New York Mayor Eric Adams was recently indicted on federal charges of bribery, fraud, and soliciting foreign campaign donations, going back as far as 2014 when he was Brooklyn Borough President. Some of the charges relate to his acceptance of luxury travel and other benefits from Turkish individuals in exchange for pressuring the New York City Fire Department to improperly approve a permit for the opening of a Turkish consular building.  Adams denies the charges and says he has no plans to resign. Adams is an outspoken opponent of antisemitism and a strong supporter of Israel, having visited the country on three occasions. After the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, Adams spoke at a New York Stands With Israel rally, saying “Your fight is my fight...You marched with us with Dr. King...And I’m saying we’re going to stand with you and stand united together.” What else has Adams said to indicate his love for Israel?

‍ Eric Adams Israel by VINnews  is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A. He said that after his term as New York mayor is up, he plans to move to Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, to take training courses at the Midrasha, the Mossad training facility located there.

B. He said that if he ever gets married, he would definitely hold the ceremony in Jerusalem.

C. He said that when he retires, he is interested in living in Israel, probably in the Golan Heights.

D. He said that after he completes his time as mayor of New York, he plans to move to Jerusalem and work in security at Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center.

E. He said that he plans to regularly visit Israel, so long as Turkish Airlines continues to offer first class service to Tel Aviv.

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A round challah is one of the primary traditional Rosh Hashanah foods, with a number of explanations. One is that the shape is symbolic of the fact that the year is round, returning to the beginning at Rosh Hashanah. Another explanation is that it represents the crown of God. Other traditional Rosh Hashanah foods include apples dipped in honey, pomegranates, and fish heads. Yet there is also a tradition in some Jewish communities wherein nuts are not eaten on Rosh Hashanah. What is the reason for this prohibition?

‍ Round challah by Mark D. Zimmerman is in the public domain

A. When nut trees are planted their roots shouldn’t be covered as it is unhealthy for the plant. On Rosh Hashanah we should not cover our sins. So therefore, nuts are seen as symbolic of our uncovered sins, so we do not eat them on Rosh Hashanah.

B. We don’t eat nuts because the gematria (numerology) for the Hebrew word for nut, egoz אגוז is 17, the same value as the Hebrew word for sin, Chait חט (though the word Chait is actually spelled חֵטְא in Hebrew with a value of 18, but the Rabbis want us to stay as far away from sin as we can so the restriction still applies).

C. The restriction was originally against eating peanuts, as congregants would throw the shells on the synagogue floor just as they did with peanuts in the movie theater or ball park. The restriction eventually grew to include all nuts.

D. In medieval times, nuts were used in gambling games as a prize. In response, nuts have been banned from the Rosh Hashanah table to discourage gambling on the holiday and throughout the year.

E. Nuts are forbidden because eating nuts can cause an increase in phlegm, which might make it harder to pronounce the words of the prayers.

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Donald Trump and J. D. Vance have been promoting the lie that Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio have eaten neighbors’ pets. During his debate with Kamala Harris, Trump uttered the absurd statement that “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” Of course, according to Jewish law, one would not eat pets such as cats and dogs under any circumstance, as these are not kosher animals. Judaism has many laws governing what animals are kosher and what rules apply to preparation of kosher food. But Judaism also has rules regarding the feeding of pets, including which of the following?

‍ Racist Springfield, Ohio cat-eating hoax  is in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons 

A. It is forbidden to derive benefit from chametz during Passover. Therefore we can only feed our pets kosher-for-Passover food during that holiday.

B. It is forbidden for meat and milk to be cooked together, but that only applies to kosher meat. So we can feed our pets a Reuben sandwich if the corn beef isn’t certified kosher.

C. It is forbidden for meat and milk to be cooked together, but that only applies to meat from “kosher” animals. So we can feed our pets a ham and cheese sandwich.

D. It is forbidden for meat and milk to be cooked together, but that only applies to meat from “kosher” land animals. So we can feed our pets chicken quesadillas but not beef quesadillas.

E. It is forbidden to serve our pets Milk Bones, as bones are considered to be meat, and therefore can’t be mixed with milk.

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Last week former Congresswoman Liz Cheney endorsed Kamala Harris for president, despite the fact that there are almost no policy issues on which the two agree. Said Cheney, “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this. Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.” Two days later, her father Dick Cheney, who served as vice president under George W. Bush, also said he would be voting for Harris. He stated, “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump...He can never be trusted with power again. As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution.” Dick Cheney was a strong supporter of Israel, and in 2008 he traveled to Israel, where he met Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Said Cheney at the time, “Our two countries have been more than just strong allies. We’ve been friends, special friends. Both our nations share the ideals of liberty, equality, human dignity and representative government.” In 2018, the former vice president sat for an interview with an Israeli anti-terrorism expert, Erran Morad, who Cheney did not realize was actually actor and writer Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen’s satirical interview was taken as legitimate by Cheney, as evidenced by this back and forth–Morad: Why is it that people don’t give you enough credit for the many ways that you improved interrogation and humane torture? Cheney: Well, you’d have to ask them. I… We had a lot of very good people working for us. Morad: Torturers, or…? Cheney: Uh, interrogators. Morad: Sure, sure. Yeah. Cheney: We don’t call it torture.

What did Sacha Baron Cohen, as Erran Morad, have Dick Cheney autograph at the end of their interview?   

‍ Shimon Peres and Dick Cheney by David Bohrer is in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons 

A. A photograph of a bandaged Harry Whittington, the friend whom Cheney shot in the face on a duck hunting trip.

B. A “DO NOT ENTER” sign taken from the detention camp at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

C. An Uzi submachine gun.

D. A picture of Dick Cheney photoshopped into a Darth Vader costume.

E. A water bottle that Morad said he used to waterboard his wife when he was trying to find out if she was having an affair.

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