The Forward

No Jews allowed: White supremacists are building a segregated community in Arkansas, but is it legal? Return to the Land is creating whites-only housing communities, with the aim of putting land “back under the control of Europeans.”

We first reported in June about Return to the Land’s hopes of replicating its whites-only settlements across the country, with the stated aim of “trying to put land back under the control of Europeans.”

That whites-only, no Jews allowed Arkansas community is legal, says state’s attorney general. How? The Arkansas whites-only Return to the Land Ozarks community that bans Jews is legal according to Tim Griffin.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said Thursday that ‘Return to the Land’, which bars non-whites and Jews from membership in its northern Arkansas living community, doesn’t violate state or federal law.

Over the years, there's been a ton of excellent reporting on the Anti-Defamation League. Three reporters have been particularly informative:

* @arnorosenfeld.bsky.social and @jacobkornbluh.bsky.social of @forward.com.

* Alex Kane of @jewishcurrents.bsky.social.

The horror in Gaza is a catastrophe for Jews — this Tisha B'av must be a reckoning Tisha B'av, which begins Saturday night, commemorates catastrophes that have befallen Jews. But this year, we are victimizers, not victims.

"This year is different. Jews are not the victims. We are the victimizers," writes David N. Myers on Tisha B'av. "And we must add the devastation of Palestinian life wrought by Israel in retribution for Oct. 7 to the list of catastrophes we mourn."

German top diplomat urges talks on recognizing Palestine as he visits Israel, West Bank ***

Germany’s foreign minister said that negotiations for the recognition of a Palestinian state should start immediately, saying that “a negotiated two-state solution remains the only path that can offer people on both sides a life in peace, security and dignity.”

From @haaretzcom.bsky.social:

On first glance, Columbia's new student survey makes it seem like they have an antisemitism *and* Islamophobia crisis on campus 🧵

From Shabbat dinners to 'Talmudic discourse': Jewish women killed in NYC shooting leave legacies of faith and family Wesley LePatner and Julia Hyman were honored in separate memorial services at Central Synagogue this week.

Two Jewish women, 43-year-old Wesley LePatner and 27-year-old Julia Hyman, are being remembered at separate memorial services at Central Synagogue in Manhattan this week after being killed in a shooting Monday.

Ukraine in the words of a murdered Yiddish poet In June, a book festival in Kyiv featured a discussion titled “Yiddish as a Ukrainian Language”

My small contribution to writing on Ukraine, published thanks to the @forward.com At the end you can also read my translation of Dovid Hofshteyn’s poem “Ukraine”

forward.com/yiddish-worl...

Liam Elkind says he ranked Mamdani 5th in the mayor's race because of "globalize the intifada," while Nadler quickly endorsed Mamdani following the primary and in general has been pretty progressive on Israel — at least by Congressional standards

A young Jewish organizer takes on Jerry Nadler in a generational challenge Liam Elkind, a liberal Zionist and progressive, campaigns for Congress in a style similar to Zohran Mamdani.

.@jacobkornbluh.bsky.social profiles a 26-year-old who wants to primary Jerry Nadler seemingly from the right (at least on Israel)

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A young Jewish organizer takes on Jerry Nadler in a generational challenge Liam Elkind, a liberal Zionist and progressive, campaigns for Congress in a style similar to Zohran Mamdani.

Liam Elkind, a 26-year-old activist known for co-founding a pandemic-era nonprofit that delivered food and essentials to struggling New Yorkers, is launching a bold primary challenge against Rep. Jerry Nadler, the 78-year-old dean of New York’s Jewish political establishment.

I have the answer to Jon Stewart’s toughest question about Israel Jon Stewart asked Peter Beinart how to discuss Israel with friends who disagree with you. I know the answer.

The way to have a constructive dialogue with Jews — or anyone — about Israel, according to @foodaism.bsky.social, is simply to ask one question: “What do you want?”

Recognizing a Palestinian state is a great way to doom Palestinians France and the United Kingdom intend to recognize a Palestinian state. It's too early for that to help Palestinians.

In recognizing a Palestinian state, our columnist @dan-perry.bsky.social argues that France and the United Kingdom risk reviving Hamas, and hardening Israeli resistance to any future deal.

Liam Elkind, a Jewish 26-year-old organizer, announces bid against 78-year-old Rep. Jerry Nadler, co-chair of the Jewish Caucus, in next year's primary.

His launch video echoes the style of Zohran Mamdani’s campaign clips.

Nadler is running for an 18th term.

Also in Zenith Research/Public Progress Solutions poll:

Mamdani has 43% of the Jewish vote, including 67% among younger Jewish voters aged 18-44.

Cuomo at 26%, and 33% among Conservative/Orthodox Jews.

Adams at 15% with Jews, at 27% with Con/Ortho.

Mamdani has 21% among Ortho.

(Sample 152 LV)

NYC mayor's race poll by Zenith Research/Public Progress Solutions:

Mamdani at 50% in a 5-person race. Cuomo at 22%.

Mamdani has a 52-40 lead over Cuomo in a head-to-head matchup and 59-32 vs. Adams.

How Jon Stewart evolved on Israel — at least on ‘The Daily Show’ Have Jon Stewart's views on Israel changed, or has the culture surrounding him given him permission to say how he really feels?

In just over a decade, Jon Stewart — like much of the Jewish left — moved from light critique to the point where, this week, following statements from Jewish leaders and the Reform movement over reports of starvation in Gaza, he all but said that Israel was committing genocide.

'I was first and foremost Jewish,' said Wesley LePatner, killed in NYC shooting Wesley LePatner, killed in NYC shooting at Blackstone, was a board member at UJA-Federation of NY, Heschel School, and a synagogue member.

Wesley LePatner, an executive at Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust and a Jewish communal leader, was among the victims of a shooting in Midtown Manhattan on Monday.

A look at 'Project Esther' and Trump's approach to combat antisemitism on campus The Trump administration has launched investigations into colleges and universities. The White House accuses the schools of not doing enough to combat antisemitism on campus. Last week, Columbia Unive...

📺 I joined @aliroginpbs.bsky.social on @pbsnews.org last night to talk about Project Esther and how it relates to the Trump administration's approach to antisemitism

www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

Mamdani’s criticism of Israel and support for Palestinians attracted voters, new poll shows Zohran Mamdani's support of Palestinian rights and criticism of Israel swayed voters in the Democratic mayoral primary, a new poll finds.

Post-primary poll by Data for Progress suggests Mamdani’s criticism of Israel, support for Palestinians attracted voters

78% of Dem voters agreed with Mamdani’s belief that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza and 63% back his pledge to arrest Netanyahu. forward.com/fast-forward...

Is starvation in Gaza really Israel's fault? The facts are clear Rising starvation in Gaza may have a number of factors. But Israel's wartime policies on humanitarian aid are inarguably among them.

For @forward.com, I wrote about how we know that Israel has been withholding food as a military tactic because Israeli officials have said versions of “we are withholding food as a military tactic” for the entirety of the war and pretending otherwise is willful ignorance forward.com/opinion/7586...

Mamdani’s criticism of Israel and support for Palestinians attracted voters, new poll shows Zohran Mamdani's support of Palestinian rights and criticism of Israel swayed voters in the Democratic mayoral primary, a new poll finds.

A new poll from a progressive research group that accurately predicted Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral primary victory found that his criticism of Israel resonated with an overwhelming majority of Democratic voters and may have helped mobilize a wave of first-time and younger supporters.

He grew up Christian. Now he’s sleeping in the synagogue that sparked his conversion. Austin Albanese grew up in Lancaster, Ohio, after B’nai Israel, the only synagogue, closed. It sparked questions that led to conversion.

As a Christian boy in Lancaster, Ohio, he used to walk past a shuttered synagogue. Decades later, as a Jewish man, he booked a stay in it — now a five-star Airbnb.

@benyamincohen.bsky.social tagged along to see the old sanctuary where history, memory, and one man’s faith quietly converged.

In my daily newsletter: How a defunct synagogue – now an Airbnb – sparked a Christian boy’s conversion

Israel pauses fighting to let in aid to Gaza • New episode of Fox reality show featured surprisingly authentic representation of Orthodox Judaism • and much more

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🚨 Rep. Ritchie Torres calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza (min. 05:27):

“I think there’s a real need to end the war, secure the release of the hostages, bring humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in distress… facilitate a new form of Palestinian self-governance in Gaza.”

3 U.S. Reps, top NYC officials, 39 NY legislators and 11 Councilmembers join New York AG Tish James’ call for an immediate”lasting diplomatic solution” in Gaza to allow “sustained, unrestricted humanitarian aid” into the strip.

  “There is no military solution to this crisis.”

Trump administration promotes official with history of antisemitic ties to lead U.S. peace efforts Darren Beattie, once fired and blasted for speaking at white nationalist event, appointed as acting president of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Darren Beattie, a Jewish senior State Department official previously ousted from the Trump White House for attending a white supremacist event, has now been named acting president of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Undocumented people need Jewish allies. Why can't they find them? Undocumented people in the United States are under siege by Trump's administration. Where is the Jewish outrage?

"Again and again, Jews have moved where they were not supposed to be. What is now called 'illegal immigration' was, for many of our ancestors, the only option. And, in many places and for many peoples, it still is," writes Analucía Lopezrevoredo.

Josh Weinberg, @reformjudaism.bsky.social's VP for Israel, says the despite "unspeakable starvation and senseless killing" in Gaza, people should not use the term "genocide" and instead "put ourselves in the place of hostage family members."

arza.org/a-hard-recko...

NJ lawmakers advance bill defining antisemitism after hours of testimony • New Jersey Monitor During a rare return from summer recess, legislators heard hours of debate on a controversial bill to adopt a state definition of antisemitism.

Read more about what happened yesterday in Trenton from @newjerseymonitor.com: