Opinion

The beginning of a New Year is always a time of thoughtful reflection that inherently comes along with all-day davening. Coincidentally, or perhaps by design, this year’s Rosh HaShanah lands on the same weekend as the 25th anniversary of September 11 and 50 days before New Yorkers vote for governor. If you want a new year that is actually new, start with the people who have been running this state into the ground.

Of all the meaningless platitudes and unfulfilled promises made to the general public by politicians, by far the most disappointing and heartbreaking is the phrase “never again.” Associated with the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11, the phrase was meant as a message of determination and resolve to not allow radical Islamist terror to commit such atrocities on U.S. soil ever again. Now, three weeks before the 25th anniversary of September 11, the FBI arrested a 35-year-old Albany woman who had pledged allegiance to ISIS and planned to bomb the New York State Capitol. This short-term success in stopping such an attack is indicative of the long-term failure we as a nation have had in guarding ourselves against radical Islamist ideology.

Norman Finkelstein alleges that Israel has committed genocide by attempting to annihilate the Palestinians in Gaza. Moreover, in a recent podcast, Finkelstein denied that heinous abuses were committed by Hamas on and after October 7, 2023. Finkelstein has a long history of anti-Israel activities. In an essay dated October 7, 2023, in response to the Hamas-led massacre of Israeli civilians on that day, Finkelstein wrote, “We honored the heroic resistance of Gaza… The stars above in heaven are looking kindly down. Glory, glory hallelujah.”

In the last few decades of massive population movement and gerrymandering, there are very few swing districts left in the United States. Out of 435 congressional races, only around 18 are considered “battlegrounds.” Two of those are in Nassau County, and that is because of a strong county Republican Party, with Bruce Blakeman leading the ticket in the gubernatorial race. Considering that it’s a bright hope for national Republicans, it’s no surprise that President Donald Trump came to Nassau County to campaign for Blakeman and the congressional Republican challengers, Jeanine Driscoll in CD-4 and Mike LiPetri in CD-3.

Congressional candidate Brad Lander showed up last Saturday outside Madison Square Garden to protest a Hindu nationalist speaker. He came as a friend of the left, introduced himself as the Democratic candidate in New York’s 10th Congressional District, and said he was there to stand with the crowd. What he received in return was exactly what he deserved after a lifetime of pandering to a mob that will only see him as one thing: a Jew.

Last June, an opportunity to fix a major issue in United States policy was squandered when the Supreme Court wrongly decided to uphold birthright citizenship. This ruling upheld a tradition not found in U.S. constitutional law, but rather British common law, and prevented us from stemming the flow of anti-American citizens from overwhelming our society. Last week, President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders trying to right this wrong, and America’s domestic enemies are fuming.