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Gail Labovitz

@gailsl.bsky.social

That’s Rabbi Dr. Professor to you! Faculty (Rabbinic Literature and Halakhah) at the AJU/Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, and Conservative rabbi. she/her

546 Followers  |  242 Following  |  682 Posts  |  Joined: 21.08.2023
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Posts by Gail Labovitz (@gailsl.bsky.social)

Not naming names,,, but I googled ya worth

Not naming names,,, but I googled ya worth

So impressed and blessed for all the brands reaching out to support. thousand and more companies offered to donate product and my team gunna get to it. πŸ™πŸΎπŸ™πŸΎ

BUT if you a billion dollar company,,, we don’t want a product donation. We want you to sponsor these women + athletes. πŸ‘€

27.02.2026 14:33 β€” πŸ‘ 3781    πŸ” 688    πŸ’¬ 86    πŸ“Œ 105

The growth of Red-Brown politics (TYT talking about "goyim," Graham Platner boosting Stew Peters) will not be stemmed by saying they are "not real leftists." Even if you think they are not part of any meaningful left, they need to be fought by acknowledging they portray themselves as on the left.

26.02.2026 20:55 β€” πŸ‘ 405    πŸ” 102    πŸ’¬ 12    πŸ“Œ 12
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holeee shit.

quote tweeting Stew Peters is almost worse than the fucking tattoo

26.02.2026 17:31 β€” πŸ‘ 518    πŸ” 119    πŸ’¬ 32    πŸ“Œ 30

🧡 It would be easy to say something cynical/clever about right wing Jews failing to see that the movement that spurned Somalians, trans people, immigrants would eventually turn on them, but more than anything I find the "how could you" narrative of right wing Jews deeply sad and even tragic. 1/??

26.02.2026 21:57 β€” πŸ‘ 113    πŸ” 25    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 8

Here we have Graham Platner sharing content from Stew Peters, a virulently anti-Semitic streamer.

26.02.2026 21:41 β€” πŸ‘ 143    πŸ” 45    πŸ’¬ 20    πŸ“Œ 9
Post image 26.02.2026 20:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Democrats in four states seek to bar ICE employees from future civil service jobs Bills aim to make ICE employees ineligible for jobs in law enforcement, public education and state civil service

this is the way

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

26.02.2026 17:46 β€” πŸ‘ 2447    πŸ” 617    πŸ’¬ 31    πŸ“Œ 54
"Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, Members of the Committee... as a former Senator, I have respect for legislative oversight and I expect its exercise, as do the American people, to be principled and fearless in pursuit of truth and accountability.
As we all know, however, too often Congressional investigations are partisan political theater, which is an abdication of duty and an insult to the American people.
The Committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not.
As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that.
Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes. It's unfathomable that Mr. Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in 2008, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade.
Mr. Chairman, your investigation is supposed to be assessing the federal government's handling of the investigations and prosecutions of Epstein and his crimes. You subpoenaed eight law enforcement officials, all of whom ran the Department of Justice or directed the FBI when Epstein's crimes were investigated and prosecuted. Of those eight, only one appeared before the Committee. Five of the six former attorneys general were allowed to submit brief statements stating they had no information to provide.
You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today, despite espousing the need for transparency on dozens of occasions.
You have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files. And when you did, not a single Republican Member showed up for Les Wexner's deposition.
This institutio…

"Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, Members of the Committee... as a former Senator, I have respect for legislative oversight and I expect its exercise, as do the American people, to be principled and fearless in pursuit of truth and accountability. As we all know, however, too often Congressional investigations are partisan political theater, which is an abdication of duty and an insult to the American people. The Committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not. As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that. Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes. It's unfathomable that Mr. Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in 2008, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade. Mr. Chairman, your investigation is supposed to be assessing the federal government's handling of the investigations and prosecutions of Epstein and his crimes. You subpoenaed eight law enforcement officials, all of whom ran the Department of Justice or directed the FBI when Epstein's crimes were investigated and prosecuted. Of those eight, only one appeared before the Committee. Five of the six former attorneys general were allowed to submit brief statements stating they had no information to provide. You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today, despite espousing the need for transparency on dozens of occasions. You have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files. And when you did, not a single Republican Member showed up for Les Wexner's deposition. This institutio…

as the public who also want to get to the bottom of this matter. My heart breaks for the survivors. And I am furious on their behalf.
I have spent my life advocating for women and girls. I have worked hard to stop the terrible abuses so many women and girls face here and around the world, including human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual slavery. For too long, these have been largely invisible crimes or not treated as crimes at all. But the survivors are real and they are entitled to better.
In Southeast Asia, I met girls as young as twelve years old who were forced into prostitution and raped repeatedly. Some were dying of AIDS. In Eastern Europe, I met mothers who told me how they lost daughters to trafficking and did not know where to turn. In settings around the world, I met survivors trying to rebuild their lives and help rescue others - with little support from people in power, who too often turned a blind eye and a cold shoulder.
If you are new to this issue, let me tell you: Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he's far from alone. This is not a one-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal. It's a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll.
My work combatting sex trafficking goes back to my days as First Lady. I worked to pass the first federal legislation against trafficking and was proud that my husband signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which increased support for survivors and gave prosecutors better tools for going after traffickers.
As Secretary of State, I appointed a former federal prosecutor, Lou CdeBaca, to ramp up our global antitrafficking efforts. I oversaw nearly 170 anti-trafficking programs in 70 nations and directly pressed foreign leaders to crack down on trafficking networks in their countries. Every year we published a global report to shine a light on abuses. The findings of those reports triggered sanctions on countries failing to make progress, so they became a powerful diplomatic tool to drive concrete…

as the public who also want to get to the bottom of this matter. My heart breaks for the survivors. And I am furious on their behalf. I have spent my life advocating for women and girls. I have worked hard to stop the terrible abuses so many women and girls face here and around the world, including human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual slavery. For too long, these have been largely invisible crimes or not treated as crimes at all. But the survivors are real and they are entitled to better. In Southeast Asia, I met girls as young as twelve years old who were forced into prostitution and raped repeatedly. Some were dying of AIDS. In Eastern Europe, I met mothers who told me how they lost daughters to trafficking and did not know where to turn. In settings around the world, I met survivors trying to rebuild their lives and help rescue others - with little support from people in power, who too often turned a blind eye and a cold shoulder. If you are new to this issue, let me tell you: Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he's far from alone. This is not a one-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal. It's a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll. My work combatting sex trafficking goes back to my days as First Lady. I worked to pass the first federal legislation against trafficking and was proud that my husband signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which increased support for survivors and gave prosecutors better tools for going after traffickers. As Secretary of State, I appointed a former federal prosecutor, Lou CdeBaca, to ramp up our global antitrafficking efforts. I oversaw nearly 170 anti-trafficking programs in 70 nations and directly pressed foreign leaders to crack down on trafficking networks in their countries. Every year we published a global report to shine a light on abuses. The findings of those reports triggered sanctions on countries failing to make progress, so they became a powerful diplomatic tool to drive concrete…

Infuriatingly, the Trump Administration gutted the Trafficking in Persons Office at the State Department, cutting more than 70 percent of the career civil and foreign service experts who worked so hard to prevent trafficking crimes. The annual trafficking report, required by law, was delayed for months. The message from the Trump Administration to the American people and the world could not be clearer: combatting human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House.
That is a tragedy. It's a scandal. It deserves vigorous investigation and oversight.
A committee endeavoring to stopping human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008.
A committee run by elected officials with a commitment to transparency would ensure the full release of all the files.
It would ensure that the lawful redactions of those files protected the victims and survivors, not powerful men and political allies.
It would get to the bottom of reports that DOJ withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accuses President Trump of heinous crimes.
It would subpoena anyone who asked on which night there would be the "wildest party" on Epstein's island.
It would demand testimony from prosecutors in Florida and New York about why they gave Epstein a sweetheart deal and chose not to pursue others who may have been implicated.
It would demand that Secretary Rubio and Attorney General Bondi testify about why this administration is abandoning survivors and playing into the hands of traffickers.
It would seek out officers on the front lines of this fight and ask them what support they need.
It would put forth legislation to provide more resources and force this administration to act.
But that's not happening.

Infuriatingly, the Trump Administration gutted the Trafficking in Persons Office at the State Department, cutting more than 70 percent of the career civil and foreign service experts who worked so hard to prevent trafficking crimes. The annual trafficking report, required by law, was delayed for months. The message from the Trump Administration to the American people and the world could not be clearer: combatting human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House. That is a tragedy. It's a scandal. It deserves vigorous investigation and oversight. A committee endeavoring to stopping human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008. A committee run by elected officials with a commitment to transparency would ensure the full release of all the files. It would ensure that the lawful redactions of those files protected the victims and survivors, not powerful men and political allies. It would get to the bottom of reports that DOJ withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accuses President Trump of heinous crimes. It would subpoena anyone who asked on which night there would be the "wildest party" on Epstein's island. It would demand testimony from prosecutors in Florida and New York about why they gave Epstein a sweetheart deal and chose not to pursue others who may have been implicated. It would demand that Secretary Rubio and Attorney General Bondi testify about why this administration is abandoning survivors and playing into the hands of traffickers. It would seek out officers on the front lines of this fight and ask them what support they need. It would put forth legislation to provide more resources and force this administration to act. But that's not happening.

Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump's actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.
If this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.
If the majority was serious, it would not waste time on fishing expeditions. There is too much that needs to be done.
What is being held back? Who is being protected? And why the cover-up?
My challenge to you, Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, is the same challenge I put to myself throughout my long service to this nation. How to be worthy of the trust the American people have given you. They expect statesmanship, not gamesmanship. Leading, not grandstanding. They expect you to use your power to get to the truth and to do more to help survivors of Epstein's crimes as well as the millions more who are victims of sex trafficking."

Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump's actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers. If this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files. If the majority was serious, it would not waste time on fishing expeditions. There is too much that needs to be done. What is being held back? Who is being protected? And why the cover-up? My challenge to you, Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, is the same challenge I put to myself throughout my long service to this nation. How to be worthy of the trust the American people have given you. They expect statesmanship, not gamesmanship. Leading, not grandstanding. They expect you to use your power to get to the truth and to do more to help survivors of Epstein's crimes as well as the millions more who are victims of sex trafficking."

Here is Hillary Clinton’s opening statement to House Oversight on Epstein.

Clinton says she does not recall ever encountering Epstein and says she knew nothing about his crimes.

She also says that Trump should testify under oath and criticizes the committee for not holding any public hearings.

26.02.2026 16:30 β€” πŸ‘ 1787    πŸ” 623    πŸ’¬ 81    πŸ“Œ 102

It's just insane the degree to which the federal government has simply declared war on a U.S. state. A punitive war with no discernible objective other than to immiserate its people. bsky.app/profile/apne...

25.02.2026 22:05 β€” πŸ‘ 6674    πŸ” 2214    πŸ’¬ 229    πŸ“Œ 111
Screenshot of an X post by Tom Bonier stating that the β€œsave women’s sports” crowd has been quiet since Trump mocked the U.S. women’s hockey team, suggesting they don’t genuinely care about women’s sports.

Screenshot of an X post by Tom Bonier stating that the β€œsave women’s sports” crowd has been quiet since Trump mocked the U.S. women’s hockey team, suggesting they don’t genuinely care about women’s sports.

It’s never been about protecting women’s sports.

25.02.2026 23:30 β€” πŸ‘ 2881    πŸ” 533    πŸ’¬ 56    πŸ“Œ 16

@padilla.senate.gov
@schiff.senate.gov

FILIBUSTER!!!

25.02.2026 21:12 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Congressman Tony Gonzales must be forced to resign. Public pressure from the American people must rise to a fever pitch. More people must know about this. Tell someone. They must not be allowed to get away with sexually harassing a woman to death.

25.02.2026 20:51 β€” πŸ‘ 3234    πŸ” 983    πŸ’¬ 89    πŸ“Œ 37
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Protecting trans youth is a Jewish value, and healthcare is a human right. We will never stop working for a world where transgender, nonbinary, and intersex young people can be safely and joyfully themselves.

25.02.2026 19:06 β€” πŸ‘ 18    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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I know, reich?

25.02.2026 14:53 β€” πŸ‘ 4908    πŸ” 826    πŸ’¬ 315    πŸ“Œ 122
Is This Trump’s Biggest Scam Yet?
The Trump-Republican β€œBig Beautiful Bill” is actually a β€œBig Ugly Nightmare.”Much of what’s included in it will begin in Is This Trump’s Biggest Scam Yet?

Last night, Trump bragged about how he and Republicans "lifted" 2.4 million Americans off of food stamps.

The reality is that their Big Ugly Bill kicked 2.4 million hungry Americans, including many children, off of vital food assistance programs.

Here's what else it did.

25.02.2026 15:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1469    πŸ” 618    πŸ’¬ 51    πŸ“Œ 19
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Summers To Resign From Teaching Appointments, Relinquish University Professorship Over Epstein Ties | News | The Harvard Crimson Former Harvard President Larry Summers will resign from his academic and faculty appointments at Harvard at the end of the academic year, relinquishing his University Professorship β€” Harvard’s highest...

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"Former Harvard President Larry Summers will resign from his academic and faculty appointments at Harvard at the end of the academic year, relinquishing his University Professorship β€” Harvard’s highest faculty distinction β€” and remaining on leave until that time"

25.02.2026 16:22 β€” πŸ‘ 2025    πŸ” 414    πŸ’¬ 44    πŸ“Œ 134

We need to build coalitions and welcome people to overturn this nightmare, but also I don’t know how to react to people saying β€œI didn’t vote for *this*” when all along the info and warnings were right there that yes, this is exactly what you were voting for.

25.02.2026 16:27 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I think about this a lot. Dropping poll numbers and big shifts in election numbers across the country are a good thing, and yet… All of this was foreseeable if you were paying the least bit of attention during the first term or after, but he got the plurality of the vote anyway.

25.02.2026 16:25 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Would this be a detention by the same ICE agents who are known for grabbing parents and leaving young children, including toddlers, behind in cars?

25.02.2026 16:20 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

It was sad to see the men’s hockey team allowing themselves to be exploited by Trump and his fascist regime.

25.02.2026 13:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1121    πŸ” 178    πŸ’¬ 134    πŸ“Œ 16
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Oops…

25.02.2026 15:50 β€” πŸ‘ 1749    πŸ” 399    πŸ’¬ 123    πŸ“Œ 15

One day, at least some of these hockey players will have to explain to their children why they allowed themselves to be used by a fascist.

25.02.2026 02:26 β€” πŸ‘ 2432    πŸ” 343    πŸ’¬ 67    πŸ“Œ 20

Best of both worlds for Rep. Green - he got to make an important statement, and now he doesn't have to be there for any of the rest of it! Kudos!!!

25.02.2026 02:26 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The boys’ club: How Epstein’s influence shaped the exclusion of women in STEM In one email, an AI researcher suggested it’s β€œhard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you.”

β€œWe have this narrative that explicit misogyny is something from the ’50s and ’60s, and what we have now is like implicit bias and microaggressions… misogyny is still out there in science and in academia, it’s just perhaps behind closed doors.” 19thnews.org/2026/02/epst...

24.02.2026 13:59 β€” πŸ‘ 18    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 1

"attempt to entrap and then blackmail his own brother in law" is something of an understatement...

23.02.2026 21:39 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Truly a mystery

23.02.2026 20:47 β€” πŸ‘ 8631    πŸ” 2758    πŸ’¬ 422    πŸ“Œ 151

Feel like it's a run of bad luck for bari weiss how many of her friends and new contributors were tight with epstein.

23.02.2026 21:29 β€” πŸ‘ 404    πŸ” 54    πŸ’¬ 24    πŸ“Œ 4

Face eating leopards: Nom nom nom...

23.02.2026 21:22 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

A million people died

23.02.2026 16:37 β€” πŸ‘ 127    πŸ” 30    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 0

we literally had bodies stacked in refrigerator trucks, the sound of sirens tore through streets day and night, but sure, you do you

23.02.2026 16:36 β€” πŸ‘ 593    πŸ” 119    πŸ’¬ 27    πŸ“Œ 0