When lighting the first menorah candle for the usually celebratory opening night of the Jewish festival of lights on Sunday, it was hard not to perceive the dripping wax taking the shape of teardrops, as a confluence of three stories made the launch of the holiday season feel like the Hanukkah from hell. At Bondi Beach in Australia, a father-son terror team opened fire on a public Hanukkah festival, killing 15 and injuring dozens more. The victims included a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor. There would have likely been many more victims if not for the heroism of a bystander named Ahmed el Ahmed, who disarmed one of the gunmen, in an incredible, selfless act of bravery. The deadly attack on Bondi Beach follows a rise in antisemitic incidents in Australia. This rise (and the associated violence) is hardly limited to Australia. And sadly, it could be most prevalent among young people. Yair Rosenberg in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Anti-Jewish prejudice isn’t a partisan divide—it’s a generational one. As David Frum explains, “It’s long past time to stop saying ‘Anti-Semitic violence has no place in our society.’ Outrage upon outrage confirms that anti-Semitic violence has a large and expanding place in Western societies—that it is supported by many, that it is tolerated by many more.” 2Gov in the Time of Cholera“Despite the steps to insulate themselves, dire warnings poured in from diplomats and government experts around the world. The cuts would cost countless lives, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the other Trump officials were told repeatedly. The team of aides pressed on, galvanized by two men who did little to hide their disdain for the agency: first Peter Marocco, a blunt-spoken Marine veteran, and then 28-year-old Jeremy Lewin, who, despite having no government or aid experience, often personally decided which programs should be axed.” ProPublica: Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera. 3Monsters, Inc“At the hospital three years ago, meeting the newborn who would become their daughter, Mr. Garner was the first to notice the tiny flaps of skin where her ears should be. Annie, the child they were adopting, was deaf. Over the next few months, as they got to know their daughter, the Garners would discover more challenges, including poor vision, a developmental disability and weak muscles.” NYT (Gift Article): Born Deaf and Blind, She’s Caught in Trump’s Anti-Diversity Crusade. “A program for deafblind children helped 3-year-old Annie Garner, born with poor vision and no ears, learn to communicate. The Trump administration cut the program’s funding over diversity goals.” (This is sick cruelty, pure and simple.) 4Treat This Like Plutonium“Then Captain Kohli made a fateful decision. He needed to, he said — to save the climbers’ lives. ‘Secure the equipment. Don’t bring it down.’ ... ‘Aye, aye, sir.’ The climbers scampered down the mountain after stashing the C.I.A. gear on a ledge of ice, abandoning a nuclear device that contained nearly a third of the total amount of plutonium used in the Nagasaki bomb. It hasn’t been seen since. And that was 1965.” NYT (Gift Article): How Did the C.I.A. Lose a Nuclear Device? “A plutonium-packed generator disappeared on one of the world’s highest mountains in a hush-hush mission the U.S. still won’t talk about.” 5Extra, ExtraHong Kong Wrong: “A Hong Kong court convicted pro-democracy former media mogul Jimmy Lai of conspiracies to commit sedition and collusion with foreign forces in a case that marks how much the semi-autonomous Chinese city has changed since Beijing began a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent five years ago.” (As we’ve learned, political winds can shift quickly and with great effect.) 6Bottom of the News“We were even more shocked that they were doing their own spin on this by also inserting the grass and sticks in a different orifice.” Chimps are sticking grass and sticks in their butts, seemingly as a fashion trend.
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Monday, December 15, 2025
Candles in the Wind
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