Shark Week
Thanks to JAWS, a 1974 novel written by Peter Benchley and the 1975 blockbuster movie directed by Steven Spielberg, we are obsessed with sharks. The subtitle to the book was, “…a novel of relentless terror.” We were afraid to go into the water.
On SHARK WEEK, a big hit on TV, we see makos, tigers and great whites sporting their jagged teeth cruising in the same waters we swim. It’s a lot of attention given the annual death toll worldwide is only 12, and nibbling incidents are no more than 100 per year.
Jews, in New York City and on dry land, due to the antisemitic actions of toothy Mayor Zohran Mamdani, are terrorized by the rise in violence. They’ve become fearful of wearing a kippah or Star of David. Wandering too close to a shul or a “Jewish” store raises their chance of harassment and injury. If you go into a subway, you need a machete. If you carry an Israeli flag, you need covering fire.
Since the October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, NYC and Columbia University became the hub for far-Left, anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Posters of the murdered Israelis were ripped from walls. Kufiyahs became the virtue signaling style statement. NYC was the DEI capital and lies about genocide and starvation shared by the media and academia as facts.
And along came slick, charismatic Zohran Mamdani. Against a depleted field of opponents, with a Democrat-dominant population, and garnering the votes of 30% of the useful idiot Jews, he was elected as the mayor of a city with more Jews than anywhere in the world outside of Israel.
Unlike the JAWS shark swimming in the dark, and with the two-note ostinato theme composed by John Williams, New Yorkers should have known what they were getting into. It was no secret that Mamdani and his family were anti-Zionist and antisemitic. During the campaign we learned:
-His platform for NYC, a sanctuary city, included defunding the police, rent freezes, free daycare and buses. It also supported for Palestinian “resistance.” In a city still scarred by 9/11, he refused to disown antisemitic slogans like “globalize the intifada” that justifies suicide bombings and attacks against Israeli civilians.
-Another of Mamdani’s vitriol quotes was, “When the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF.” The tortured imagery is perfect for Der Stürmer. Many Jewish organizations and political opponents called out the hyperbolic “oppressor-oppressed” statement as obscene linking of under siege Israel to American policing and border security.
His efforts to mask his biases are weak. He works with kapos like Congressman Brad Lander and Senator Bernie Sanders. Problematic Jewish organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), and The Jewish Vote have endorsed him. His performative participation on Jewish holidays is with Judaism-lite Reformed, progressive synagogues and clerics.
More recently, Mamdani threatened to apply the bogus ICC rulings and arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, one of America’s closest allies. He accused Bibi of war crimes including genocide and starvation. He has since backed away informed that the charges were unenforceable. He will be lucky if Bibi doesn’t sue him for defamation.
Mamdani referred to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as “monsters” during a rally, impugning their influence and the use of dark money in politics. Their legal lobbying and fundraising operations were cynically singled out from the many similar organizations.
Mamdani is now facing backlash for excluding Jewish members from his 18-member Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. Although the absence of Jews on the committee is unprecedented in modern times, Mamdani claims his decision was not based on religion.
The Big Apple is America’s largest city. It’s also a Jewish city, the site where many of our grandparents entered the USA. The aroma of pastrami seems a Jewish thing, and many of the sounds of Broadway were crafted by immigrant Jews. Seeing New York City hijacked by Islamist Mamdani is a gut-punch.
We should appreciate the danger of New York serving as “Berghof” for Mamdani. His rise to mayor might turbocharge the Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) trends. It could trigger a spiraling out of control press for a something-for-nothing socialism. It is an assault on America and the Western world.
Consider a grim paraphrasing of Frank Sinatra’s iconic New York, New York tune, “…if you can hate Jews here, you can hate them anywhere.” The very last line of the song presents the mandate for all of us, “It’s up to you New York, New York.”
IT IS UP TO YOU…you can work to ensure his poison goes no further.
-Be a visible, heard and committed. Jews, wear your kippah, Stars of David, tzitzits. Learn the facts and be prepared to defend against outrageous statements and behaviors. Be an activist.
-Teach your children well. They are our future and they are in danger.
-Don’t defer to the apathetic neighbor. Confront them…maybe some will wise up. If they insist on trafficking in ambivalent, fearful, kapo-like purveying anti-Israel nonsense, drop them.
-Press all Jewish organizations, including synagogues, to focus on this assault and not be distracted with wide ranging Tikkun Olam initiatives. Insist their leaders voice appreciation for supportive American leaders, like DJT. Ask that they be circumspect about criticizing Israeli leaders like Bibi.
-AIPAC is part of the solution and not the problem. All wise Americans should view AIPAC as a “true north” guidance pointing out what is good for America.
