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May 31, 2026

Key Developments and What We're Discussing Today:

• Something different today: 25 true things.

• Something the same today: Important articles you may have missed.

• And the usual fun stuff.

You're reading the non-fiction version of Jewish Insider. You can support my work by chipping in via credit card (you do not need a PayPal account), Zelle, Venmo @Steven-Sheffey (last four digits, 9479), or check.

Friends,

Two things can be true at the same time, but why stop at two? Twenty-five things can be true at the same time:

1. Nothing that happened before October 7, 2023, justifies Hamas’s murdering 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 people in Israel that day.
2. Nothing that happened on October 7, 2023, justifies some of Israel’s conduct during the Gaza War.
3. Nothing that Israel did during the Gaza War justifies calls to end the U.S.’s commitment to Israel’s safety and security.
4. A commitment to Israel's safety and security does not preclude limits on arms sales or aid to Israel based on the conduct of Israel's government. The problem is Israel's conduct, not the refusal of some members of Congress to close their eyes to what the American public can see for itself, and the answer might be for Israel's government to change its conduct rather than continue to expect American acquiescence regardless of its conduct.
5. AIPAC does not speak for all pro-Israel Americans. It is one organization that advocates for what it believes is pro-Israel.
6. AIPAC does not speak for all Jews.
7. AIPAC has the right to promote its views and to contribute to political campaigns.
8. Criticizing AIPAC or singling it out for criticism is not per se antisemitic. Few PACs brag about their influence or use shell PACs to the extent AIPAC does.
9. 39% of Jewish Americans think that Israel committed genocide.
10. An earlier poll showed that of Jewish Americans who do not think Israel committed genocide, only 31% think accusing Israel of genocide is antisemitic.
11. Anti-Zionism can be, but is not necessarily, antisemitic.
12. Only 37% of Jewish Americans consider themselves Zionists, which means, inter alia, that your definition of "Zionism" might not be the only definition, and that when someone says they oppose Zionism, it would behoove you to ask what that person means by "Zionism" before disagreeing with them.
13. Spelling “anti-Zionism” as “antizionism” betrays an ignorance of why “antisemitism” is no longer spelled “anti-Semitism,” is a clumsy attempt to conflate antisemitism with anti-Zionism, and is disrespectful to Zionism by lower-casing the Z.
14. Accusing Israel of apartheid is not necessarily antisemitic. Until the Israeli and American governments reaffirm their support for a two-state solution, more and more Jewish Americans will see a one binational state with equal rights for all as the only alternative to a one-state solution resulting in Israel as an apartheid state.
15. Criticism of Israel can be inaccurate or offensive but not antisemitic.
16. Criticizing Israel but not other countries is not necessarily antisemitic; those who focus on defending Israel often don’t care as much about other countries either, and there are legitimate reasons that some focus on Israel.
17. And there are plenty of good reasons to hold Israel to a higher standard.
18. Holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of Israel’s government is antisemitic. 
19. Conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism fuels antisemitism and does not answer criticism of Israel.
20. Pro-Israel is not pro-Netanyahu (I wrote this in 2017 and it remains valid).
21. Expressing more sympathy for Palestinians than for Israelis could be a recognition of which side is suffering more and has less power to prevent its suffering, not an assignment of blame, guilt, or innocence.
22. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel is misguided and counterproductive (most recent example: Park Slope).
23. Supporting BDS is not necessarily antisemitic.
24. Since we are a small minority, our response should not be to turn inward, but to repair and build alliances with other vulnerable communities, both because it is pragmatic and more importantly, because it is right, always keeping in mind that in the “First They Came" poem, they did not come for the Jews first.
25. Jews continue to support the Democratic Party not out of blind loyalty but because the Democratic Party is better on the issues that most Jews care about, including Israel and antisemitism.

In Case You Missed It:

• Dahlia Scheindlin asks whether anyone – Netanyahu, Trump, the Republican Party, AIPAC – "will apologize, or even just do some soul-searching" for opposing the 2015 Iran plan negotiated by Obama. Tom Nichols writes that Trump's war is staggering to an incoherent defeat.

• Michael Koplow: Mandatory normalization will make Israel more isolated, not less.

• Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner and Rabbi Josh Weinberg: Stop asking us to choose.

• Halie Soifer writes about what makes this election different for American Jews,

• Daniel Biss: Trump's Vincibility.

• Libby Lenkinski: Mamdani has made ample efforts for Jews. How come no one is telling that story?

• Texas Republicans nominated Ken Paxton in their Senate primary on the same day that Texas Democrats defeated an antisemite funded by Republican dark money in their congressional primary.



• Danny Miller and Steve Silverman: Somebody has to make a start.



• Last week's newsletter.

Jewish Insider Fail of the Week. Only Jewish Insider could have "reported" on Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter's derogatory comments about J Street without mentioning, let alone linking to, a letter signed by hundreds of Jewish communal leaders calling on Leiter to retract his remarks and issue a public apology.

Tweets of the Week. Greg Carlstrom/Frank Luntz, Tim Miller, and Tim Miller.

Video Clip of the Week. To be or not to be.

Music Clip of the Week. Bruce Springsteen covering the Clash's Clampdown last month.

Vintage Music Clip of the Week. The Clash: Clampdown (1980).

The Fine Print. Read the fine print before you reply or send me anything.

For those new to this newsletter. This is the newsletter even Republicans have to read. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, your luck continues. You can subscribe and get it in your inbox every Sunday for free. Just click here.

Be sure to read my posts on distinguishing anti-Zionism from antisemitism, understanding the words Zionism, apartheid, and genocide, how to heal the generational rift on Israel and antisemitism, and the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

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