what one gains, and loses, by aging. It is, of course, cliche for a forty-somethi...

A few reflections on retaining the enthusiasm of a child, even as an adult.

Sounds like @kenwhite.bsky.social “doctrine of the preferred first speaker” territory (though here ironically it’s speaker #2 applying it to speaker #3).

I wasn’t too far ahead of the curve here, but I still give myself credit for this.

'They’ll never find me as long as I’m smart,' wrote St. Paul man charged in anti-LGBTQ vandalism spree Ramsey County prosecutors on Wednesday charged a self-described “right wing libertarian” in connection with a summertime vandalism spree in St. Paul that targeted LGBTQ+ Pride flags and anti-Trump sig...

A+++++ headline writing here.

Community meme where Britta says "I can excuse racism, but I draw the line at turning on Israel" and Shirley replies "You can excuse racism?"

The Jewish establishment center, re: Heritage giving its blessing to Nick Fuentes.

As the Heritage Foundation gives its, er, hechsher to Nick Fuentes as a legitimate part of the conservative movement (including his rabid anti-Zionism), I suspect many Jewish orgs who'd been excusing right-wing hate because "at least they support Israel" will speak out.

It'll be too late.

(See What If #20) what-if.xkcd.com/20/

The "Oh-My-God" particle was moving so fast that it packed the equivalent kinetic energy of a baseball into a single particle (either a proton or an iron ion).

My question for @xkcd.com is, if that particle happened to pass through me would it feel like an invisible baseball smacked me in the head?

I am torn between feeling a smidge of relief that some of these people are finally coming out of denial re the ascendence of right-wing antisemitism, and a much larger feeling that these people were and are the dumbest people on the planet thinking far-right politics somehow wouldn't go after Jews.

Old and busted: "No Kings".

New hotness: Kings are somehow doing a better job imposing accountability for abuse than we are.

ADL removes ‘Protect Civil Rights’ from website as it narrows its mission amid right-wing attacks - Jewish Telegraphic Agency The removal took place after FBI Director Kash Patel said he would cut ties with the ADL, though it is unclear if that has happened.

Here's a hell of a juxtaposition:

"The Anti-Defamation League has removed entirely from the 'What We Do' page of its website a section called 'Protect Civil Rights.'"

and

An ADL spokesman described the eliminated material as "clearly no longer relevant or reflective of ADL’s work today.”

Appreciate the solidarity from two of Abughazaleh's political opponents, Evanston Mayor @danielbiss.bsky.social and Illinois State Senator @laurafine4congress.bsky.social. We must stick together against an authoritarian administration that seeks to terrorize our neighbors and silence dissent.

Today it’s Kat. Tomorrow it could be any one of us. This administration wants to rob us of our empathy - to make us afraid to fight for one another.

Your Guide to the Arnold Creek Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon - City Cast Portland Arnold Creek is a Portland neighborhood that you may never have heard of — maybe because it’s just barely inside city limits in Southwest. It’s a little like the suburbs — or the more rural parts of t...

I have no beef with Arnold Creek, but I have to note that most of the “in the neighborhood” spots are actually in *my* neighborhood of West Portland Park, which is the next neighborhood west, and if you “may never have heard of” Arnold Creek, you definitely have never heard of West Portland Park.

If I were Susan Collins' press secretary, I'd fit her with a shock collar set to go off if she ever uttered the word "concerned".