Bruce Ticker is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Jews of the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles were exposed to a modern, American-style pogrom on May 30 that should enrage us all. Not only were Jewish businesses sacked but five synagogues and three Jewish schools were reportedly vandalized in George Floyd’s name by thugs. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Rioting in Los Angeles was an anti-Jewish pogrom Read More »
Bruce Ticker, USAThe riots here bore the essence of organized incitement soon after vandals began ravaging Minneapolis during the middle of last week. By Sunday, the looting reached the Roosevelt Mall, slightly more than 10 miles north of center city Philadelphia – and less than two miles south of my apartment building. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Rioters target some Jewish neighborhoods Read More »
Bruce Ticker, USANo doubt that millions of Americans have prayed as much or more than they ever prayed since the coronavirus crisis clutched us by the throat. They prayed at home – for survival and a return to pre-Covid-19 life. While we are it, many of us can pray for the resumption of traditional religious services where we will again be surrounded by friends and relatives inside a comfortable building such as a synagogue, church or mosque. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Rush to reopen houses of worship may be deadly Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Jewish Religion, USASecretary of State Mike Pompeo spent the hours leading to the Sabbath last Friday by having Israel’s back while getting his inspector general off his back. Israel’s reputation has long been impaired in part by the concept of intersectionality, and what happened Friday exemplifies how resentment of President Trump can undermine support for Israel. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Republicans’ domestic record hurts Israel’s cause Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USAThere is only one way to break this cycle: Return to the negotiating table. It is far more up to the Palestinians than Israel. If they are serious about seeking an independent state. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Roadblocks to Israeli-Palestinian peace Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USANo “evil doings of Israel” for Antone Melton-Meaux, as Ilhan Omar once proclaimed. Rather, he argues that “Israel has long stood as a beacon of liberal democracy.” In backing a two-state solution, Melton-Meaux reflects: “The United States must be a partner in realizing a modern, prosperous Palestine. We need to renew our focus as an international leader in peace and help end this conflict.” [Bruce S. Ticker]
Ilhan Omar’s challenger is Antone Melton-Meaux Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USAWe might be tempted to give New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio the benefit of the doubt. It was a thoughtless moment. In haste he tweeted: “My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.” [Bruce S. Ticker]
Giving Bill de Blasio the benefit of the doubt? Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, USAThe politics linked to Israel got a tad more uncomfortable, thanks to the main U.S. presidential contenders.Last Friday, J Street endorsed Joe Biden’s bid to oust President Trump on Nov. 3, which he readily welcomed. The following night, Trump pounced on anti-Israel attitudes among Democrats with no real coaxing. Both moves raise disturbing questions. If the former vice president is elected, will J Street prod Biden to make decisions damaging to Israel? [Bruce S. Ticker]
J Street’s endorsement of Biden raises Israeli issues Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USAThe Gaza Youth Committee’s concept of self-determination was short-circuited by Hamas, which rules Gaza with a tight grip. The decade-old committee has spent the last half of its existence virtually meeting with Israelis in small-scale video chats targeted to develop a new generation of leaders who seek to live in peace. Last week, Hamas pulled the plug when it arrested the committee’s leader and several others who participated in its latest video chat on Zoom, the popular teleconferencing platform, The New York Times reports. [Bruce S. Ticker]
The high crime of discussing peace with israelis Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle EastIt must be a bad dream – the spectacle of police in New York City and Lakewood, N.J., breaking up Orthodox Jewish funerals. What was a mitzvah a few months ago has morphed into a curse. So have refreshing oneself on the beach and sharing the joy of a rousing wedding party. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Covid-19 hits Haredim in Israel, N.Y., N.J., and Florida Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USAWe have been living with the glaring presence of Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar in Congress for 15 months. Finally, we have some idea of the forces that could decide Tlaib’s political future. Likewise for a Republican congressman who is perceived as anti-Israel. The other week, Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones announced that she will challenge Tlaib in the Democratic primary next August to represent part of Detroit and some of the city’s suburbs, according to the website Jewish Insider. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Campaigns shape up against 3 anti-Israel Congress members Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USAOn her first two days as a freshman, two teachers laughed when pronouncing a student’s last name, Guiffre, as Jew-Frey. One teacher remarked, “I wouldn’t want a last name like that,” and the same teacher would later recommend Mein Kampf as a great book. An anti-Semitic photo displayed in a group chat in 2018 prompted an investigation by the state attorney general, which last October found probable cause that Paige fell victim to discrimination by the school and the school district based on her religion. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Neo-Nazi youth taunt Jewish student in New Jersey Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Science, Medicine, & Education, USABaltimore Mayor Jack Young sounded a curious plea this past Wednesday: “We cannot clog our hospitals and their beds with people that are being shot senselessly because we’re going to need those beds for people infected with the coronavirus.” Yet it seemed commendable nearly a month earlier when the House of Representatives passed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act which, true to its name, would make lynching a federal hate crime. It occurred to me that perhaps a century from now the House will vote to make gun violence a federal hate crime – thousands of bullet-ridden bodies later. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Are there enough hospital beds for Covid-19 and gun victims? Read More »
Bruce Ticker, USAMaybe now the threat of anti-Semitism – government-sanctioned anti-Semitism, to be specific – could be slackening with Bernie Sanders’s slackening presidential campaign. American Jews feared that a Bernie Sanders presidency would intensify the anti-Semitic movement that has been haunting our country, especially during the past few years. Had Sanders swept Super Tuesday states last week, we should still be worried. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Biden’s victories reassure Jews worried about Sanders Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USA