1.Independence?

After almost 80 years of Israeli independence, the most recent one feels (to me at least) more like the first than any of the others. It is getting harder and harder to see the positives.

When 47 launched the war on Iran he did not ask America for permission. That said, he was elected by a majority of Americans and is the Commander in Chief and that is a local matter. When he launches or stops the Israeli army (like he did last week) or when he treats the Israeli Knesset as if it is an extension of Mar-A-Lago (as he has since Israel's last Independence Day) one could question that independence. I certainly do.

With that in mind here is Rosner's Yom Ha'Atzmaut special. "Many of the challenges facing Israel have not changed much in its nearly 80 years of existence. Names have been swapped, local and international players have come and gone and the global map has shifted more than once, but most of what troubles Israel’s captains today troubled them, in one way or another, in previous decades as well. A striking example is the insoluble tension between Israel’s need to lean on a great power and its desire to be as independent as possible.

"In this 78th year of Independence, it seems that only a few Israelis feel the state possesses full political and security liberty. They identify the American thumbprint on every act or omission of their government. When Trump says 'open fire,' they do. When he says 'hold fire,' they do it again. Airplanes up, airplanes down, now Iran, now Lebanon. Perhaps they imagine this is a new state of affairs – that there was never a dependency or a dictate quite like this. But this is not a new situation; it is merely a new player, Donald Trump, in whose time the dependency and especially the dictate is particularly conspicuous because, for him, policy is primarily about public performance. The situation itself is quite old: Israel has been shackled by a superpower since the day of its founding and has not broken free of it to this day." Read about the lengthy history in Jewish Journal's "Israel and America."

2.My Forverts @ 125

Not long after I joined the then newly launched English language Forward 35 years ago I proposed we have a 90th anniversary celebration. Low on subscribers and struggling for ad revenue and good PR, I thought it might help. Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins, legendary District Attorney Morgenthau and funny enough Gilbert Gotfried all came to our party at the office on 33rd and Park. They all talked about the building on the Lower East Side and how their parents (or grandparents) read Forverts. I was reminded of that when I read about this latest and much bigger anniversary. The print edition is long gone, but nothing will replace its historic standing.

"The year is 1897. Cuba is in the throes of a multi-year war of independence. Thomas Edison is patenting an early motion picture device. Two babies destined to change the world of entertainment — and rock iconic bowl cuts — are born into the world. This paper first arrived on the laps of Yiddish-speaking socialists in April of that year, and its headlines were animated by the events of the day. What follows is but a sampling of the Jewish happenings of 1897, from notable nativities to tragic massacres, both in the US and abroad." For an entertaining journal of highlights, check out The Forward's "The year was 1897. Here's what Jews were doing."

3.Robby's Darkness

"There’s an elegant symmetry running through the second season of the critically acclaimed medical drama The Pitt (HBO Max), one that sharpens into focus only in the final moments of the finale, which aired on last Thursday. Season Two opens with Dr. Michael 'Robby' Rabinovich (Noah Wyle) cutting through traffic on his motorcycle, sans helmet, headed for Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. At first it reads as adrenaline. By the finale, it’s something else. Robby names the cost in a devastating exchange with Dr. Abbot (Shawn Hatosy), admitting that every patient loss in the emergency department kills a part of his soul.

"Abbot doesn’t deny the feeling. He reframes it, urging Robby to find a way to 'dance through the darkness.' The episode offers no resolution. Instead, it asks what it means to keep living alongside loss.

For more insight into the fan favorite from a Jewish perspective, read Moment Magazine's "Dr. Robby Chooses Life: What The Pitt Teaches Us About Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut." (Warning: the article contains spoilers for the Season Two finale.)

4.In Her Words

"In her book, When We See You Again, out today, Rachel Goldberg-Polin gets granular with grief. She makes us not just a reader but a witness to her story of loving her son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and the heart-shattering journey of trying and failing to get him back alive after he was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7."

“The book is about two things and two things only, and that is love and pain,” Goldberg-Polin told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “This is not a memoir. This is not a tell-all… This is really just pain in words.”

"If you’ve been following any news out of Israel since October 7, you’ve definitely seen Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s pain, whose 23-year-old son was captured at the Nova Festival. You may have seen her tears on the stage of the Democratic National Convention in 2024, flanked by her husband, Jon. Or at a podium in the UN. Or howling out in pain at the Gaza border with other parents and family members of hostages. And you probably saw, just a few days later, crying her love and her pain at Hersh’s funeral, after his body was returned to Israel along with the other 'Beautiful Six,' all executed at close range by Hamas as IDF forces neared in August of 2024."

5.South of the Border, Tribe Style

"In the U.S., Cinco de Mayo has been reclaimed as a day for those of Mexican descent to take pride in their heritage, cuisine and culture. For one Jewish Mexican-American, the holiday holds a special importance: It marks the beginning of Mexico’s evolution into an oasis for Jews fleeing persecution.

"Jews first arrived in Mexico in 1519 as conversos — Spanish and Portuguese Jews who converted to Catholicism during the Inquisition. In Mexico, as in Spain and Portugal, some conversos continued to practice Judaism in secret. Others assimilated and became active members of colonial society. 

"The (Cinco de Mayo battle) victory provided a morale boost to the Mexican army, and in 1864, wary of losing control, France installed an Austrian duke, Maximilian I, as emperor of Mexico. Yet, in his brief stint in power, Maximilian I ended up championing the very reforms that had angered France. He also brought several Jewish families with him to Mexico, made a Jew his official court physician and proclaimed religious tolerance for non-Catholics, which led many French, Hungarian and Belgian Jews to come to Mexico.

"In 1867, after years of fighting, Mexican forces defeated the French. Juárez issued laws separating church and state, which allowed Jewish immigrants who had come because of Maximilian — whom he executed — to finally be protected under the law as citizens."

There you have it. Today, Mexico’s Jewish community numbers between 40,000 and 50,000, with hubs in Guadalajara, Monterrey, Cancún and Mexico City — whose mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, is Jewish.

Read more in The Forward: "A David and Goliath story: The Jewish history of Cinco de Mayo." And plan your menu starting with the recipes below.

Nosher: "11 Jewish-Mexican Mash-ups for Cinco de Mayo"

Jewish Journal: "A Mexican Fiesta for Cinco de Mayo"

6.Scholarship Application Deadline Near

If you are a Federation member (donor), now is the time to encourage your children and grandchildren to apply for Federation scholarships for school, camp and Israeli travel programs. Email your application (describe the program and explain the cost and need) to office@jewishnewbedford.org by Memorial Day.

For Your Calendar

TBA