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The Flint Water Crisis and The Flow of Torah
Sheets of a Torah scroll that were returned to Jewish hands from Poland earlier this year. Photo: Fromthedepths.org
The Talmud has a fascinating origin story for Rabbi Akiva, one of its greatest sages. His formative years were not spent in the study halls, but rather as a shepherd in the Judean hills. One day, as he tended his sheep, he observed how the constant drip of water onto a rock over a long period of time had worn it away, leaving a groove in its surface.
It was an “Aha!” moment for him. He realized that if something as soft as water could make an impression on something as hard as rock, then the teachings of Torah could surely penetrate his heart. With this realization, he immediately committed himself to a life of Torah study.
Rabbi Akiva would go on to become the formative rabbinic leader of his age, whose impact on Judaism is felt to this day. This remarkable story illustrates the power and persistence of water, a force that shapes and sustains life, and serves as a metaphor for Torah, spirituality, and the essence of faith.
In the Western world, water is considered as readily available as air—until it isn’t, and then all hell breaks loose. Recently, Flint, Michigan, passed a grim milestone—ten years since its water supply became so contaminated that residents have been forced to rely on bottled water for their daily needs.
Flint was once a thriving industrial hub known primarily for its involvement in the automobile industry, particularly as the birthplace of General Motors. This bustling city was home to a resilient community, largely composed of working-class residents, whose lives were shaped by the rise and fall of the automotive manufacturing sector.
The water crisis began in 2014 when the city switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River to cut costs. This ill-conceived decision led to the leaching of lead from old pipes into the water supply, exposing thousands of residents to toxic levels.
The health implications were devastating, particularly for children, who suffered from developmental delays and other serious health issues. The crisis revealed deep systemic failures and a breach of public trust, as officials repeatedly downplayed the severity of the contamination.
The long-term impact on residents of the Flint water crisis has been severe and multifaceted. Prolonged exposure to lead-contaminated water has resulted in numerous health problems, particularly among children, who have suffered from developmental delays, learning difficulties, behavioral issues, and a range of physical health problems, including kidney damage and impaired growth. The constant stress of dealing with contaminated water has also led to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and PTSD within the community.
Economic difficulties have compounded these health issues, with residents facing significant medical expenses, the need to purchase bottled water, and declining property values. The educational setbacks are notable, with a significant increase in the number of children qualifying for disability services due to the cognitive and behavioral impacts of lead exposure, straining the resources of local schools.
One of the most profound impacts has been the loss of trust in public institutions. The mishandling of the crisis and subsequent cover-up efforts eroded confidence in local, state, and federal authorities, making it difficult for residents to trust future public health and safety communications. Despite recent improvements in water quality and the completion of over 97% of lead service line replacements, skepticism about the safety of tap water persists among residents.
Earlier this week, restoration work began to repair lawns and sidewalks at over 1,800 homes in Flint where lead service lines have been replaced. The city, in partnership with the state, is funding this restoration, which is expected to cost over $4.5 million and will be completed by next August.
Despite these efforts, Flint has been ordered to pay $62,000 in attorney fees due to contempt of court for missing deadlines related to service line replacements. Thousands of lives have been scarred, political careers have ended in disgrace, billions have been spent—simply because of an interrupted and impaired water supply. It truly makes you think.
This situation brings to mind an episode from Parshat Chukkat – when the water supply for the Israelites in the wilderness suddenly ceased after the death of Miriam. The nation complained bitterly to Moses, and after consulting God, Moses sought out the rock that was the source of the spring water and ensured that the water began to flow again. But in the aftermath of this incident, God informed Moses that he had acted improperly and as a result would not lead the nation into Canaan for the conquest of the Promised Land.
The commentaries disagree about Moses’ “sin” – what did he do to deserve such a devastating consequence? According to Maimonides, Moses’ failure was rooted in his impulsive anger at the Israelites in the face of their desperate pleas for water. This lack of insight into the impact of not having water reflected a detachment that was not merely an error, but revealed a failure of leadership and a lack of empathy.
But there is a deeper metaphor here – the one that Rabbi Akiva stumbled upon so many centuries later. Just as society cannot survive without a ready supply of pure water, the Jewish people need a continuous flow of Torah, so that the rock of their material existence is dented by the spiritual impact of the water that steadily drips into their consciousness.
Miriam’s rock was a spring that symbolized a pure and life-giving source of spiritual nourishment. The nation’s urgent thirst for Miriam’s water should have been seen by Moses for what it was – the need for the springwaters of Torah to flow continuously, without break, so that the spiritual existence of God’s chosen nation could continue uninterrupted.
Reflecting on the lessons of the Flint water crisis and its biblical parallel in the water crisis after Miriam’s death, we see that water is not just a physical necessity but also a profound symbol of life, trust, and the intricate relationship between a community and its leaders. Just as the Israelites’ survival depended on the continuous flow of pure water from Miriam’s well, so too does the well-being of any community depend on the integrity and purity of its foundational resources, whether it is empathetic leadership or steady spiritual nourishment.
For the Jewish people, this means maintaining a steady and untainted flow of Torah, free from personal agendas and self-indulgent needs. We need it to guide and sustain us through all challenges, ensuring a future rooted in trust, resilience, and enduring faith. Rabbi Akiva’s insight—that consistent, pure Torah study can shape and sustain us—illustrates how the steady-drip approach to Torah has helped the Jewish people endure and thrive despite numerous challenges.
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New York City Jews Targeted for Most Hate Crimes in March, NYPD Stats Show
Orthodox Jewish man waiting for the train in the New York City subway. Photo: Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect.
Jews in New York City were victims of more hate crimes in March than any other group even as crime across the Five Boroughs fell to “historic” lows, according to statistics issued by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on Thursday.
39 hate crimes targeted Jews last month, the Algemeiner reviewed data shows, outstripping the combined total of all other groups combined — 28 — and constituting 58 percent of all hate crimes reported to authorities. So far, there have born 85 antisemitic hate crimes in New York City through the first three months of 2025, with the month of February seeing a 100 percent increase in them over the previous year and March seeing no improvement at all.
The data continues a trend that has persisted for several years and concurred with a rise in antisemitic incidents across the US.
Jews represented a disproportionate share of hate crimes perpetrated in New York City in 2024 as well. Of the 641 total hate crimes tallied by the NYPD that year, Jews were victims of 345, which, in addition to being a 7 percent increase over the previous year, amounted to 54 percent of all hate crimes in the city.
As The Algemeiner has previously reported, antisemitic hate crimes have posed a major threat to the quality of life of New York City’s Orthodox Jewish community, which was the target in many of the incidents. In just eight days between the end of October and the beginning of November, three Hasidim, including children, were brutally assaulted in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. In one instance, an Orthodox man was accosted by two assailants, one masked, who “chased and beat him” after he refused to surrender his cellphone in compliance with what appeared to have been an attempted robbery.
In another incident, an African American male smacked a 13-year-old Jewish boy who was commuting to school on his bike in the heavily Jewish neighborhood. Less than a week earlier, an assailant slashed a visibly Jewish man in the face as he was walking in Brooklyn. Days after the week-long antisemitic hate crime spree, three men attempted to rob a Hasidic man after stalking him through the Crown Heights neighborhood.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post New York City Jews Targeted for Most Hate Crimes in March, NYPD Stats Show first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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NYC ‘Dyke March’ Bans Zionists From Participating in Annual Demonstration
(Source: Reuters)
NYC Dyke March, a public demonstration held by members of the lesbian community in New York City, has banned self-proclaimed “Zionists” from its annual event, citing a desire to stand against the so-called “genocide” occuring in Gaza.
The group revealed in a statement that their decision to ban Israel supporters from their ranks came after multiple members dropped out of the organization due to differences in “political beliefs and values.” After engaging in discussions with frustrated members, the NYC Dyke March committee agreed to adopt “an explicitly anti-Zionist position.” The organization claims that it will “strengthen our commitment” to fighting against Israel and advocating on behalf of Palestinians.
Last year, the NYC Dyke March previously came under scrutiny after organizers settled on “genocide” as the theme of its 2024 event. In a statement, decrying “ethnic cleansing, violence, and dehumanization,” the organization compared the ongoing war in Gaza, to the mass slaughters occurring in Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Sudan.
The organization plans on recycling the same theme for this year’s march, titling it “Dykes Against Genocide.” The group released a statement clarifying that Jews are allowed to attend and condemned the Oct. 7 slaughters as a “senseless loss of life.” After an apparent uproar from its members, the organization deleted the post and wrote that the group “unapologetically stands in support of Palestinian liberation.” In addition, the group affirmed that “anti-Zionism is not antisemitism and any language we put out which is not clearly opposed to a Zionist, imperialist agenda is harmful to us all.”
In the 17 months following the Hamas-led massacre of roughly 1200 people throughout Israel, the NYC Dyke March has produced numerous statements lambasting Israel and declaring “solidarity” with Palestinians amid their so-called “ongoing genocide.” The organization also accused Israel of engaging in supposed “pinkwashing” and “manipulative use of Jewish and queer identities,” with the aim of justifying its war efforts in Gaza.
Israel offers an expansive set of rights for members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transngender (LGBT) community, including recognition of same-sex marriages. Every year in June, Tel Aviv holds one of the largest LGBT Pride celebrations in the world. Meanwhile, members of the LGBT community are routinely imprisoned or murdered in other parts of the Middle East, including the Palestinian territories.
The NYC Dyke March’s announcement was met with widespread condemnation.
“You cannot exclude the majority of Jews and call yourself inclusive,” said the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in a post on X/Twitter, adding that the group “essentially equates Zionism with racism” in their announcement.
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Trump Administration Planning $510 Million Cut to Brown University Budget, Report Says
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with journalists onboard Air Force One en route to Miami, Florida, U.S., April 3, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
The Trump administration reportedly plans to terminate $510 million worth of federal contracts and grants awarded to Brown University, according to media reports.
Brown University’s failure to mount a satisfactory response to the campus antisemitism crisis, as well as its embrace of the diversity, equity, and, inclusion (DEI) movement — perceived by many across the political spectrum as an assault on merit-based upward mobility and causing incidents of anti-White and anti-Asian discrimination — prompted the alleged pending action by the federal government, according to the right-leaning outlet The Daily Caller.
The announcement comes as Brown scrambles to cover a $46 million budget shortfall and other universities across the country have faced similar funding cuts.
Brown University officials, however, denied that the university had received any directives from the Trump Administration.
“We have no information to substantiate these rumors,” Brown University provost Francis Doyle issued a statement. “We are closely monitoring notifications related to grants, but have nothing more we can share as of now.”
Meanwhile, Brown’s Jewish community rushed to the university’s defense, issuing a joint statement with the Brown Corporation which said that the campus is “peaceful and supportive campus for its Jewish community.”
The letter, signed by members of the local Hillel International chapter and Chabad on College Hill, continued: “Brown University is a place where Jewish life not only exists but thrives. While there is more work to be done, Brown, through the dedicated efforts of its administration, leadership, and resilient spirit of its Jewish community, continues to uphold the principles of inclusion, tolerance, and intellectual freedom that have been central to its identity since 1764.”
Brown Divest Coalition — an anti-Zionist group which recently saw its campaign for the university to adopt the boycott, divest, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel defeated by the Brown Corporation — weighed in too, denouncing the reported cut as “a means of suppressing all forms of popular dissent to the renewed violence of the US war machine abroad.” US Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) also criticized the move, accusing the administration “of a broader pattern of behavior…that will negatively impact communities across the country and lead to layoffs, restrict research, and more.”
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the Trump administration is following through on its threats to inflict potentially catastrophic financial injuries on colleges and universities deemed as soft on antisemitism or excessively “woke.” The past six weeks has seen the policy imposed on elite universities including Harvard and Columbia, rattling a higher education establishment that has for better and worse operated for decades with little interference from the federal government even as it polarized the public and contributed to a growing sense that elites are contemptuous of Americans who live outside of their cultural enclaves.
In March, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced the cancellation of $400 million in federal contracts and grants for Columbia University, a measure that secured the school’s acceding to a slew of demands the administration put forth as preconditions for restoring the money. Later, the Trump administration disclosed its reviewing $9 billion worth of federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard University, jeopardizing a substantial source of the school’s income over its alleged failure to quell antisemitic and pro-Hamas activity on campus following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel. Princeton University saw $210 million of its federal grants and funding suspended too, prompting its president, Christopher Eisgruber to say the institution is “committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination.”
Additionally, 60 universities are being investigated by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over their handling of campus antisemitism, a project that will serve as an early test of the administration’s ability to perform the essential functions of the agency after downsizing its workforce to increase its efficiency.
One of those universities, Northwestern University, on Monday touted its progress in addressing campus antisemitism, noting that it has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, a reference tool which aids officials in determining what constitutes antisemitism, and begun holding “mandatory antisemitism training” sessions which “all students, faculty, and staff” must attend.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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