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How Jewish parents can help kids deal with a flood of pain on social media — beyond just looking away
(JTA) — “Teenagers wake up in the morning. They get dressed, brush their teeth, and check their social media. But this technology is not just what they do, it is who they are.”
David wrote those sentences back in 2009. Now, almost 15 years later, this more true than ever for teens and tweens. Particularly with the catalyst of the pandemic, their lives often take place and connections are built through screens.
Since Oct. 7, as social media filled up with unspeakable images of the Hamas attack on Israel, countless articles quoted educational leaders urging parents to delete social media applications from their children’s devices. But offering parents one solution right now — to delete apps and try and prevent their children from seeing these images — is way too simplistic and perhaps even misguided.
The goal of that advice is to spare children from viewing the horrific images, emanating from Hamas, designed to instill fear in Israelis and all Jews around the world.
We support efforts to curtail the viewing and dissemination of these distressing posts; we now know that many of the videos are deliberately infected with falsehoods and malware to further intensify the terror, and we all need to safeguard our mental health and that of our loved ones. And we will be the first to recognize our own shortcomings as parents, especially in these challenging times.
So yes: As parents, our natural instinct is to protect our children. But as parents, and as a broader community, we can, and must do better than just telling people to look away from social media.
There has been violence and evil on these platforms before this week, and there will continue to be despicable content forevermore. Any Jewish educator involved with teaching the Holocaust has learned to navigate this.
Social media is also home to tremendous acts of kindness, philanthropy, compassion and goodwill. There are bonds and friendships formed and maintained on social media —and the distinction between virtual relationships and so-called “in-person” relationships is very blurry for tweens and teens. Many of our young people find social media, and the opportunity to express their authentic selves to their communities, to be a relief and a joy in a world that can be very lonely. To wholly disconnect children from social media is also to disconnect them from many of these positive attributes.
Parents at the very least should consider that the short-term need to protect their child might set up a confrontation that could pull them apart — at a moment when children may look to them for love, support and guidance.
Perhaps there is a middle ground. First, if parents gave permission to a child to install an app, they can also be responsible for ensuring the app is used in the right manner — much like parents will prepare a child to take public transportation for the first time or drive a car. The rules parents outline for social media also do not have to be static, and can change as rapidly as our understanding of the evolving situation changes.
Second, if parents believe they have the power of persuasion or coercion to delete social media from their child’s devices, parents also have the wherewithal to have a conversation with them. Talk about Israel right now, the power of social media and the pain and confusion of distressing videos.
And finally, if parents want to raise children who connect with their Israeli brothers and sisters beyond images of violence and vulnerability, they should give their children an affirming Jewish education (this might come across as a shameless plug for Jewish education — it is). We make no distinction between settings — day schools, congregational schools, Jewish summer camps, youth movements, or any other setting where Jewish learning takes place. It is not enough to be a parent who reacts when fearful; parents must also be proactive and give children the competencies and confidence to be able to take pride in their Jewish being — in good times and in bad.
A Jewish identity that is formed in reaction to hatred is not sustainable. It is natural that in moments when there is distress amongst the Jewish people, we will awaken to the depths of our innate bonds, and those instincts are beautiful. But without the building blocks of Jewish identity and joy to sustain our children throughout their lifelong Jewish journeys, affinity in moments of tragedy will not be enough.
Neither deleting apps nor sending children to a place of Jewish education absolves parents of their ultimate responsibility. The strength of all Jewish parents in the world combined cannot prevent these insidious images from entering a child’s device — even if it is stopped now, it is only a matter of time. Parents must learn and know and talk to their children, answer their questions, and be there for them and hug them, and talk to them about all of the good and the evil in this world.
Please protect your children. Also please help them acquire the tools that they need not just to weather these extremely dark days, but to thrive on the other side of this war.
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Floyd Mayweather Announces New Initiative to Gift Israeli Orphans on Their Birthdays
Floyd Mayweather Jr. gestures during a press conference, ahead of exhibition fight with John Gotti III, in Mexico City, Mexico, August 23, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Henry Romero
Retired boxing legend Floyd Mayweather has announced a new initiative to help Israeli orphans celebrate their birthdays.
As part of the Mayweather Israel Initiative, the former undefeated boxing champion will gift every orphan in Israel birthday presents over the next year, and the gifts will be delivered by a truck Mayweather sponsored called the Floyd Mobile. Mayweather’s initiative was first announced on Sunday at an event in Israel hosted by Chessed V’Rachamim, also known as Standing Together, not long before he shared the news on social media.
“Over the next year, every orphan in Israel will be visited by the Floyd Mobile and receive special birthday gifts,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Monday. “To all the widows and orphans: keep your heads held high as we honor the cherished memories of those who have passed.”
Mayweather concluded his social media post by thanking Rabbi Shai Graucher, the founder of Chessed V’Rachamim. The organization has provided support to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces and those impacted by the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack that took place in southern Israel last year, including monetary assistance, provisions for soldiers, and packages of essentials and toys to displaced families.
Mayweather has made a number of contributions to help Israeli civilians and wounded soldiers since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. He visited teenagers whose families were murdered in the Hamas-led massacre, and in early October, Mayweather pledged $100,000 to United Hatzalah of Israel to help the emergency medical service organization purchase 100 bulletproof vests to keep its volunteers safe. At an event in late November for injured IDF soldiers, whom he recently visited, he talked about his unwavering support for the Jewish state.
“When I stood behind Israel … I felt I did what was right,” Mayweather said. “I take my hat off to the soldiers. Those warriors in Israel — I’m behind you guys, 100 percent. Since the war has started, I’ve been to Israel four, five times. And I will be back … It’s all about peace. I’m all about peace, love, and happiness.”
The post Floyd Mayweather Announces New Initiative to Gift Israeli Orphans on Their Birthdays first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Jewish Nominees for 2025 Golden Globes Include Adam Brody, Jesse Eisenberg, Adam Sandler
A scene from “Nobody Wants This.” Photo: Adam Rose/Netflix
The nominees for the 82nd annual Golden Globes were announced on Monday and a number of performances by Jewish actors and Jewish-themed stories received nominations.
Jesse Eisenberg was nominated for Best Screenplay and also Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Musical or Comedy for “A Real Pain,” a film he directed, produced, wrote, and starred in alongside Kieran Culkin. The duo play estranged cousins who reunite for a Holocaust tour through Poland to honor their grandmother who survived the Nazis. The film itself, which is based on Eisenberg’s own family ties to the Holocaust, is nominated for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy. Gabriel Labelle was also nominated for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his role in “Saturday Night.”
Adam Brody was nominated for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy for his starring role in “Nobody Wants This,” a Netflix series also starring Kristen Bell. Jason Segel was nominated in the same category for his role in “Shrinking.”
Brody stars in “Nobody Wants This” as a rabbi named Noah who falls in love with a non-Jewish woman, Bell’s character Joanne. The couple want to make their relationship work, but the biggest obstacle standing in their way is Noah’s Jewish faith. The series, which has been renewed for a second season, received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy. The show was co-created by Erin Foster and is loosely based on her own personal life. Her husband is Jewish and Foster has said that the series is based on the “only good decision I ever made: falling for a nice Jewish boy.”
Jake Gyllenhaal’s role in “Presumed Innocent” garnered him a nomination for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series –— Drama. Adrien Brody’s performance in “The Brutalist” and Timothée Chalamet’s starring role in “A Complete Unknown,” as American Jewish singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, garnered them nominations for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama.
“The Brutalist” follows the life of Hungarian-born Jewish architect and geologist László Tóth (played by Brody), after he survives the Holocaust and emigrates to the US. Tóth became notorious for taking a hammer to Michelangelo’s Pietà in 1972. The film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture — Drama and its contenders in the category include “A Complete Unknown” and “September 5.” The latter film is a historical drama that follows an American sports broadcasting crew as they report live from on the ground in Munich about the Palestinian terrorist attack and hostage crisis targeting the Israeli delegation at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Mikey Madison, who was born into an Ashkenazi Jewish family in Los Angeles, was nominated for best performance by a female actor in a musical or comedy for her role in the film “Anora.” In the category of Best Original Score, Daniel Blumberg was nominated for “The Brutalist” and renowned German-Jewish composer Hans Zimmer received a nomination for “Dune: Part Two.”
Jewish actress and comedian Hannah Einbinder was nominated for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television for her role in “Hacks.” Harrison Ford, whose mother was Jewish, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach were both nominated in the category of Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television for their roles in “Shrinking” and “The Bear,” respectively. Adam Sandler was nominated for Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television for “Adam Sandler: Love You” and in the same category, Seth Meyers, who discovered his family’s Jewish lineage in a 2019 episode of “Finding Your Roots,” was nominated for “Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking.”
The 82nd Annual Golden Globes, hosted by Nikki Glaser, will air live on Jan. 5, 2025, at 8 pm ET on CBS and stream on Paramount+ in the US.
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Rebel-Backed Figure Takes Charge as Syria’s Interim Prime Minister
A drone view shows people walking near a statue in Damascus, after Syrian rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad, Syria, Dec. 10, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano
Syria’s new interim leader announced on Tuesday he was taking charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad three days ago.
In a brief address on state television, Mohammed al-Bashir, a figure little known across most of Syria who previously ran an administration in a pocket of the northwest controlled by rebels, said he would lead the interim authority until March 1.
“Today we held a cabinet meeting that included a team from the Salvation government that was working in Idlib and its vicinity, and the government of the ousted regime,” he said.
“The meeting was under the headline of transferring the files and institutions to caretake the government.”
Behind him were two flags — the green, black, and white flag flown by opponents of Assad throughout the civil war, and a white flag with the Islamic oath of faith in black writing, typically flown in Syria by Sunni Islamist fighters.
In the Syrian capital, banks reopened for the first time since Assad’s overthrow. Shops were also opening up again, traffic returned to the roads, and cleaners were out sweeping the streets.
There was a notable decrease in the number of armed men on the streets. Two sources close to the rebels said their command had ordered fighters to withdraw from cities, and for police and internal security forces affiliated with the main rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS) to deploy there.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington fully supports Syria’s political transition process and wants it to lead to inclusive and non-sectarian governance.
The process must prevent Syria being used as a base for terrorism and ensure any chemical or biological weapons stocks are safely destroyed, he said in a statement.
Amid the steps towards normal life, Israeli airstrikes hit bases of the Syrian army, whose forces had melted away in the face of the rebel advance that ousted Assad.
Israel, which has sent forces across the border into a demilitarized zone inside Syria, acknowledged on Tuesday that troops had also taken up some positions beyond the buffer zone, though it denied they were advancing towards Damascus.
In a sign foreigners are ready to work with HTS, the former al Qaeda affiliate that led the anti-Assad revolt and has lately emphasi`ed its break with its jihadist roots, the UN envoy to Syria played down its designation as a terrorist organization.
“The reality is so far that HTS and also the other armed groups have been sending good messages to the Syrian people … of unity, of inclusiveness,” Geir Pedersen told a briefing in Geneva.
Syria’s new interim leader has little political profile beyond Idlib province, a mainly rural northwest region where rebels had maintained an administration during the long years that Syria’s civil war front lines were frozen.
A Facebook page of the rebel administration says he was trained as an electrical engineer, later received a degree in sharia and law, and had held posts in areas including education.
ISRAELI ADVANCES
Israel’s incursion in the southwest and its airstrikes create an additional security problem for the new administration, although Israel says its intervention is temporary.
After Assad’s flight on Sunday ended more than five decades of his family’s rule, Israeli troops moved into the buffer zone inside Syria established following the 1973 Middle East war.
Three security sources said on Tuesday the Israelis had advanced beyond the demilitarized zone. One Syrian source said they had reached the town of Qatana, several km (miles) to the east of the buffer zone and a short drive from Damascus airport.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered a “sterile defensive zone” to be created in southern Syria to protect Israel from terrorism.
Military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said troops were in the buffer zone and “a few additional points” in the vicinity, the first apparent official Israeli acknowledgement that they had moved beyond it. He said, however, that there had been no significant push into Syria.
Katz also said Israel’s navy had destroyed Syria’s fleet.
Regional security sources and officers within the defunct Syrian army said Tuesday’s Israeli airstrikes had hit military installations and air bases across Syria and destroyed dozens of helicopters and jets.
Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia condemned the Israeli incursion.
CELEBRATORY ICE CREAM
Rebuilding Syria will be a colossal task following 13 years of civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. Cities have been bombed to ruin, swathes of countryside are depopulated, the economy has been gutted by international sanctions, and millions of refugees still live in camps after one of the biggest displacements of modern times.
But the mood in Damascus remained celebratory, with refugees beginning to return to a homeland they had not seen in years.
Anas Idrees, 42, a refugee since early in the war, raced from Lebanon to Syria to cheer Assad’s fall.
He ventured into the Hamidiyeh Souk in old Damascus to the renowned Bakdash ice cream parlour, where he ordered a large scoop of their signature Arabic gelato, served coated in pistachios.
“I swear to God, it tastes different now,” he said after eating a spoonful. “It was good before, but it’s changed because now we are happy inside.”
The post Rebel-Backed Figure Takes Charge as Syria’s Interim Prime Minister first appeared on Algemeiner.com.