SOME READERS AND LISTENERS HAD DIFFICULTY ACCESSING THE RECORDING WE SENT OUT EARLIER TODAY. IT’S NOT CLEAR WHY, SO WE’RE SENDING THE ENTIRE POST AGAIN.
Should you still encounter difficulties, you can listen to the recording here.
The pace of events is such that writing these words in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon means that by the time this goes live on Sunday (when we hope to be in the air, returning home earlier than planned, trying to get back to Israel before the air space closes, which it might), the world could look very different. But perhaps it will not have changed, and we’ll still be waiting.
If the report below in the JPost is correct—and I have absolutely no idea if it is or what it’s based on, though I have real doubts—then we have a week or so until the action.
We’ll see. Beyond the waiting, not much more to say.
Not much to say, except for the fact that as we learned in a podcast with Dr. David Bernstein several years ago (in March 2022, in an episode called “The Nazis’ Use of Purim — and Rosh Hashanah and Passover and more — in their attacks on the Jewish spirit”), the Nazis did something very similar. They timed some of their various Aktion’s to not only kill the Jews, but to break their spirits.
That podcast was recorded on the eve of Purim, and we haven’t edited it. But what Dr. Bernstein teaches about their use of our calendar remains powerful, and perhaps sadly relevant to this summer. As you’ll hear, there’s fine precedent for Iranian attacks on Jews to be coordinated with the Jewish calendar, if the above is true.
For those who were not following IFTI back then, and for those who were but might want a refresher two and a half years later, we’re sharing once again our conversation with Dr. Bernstein.
Dr. David Bernstein is Dean Emeritus of the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem, and one of the most thoughtful and engaging guides to Jewish Poland around.
With prayers for safety and the success of those protecting us, and for the speedy return of all our hostages.
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Music credits: Medieval poem by Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Gvirol. Melody and performance by Shaked Jehuda and Eyal Gesundheit. Production by Eyal Gesundheit. To view a video of their performance, see this YouTube:
RESENDING: Are the Iranians really going to attack on Tisha B'Av? They wouldn't be our first enemies to understand our calendar