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Should Israel’s Fate Be Decided by a US Law from 1845?
Silhouettes of mobile users are seen next to a screen projection of Instagram logo in this picture illustration taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
JNS.org – The Biden administration reportedly is pressuring Israel to ends its war against Hamas before America’s presidential election in November.
The news agency Axios quotes “a source close to the White House” as saying “Biden can’t have the war and the growing death toll continue dominating the news cycle as the elections get closer” because then he might “lose support among younger voters.”
According to this somewhat condescending perspective, Biden’s advisers perceive young voters as being so shallow and uninformed that they will choose their candidate based on whatever image they happen to see on Instagram the day before they vote.
While Biden is understandably focused on his re-election campaign, it certainly would be a curious development if Israel’s military strategy, which is literally a matter of life and death for its citizens, were to be determined by something as arbitrary as the American political calendar.
After all, there’s nothing holy about the U.S. presidential election taking place on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. That rule originated in 1845. Before that, each state set its own election date.
Voting for the first presidential election, in 1788, was held in some states as early as Dec. 15 and as late as the following Jan. 7 in others. Four years later, voters cast their ballots as early as Nov. 2 and as late as Dec. 5.
Imagine if it was still done that way. Would Biden be telling Israel to change its military strategy every few days, depending on how he was doing in the polls in each particular state?
The need for a uniform national voting day became apparent because of a type of election fraud that was nicknamed “pipelaying.” Congressman James Duncan of Pennsylvania, speaking on behalf of legislation introduced in late 1844 to establish a single voting day, explained that because different states had different voting days, “poor laborers” were being offered “two dollars a day and good roast beef” to go from state to state, casting ballots for a particular candidate (voter registration was not yet required). The traveling voters were instructed that if they were caught, they should say they were visiting the state in order to lay pipes.
Why did Congress pick November? And why a particular Tuesday? Those choices had to do with very specific factors that were relevant in the mid-19th century but are completely irrelevant today.
Why November? America was largely agrarian in the early 1800s. Spring and early summer were the planting season, so farmers were too busy to vote. Same for late summer and early fall, when harvesting took place. The choice of November was a way to squeeze in an election between picking cucumbers and the first signs of frost.
Why Tuesday? Once again, agricultural considerations. Many farmers brought their crops to market on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays. So lawmakers decided Tuesday would make sense for voting.
And why “the first Tuesday after the first Monday”? So that election day would never occur on the first day of the month. Congress was sensitive to the feelings of Catholics, who had a religious holiday, All Saints Day—also known as All Hallows’ Day—on Nov. 1 (the secular version is today called Halloween). Also, the first day of the month traditionally was when many businesspeople took care of their bookkeeping for the previous month.
But what about special elections? If a president leaves office, the vice president serves the remainder of his four year-term and the next election takes place in November of the regularly scheduled year. If a U.S. senator or member of the House of Representatives leaves office, however, a special election is held on a date chosen by the governor. Some of those elections are extremely important to the White House, especially these days when both the Senate and the House are so closely divided between the parties.
So, imagine for a moment that a particularly crucial special election for a Senate seat was due to take place this coming July—a seat that would determine which party controls the Senate. Would Biden be demanding that Israel cease firing at Hamas by then, in order to help his party win that race? What if it was going to be held in May? Or March? How soon would the president be demanding Israel halt its counter-terror operations? Would a date that was arbitrarily chosen by some governor decide a matter of life and death for Israel’s citizens?
The America-Israel alliance is important. And Israel is of course sensitive to the president’s domestic concerns and political interests. But is it reasonable to expect Israeli voters to risk their nation’s security based on a schedule determined according to when pumpkins were harvested in 19th century Rhode Island?
Originally published by The Jewish Journal.
The post Should Israel’s Fate Be Decided by a US Law from 1845? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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NYPD to Increase Police Presence Ahead of Jewish High Holidays, 9/11 Anniversary, UN General Assembly
Pro-Palestinian protesters are detained by NYPD after taking part in a demonstration at Butler Library on the Columbia University campus in New York, US, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dana Edwards
The New York City Police Department will increase its presence at “critical” locations around the city ahead of the upcoming Jewish high holidays, 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the United Nations General Assembly, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced on Tuesday.
Tisch said at a news conference that reports of threats “typically increase” during this time surrounding the 9/11 anniversary, the UN General Assembly, and major Jewish holidays. She noted that authorities are monitoring threats against New York City’s “critical infrastructure,” including bridges and tunnels connecting Queens and Manhattan.
“As always, we take all threats seriously and we are working with our federal partners through our Joint Terrorism Task Force while we investigate,” Tisch said. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are surging resources and you can expect to see an increase in police presence at critical infrastructure locations.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams added in a post on X: “As we do every year around this time, we’re closely monitoring for any potential threats to NYC infrastructure. The NYPD, in coordination with federal partners, is taking all threats seriously and has enhanced security at key locations. You can be confident that New York City remains safe and well protected.”
The 80th session of the UN General Assembly opens on Sept. 9 and will end on the 28th. The holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year begins on the evening of Sept. 22, followed by Yom Kippur and Sukkot, other major Jewish holidays, which are both in early October.
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Washington Expresses Concern Over Spanish Measures Against Shipments to Israel
Containers are seen in the Port of Vigo, Spain, March 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nacho Doce
A US State Department spokesperson expressed concern on Wednesday over Spain’s measures limiting access to Spanish ports and airspace to ships and planes carrying weapons for Israel.
“It is deeply concerning that Spain, a NATO member, has chosen to potentially limit US operations and to turn its back on Israel on the same day six individuals were killed in Jerusalem. These measures embolden terrorists,” the spokesperson said in an email sent to Reuters on Wednesday.
The US operates two military bases in southern Spain, in Moron, and on the southern coast Atlantic coast in Rota.
The office of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Spain’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On top of its ban on ships and aircraft delivering weapons or military-grade jet fuel to Israel, Madrid said it would not allow anyone who has participated directly in “genocide” in Gaza to enter Spain.
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares later said the ban would extend to Israel‘s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Israel has strongly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide, and is fighting a case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague over accusations of genocide.
In reaction to Sanchez’s announcement on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused the Spanish leader of “antisemitism” and attempting to divert attention from domestic corruption scandals.
He also announced a ban on Sanchez’s deputy, Yolanda Diaz, and Youth Minister Sira Rego entering Israel. Both belong to hard-left party Sumar, the junior partner in Sanchez’s coalition government.
As the diplomatic row escalated, Spain summoned its ambassador in Israel back for consultations late on Monday.
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Scarlett Johansson Reveals She Cast Real Holocaust Survivors for Directorial Debut ‘Eleanor the Great’
Director Scarlett Johansson poses during a photocall for the film “Eleanor the Great” in competition for the category Un Certain Regard at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
Scarlett Johansson cast real Holocaust survivors in her directorial debut “Eleanor the Great” with help from the USC Shoah Foundation and a fellow Jewish actress, the filmmaker told People magazine at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sunday.
Written by Tory Kamen, “Eleanor the Great” stars Academy Award nominee June Squibb as the title character. Squibb plays 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, who moves to New York following the devastating loss of her best friend and develops a friendship with a journalism student after telling a lie that takes over her life. The film premiered at TIFF on Monday following its world premiere in May at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a five-minute standing ovation. “Eleanor the Great” also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Erin Kellyman, Israeli actress and real-life Holocaust survivor Rita Zohar, and other survivors of World War II.
“It wasn’t really ever a question of whether we would cast real [Holocaust] survivors. It was more of how can we identify people that would want to participate, could participate,” Johansson, 40, told People magazine at TIFF. “So, we got really lucky. Every time we would find someone who could participate, it was like, ‘Yes, we got another survivor.’”
Johansson noted that actress Jessica Hecht, who is Jewish and stars in the film as Squibb’s daughter, as well as the Shoah Foundation were both very helpful in finding Holocaust survivors to participate in the film. Founded by Jewish visionary filmmaker Steven Spielberg 1994, the goal of the Shoah Foundation is to record, preserve, and share the testimonies of Holocaust survivors.
Johansson said the Holocaust survivors she interacted with during the filming of “Eleanor the Great” were very eager to “share their stories.” She jokingly added that they were also “pretty excited about catering.”
“I have to say that the whole group was so patient,” the star of “Jurassic World Rebirth” told People. “I don’t think anybody in the group had really done a film like that before … They really were just engaged and listening.”
Johansson also told the magazine she felt a personal connection to the script for “Eleanor the Great” because of the Jewish identity that was weaved into the storyline. Johansson’s maternal family is Jewish, with roots in Eastern Europe. She discovered in 2017 that she had relatives who died in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust.
“Eleanor the Great” will be released in theaters Sept. 26. Watch the trailer below.