For What it’s Worth: Warren Hecht

A few weeks ago, I mentioned our guinea pig Oreo, who needed to take medication for a heart condition. Unfortunately, about seven months after Chestnut passed away on a Shabbos, Oreo passed away this past Shabbos, even though he seemed to be getting better. I followed the same routine as when Chestnut died. I buried him the next day and went to the animal shelter in Brooklyn and obtained a new guinea pig whom we are calling Slinky (I had nothing to do with naming him). Now there is the one-week period when they stay cage by cage until they get used to each other. The next step is to introduce them in a neutral area. Hopefully, it will work out and they will get along.

Although I am a lawyer, I am not admitted to practice law in Israel. Thus, I do not have expertise in Israeli law. However, I do understand politics and the roles of the courts in society. Therefore, I will venture into the issue of the new proposal which will significantly change the legal system in Israel.

One of the disadvantages of having to write a weekly column as opposed to a daily column is that by the time the column is published, it may be outdated. That is why I will not comment on the particulars of the charges against Trump. Right now, all we know is that Trump was indicted. People have been trying to guess what the charges are. However, it may end up being a fool’s errand.

A few weeks ago, Shmuel Sackett argued that Arabs who support acts of terror in Eretz Yisrael must immediately and permanently be expelled and their property seized. In response, I said that I would expect he would take the same position concerning Jews who support such conduct directed toward Arabs. I was being flippant because I knew he would not take such a position. Not surprisingly, my usual critics had a meltdown.

This year will be the 75^th anniversary of the State of Israel. It should be a joyous occasion. Soon it will be Passover. Unfortunately, it appears that right now in Israel there is little joy. Instead, there is a country split apart. At the time of this writing, Yoav Gallant, the Defense Minister who asked that the vote for law be put on hold, was fired by the Prime Minister. The Defense Minister is no leftist. He is a member of the Likud Party, the same party as the Prime Minister. Also, the Consul General in New York, Asaf Zamir, resigned in protest to the law, and all Israeli embassies have closed for one day in protest. There are also strikes by various unions. 

Last month I went to an event as part of Black History Month. On the program was listed the national anthem. When it came to that part of the program, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was sung. There are those, including the NAACP, who refer to “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as the Black national anthem.  It was well received by the vast majority of the audience, which was mostly Black.