Eli Geller

[David Wolpe @RabbiWolpe]

This is the period mourning the Temple and Jewish sovereignty—lost after centuries. As America marks 250, may that loss teach us: preservation needs responsibility, unity, seeing fellow citizens as allies not enemies, and faith in a purpose greater than ourselves. #4thOfJuly

[נועה מגיד | Noa magid @NoaMagid]

Meet Ahmed Wishah. The Al Jazeera "journalist" NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani chose to mourn.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

Israel’s enemies may have no greater friend than Itamar Ben-Gvir. He is and has always been an extremist who belongs nowhere in the ranks of government, let alone in the Ministry of Internal Security.

Shame on all the enablers who have empowered his extremism.

[Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر @emilykschrader]

What kind of hateful bigot gets up in the middle of a war when ballistic missiles are flying and says ‘I have an idea! Let’s go burn homes and cars of Palestinians’ WTF? These people are disgusting, this is terrorism, and I hope they rot in prison.

[Eliana Goldin @Eliana_Goldin]

Fact: Jewish high school graduates don’t join the IDF to “starve to death” Palestinians. That’s antisemitic.

They join the IDF because of rhetoric like this that demonizes Jews and reinforces the idea that the State of Israel is the only hope for Jewish safety and security

[Shai Davidai @ShaiDavidai]

A great deal of false, misleading, and exaggerated claims are circulating regarding the potential deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a 31-year-old @Columbia University graduate student, by the Department of Homeland Security (@DHSgov).

I would like to make six important points about this.

Yet, while there’s much to discuss, the most important takeaway is this: No matter how sensationalized the conversation becomes on social or traditional media, it is essential that we remain level-headed, embrace complexity, and avoid rushing to judgment until the facts are clear.

#1: Lead with compassion.

This likely won’t surprise anyone who has followed me over the past year and a half. While I am relieved that the federal government is beginning to address anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, and anti-American activity on university campuses, I do not take pleasure in Khalil’s potential deportation.

As someone who also arrived in the U.S. on a student visa and is now a green card holder, I can only imagine the fear of facing deportation for repeatedly violating its conditions.

While I strongly disagree with Khalil’s actions, I refuse to strip him or his wife of their humanity.

#2: In a properly functioning society, actions must have consequences:

For over a year and a half, Mahmoud Khalil has led @ColumbiaBDS, a student coalition that spreads terrorist propaganda on campus and has been responsible for multiple violent takeovers of university buildings, two of which resulted in public safety personnel being hospitalized.

Khalil has also acted as the primary negotiator between student protesters and the administration, both during a campus encampment that featured spaces honoring U.S.-designated terrorists and the more recent building occupations at @BarnardCollege.

As a married, 31-year-old graduate student who has repeatedly violated the conditions of his green card, Khalil’s potential deportation is the direct consequence of the choices he has made.

#3: The right to a fair trial is essential to the functioning of a democratic society.

No matter what you think—or know—about Mahmoud Khalil and his actions, it is crucial that we all withhold judgment until he has received the fair legal process guaranteed to every U.S. legal resident.

As someone who has both protested for democracy in Israel and volunteered as a graduate student teaching incarcerated men in maximum- and medium-security correctional facilities in upstate New York, I am deeply committed to the principles of due process, fair legal representation, and equal treatment under the law.

Khalil, like anyone else, is entitled to fair and unbiased treatment under the law, whether from individuals, groups, or the government. I trust that the U.S. legal system will ensure his legal proceedings are carried out as intended.

#4: Don’t fall for fake news.

Over the past 48 hours, a smear campaign has spread false claims by Layla Saliba and Maryam Iqbal—two @Columbia student leaders who, alongside Khalil, have fueled anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, and anti-American activity on campus— accusing me of working with the administration to deport Khalil.

Let me be absolutely clear: I have never had a direct line to the administration. Even if I did, I would never use such influence to target an individual. This is not who I am or what I stand for.

Like many, I’ve called out Khalil’s repeated legal violations and demanded accountability. But as I always remind my students, just because one event follows another doesn’t mean it caused it. Correlation does not imply causation.

#5: This is not about free speech

As I’ve stated many times, I am a strong advocate of free speech. People must have the right to voice their opinions, even when they are deeply offensive, reprehensible, or ignorant. However, it must be emphasized that Khalil was not apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security for exercising his First Amendment rights.

He was apprehended for violating the conditions of his green card, namely for his activities aligned to a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

This isn’t about free speech—it’s about respecting and upholding the rule of law.

#6: Khalil is not the story.

The story is not about Mahmoud Khalil. He is neither a hero nor a villain, but rather a foreign national who has been radicalized by his professors and peers on Columbia’s campus.

The real story here is about the fight against anti-democratic U.S.-designated terrorist organizations that have held 59 hostages in underground tunnels for more than 500 days, including Edan Alexander—a 20-year-old U.S. citizen from Tenafly, New Jersey.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I strongly encourage you to watch the 1-hour interview with Eli Sharabi, an Israeli citizen who was held hostage for 491 days, only to learn upon his release that his wife and two daughters were murdered by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 Massacre.

Don’t let the moral outrage of social media algorithms distract you from what is at stake.

Bring Them Home.

**

One small ask – If you have read thus far, please help me spread this message.

With all the ‘fake news’ going around, it is important o share the truth.

[Ari Lamm @AriLamm]

Deuteronomy tells us when a king of Israel is appointed, “he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll” (17:18)

Why?

Bc a true leader of Israel is not a ruler, but a servant—to God and his fellow citizens.

Ori, you are a king of Israel.

May your merit protect us

[John Spencer @SpencerGuard]

Breaking: UN Security Council holds emergency meeting about Israel upon request from Iran.

You read that right, Iran with (according to the U.N.) the support of Algeria, China and Russia requested and was authorized an emergency meeting to condemn Israel. Insane.

Iran violated all international law, twice, recklessly and without cause attacking Israel. Then Israel conducts constrained precision strikes in defense of Iran's attacks. The UN is failing and continues to fail. IMO

https://t.co/vAjkztihmd

[Aviva Klompas @AvivaKlompas]

Rachel Goldberg-Polin: “People are insinuating that the six hostages [murdered in a tunnel in August] were Sinwar’s human shield, but I don't know for sure. It certainly seems that they were in very close proximity and I think the irony is that they were so mistreated for the last few months of their lives, that in the end, he couldn't use them as human shields, because they were so malnourished and they were so not well, that when he had to run, he couldn't take them with him. Obviously, as a mother, as a human being, it's just really painful to think about.”

[Aviva Klompas @AvivaKlompas]

Netanyahu offered immunity to any Gazan who releases hostages.

Now Daniel Birnbaum, former CEO of SodaStream, is offering $100,000 to anyone who retruns an Israelis hostage alive. The deadline to do so is Wednesday Oct 23.

❗Share this - we may just save some lives❗

[Pearl Jam @PearlJam]

Cheers, Boston!!! 🧦❤️ Let’s do it again Tuesday!

[מירב כהן - Meirav Cohen @cohen_meirav]

ללא מילים.
קרדיט: זאב אנגלמאיר

[David Wolpe @RabbiWolpe]

Students at Harvard react to the removal of a student’s mezuzah by posting scores of them. Amazing how some students protest without disrupting or destroying. https://t.co/EQgsZVmlSY

[Halel Etkes @EtkesHalel]

ביציאה מהבסיס ראיתי לוחם יושב בצד, מנסה לתפוס פינה עם צל. אני לקראת נסיעה של שעתיים ממחנה צאלים לכיוון ירושלים, והוא היה נראה עצוב ומיואש. הנחתי שזה בגלל שבחוץ 35 מעלות ואין לו איך להגיע הביתה. אז עצרתי, ושאלתי אם הוא מחפש טרמפ. את למאל״א (מתקן עזה הקטנה) במקרה? שאל בתקווה.

[Matthew Levitt @Levitt_Matt]

“This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s complaint allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Pakistani National with Ties to Iran Charged in Connection with Foiled Plot to Assassinate a Politician or U.S. Government Official https://t.co/rfMGaXlDZL

[Tom Brady @TomBrady]

Another one in Boston ☘️

[Avi Mayer אבי מאיר @AviMayer]

.@JakeTapper rakes @Amnesty over the coals for mourning the death of convicted Palestinian terrorist Walid Daqqa, who commanded the cell that kidnapped, tortured, castrated, and murdered 19-year-old Israeli Moshe Tammam in 1987.

[Victoria Freeman @v_j_freeman]

Navalny had his prisoner of conscience status removed by Amnesty for “discriminatory statements”, a move which they admit increased his persecution by the Russian state, but they’ll eulogise a man who gouged out the eyes & cut off the genitals of an off duty teenage soldier.

[Hillel Neuer @HillelNeuer]

OUTRAGE: International Red Cross today makes ex-UNRWA chief Pierre Krähenbühl its new head. He was forced to quit UNRWA over damning internal ethics report, abuse of power & corruption scandal, his reported sexual affair with staffer during world trips.
📜https://t.co/rbG52VI44p

[CAMERA @CAMERA4Truth]

Since #October7 UN Special Rapporteur @FranceskAlbs has attacked Jewish victims & downplayed genocidal antisemitism.

Yesterday @UNHCR shamefully attempted to silence Professor Anne Bayefsky’s wholly legitimate criticism of Albanese’s dangerous lies.

📺WATCH: