https://thelehrhaus.com/timely-thoughts/the-hasmoneans-as-a-paradigm-for-modern-jewish-sovereignty/
In his commentary to Genesis 49:10, Ramban is particularly critical of the Hasmoneans. He indicts them for usurping the throne from the House of David as well as desecrating their priesthood, and sees their downfall as divine punishment.
"The story of Hanukkah and the story of the Jewish people has always been one of hope and resilience. In the Hanukkah story, the Jewish people were forced into hiding," he wrote. "No one thought they would survive or that the few drops of oil they had would last. But they survived and the oil kept burning."
"During those eight days in hiding, they recited their prayers and continued their traditions," Emhoff, who is Jewish and is working with the White House on combating antisemitism, continued in the now deleted post. "That’s why Hanukkah means dedication. It was during those dark nights that the Maccabees dedicated themselves to maintaining hope and faith in the oil, each other, and their Judaism."
By Thanksgiving, University of Pennsylvania trustees thought they had weathered the worst of an aggressive campaign mounted by rich alumni to fire President Liz Magill over concerns about antisemitism on campus. That hope died when Magill appeared before Congress last week.
Magill said context was needed to determine whether calling for the genocide of Jews would be considered bullying or harassment at Penn. The clip went viral. Pennsylvania’s governor called the comments “shameful.” The Penn president rushed out a video backtracking her remarks. But by the weekend, Magill and board chairman Scott Bok resigned.
At Penn, the university’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel was the final straw for a largely Jewish group of prominent alumni who felt the school wasn’t adequately protecting Jewish students. They campaigned both behind the scenes and publicly for the president and chairman to step down, threatening to withhold millions of dollars if the leadership stayed in place. They borrowed a playbook from the business world, approaching the typically genteel world of higher education like activist investors.
It worked.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shulchan_Aruch#cite_note-15
Following its initial appearance, many rabbis criticised the appearance of this latest code of Jewish law, echoing similar criticisms of previous codes of law.
Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel (known as "Maharal", 1520–1609) wrote:
Zara pulled an advertising campaign featuring mannequins with missing limbs and statues wrapped in white from the front page of its website and app on Monday after it prompted calls by some pro-Palestine activists for a boycott of the fashion retailer.
Inditex (ITX.MC), which owns Zara, said the change was part of its normal procedure of refreshing content. It did not comment on the boycott calls, but said the "Atelier" collection was conceived in July and the photos were taken in September. The war between Israel and Hamas began after Oct. 7
One-fifth of US citizens between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that the Holocaust is a myth, according to a new poll from the Economist/YouGov.
The poll was conducted between December 2 and December 5, and among other issues, examined the beliefs held by US citizens on Israel, Jewish people and the Holocaust.
In response to the statement “The Holocaust is a myth,” 20 percent of participants between the ages of 18 and 29 said that they agreed with it, and an additional 30% said that they did not agree or disagree
When Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was imprisoned in Israel more than a decade ago, he explained to an Israeli official a theory now central to the war in Gaza.
Sinwar said that what Israel considers its strength—that most Israelis serve in the army and soldiers hold a special status in society—is a weakness that can be exploited, said Yuval Bitton, who spent time with Sinwar as the former head of the Israel Prison Service’s intelligence division
A chassid once came to the Ruzhiner Rebbe and complained, “For years I have been having special kavannah during Kedushah of the Yamim Noraim, as this is said to be a segulah for wealth, but I am still as poor as ever.”
The Ruzhiner Rebbe answered the man, “This segulah is for one who has this kavannah only during Kedushah, while during the rest of the tefillah he doesn’t think about money. But you – the only thing you think about during the entire davening is money, money, money!”
Rav Tzadok says the main miracle was the war against the Greeks not the menorah
Why did the Chashmonoim not have bitachon that the Greeks would lose without war? Why did they assimilate and illegally become kings?(Ramban)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67655910
The founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, Mr Stevens told the university that its "permissive approach" to those calling for violence against Jewish people "would violate any policies or rules that prohibit harassment and discrimination based on religion, including those of Stone Ridge"
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67637679
Senators - including every single Republican - voted 51 to 49 against advancing the bill, with 60 votes needed. The vote throws uncertainty into the future of aid for Ukraine and sends lawmakers back to the negotiating table with just days to go until Congress has scheduled winter break.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/381529
On Monday, Albanese responded to a tweet by former State Department official Dennis Ross, who wrote: "The suffering of Palestinians in Gaza is real. Why not call on Hamas to release all hostages and agree to have its leaders leave Gaza. They could save Palestinians from paying a further price. Real support for Palestinians should produce such a call. Isn’t it time for that?"
The Special Rapporteur wrote in response: "Regrettably, this sounds like: - putting the onus to end the carnage in Gaza on the Palestinians, including those being slaughtered in Gaza; - justifying and deflecting the attention from the atrocities committed by the Israeli army in Gaza. Unacceptable."
https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-artscroll-agunah-advocates-eye-ny-yeshiva/
Now, Dodelson’s supporters are calling the Staten Island Yeshiva to ask for Weiss’s removal — a difficult request for a yeshiva run by his mother’s family. As an additional step, supporters are being encouraged via Facebook to work to disinvite the yeshiva’s head from guest appearances at local synagogues. Supporters have already contacted a Highland Park, New Jersey, synagogue that is expected to host Feinstein this Saturday night, asking it to withdraw its invitation to Feinstein.
College leaders around the country stumbled in their early responses to the Oct. 7 attacks, attempting to appease activists on both sides of the seemingly intractable issue. Some issued updates to their public statements, or clarifications to those updates, as they weighed their responsibility as moral arbiters, protectors of free speech and administrators aiming to keep their campuses safe.
