The Weekly Update with Nachum Segal and Malcolm Hoenlein on JM in the AM

Malcolm Hoenlein is with us. We call this the weekly update conference of presidents of major American Jewish organizations and we got the news this week of the engagement of Mindy and Akiva. The Stein and Goldsmith families are celebrating which means of course that the grandparents the Hoenleins are celebrating as well. Malcolm I say mazel tov and welcome back to JM in the AM. Well, yeah, thank you very much and we should only have we need many more simchas and we should only have simchas. So the Goldsmith and the Lerman families we found many common connections. I even knew his great-grandfather Wow. >> who used to listen to us in JM in the AM and other members of the family were regulars. And I it's really thank God very happy and and this was a week full of of engagements because of Rosh Chodesh coming. It's likely at three and it's Kinyan Bubos. This week we really need simchas and wonderful new families. Well, nothing. Well, you know, you don't mean three in your family. You mean yesterday you were invited to three events. Three events, yes. Engagements at three. Yeah, it's hard enough with one at a time. >> Yeah, boy. And and rush because of of Rosh Chodesh and also want to extend condolences to Nichum Aveilim to the Reader family on the passing of the Mrs. Leah Reader. Amazing people, amazing family and she was very much so and so we have still tzaros in in in in to go but we also need to have simchas. Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. I was up there yesterday paying a shiva call and and she specifically Leah who passed away was um somebody who had a very long time uh relationship with my wife from many many years ago and it was um it was um unfortunately under those circumstances but it was nice to reconnect uh yesterday uh during that opportunity. Uh also we could be quite because we're on the subject of people passing and and unfortunately as I've been mentioning throughout the morning, we know too many people who um during this transitional season have left us. And I wanted to just mention Congressman Eliot Engel. Um I thought it was worthwhile and certainly appropriate to just remember him for a moment because I think you'd agree that he was there. He was there for the community, he was there for our people in general for many many years in service in Washington D.C. 100% right and I'm glad you mentioned it reminded us because his passing went relatively quietly in terms of public notice, but he was chairman of the foreign relations. He was very active in South America. He He was a stand-up Jew. He was somebody who stood up for American principles. He didn't compromise on them. He was represented his district for for many decades and he died at the age of 79. But the last few years he he was he was relatively out of the limelight, but we should certainly we owe him a lot of gratitude for his years of service and remember that he lost to to a very bad guy. Yep. He was a victim of that whole sweep. Exactly. And I want to tell you something. >> We don't We don't have many like him. And honestly, it's actually good that we've gone in this direction, especially as we haven't spoken in a couple of weeks. People may not be aware of some of the stuff going on in Washington. 40 senators voted to block US arms sales to Israel. And I'm talking about Democratic senators. 40 senators on the Democratic side of the aisle voted to block US arms sales to Israel. Quite the opposite of what you just described regarding Congressman Engel, may he rest in peace. Um Malcolm, we need to we need to everyone needs to be aware and certainly wake up to the fact that the support in Washington, as much as we do emphasize the positive here when it comes to support in Washington, this is a startling development. Agreed? Well, it's been cumulative. Obviously, it's it's terrible and it's a blow and it's maybe wake up people. Uh I just spoke earlier this week to people here and in other communities and saying, "Do voter registration now. Don't wait until September and October. Start now." And especially with the kids graduating high schools and others that that we should register as many people here and around the country. It's really vital. You see that the turnout on an election like yesterday in New Jersey where a very bad person got elected, a Democrat inconsistent with the Bernie Sanders wing and the AOC wing of the Democratic Party, as people say it should be called a socialist party. The uh the fact that 40 in in a time when Israel has been fighting against terrorism, against on four fronts, and and taking together standing with the United States against Iran in the most remarkable way, and that they could even say that they would vote to to cut the um the arms sales, and this is a tendency in Europe. There were votes also, thank God. In most cases, it's it's um wasn't successful or it has minimal impact. But when countries like Spain engage in in the kind of blatant ongoing hostile, viciously hostile policies towards Israel, and people go there to vacation, it just I I just don't understand it. It just You got to start using our leverage, whatever it is. And you might say, "Well, it doesn't matter what one person does." Yes, but it does matter when a lot of one persons do it. And a lot of people care about America, not just the bad Israel. I mean, we are seeing something we've talked about for decades and people now come up to me at a simply this night many and said, I remember when you warned about Iran 30 years ago, we all thought it was crazy. Nobody even knew thought about Iran as a as an issue. But all some of the other matters about Islamist fundamentalism and and the problem is that we can't close our eyes to these things because we see now how bad the impact is on anti-Semitism, on the threats to Israel, the global shifting uh to to adopt policies where where Jews Jewish life is is threatened in some countries that we act now proactively. It's time when everybody has to register, everybody has to look at the candidates that are running, get involved in the campaigns, get people to run for campaigns, train young people, invest in it so that they will do it that committed young Jews will will run for office. The Muslims have a deliberate campaign with foreign funding and domestic funding. I've spoken about this more than 10 years ago because we had seen some of the plans in Michigan and other places where they elect them to committees and to city council and then they get elected to Congress and then and and they're implementing it. And we are sitting on our hands. Yeah, and we know that New York has to wake up obvious reasons. We see who's leading New York City at the moment. And New Jersey has to wake up. Cory Booker's on that list that I mentioned of those who voted against it and um we see who just won the special election to replace the governor the governor's seat in Congress. So you know, you'd think you think what you're describing is only states that, you know, have minimal association with Jewish communities and and Zionist leaning communities. We're talking about New York and New Jersey. But many of those states, as the work of the Council for Secure America, for instance. In Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, places that nobody goes there and talks about it. They're very pro-Israel. Right. But nobody has invested in them and they have and they get a great response from the governors, senators, etc. But if they weren't voter registration drives there, would be irrelevant. In New York and New Jersey, voter registration drives could be very effective. Exactly. And people need to remember that and I hope they heed your advice. All right, to the news of the last couple of weeks and obviously the headline is whether we are still at war with Iran or not. Can you tell us from your perspective the the state of this ceasefire, um, if you think it will last? The president now President of the United States is now alluding to the fact that it'll be a permanent ceasefire. What do you think? So, first of all, with Iran, there's nothing permanent. Their word is not their word. It doesn't matter. It depends on who's going to be in charge and we have a whole series of overlapping challenges that we have to address because it's not a simple yes or no when, you know, members of the IRGC delegate the delegation who are from the IRGC who refuse to accept the conditions that were put forward by the by the United States and they become more and more minimal. Uh, though still significant and you have to remember the categories. It's the whether it's removing all the product the enriched uranium and the production capacity in terms of a nuclear program and the president said they can never have a nuclear weapon. They can't have the enrichment, etc. Do they have continued to support their their allies like the Houthis who are still threatening now again and the the Hezbollah, Hamas, etc. And of course the ballistic missile program which Israel puts greater leverage on because it's the more direct threat threat immediately to them, but ultimately it will be to Europe, to the United States, to everyone. And the in terms of regime change, a term people don't use and and we don't make it as an as a frontline goal, but obviously that is the most important thing. Until this regime changes, until you get at these people that because they have one layer after another another that were removed. And if you look at the record, it's it's amazing. Yet they fill the gap. It doesn't mean that they're qualified people. It doesn't mean that they are people who enjoy broad support. Some people get painted as moderate like the speaker of the parliament and others who are far from being moderate. But in in revolutions, it's not during the fighting when the change takes place. It's afterwards. It's once things stop, then people can focus on the internal situation. The problem you have is that you have hundreds of thousands of arms by CG who are vicious and who go into the streets and just shot people as they did in January. So people I think are intimidated somewhat. But during the fighting it we know that people can't focus on that and they're not going to nobody has emerged as a leader of the opposition that galvanizes the people. And you know, I've worked with people inside Iran. I spoke to them yesterday. Some who are courageous. And you know, but they're also nationalistic, you know, people Iranians even some who still they keep this ties to Iran that are very strong. So number one, we're in still in a state of flux and we have to see what will happen. If they deliver, they don't deliver. We have built up our presence there. The president on the streets and you remember how everybody said that this would explode the world. Just they said that every move that they made would bring a world war or a war. Quite the opposite has happened. So, all of the pundits were wrong and and predictions and and assessments. It's when you're tough with people when terrorists stand against consistent policies that put the markers down and the president's show of force in the region is really vital. There will be so many changes after this war is over in terms of the Gulf countries' relationships with one another because countries like UAE that did stand with the United States and Israel stood with them. They will be in a very different position when this war is over and the internecine war phase that were was seen in before like UAE versus Saudi Arabia and many others. These things are all going to be have to be sorted out. So, we may have a very different region and the dynamic in the region may be different, but it's critical that Iran that the threat of Iran be removed, that we focus again on Turkey which is expanding its footprint in Africa and and in the region, especially in Syria and the and the work of Shara who under the cover of this war has reinstituted some of the old Islamist policies even if not legislating them, but implementing them. So, I think if the consistency of the United States in saying this is our policy, these are the bottom lines, we're not going to waver on it, we're not going to say, "Okay, we'll compromise and you can have 40%, 20% enrichment." That is a mistake. It has to be zero. >> But if there's no real regime change, is I mean is that a prerequisite for an actual real ceasefire? Because I because the reality is that that most people listening right now just don't don't know if it's even possible that there'll be true regime change. If that is a prerequisite, a precondition for you know, an actual peace deal to put an end to to war, we may never see an end. Absolutely. It it It can't be a precondition. It has to be, as I said, uh something that uh gets carried out afterwards, but we have to create the conditions within the agreement that will um put the government on notice. The the the economic conditions there are horrendous. The the cost is about half a trillion dollars just in the destruction, but they have to rebuild so much and the economic conditions were terrible before they >> Oh, you you Someone asked me this. You had mentioned that there was a a real water shortage in I in an Iran. Is that still the case Is that still the case? And and how do they manage it? What is there rationing? Like, how does it work? I don't know how they eat, frankly. And the and Iran was largely self-sufficient. Remember, it's a huge country, 100 million people. It's the size of I think England, France, and Italy put together. And they and they oil and the energy is a I think like 20% to 25% of the income. Um so, their exports in many other areas it's it's a uh very um uh the people are hard-working in the bazaars and they they are used to to to trading and to engaging in these activities uh business activities. But, the water shortage is very real. The the water system, which happened to have been built by Israeli engineers during the days of the Shah, he brought them in because Israel already then had taken steps to make the desert bloom and all that and he they built the reservoir system. But, and some of the newspapers said blamed them for the water shortage for kicking out the Israelis and saying you destroyed us when you kicked them out because they're the ones who built it and could have maintained it. So, seven of the 10 reservoirs serving Tehran are not functional. How they they function today with the their currency being almost worthless, and I'm sure it's heavily subsidized by the government to to get basic foods because that that there's nothing that will drive people into streets more than hunger. Um but they can't sustain it over over the long term. >> And the average family has no access to water. I mean, you speak to these people. Do they >> No, they they have they have they was talk, if you remember, to remove the people from Tehran and to move them out because they didn't they couldn't supply the water. But right now, nobody's focused on that. Everybody's focused on other things. But if you notice that the Israel and the United States and the bombings tried not to hit the infrastructure. They didn't hit the electricity system, so people continue to get electricity because you don't want to turn the people against you. So, when things that affect them in their lives, most of the strikes were surgical, and they hit military targets. And the it is quite remarkable when you have 18,000 or so bombings and and incidents in that the death toll was was considerably surprisingly light, and the vast majority were were terrorists and IRGC and army, etc. Um so the people have moved out, and now some are moving back to cities like Tehran. Um but you're right, the long-term problem of the water remains, and by the way, in terms of other areas as well of the production, whether that will be how soon that will all be able to get back online. I don't see the Chinese stepping in, as some say, and pouring billions of dollars into it. They will only use it as to increase their leverage in the country. Um and the Russians, I don't think have the money to spare. It's funny. It's really the only worthwhile Chinese investment if politically it helps them. Otherwise, they're not interested, obviously. They did not make And and whatever protects their oil supply, of which >> Right, again. 30% comes from Iran. >> the that's the financial part of it. Right. If it makes sense for them financially, then they get they get involved. Otherwise, why would they? Makes sense. America's one and only Jewish moments in the morning radio program heard on listener-sponsored digital radio. Right over the web at wmal.com and on the WABC Network and of course in the beloved NSN app. Malcolm Hoenlein with us. Weekly update time. And now we move to the other ceasefire. This one came a little bit out of left field. Uh all of a sudden, the Lebanese government uh is interested in sitting down with the Israelis. Uh there may actually be a meeting in Washington. We heard what the ambassadors had to say. Netanyahu is respecting Trump's request for a 10-day ceasefire even without taking it to a vote, etc. etc. Um you can't as a Lebanese government sit down with Israel without some type of endorsement by Hezbollah. Am I right or wrong? They will never get an endorsement by Hezbollah. The question is the >> Then why now? Then why did we get to this point now? First of all, it it isn't It may appear that, but it that's not the reality. This is something that's been cumulative. Israel, if you remember, signed an agreement over the water uh the energy in in the the water-based energy that when Bennett was prime minister, which is not that long ago. Um and there have been consistent periods a pattern of periods where the relationship between Lebanon and Israel were very good during the Gemayel days. The good fence, if you remember. There were agreements reached between Lebanon and Israel because there is no there are no territorial issues involved. Israel is in the area that they've occupied up to the Litani, have a presence in and I It makes me crazy when people use the term occupied because Israel's doing this as a defensive measure because you got to remove them from firing at least tank distance from the communities in the north. People in the north are still unable to to go home assured that you know, Lebanese are not the Hezbollah is not going to fire from them. They were firing hundreds of missiles a day. It doesn't didn't get the coverage even in the last hour before the the ceasefire went and they fired 40 missiles at at Israel and they fired to the central areas as well as and then there's no warning when it comes from from Lebanon. You don't have it like when it's coming from Iran. So the Lebanese people by and large don't want Hezbollah. They want to get rid of him. They're oppressed by them. They say that they suck them into these wars. They don't want the wars. Every poll shows overwhelmingly people don't do they are they unhappy with the bombings and stuff? Yes, but even even courageously in interviews with place like BBC and unfriendly places, they stand up for it and they say we want good relations with Israel. And the the and some of them remember the days when they had good relations. So this is a cumulative thing. There've been off and on periods. We've had wars and some were very heavy in Israel, you know, stayed the army stayed for for a long time in Lebanon in order to stabilize the situation because this cancerous element is Hezbollah backed by Iran with unlimited amounts of money. I mean just the amount of weapons that they find everywhere. The tunnel systems that they found, huge tunnels and packed with weapons and and the whole system of operation that came used to come through Syria, I think now that they don't allow by and large the weapons to by to go through Syria to get to the to Hezbollah. So the Lebanese people are different than in some of the other countries in terms of their wanting A to have peace and to funk to live in peace with Israel. I mean for majority of many of them, you know, the Christian community has been diminished there and and there's this artificial construct in the part the constitution that the president is a Christian and then the prime minister is a Muslim and you know they they maintain that fiction but it the the actual population um proportions and ratios are not the same as they were then. Uh but so so the fact that you could reach a ceasefire with with Lebanon is not surprising. Question is whether it can hold and whether the Lebanese army will at any point really take control because until they do Israel can't leave a vacuum because Hezbollah will fill it immediately. Now the Lebanese army is not strong and they need a lot of help and that's where the Europeans should be stepping in and saying we will help build them up. We will supply weapons. We will supply troops you know to supervise the any agreements. But you know as a rule Hezbollah is going to lie. They're they're going to use it to try and rebuild so you have to root out take out the roots of this from the very deep underground and make sure that they can't just resurrect it 3 months, 5 months, 6 months later. Yeah, well that's why I started with you need some type of Hezbollah endorsement of these talks because otherwise they're just going to you know try to completely sabotage everything. Do you think there really will be a White House Lebanon Israel meeting? I think it's very possible. I think certainly Aoun will want it. Remember this projects them. I think certainly Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomes the opportunity to come and to make his case to the American people and to the prime minister and it's certainly if if the president invites it's very hard to turn it down and and you know the relationship between United States and Israel has been truly remarkable. It's probably most remarkable demonstration of of coordination between two governments that we've seen in decades maybe ever. Uh and every you know all the CENTCOM people all the others they praise the relationship with Israel and and the way that things were carried out jointly. Uh as you know we we read about the cost to the United States. We don't read about the immense cost this is to Israel buying these weapons taking the resupply as they have just in recent days to position themselves again. They run low on the missile defense system. And the you know, and the issue the worldwide supply of a lot of these weapons has shrunk because of the war in Ukraine and because of this war. So in production we have I think one or two places that make ammunition in the United States in the whole United States. So they are talking about making the car industries retool and produce use it to produce weapons and other things for the United States not just for Israel but also for our allies. It's it's um I think a meeting is likely and I think that the more they talk the better it will be. But nobody should expect instant solutions. complicated issues and as you said the pressure of Hezbollah they can disrupt life in in Lebanon very quickly. President of Lebanon's going to have a target on his back but I guess you'd say he always does, right? Oh, exactly. I don't know. It's a And then I and then you look at Gaza where you know, some people had some hope that President Trump's plan would at least you know, create some type of normalcy there. Israel still has its extended border. Right? It's basically extended its border and and has a military presence that is not going to quickly leave at the moment. And Hamas has basically said they're not giving up their weapons which as we know is a precondition for moving forward with any type of normalcy and peace agreement there. So same very very similar type of political battle being fought on that front as well. Yes, and it's even in some sense more complicated but it is remarkable how quiet it has been. Yeah. And you see having the buffer in Israel, you know, cleaning up that area along its border has enabled life to start to resume and to to rebuild. But again, you know, we have our troops the Israeli troops are extended for a long period of time. American troops have also been I think of USS Ford, the aircraft carrier was already 289 days at sea, which is a a record Right. >> So, you know, troops have been are tired and Israeli troops are tired. They've been some have been called back six, seven times. Going back to the Miluim, let alone the standing army. And and we haven't cured the problem in Gaza. We we've stalemated it for a while. Uh but you saw that there were attempts again and periodically Israel has to act against them against their things, but the peace board that the president uh put together as many put forward a plan and again Hamas rejected disarming plans and rejected some of the other suggestions that were made. Because they they're interested can only and they can only sustain their control if in fact they have their armaments and if they have the ability to control the people. Yeah. And they they are doing more by the way on the other half of Gaza, not the part that Israel occupies, to reassert their control. So, one of the safer places in Israel now, the Gaza border. It is beautiful. >> Ironic. >> It's very ironic. Exactly. >> Don't you think it was a bad idea for the president to pick a fight with the Pope about Iran? Uh yes, but I think, you know, nobody's above criticism on both sides of that, but I think you have to be careful how you do it and people's sensitivities and especially with an election coming up and um I mean, I don't think the Popes enjoyed the support that they once did and it's you know, we've seen the church having problems in Europe where many churches have become mosques and where attendance is is very limited but still he is the spiritual leader for hundreds of millions of people billions of people a billion and a half I think Catholics in the world. The so to have this kind of reflection right now. >> frankly it's not like he's being inconsistent. Popes are basically at least publicly anti-war, right? That's basically their the line they always take. Yeah, well, the question for us is is how their attitudes towards Israel. They have been meetings of course with this Pope as have been with others on regular basis. Some of them were were more friendly and more open. We'll have to see this is still early in his term but the I I think to have the attention diverted by this is not helpful. We need to keep people focused on who the real enemy is and what the real challenge is. Good point. Good point. What do you think of the Orban lost to Magyar in Hungary? And can there be a Magyar Netanyahu relationship that's normal? Um we'll have to see. I think Magyar is taking it very slowly in terms of the policies. He didn't you know, the weapons and other relationships with Israel continue and Israel has done a lot for Hungary and the visits by the vice president and even some some Israelis to Hungary before the election. People a lot of people questioned it but the relationship between Orban and Netanyahu and Orban's standing you know, within the European Union. It's been the East European countries like Hungary that have stood with Israel and he did say that he did Magyar did say that he would continue that or at least put it under review that but he's not saying I'm going to end that. But there are other policies that that he's now I think we can expect not to have the same kind of relationship uh with between Israel and Hungary as it was before. We'll have to see whether he's willing to really stand up in Europe. Uh they won't be the same relationship with Putin obviously, but the um you know, losing these voices if if Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, they have been standing up for Israel against Europe uh in the EU and vetoing resolutions and policies that would have been very harmful. I hope that that can be sustained. Mhm. Interesting. Excuse me, what did you think when um the shekel went to uh three shekel per dollar this week? It actually dipped below three. This is the lowest in 30 years that I I think. And every one of us who have play trying to have an investment in Israel, a place in Israel, and haven't paid already are going to pay essentially 20 25% more than what you would have paid a year ago. >> Right. Uh when the shekel hit the it even hit four. Um but it's a remarkable statement about the economy of Israel. You think of of Israel that just fought in a war in in in January. They fought They've been fighting consistently. They have expended huge amounts of money on on the defense of the country. And yet people's confidence in the economy when against the dollar it sinks to record lows. And the implications are are very consistent. Look at all of the Americans who go there and are paid in dollars. So instead of getting $3 for the they're going to get the I mean three shekels four shekels are going to get three shekels. It's going to impact their ability and it impacts, you know, of course import exports. Uh some favorably mostly unfavorably, I think. And the uh but the um ability of people to purchase homes and and I know there's a lot of pent-up interest and places are selling like crazy in Israel. But this will have an impact on it. So anybody in the tourism who depends on the tourism industry in Israel can't be thrilled with this news. Cuz it's actually >> Absolutely right. We don't even think about it about how much they have suffered over the last year. Uh you know, tourism was down so much. They tried to make it up with domestic tourism. It doesn't really work the same. And and people who come, let's say to the hotels, they come for the weekends and they give them special deals to keep the places going and to keep the staff on. It's very hard to keep a staff when you don't have people for months time and when you didn't have air flights for people to come. Now El Al is back going back to full schedule. People are flying. They're telling me there aren't long lines. So people should consider booking again. Uh if they want to book a short term >> airlines basically canceled the summer. Uh some. Uh they may come back if things are really quiet. You know, this is a a very uh um a uh profitable route. I was trying to think of what the right word for them is. I'm not going to say it's loyal, but it's a profitable route. Uh a place like Turkey, I have to tell you that. I know Turkish Air would love to come back. They They're doing 13 flights, 14 a week now. Azerbaijani Airlines have picked up that slack for people going to the Far East or others going with Azerbaijani Airlines. And Azerbaijan has been a great ally with Israel. Uh their planes are very nice. >> must They must They must really believe this war is not going to restart. Some. Oh, no. Right now people are being very cautious. I think American postponed until September. Uh others have postponed over the summer, which is unfair because if things come back, there's no reason why June, July, August they shouldn't be able to fly more. Some of the European airlines will probably fly again again because it's a very profitable route for them. Right. >> And Yeah. People just want to know >> And El Al will fill in. And Arkia started to fill in some of the blanks. >> just want to know if it's over. You know, those outside of Israel want to know if they could travel freely as you just described. Those in Israel want to know if they could stop running to shelters and anticipate a normal end to the school year. Like, you know, I think people just want to know already what the story is. And again, I mean, based on what you just described, I'm getting the feeling that a lot of sectors are sort of leaning on the fact that this is heading toward being over even though the president of the United States keeps threatening, "Hey, you know, we're days away. We're ready to, you know, to to really go in and start start this all over again if Iran doesn't agree to what they need to agree to." So, I don't know. Maybe I mean, maybe it's 50/50, but I'm just getting an impression that most people are depending on the fact that the US is going to make sure this is ending. Well, also they see that Hezbollah has been diminished. Hamas has been diminished. And what I've said on the show for 20 years that if Iran goes, then all of these will not be the same. The whole Middle East can change and countries will assert themselves if you don't have the threat of uh you know, and the weapons coming from Iran supporting the threat of these terrorist extensions of Iran. Um so, that will change a lot in the Middle East. We have to see as I said, we still have continuing threats from a lot of these groups and from Islamic and from Qatar and Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood. Right. And we see weakness in places like Egypt and elsewhere where policies that are are of great concern and the direction of Saudi Arabia is not clear and and the internal dissensions and disruptions. But maybe there'll be beneficial things like Pakistan becoming more open. No instant conversion, but possibilities abound. Before he wishes Israel a happy 78th birthday, I was asked to bring up you know, we've seen plenty of progressive groups um you know, over the years take on the quote-unquote Palestinian cause. Unfortunately, many of them rooted in the Jewish community. Um I mean everyone's familiar with that and you certainly are. Uh but someone pointed out to me that this new Jewish narrative has gone even further than those traditional progressive groups. I was wondering if you were observing them at all and if you agree with that. Yeah, of course we observe the the groups and it's especially painful when the comments come from those who profess to be Jewish or under the cover in some cases they aren't some cases they actually are including some members of Congress uh whose parents were Jewish I guess um uh who who even supported the um the uh Sanders amendment which tells you what direction the Democratic Party is. We should not give up on the Democratic Party. We can't afford to lose the Democrats. We have to play more of a role and and be exposed the the the rot inside and the fact that the you know, they seem to become more like the Democratic Socialists than the Democrats of old. Uh I'm sure Scoop Jackson and and uh Fritz Mondale and all these guys who are rolling their graves seeing what's happened to the party and the good guys and the Democratic Party today are more and more isolated. We should be supporting them as well. But the um the overall trend is is uh of what's happening in America. We the campuses are more quiet and everybody should read read Elise Stefanik's new book about the poison ivy's of what's going on on the campus and the articles that are coming out. It's not gone. It's just they're more careful because the government and the the Trump administration uh Department of Justice and others are going after these colleges which does make a difference and many of them settle right away because they don't want the lawsuits and they're much more careful. But it's continuing and we still get the harassment, we still get the incidents on the campuses, the professors in the universities here in New York who are viciously hostile continue to teach and continue to promulgate their lies and distortions on the campuses. The only thing is we haven't seen the manifestations because I think the the policies and the fact that administrations have been held to account really does make a difference. Wow. Happy 78th birthday to the state of Israel. Yes, absolutely. And we should not take it for granted that's you know a message we we repeated on the show since day one and that is you know Israel hashem is strong and Israel can can do what they did these last few weeks, but don't take it for granted that the cost is immense, the investment is immense and the long-term consequences, the rebuilding that Israel has to Everybody talks about the damage done to other countries. Israel sustained a lot of damage and and also the PTSD, the psychological and other needs of thousands even tens of thousands of people in Israel. I mean immense burdens on the government that will head into an election within the next 6 months. So it's going to be very period of tumult and perhaps uncertainty. But we have to remain steadfast and continue the activities. People should buy now while it's still if they can still get a place, but the most important plan to visit Israel. We got to show the people of Israel that we're there and that we're standing with them. They don't ask us to pick up the rifles, but they do at least ask us to take a hotel room and enjoy Israel. Yeah, that's the least we could do. So Malcolm, I thank you for a wonderful Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh and we'll speak again, please, next week. God willing. Be well. Good Shabbos. Malcolm Honlein weekly update everybody on a Friday morning here at JMNM. If you missed any of it, don't forget that in addition to our archives, the weekly update is available on our YouTube page, Nachum Segal net. May not be up on the YouTube page before Shabbos, although this time of year I think it will be. Have to check that with Avrohomi, but uh in addition to our regular archives, you can always access it through YouTube as well. Uh which is a big advantage for a lot of people. Much easier for some people to do that, believe it or not.