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Mind Your Own Business? Not When You Care
A page of Talmud. Photo: Chajm Guski/Wikimedia
JNS.org – I wrote last week about the most famous biblical commandment: “love thy neighbor.” We shared commentary by Nachmanides (the Rambam) on how we mustn’t harbor hate in our hearts but rather confront the person who we believe wronged us. That way, we will be able to keep the peace between us and ultimately be able to fulfill the commandment to love thy neighbor.
The problem is that not everyone enjoys being confrontational. I don’t have any statistics, but I would imagine that most people tend to shy away from confrontation. The average person has neither the desire nor the gumption for a fight. That’s why we usually turn a blind eye to an affront and overlook it, or say that we’ve forgiven the other person or that it’s not important, and drop it from our agenda. It’s easier and less stressful to just “forget about it.”
But if we truly loved the other person, we wouldn’t just walk away. We would address the issue at hand so this person doesn’t make it onto our “enemies list.” Furthermore, if we cared about that individual, we would actively seek their betterment. We would show them where they erred, so it might help them improve their conduct and character to become better human beings.
Starting at nightfall on May 15 and continuing through the following day is Lag B’Omer, the 33rd day of the omer, which is the counting of 49 days between Passover and Shavuot. It is a festive day in an otherwise mournful period. The legendary Talmudic sage Rabbi Akiva had 24,000 students, but a terrible plague took their lives with a few notable exceptions. On Lag B’Omer, the plague ceased, hence the celebrations on that day.
The Talmud says that the plague occurred because the students “did not conduct themselves with respect toward one another.” But this raises a serious question. Of all people, surely, it was the students of Rabbi Akiva who should have exemplified brotherly love and healthy relationships. After all, it was their very own teacher—Rabbi Akiva himself—who taught those immortal words about the mitzvah to love thy neighbor, saying: “This is the great principle of the Torah.” So, how could his students be so unknowledgeable about such a core Torah teaching?
In a brilliant and rather original approach, the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson—explains that the students’ “disrespect” actually stemmed from their love for their colleagues. Its origin was from a place of concern for their friends and fellow students.
Seeing as we are taught that “there are 70 faces (interpretations) to the Torah,” each of Rabbi Akiva’s students interpreted his teachings from their singular perspective. Because their friends did the same, they each saw it differently. And precisely because they loved one another, they tried to convince their colleagues of the error in their thinking and bring them onto what they considered to be the “right track.”
Sadly, though, as they each had the same concern for their fellow and each one was convinced that his understanding of their teacher’s lesson was correct, there were unhealthy disagreements and disrespect. While that was unfortunate, it did come from a good place. You see, if you really love someone, you will try to get them to see the authentic truth as you see that truth.
It applies in many areas of life. The old American safe-driving slogan “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk” was simple, but clever. If you are truly a friend, you will not allow another to kill himself or others by driving under the influence. A friend will take away the keys. Give him a lift, call an Uber, let him spend the night and sleep it off.
People are often told to “mind your own business.” But there are times when we must make something our business; otherwise, innocent lives may be lost. When it’s a matter of life and death, minding our own business is hazardous. It’s not only indifferent, it’s insensitive and uncaring—and downright dangerous.
Sure, most people don’t want or choose to get involved. They say, “I don’t need this in my life!” But if they really care, they get involved.
It is general practice that if we see someone standing on a bridge or top of a building and threatening to jump, we try to stop them in any way we can. Not only firemen and emergency workers, but total strangers and passers-by will do their level best to coax the person down to safety.
Yes, people have the “democratic right” to do with themselves as they please. But, thankfully, humanity still has some values left, and we generally do our very best to save a life, even if it is a troubled one. (Some say especially if it is a troubled one.)
It may be none of our business, but if we care, we will make it our business. While it’s usually much easier to mind our own business, very often, true love demands we get involved.
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Support for Israel Holding Strong Among US Public, Growing Among Young Voters, Poll Finds
Pro-Israel rally in Times Square, New York City, US, Oct. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
American support for Israel in its war against Hamas has reached its highest level since the conflict began and includes a surprising surge of support among younger voters in Gen Z, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll.
The poll, conducted from July 6–8, found that 77 percent of registered voters say they support Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza, while just 23 percent back Hamas. That marks a continued trend of stability in pro-Israel sentiment across the U.S. public. In June, the poll revealed that 75 percent of the US public supported Israel over Hamas.
Among Americans aged 18 to 24, support for Israel now stands at 60 percent, compared to 40 percent for Hamas. That’s a notable jump from 52 percent support for Israel in March and could suggest a broader generational shift. The increase is particularly significant given Gen Z’s reputation for progressive activism and skepticism toward traditional US foreign policy allies.
Support for Israel rises with age, reaching 92 percent among voters 65 and older.
The poll also found a strong majority of voters, 80 percent overall, say that “Hamas must release all remaining hostages without any conditions or face serious consequences.” Even among Gen Z, 61 percent agree, suggesting a broad rejection of Hamas’s actions, despite more nuanced generational divides on broader policy questions.
While older voters remain more hawkish, favoring strong Israeli military action and opposing any deal that leaves Hamas in power, Gen Z respondents were more open to negotiated outcomes. Still, the overall direction appears to show a consolidation of support for Israel as the war continues.
The Harvard CAPS-Harris survey polled 2,044 registered voters online and has become one of the most closely watched monthly trackers of public opinion on foreign policy.
The post Support for Israel Holding Strong Among US Public, Growing Among Young Voters, Poll Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Senators Led by Ted Cruz Reintroduce Legislation to Label the Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organization
US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaking at a press conference about the United States restricting weapons for Israel, at the US Capitol, Washington, DC. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
A group of US lawmakers has reintroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, legislation that would classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who spearheaded the effort, is calling on the Trump administration to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a move that would trigger sanctions and stricter restrictions on its assets, travel, and financial networks.
The Texas senator described the Brotherhood as “a terrorist organization” that provides material support to proxy entities, including Hamas, a Palestinian offshoot of the global Islamist movement. He cited the group’s extremist ideology and noted Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, describing the attack as “the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust” during which “at least 53 Americans” were killed or kidnapped.
“American allies in the Middle East and Europe have already labeled the Brotherhood a terrorist organization,” Cruz said in a statement, urging the US to “do the same, and do so expeditiously.” The bill is co-sponsored by several Senate Republicans, including Sens. Tom Cotton (AR), John Boozman (AR), Rick Scott (FL), Ashley Moody (FL), and Dave McCormick (PA).
Cotton echoed Cruz’s assessment, saying the Brotherhood “preaches death to Israel, the United States, and other Western governments,” and argued that such rhetoric warrants a formal terrorist designation.
In the US House of Representatives, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) introduced companion legislation, citing similar concerns about the group’s global network and ideological influence.
Labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as an FTO would mark a significant shift in US counterterrorism policy. Such a designation would enable the US government to freeze the group’s assets, impose visa bans, and criminalize support for its activities. It would also likely increase scrutiny of affiliated organizations and individuals both inside and outside the United States.
Governments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Austria have already banned the Brotherhood, arguing it poses a threat to domestic and regional stability. But critics of Cruz’s bill warn that such a sweeping measure could backfire, potentially targeting progressive political efforts and fueling perceptions of US hostility toward Islamic political participation.
The legislation will now be reviewed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. While supporters push for swift passage, its fate remains uncertain amid concerns over diplomatic fallout and domestic civil liberties.
The post US Senators Led by Ted Cruz Reintroduce Legislation to Label the Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organization first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Federal Judge Allows Antisemitism Lawsuit to Proceed Against Powerful Lawyers Union
A view of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Photo: Chip East via Reuters Connect
A US federal judge ruled on Tuesday that an antisemitism lawsuit accusing the powerful Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA) union can continue over the objections of the organization’s formidable legal counsel, which attempted to have the case dismissed by arguing that it is “self-serving” and “anti-democratic.”
On Wednesday, officials from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which is representing the aggrieved parties, hailed the procedural victory in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York as a testament to the veracity of the allegations of which the ALAA is accused.
“We are enormously gratified with this ruling vindicating our clients’ federal labor law rights to oppose antisemitism in their union, including their right to sue over a virulently anti-Israel resolution proposed just weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack,” Brandeis Center chairman and founder Kenneth Marcus said in a statement. “The Brandeis Center will defend Jewish and non-Jewish union members who stand up for themselves and against antisemitism and with all the lawful tools available to them.”
Brandeis Center senior counsel Rory Lancman added, “In standing up for what it is right, these courageous legal aid lawyers faced expulsion and a campaign of demonization that has taken an enormous toll on then, both professionally and personally. We look forward to proceeding with this case and fully vindicating their rights under federal labor law.”
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the union for New York public defenders allegedly degenerated into a “cornucopia of classic modern antisemitism” in the months following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel. Just weeks after the massacre, the ALAA passed a virulently anti-Israel resolution which made only a passing reference to Hamas’s atrocities and launched a smear campaign against Jewish members who opposed it. Following that, the union facilitated the filing of “formal charges” against Jewish and Zionist members, attempting to expel them from its ranks.
Antisemitic conduct in the ALAA took other forms, the complaint alleged. Members commended Hamas’s violence, chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and denied that the terrorist group had murdered women and children. In one incident, someone allegedly asserted that Zionist beliefs would prevent Jewish attorneys from “zealously” defending Muslims, Palestinians, and Arabs and lead them to conspire against them and sabotage their cases.
“If they support Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, why would they not have a reason to collude with prosecutors and other adversaries to deprive our clients of justice in the courts,” ALAA member Marlen Bodden wrote in an “officewide” email on Nov. 16, 2023.
“It is a legitimate question,” Monica Dula responded.
A ranking official attempted to stop the conversation from descending into a pitch and catch of antisemitic tropes, but the idea that Jews would work against their clients had allegedly been planted weeks earlier. On Oct. 13, 2023, Saara Ashid suggested that a Jewish attorney would not “stand up for Black and Brown folk in the same way,” according to the lawsuit. She added, “I’m starting to worry about all of your clients.”
By Nov. 17, ALAA was scheduled to vote on a resolution that the complaint describes as a “1,147-word diatribe against the existence of the Jewish state, replete with deceitful blood libels designed to arouse the most ancient antisemitic hatreds.” Resolved to stop it from taking place, several Jewish members, accusing the union of breach of contract and fostering a professional culture that would discourage Jews from seeking legal counsel from ALAA affiliated attorneys, sought and were granted a temporary restraining order which delayed the proceeding.
Angered by the ruling, their colleagues allegedly sought to expel them from the union entirely, with one member accusing them “of snitching behavior.” A volley of similar comments were launched in an email thread over the next several days, the lawsuit notes, with Emmanuel Garcia writing “if you are a snitch please do us a favor and kill yourself” and David Tobias commenting “careful, snitches are in this thread, they might snitch on you and air strike your home with your family in it.”
ALAA then moved to file charges against its Jewish members, accusing them of attempting to “interrupt a democratic process on an internal union matter” and violating the union’s “core” mission. The anti-Israel resolution has since been passed, and a trial of the members is forthcoming.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post US Federal Judge Allows Antisemitism Lawsuit to Proceed Against Powerful Lawyers Union first appeared on Algemeiner.com.