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In hopeless times, we need to the courage to speak up — and to listen
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This story was originally published on My Jewish Learning.
(JTA) — Over a recent dinner with a diverse group of college friends, we identified a common source of angst, a first for our 15 years of friendship: saying what we think.
From the privileged place we sat that evening in New York City, we absorbed the tragic reality of the war in Israel and Gaza. The hearing of the House Committee on Education, in which the presidents of three leading universities issued halting responses to the question of whether calling for the genocide of Jews constituted harassment, had transpired several weeks earlier. Some of us had experienced direct antisemitism in the wake of the attacks of Oct. 7 and were sharply aware of how the politics of the moment put Jews in danger. Others felt that, given the United States’ direct funding relationship with Israel, the moment presented a unique chance to take grassroots action on matters of foreign policy.
At the dinner table, we spoke openly about our feelings even as we agreed that making any sort of public comment was risky. We each knew people who had articulated opinions in a public forum and had lost friends, work and respect as a consequence. We were losing our courage to speak up.
The French philosopher Gaston Bachelard wrote: “What is the source of our first suffering? It lies in the fact that we hesitated to speak. It was born in the moments when we accumulated silent things within us.”
I first came across this profound quote in an essay by Torah scholar Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg in her brilliant work “The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus.” Zornberg connects Bachelard’s concept of accumulated silence to the speechlessness of Moses, whose struggle with speech we encounter in this week’s Torah portion, Vaera. At this point in the story, God has appeared to Moses and asked him to assume leadership of the enslaved Israelites and request their liberation from Pharaoh. But Moses has so far failed in this, resulting in rage from the Egyptians and general apathy from the Jews.
Typically, when we think about Moses’ speech difficulties, we presume them to result from a physical disability. Arel s’fatayim is the phrase Moses uses in protesting God’s charge to speak to Pharoah. Often translated as “tongue-tied,” the commentator Rashi says it means “obstructed.” And a famous Midrash teaches that Moses’ struggles stem from a burning of the tongue he suffered in childhood in the Pharaoh’s palace. But in Zornberg’s assessment, “Moses’ own experience of speechlessness is a mirror of the deafness around him.” In other words, Moses’ inability to speak is a reflection of those around him — especially his Israelite peers who, overcome by the crushing weight, physical and spiritual, of their bondage, are unable to hear him. In their miserable condition, they cannot listen to someone suggesting that a change is possible. Moses’ speech problems are spiritual in origin, not physical.
I empathize with Moses. If I can barely work up the courage to write the text for an Instagram post, how could I possibly judge Moses, whose audience is as tormented and despaired as they come? But in today’s world of muting and blocking, I also find myself wondering: What came first — the speechlessness or the deafness? For the Jews in Egypt, an oppressive reality obscured their hearing. For Moses, self-doubt obstructs his ability to speak. To argue about which came first is a chicken-or-egg problem: Both speaking and listening required going strongly against the grain.
What is striking about Moses’ humble rise to leadership is that it’s also a story about the beginnings of courage. Supported by his brother Aaron and God’s supernatural interventions in the Egyptian court, Moses seems to develop greater confidence with the passing of each plague. As the second plague unfolds, Moses begins clever negotiations with Pharaoh. Around the third plague, God makes a point of telling Moses that the Israelite encampment will be spared the effects of the plagues, thereby helping Moses build goodwill among his people. And by the time the fourth plague hits, Moses is having a full conversation with Pharaoh, advocating for the Israelites’ right to worship outside the land of Egypt. The man who began as a hesitant spokesperson fearing the rage and apathy of his audience has emerged as a leader and liberator.
Perhaps the courage to believe in change is the toughest kind of courage to cultivate — more difficult even than the courage to speak, to hear, or to lead. Yet it’s the courage to believe in the possibility of change that ultimately sets the Jews on the path to freedom. Gradually, they overcome both speechlessness and deafness as they witness real changes to the status quo, changes they believed were impossible.
Will we today regain the courage to say what we think, to hear what we don’t want to hear? To set ourselves on this path, it’s worth learning from the early days of Moses’ leadership. Courage is not necessarily born to us, but it is something we can build. And the first step is to believe, in some small way, that the impossible can change. Sometimes all it takes to fuel that belief is an intimate dinner with old friends to remind us that we’re not alone.
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The post In hopeless times, we need to the courage to speak up — and to listen appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Scarlett Johansson Criticizes AI Video of Her Condemning Kanye West’s Antisemitism
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Scarlett Johansson attends The American Museum of Natural History’s 2024 Museum Gala at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, December 5, 2024. Photo: Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Actress Scarlett Johansson is protesting an unauthorized, AI-generated video that circulated on social media on Tuesday showing her and other Jewish celebrities opposing Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, for his recent antisemitic behavior.
The video begins with an AI version of Johansson, 40, wearing a white t-shirt that features on the front a hand with its middle finger extended. In the center of the hand is a Star of David and “Kanye” is written underneath the hand.
Other Jewish celebrities are featured in the AI-generated video wearing the same exact shirt, including David Schwimmer, Ben Stiller, Mark Zuckerberg, Steven Spielberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Sacha Baron Cohen, Drake, Jack Black, Mila Kunis, and Lenny Kravitz. The Hebrew song “Hava Nagila” plays throughout the video. It concludes with an AI version of Adam Sandler flipping his finger at the camera, followed by the words “Enough is Enough” and “Join the Fight Against Antisemitism.” Others featured in the clip include Jake Gyllenhaal, Woody Allen, Adam Levine, Lisa Kudrow, and Natalie Portman.
In response to the video, Johansson condemned what she called “the misuse of AI, no matter what its messaging” in a statement to People magazine. The “Black Widow” star also called on US lawmakers to pass legislation that would limit the use of AI.
“It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends, that an AI-generated video featuring my likeness, in response to an antisemitic view, has been circulating online and gaining traction,” she told the magazine. “I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”
In November 2023, Johansson threatened legal action against a company that used an AI image similar to her own, without her permission, for an advertisement. In May 2024, she accused OpenAI’s ChatGPT system, called Sky, of using a voice “eerily similar” to her own without her permission. The “Astroid City” star told People magazine in her statement that she has been “a very public victim” of AI, “but the truth is that the threat of AI affects each and every one of us.”
“There is a 1,000-foot wave coming regarding AI that several progressive countries, not including the United States, have responded to in a responsible manner. It is terrifying that the US government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of AI,” she noted. The actress said in conclusion: “I urge the US government to make the passing of legislation limiting AI use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”
Johansson did not mention Ye’s name in her statement. She also included a blanket remark about his recent “antisemitic view,” without elaborating about how the rapper went on an antisemitic rant on X on Friday and then proceeded to sell a swastika t-shirt on his website Yeezy.com, following a Super Bowl commercial on Sunday night that directed viewers to his website to shop the item.
“Shameful. Tragic. Pathetic,” said David Draiman, the lead singer of Disturbed, about Johansson’s response to the video. “Beyond disappointing, ‘AI abuse’ is the concern, not the explosion of #Jew hatred, smh.”
Australian actress Isla Fisher, who is also depicted in the AI-generated video, urged people on Tuesday to unfollow Ye on social media for selling a swastika t-shirt. She posted on her Instagram Story: “Hey friends, can you please unfollow Kanye? Did you know this is the only thing for sale on his website after placing a Super Bowl commercial? F–k this monster forever. No Tolerance for this s–t.” Schwimmer has also responded to Ye’s recent antisemitic behavior and insisted that the rapper should be banned from all social media.
Ye has since deactivated his account on X. He has also been dropped by his talent agent, and Shopify, the e-commerce platform that the Yeezy website uses to sell items, shut down Yeezy.com as of Tuesday morning.
The AI-generated video went viral on social media the same day that a Jewish woman filed a lawsuit against Ye in Los Angeles court, according to Billboard magazine. She claimed that when she worked for the rapper, he subjected her to “antisemitic vitriol,” which included text messages that said, “Hail Hitler.”
“Ye carried out a calculated campaign to threaten and psychologically torment Jewish people around him, specifically plaintiff,” her lawyers said, as reported by Billboard. “There can be little doubt that Ye treats those around him, especially Jewish people and women, much worse than just a bully. He is a self-proclaimed ‘Nazi.’”
The post Scarlett Johansson Criticizes AI Video of Her Condemning Kanye West’s Antisemitism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Super Bowl Protester Breaks Silence About Disrupting Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show With ‘Sudan, Gaza’ Flag
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A protester holding a flag with the words “Gaza” and “Sudan” as rapper Kendrick Lamar performed during the Super Bowl halftime show at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
The dancer who unfurled a combined Sudanese and Palestinian flag during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show performance on Sunday night said he felt obligated to draw attention to the “suffering” of those in the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip and the civil war in Sudan.
“I felt like I didn’t have a choice,” Muslim protester Zül-Qarnain Nantambu, 41, told Al Jazeera. “When I saw what my position was, it was a great stage … I had an opportunity on a grand scale to bring awareness or to speak out against wrong of our Muslim brothers and sisters. I didn’t want to face my creator with a sign of weak faith when I knew I had an opportunity to show I didn’t have weak faith.”
“They are oppressed, and suffering, and treated with injustice, and it’s on a wide scale,” he added. “I wanted to show the solidarity for those afflicted by this, that they’re being remembered here in America … I thought that I could contribute to taking it to the next level with this activism and protest and enlightenment to make other people aware of what’s going on in other parts of the world.”
Nantambu was asked if he is worried about the repercussions of his actions and how it might affect his ability to find work in the future. The dancer, who dubs himself a “freedom fighter,” replied, “I trust in God. I fear God more than I fear man or the loss of wealth. I fear losing the pleasure of Allah.”
The Muslim dancer was part of a 400-member dance team that performed alongside Lamar at Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The show included cameos by Samuel L. Jackson, SZA, Serena Williams, and DJ Mustard.
Toward the end of Lamar’s performance, Nantambu climbed on top of a car used as a prop in the performance and raised a combined Sudanese-Palestinian flag. On the white sections of the flag, he had written “Sudan” with a heart drawn next to it and “Gaza” alongside an image of a solidarity fist. While still displaying the flag, Nantambu jumped off the car and continued to wave it while standing on the ground near other dancers, before security personnel tackled and escorted him out of the stadium. The New Orleans Police Department said no arrest or summons were issued, but the National Football League issued Nantambu a lifetime ban to all NFL stadiums and events.
The NFL added the Nantambu concealed the combined Sudanese-Palestinian flag and unveiled it during Lamar’s performance without prior knowledge by the show’s production team.
Nantambu told CNN he spent two weeks, eight hours a day, practicing with the other dancers to prepare for the Super Bowl halftime show. He did not tell anyone about his plan to unveil the flag during Lamar’s performance.
The post Super Bowl Protester Breaks Silence About Disrupting Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show With ‘Sudan, Gaza’ Flag first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Australian Nurses Threaten to Kill Israeli Patients, Leading Jews to Question Safety at Country’s Hospitals
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Car in New South Wales, Australia graffitied with antisemitic message. Photo: Screenshot
An Australian hospital is reviewing patient records after two nurses were caught on video vowing to kill Israeli patients, prompting swift action from authorities. One of the nurses has since expressed remorse through a family member and is suffering “extreme panic attacks” in the wake of the scandal, according to her uncle.
The incident at Bankstown Hospital in Sydney unfolded after a video surfaced online showing Ahmad Nadir and fellow nurse Sarah Abu Lebdeh — both of whom posed as doctors — making inflammatory statements during a night shift discussion with Israeli social media personality Max Veifer. The footage, which circulated widely, featured Lebdeh stating she would refuse to treat an Israeli patient and would instead kill them, while Nadir used a throat-slitting gesture when he confessed to having already killed many.
“It’s Palestine’s country, not your country, you piece of s—t,” Lebdeh told Veifer.
“One day your time will come, and you will die the most disgusting death,” she added in a sentence riddled with obscenities.
Veifer began asking the two how they would respond if an Israeli seeking treatment landed in their hospital, and Lebdeh, preempting the question, interrupted: “I won’t treat them. I’ll kill them.”
Nadir interjected: “You have no idea how many [expletive] dog Israelis came to this hospital,” and using a throat-slitting gesture, continued, “I sent them to Jahannam,” which is the Islamic word for hell.
New South Wales (NSW) Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed Wednesday that both nurses had been suspended and would be permanently barred from employment within the state’s health system. “They are vile, disgusting, and deranged individuals,” Park said in a press conference.
An internal hospital review found no evidence of discriminatory treatment of Jewish patients, he said.
“To the Jewish community today, I say not only am I sorry, but I can assure you this: the care that you get in our hospitals will continue to be first class,” Park said.
Lebdeh has since expressed remorse through a family member and is experiencing severe anxiety following the release of the video, The Australian reported. Several members of Lebdeh’s family accosted a journalist from the newspaper, with one even grabbing his phone and demanding that footage of the exchange be deleted.
Her uncle, speaking outside her home, said she was suffering from extreme panic attacks. He added that “of course” she was sorry over the incident.
“She will come out and make a statement when she’s ready, but you can’t talk to her now because she’s having a panic attack, an anxiety attack. We might be calling the ambulance for her.”
Lebdeh obtained her diploma in nursing five years ago and began working at NSW Health in February 2021. Nadir, who immigrated from Afghanistan and became an Australian citizen four years ago, issued an apology. “To the Jewish community and anyone I’ve offended, I sincerely apologize,” he said.
The family members of Sarah Abu Lebdah – the Sydney-based Islamist extremist nurse who recorded herself threatening to kill Jews under her care (with the claim of having already done so) – assaulted a journalist from The Australian and stole his phone. pic.twitter.com/B5r7jRgBza
— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) February 12, 2025
The incident came amid a rise in antisemitic incidents across Australia, with Jewish institutions targeted in arson attacks and businesses defaced. Law enforcement in Sydney and Melbourne, home to the majority of Australia’s Jewish population, is actively investigating hate crimes, including the recent discovery of a trailer containing explosives and a list of potential Jewish targets.
Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, described the footage as “utterly sickening.”
“Their unrepentant, gleeful hatred is the precursor to the violence we are experiencing in our country, and it must be stamped out,” he wrote on Instagram. “No doubt we will see the defense that Jews have brought this hatred upon themselves through Israel’s war in Gaza. That these people are merely traumatized from the images of the war. They have it backwards. It is this hatred and dehumanization of Jews that causes wars and the carnage of Oct. 7 and if left unchecked it will further degrade our society.”
Some Jewish Australians responded to the post by sharing personal accounts of what they describe as discrimination in medical settings. One woman recalled that after a doctor noticed her Hebrew tattoo, “the level of care changed,” and she was misdiagnosed before being sent home without pain relief. She wrote that she “knew in my soul” that it was antisemitism. Another recounted being treated warmly by a nurse until she mentioned working for a Jewish organization, at which point “she turned totally cold.”
Shira Nussdorf, a US-born Jewish woman who moved from Israel to Australia six years ago, reflected on the contrast between her past experiences and the country’s current climate.
“Five years ago, while delivering my son in the hospital, my religious head covering fell off and a nurse wearing a hijab gently placed it back. I remember thinking how needless all the fighting in the Middle East was, since when you take two women out of their region, they really have more in common than not,” she told The Algemeiner.
But Nussdorf said the Australia her son is growing up in is a very different place. “In the past year alone, my little boy has witnessed many hostile protests where ‘anti-Zionists’ have actually come into the Jewish community without permits to intimidate us. Time and time again, instead of [authorities] dispersing and arresting anyone in the crowd for screaming racial slurs and threats, Jews are asked to evacuate and told if they don’t run away, they are inciting violence.”
“Now they actually brag online about killing Israeli patients,” she said. “I don’t know how safe I would feel giving birth at that hospital.”
The post Australian Nurses Threaten to Kill Israeli Patients, Leading Jews to Question Safety at Country’s Hospitals first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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