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The NBA’s All-Star Weekend Unexpectedly Taught Us All a Lesson in Love and Empathy
Basketball hoop, illustrative. Photo: Pixabay.
JNS.org – Some 5 million people tuned into the NBA All-Star Weekend to see Lebron James in his 20th All-Star Game, Mac McClung win the dunk contest, and the world’s best three-point shooters Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu square off.
All-Star games allow athletes to take a mid-season break, catch up with each other and their families, and prepare for the remainder of the season, hopefully ending in a playoff push. When the 2023 NBA season began, however, the world was a different place for some.
On Oct. 7, Ofir Engel, a high-school basketball player from Jerusalem, was visiting his girlfriend Yuval Sharabi at Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel. He was kidnapped by Hamas when the terror group attacked the kibbutz and was taken to the Gaza Strip along with Yuval’s father, Yossi, and 16-year-old, Amit Shani.
While the NBA season kicked off, Ofir spent 54 days in captivity—not knowing if he would ever see his family or home again, much less touch a basketball or watch a game. On Nov. 29, Ofir and Amit were two of the lucky ones released in a prisoner swap for jailed terrorists.
Yuval’s father remained captive and was pronounced dead on Jan. 16. Her uncle Eli is still captive, while her aunt and two cousins were murdered on Oct. 7.
Basketball has always been a huge part of Ofir’s life, which included training with Tamir Goodman, the “Jewish Jordan.” It so happened that last weekend, as a form of respite, a few moments to take his mind off the trauma that haunts him daily, Ofir and Yuval were treated to a trip to the NBA All-Star Weekend at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis by former NBA agent Happy Walters and sports journalist Emily Austin.
Ofir watched his athletic heroes shoot, pass and dunk. He took photos on the court and lived every kid’s basketball dream. The weekend, however, was not about basketball. Rather, it was about the world witnessing the humanity and goodness that we have to offer each other and how a basketball can help change the world we live in to the world in which we want to live.
Ernie Johnson, the longtime host of “Inside the NBA” and six-time Sports Emmy Award winner, was once again at the center of All-Star Weekend, interviewing celebrities and giving in-depth analysis of the season in progress.
As a rabbi and host of the podcast “Rabbi on the Sidelines,” I had the opportunity to interview Johnson in February 2022. We spoke about his deep faith, the challenges he faced in two battles with cancer, as well as the miraculous story of his adopted son Michael, who suffered from muscular dystrophy but lived an amazingly full life and passed away in 2021 at age 33.
While a ventilator helped him breathe and a wheelchair helped him traverse the world, it was Michael’s love that permeated the soul of every person he met. Michael, who could barely speak, would always say, “Love you, too,” no matter who you were and before he even had a conversation with you. He would not only say these words but would teach you how to say them in sign language.
Ernie Johnson is a man of faith, a man of moral clarity and a man who defines empathy and kindness. His son Michael taught his father this day after day. And “love you, too” was once again on display at the NBA All-Star Weekend.
As the game concluded on Sunday evening, Ernie became aware that Ofir and Yuval were in the arena. As the cameras shut off, Ernie invited them to the TNT set. They embraced, shared their story and took a photo now spreading widely in social media circles.
The picture shows Ofir, the released hostage; Yuval, still grieving for her father, aunt and cousins, and praying for the release of her uncle; and Ernie Johnson. They are all making the sign with their hand: “Love you, too!”
In a speech to the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Johnson shared with the athletes two lessons that Michael shared with the world. First, there is value in everybody. When you step away from your own agenda, you notice that you can make someone’s life better today. We all love to cheer for the home team, but there’s a much bigger team we all belong to that seeks to make life better.
Second, Johnson teaches “be a better human.” Johnson often wears a t-shirt with those words when he is not wearing his famous colorful bow ties on air. He wore it during my podcast and he wears it at the motivational speeches he gives.
On Sunday evening, there was no need for a T-shirt. “Be a better human” was taught by Johnson’s actions.
Just hours after meeting Ofir and Yuval, Johnson posted the photo he took with them. He said, “I was not expecting my All-Star Weekend to conclude with this meeting. And I don’t have the words to describe how impactful it was.” He signed the post, “Love you, too.”
If only Ofir and Yuval could say those words to her father, her aunt and her cousins. If only we could say those words to the hostages—who must come home now.
The post The NBA’s All-Star Weekend Unexpectedly Taught Us All a Lesson in Love and Empathy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Surge of Antisemitic Incidents Rocks France Amid Growing Security Concerns
The Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint last weekend. Photo: Screenshot
France has been hit by a wave of antisemitic incidents in recent days, despite increased security at Jewish sites nationwide following last month’s antisemitic shooting in Washington, DC — prompting urgent calls from the country’s Jewish community for stronger government action amid growing fears of escalating violence.
On Friday, a French rabbi was violently assaulted by three drunken individuals in the town of Deauville, located in the Normandy region of northwestern France.
According to local police, Rabbi Eli Lemel — a prominent figure in French Jewry — was attacked around 3:30 pm by three men who approached him, repeatedly punched him in the stomach, and shouted antisemitic slurs.
French authorities have launched an investigation into the assault, but no arrests have been made so far.
After the incident, Lemel called on the Jewish community to draw spiritual strength amid the increasing hostility that Jews are facing across France.
“I’m deeply moved by the outpouring of support following the attack. Thank God, I’m okay,” the Jewish leader wrote in a post on X. “I was struck and verbally abused in a language I didn’t understand.”
In a separate incident, a 21-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after climbing a synagogue in the town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine in north-central France, removing an Israeli flag from its façade, and attempting to set it on fire.
According to local media, the suspect — who was already known to authorities for prior offenses — confessed to committing the attack and admitted to being intoxicated at the time.
French police confirmed that the man is being charged with trespassing in a place of worship, theft by climbing, and causing damage to property on religious grounds.
The local Jewish community has voiced deep concern following this incident, viewing it as part of a broader surge in hostility targeting Jewish institutions across France.
Sandrine Dos Santos, the city’s mayor, expressed “[her] solidarity, as well as that of the city, toward the Jewish community directly targeted by these unacceptable antisemitic acts.”
“Faced with the increase in violence, our commitment against discrimination remains unwavering and will not waver. We repeat it loud and clear: no form of racism or rejection of others has a place in Poissy,” the French leader said.
In a separate incident on Saturday, three Serbs were arrested near Antibes in southeastern France, suspected of painting several Jewish community buildings green in Paris — an act currently under investigation as possible foreign interference.
Last weekend, the Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint in an incident denounced by the French government.
On Monday, an elementary school in Lyon, east-central France, was set on fire and defaced with antisemitic and pro-Palestinian slogans, as well as swastikas, marking one of the latest antisemitic incidents to impact France in recent days.
As the school had no direct connections to the Jewish community, local police have launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack.
French authorities reported that the fire was limited to the outdoor bathrooms, causing no significant damage to the school. They also found antisemitic graffiti and swastikas in three classrooms.
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), denounced the attack, saying that “the Palestinian cause is used as justification for burning down a school” and that the “Nazification of Israel serves as fuel for crass antisemitism.”
“When a populist pro-Palestinian narrative is allowed to take hold, it is French Jews who ultimately pay the price,” Arfi wrote in a post on X. “The twisted use of the Palestinian cause is turning into a rallying cry of hatred against both Jews and the Republic itself.”
Voilà où nous en sommes !
La cause palestinienne sert de justification pour incendier une école
Quand on laisse gagner un discours populiste propalestinien, ce sont les Français juifs qui en paient le prix.… https://t.co/dMaQBnbfqi
— Yonathan Arfi (@Yonathan_Arfi) June 1, 2025
Beyond France, other European countries have also experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents in recent weeks.
On Monday, several headstones were vandalized at a Jewish cemetery in a suburb of Belgrade, located in north-central Serbia, marking the second such incident in the country in recent weeks.
The post Surge of Antisemitic Incidents Rocks France Amid Growing Security Concerns first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Vetoes UN Security Council Demand for Gaza Ceasefire
Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from Israel, June 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The United States vetoed a UN Security Council demand on Wednesday for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza and unhindered aid access across the enclave.
“The United States has been clear we would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza,” Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council before the vote.
“This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground, and embolden Hamas,” she said of the text that was put forward by 10 countries on the 15-member council.
The remaining 14 council members voted in favor of the draft resolution.
Israel has rejected calls for an unconditional or permanent ceasefire, saying Hamas cannot stay in Gaza. It has renewed its military offensive in Gaza – also seeking to free hostages held by Hamas – since ending a two-month ceasefire in March.
The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people in Israel in an Oct. 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave.
The post US Vetoes UN Security Council Demand for Gaza Ceasefire first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Trump Picks Lawyer Who Called Oct. 7 Attack a ‘Psyop’ to Lead Federal Watchdog Agency
Paul Ingrassia. Photo: Screenshot
Paul Ingrassia, a 29-year-old lawyer who was recently nominated by US President Donald Trump to lead a federal agency dedicated to combating corruption and protecting whistleblowers, seemingly dismissed the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2o23, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel as a “psyop,” or “psychological operation, in resurfaced social media posts.
“This ‘war’ is yet another psyop to distract Americans from celebrating Columbus Day,” Ingrassia wrote on X/Twitter on Oct. 8, 2023.
“I think we could all admit at this stage that Israel/Palestine, much like Ukraine before it, and BLM before that, and covid/vaccine before that, was another psyop,” he posted a week later. “But sadly, people fell for it. And they’ll fall for the next one too.”
On the actual day of the Oct. 7 massacre, Ingrassia compared illegal immigration into the US to the Hamas-led onslaught.
“The amount of energy everyone has put into condemning Hamas (and prior to that, the Ukraine conflict) over the past 24 hours should be the same amount of energy we put into condemning our wide open border, which is a war comparable to the attack on Israel in terms of bloodshed — but made worse by the fact that it’s occurring in our very own backyard,” he posted. “We shouldn’t be beating the war drum, however tragic the events may be overseas, until we resolve our domestic problems first.”
Trump announced last week that he picked Ingrassia to serve as head of the US Office of Special Counsel, a position that requires confirmation by the Senate.
The Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal ethics agency that works to ensure fairness and accountability within the government. Ingrassia’s role, if he is confirmed, would involve investigating claims of wrongdoing, such as retaliation against whistleblowers or improper political activity in the workplace. The official can recommend disciplinary action and reports serious findings to Congress, helping to protect federal employees and uphold the integrity of the civil service system.
Ingrassia also maintains a relationship with and defends alleged sex trafficker Andrew Tate, who has promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media. Tate wrote on X/Twitter that he refuses to “listen to women, Mexicans, or Jews” and that Jewish people are “subverting Western populations into mass genetic suicide” by advancing what he described as misguided immigration policy. Tate has also accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza against Palestinians and engaged in Holocaust denialism.
The furor surrounding Ingrassia is the latest dustup the Trump administration has had regarding controversial personnel and antisemitism.
The Trump administration’s appointment of Kingsley Wilson as deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense also sparked widespread criticism due to her history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and extremist views. Wilson, formerly associated with the Center for Renewing America, has a documented history of social media posts endorsing white supremacist ideologies, including claims about the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank — a Jewish man whose wrongful conviction and subsequent murder galvanized the founding of the Anti-Defamation League. In 2023, she tweeted that Frank “raped & murdered a 13-year-old girl,” a statement aligning with neo-Nazi narratives.
Late last month, the Pentagon announced that Wilson will be promoted and serve as the department’s new press secretary.
The post Trump Picks Lawyer Who Called Oct. 7 Attack a ‘Psyop’ to Lead Federal Watchdog Agency first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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