1.Deadly - Again

Guns, mental illness and hate make a toxic and deadly cocktail in this country. Of this there is no doubt. JTA reports that the "Minneapolis school shooter's weapons were allegedly marked with antisemitic messgaes." Apparently targeting a Catholic school wasn't enough of a statement for this young man.

"The shooter who killed children attending a Catholic mass at their school in Minneapolis on Wednesday allegedly used a gun that featured antisemitic and anti-Israel writing, as well as the name of the man convicted of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.

"The alleged shooter, Robin Westman, 23, approached the side of Annunciation Catholic School and shot at the children sitting in the pews, killing two children aged 8 and 10 and injuring 17 other people, including 14 children. Westman then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound outside of the school, which began its year on Monday.

"According to the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, writing on the guns used in the attack featured 'antisemitic and anti-Israel references; praise for mass killers across the ideological spectrum, including white supremacist, anti-Muslim and anti-government extremists; as well as other school shooters.'

"A YouTube account believed to have belonged to Westman shared videos prior to the shooting in which gun parts and smoke grenades can be seen with neo-Nazi messaging including, '6 million wasn’t enough,' 'Burn Israel,' 'Israel must fall' and 'Destroy HIAS,' a reference to the Jewish humanitarian organization. The videos were removed after the shooting."

2.God Wants What Now?

The Torah - the book Haredi Israelis suggest they are dedicated to studying - is filled with stories about battles and wars. I don't recall a debate among Joshua's men (this is but a minute or less than 40 years after the Mount Sinai event when Moses was up there) in which some Israelites said they have to be excused from the battle in order to study. Do you?

My solution, if anyone asks, is simple: No service means no voting rights and certainly no more 5,400 shekels a month from the country you criticize so much.

"Outside the nearby Mir Yeshiva, one of the largest and most prestigious religious schools in the country, Haim Bamberger, 23, said he was studying the Torah, as, he said, God wanted. It was Mr. Bamberger’s way of defending Israel, rather than through military service. 'When we do what he wants, he protects us,' he said.

"The Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed nearly 1,200 people and led to the taking of roughly 250 hostages, Mr. Bamberger said, 'was partly because many people in this country are not doing what God wants.'

"Mr. Bamberger said he had been drafted but was ignoring his notice and risking jail. He grew more animated as he spoke. 'In this country I’m considered a criminal,' he said, 'because I want to study Torah.'

"Days later, the Israeli military police began arresting ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers. Only a few have been detained so far, according to multiple Israeli news reports, but on Aug. 14, hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protested and clashed with the police outside a prison where the Ynet Hebrew news site reported that seven were held. For now, at a time of rage among the ultra-Orthodox and building tension between the military and the government over Gaza, the military is holding off on mass arrests.

"Military service is compulsory for most Jewish Israelis, both men and women. The exemption for the ultra-Orthodox, known in Hebrew as Haredim, has long been resented by the rest of the Jewish population. But the nearly two-year war in Gaza has turned an irritant into a political crisis that is deepening divisions in Israeli society and imperiling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile coalition.

"The Israeli military says that 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men between the ages of 18 and 24 are eligible for service and that almost all were sent draft notices in the past year. So far, only 2,940 have enlisted.

"The future promises more strains. The number of ultra-Orthodox in Israel has exploded to about one million today — roughly 13 percent of the population — from 40,000 in 1948. Some 22 percent of 6-year-olds were Haredi in 2024. By 2035, their numbers are projected to reach 30 percent.

"Any exemption for them is seen as unsustainable. 'This is the math talking,' said Inbar Harush Gity, the Defense Ministry’s former head of recruitment of the ultra-Orthodox into the Israeli military."

The full New York Times article - "The War in Israel Over Serving in War" - is worth a read if you are a subscriber.

3.Uman, the New Chelm

In the midst of a two-year war and a significant draft debate, the Israeli government cut two million shekels from the budget of five different offices to create a 10 million shekel subsidy for travel to Uman. In case you didn't know, nearly 40,000 Haredi Israelis - the vast majority of whom do not serve in the military and many of whom are anti-Zionist as well - travel to Uman each year to pray at the gravesite of a rabbi who died more than 100 years ago.

Whatever floats your boat is my usual opinion on anyone's travel, but to rob the country they are so blatantly fond of exploiting at a time of war is yet another level of chutzpah they seem to always find. More of the story from TOI.

4.Plato's Complaint

“Can [straight] men and [straight] women ever just be friends?”

"Three and a half decades ago, Nora Ephron asked that question in When Harry Met Sally… and while that film remains one of the greatest romcoms in history, I would argue that, well, it kind of flubbed that answer. For those who (gasp!) haven’t watched, Harry, played by Billy Crystal, and Sally, played by Meg Ryan, argue about the question for decades through the movie — and in the end, for them, 'the sex part,' as Harry tells Sally early on, does indeed, 'get in the way.'

"But now, all these decades later, Apple TV+ Platonic finally hones in on that question and comes up with a satisfying response to Ephron’s call. The answer is yes — men and women can just be friends! And not just that, but this premise can make for addictive and charming television.

"The show premiered in the fall of 2023 to nowhere near enough fanfare; the second season started streaming last month. It follows two best friends, Will Zysman (Seth Rogen), a divorced gifted brewmaster, and Sylvia Greeves (Rose Byrne), a married mother of three."

You'll have to tune in and decide for yourself. In the meantime, the full review is here and the trailer is below. Oh, and there's this: "20 Jewish When Harry Met Sally Facts That'll Make You Say Yes! Yes! Yes!"

5.Footy Next Door

"The Revolution have added another forward to the team’s roster. New England announced the signing of Israeli forward Dor Turgeman from Maccabi Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening. The 21-year-old was signed via the MLS U22 Initiative, and will join the club following receipt of his P-1 visa on a deal that runs through the 2028 season (with a club option for 2029). The transfer fee was not officially disclosed, but MLS insider Tom Bogert reported that the Revolution will pay $5.5 million.

"Turgeman scored 16 goals and notched three assists for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2024-25 season. During his time with the club, he helped them win two league titles, as well as an Israeli Super Cup." Read more here.

6.A Fruit by Any Other Name

"Heirloom tomato season may be one of the most magical times of the year. It’s the only time that tomatoes actually taste as they should, and I ignore my acid reflux to slice and dice them to serve on anything and everything in celebration. I decided to Frankenstein the classic bagel and lox with my obsession for heirloom tomato galettes into the mashup nobody asked for but everybody needs," shares food blogger and cookbook author Jake Cohen in JewishBoston.

Inspired by his enthusiasm, our food recommendations this week are centered on heirloom tomatoes. You know, the kind that cost $7.99/lb. at your local farmers market.

Bon Appetit answers your question(s) in, "What Are Heirloom Tomatoes, Anyway?" And Aish offers "5 Jewish Facts About Tomatoes."

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