JRV1302

Here’s my picks for our most inspiring and most self-disrespecting happenings in 2025, and most unlikely in 2026

Award For Most Cogent Advice to American Jews in Bondi’s Wake

To President Donald J. Trump:

“President Trump tells US Jews to be proud following deadly mass shooting attack on a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, Australia”

“Celebrate proudly – be proud of who you are,” the President told us.

Source: World Israel News, 12/15/25, “After Sydney Massacre, Trump Urges Jews ‘to Celebrate Chanukah Proudly”

Award For Jewish Community Immediate Response to Bondi Massacre

To Australia’s Jewish Community:

“More than 1,000 people gathered at the Bondi Beach Pavilion in Sydney on Monday evening, the dawn of the second night of Chanukah, telegraphing to one and all that darkness would never be allowed to drown out the light.”

Source: The Jewish Voice, 12/17/25, “After Sydney Massacre, How Australian Jews Are Celebrating Chanukah”

Award For American Official’s Best Immediate Response to President Trump’s “I will not allow Israel to Annex the West Bank”

To Speaker of the House Mike Johnson:

“Judea and Samaria belong to Israel.”

Source: Israel National News, 9/28/25, “Mike Johnson: Judea and Samaria Belong to Israel, Geopolitical Forces at Play”

Award For Clearly Stating Israel’s Position Day Preceding UN General Assembly Adoption of Resolution on “Implementation of the Two-State Solution”

To Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu:

“We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian State; this place belongs to us.”

Source: Times of Israel, 9/12/25, “’There Will Be No Palestinian State’….”

Award For Most Understanding Appeal to American Jews that Supporting “Two-State Solution” is Not a Pro-Israel Position

To ZOA President Morton Klein:

At this point I believe that those who still want a Palestinian Arab state in Gaza and/or Judea-Samaria and/or Jerusalem are either ill-informed, delusional (in that they fail to understand or appreciate the real threat) or anti-Israel.  While I understand that someone who wants a Palestinian state may be well-intentioned or believe that he is pro-Israel, in fact promoting a Palestinian Arab state is not a pro-Israel position.  The Israeli people understand that such a state would be an existential threat to Israel and every Jew.  Indeed, in July 2024, the Knesset voted overwhelmingly to reject a Palestinian Arab state, which only the nine Arab Knesset members opposed.” [emphasis added a little]

Source: ZOA press release, “What Does It Mean To Be Pro-Israel in 2025,” ZOA.org.

Anti-Award For Jewish Americans Opposing Nomination of U.S. Ambassador to Israel in the Most Jewish Homeland-Delegitimizing Language Conceivable

To American Reform Jewish movement:

“As a presidential candidate in 2008, Gov. Huckabee declared that ‘There’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.’ In 2017 Gov. Huckabee denied the reality of Israel’s decades-long occupation of the West Bank. In an interview with Israeli radio that took place after his recent nomination, Gov. Huckabee welcomed the possibility of broader Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Each of these views runs counter to U.S. interests in advancing the causes of peace and regional stability.”   [emphasis added]

This was in a letter delivered 2/21/25 to all 100 U.S. Senators by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism “on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism whose nearly 850 congregations across North America encompass 1.8 million Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), whose membership includes over 2000 Reform rabbis.”

I wrote at the time (#1262, 4/30/25) that the Reform movement is entitled to its belief that “installing the still pay-for-slay Palestinian Authority in the heart and soul of the land of Israel will result in ‘advancing the causes of peace and regional stability’”,

But it is a Shanda for a Jew to tell a hundred U.S. Senators that Jewish presence in Judea-Samaria, our people’s homeland’s historical defensible heartland, recognized as ours by the Palestine Mandate, is not ours but “occupied,” is not “Judea-Samaria,” which even the UN called it in 1947, but is “the West Bank,” and that our only claim to it would be by “annexation,” defined as taking over another country’s land. The self-respecting accurate term is “apply Israeli sovereignty.” 

Source: “Reform Leaders’ Letter to Senators Ahead of Gov. Huckabee’s Confirmation Hearing,” 2/21/25, Reform movement’s website, urj.org.

Anti-Award For Grassroots American Jews Being Taken For Granted by a U.S. Political Party

To voting age U.S. Jews (not just those in New York):

A Gallop poll released 2/24/25, U.S. Views of Israel, Ukraine, Mexico Most Divided By Party, found a 50 point gap between Republicans (83%) and Democrats (33%) viewing Israel very or mostly favorably.  This 50-point spread on Israel was the biggest between-parties gap of the 22 countries surveyed.  A line graph shows a dramatic 22-point plunge in Dems’ support from 56% to 33% from 2023 to 2025. Gallop sub-headlined the 2025 difference a “Record High Partisan Gap in Ratings of Israel.” 

Despite this, an Israpundit article, 2/12/25, Meshugena Jews, pointed out:

“Despite rhetoric and a track record that would suggest a strong preference for Israel over the Palestinian cause, President-elect Donald Trump lost the Jewish vote by a larger margin than he lost the Muslim vote.”  [emphasis added]

Unlikely Anticipation in 2026: A Frank Conversation Between the Druze and the UN

Druze: We cried out to you in 2025: “We’re Druze being slaughtered in the Mideast, save us, come to our aid!”  You ignored us completely!

UN: Yes … well … ahem.  You see, it was just a simple misunderstanding.  We thought you’d said “Jews.”

Addenda:

To our very deeply appreciated Christian subscribers: Merry Christmas

To all my subscribers: Hard to believe, but this #1302 completes 25 years, commencing 1/7/2001, of these weekly Alerts. I hope to keep going. If you go out drinking next Wednesday night, raise a glass to me.