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One way you can tell that those involved know what they are doing is wrong is to observe the circumstances surrounding the conduct. Two examples are the Orwellian (in this columnist’s opinion) $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund, and giving Trump, his businesses, and his family immunity from any possible tax law violations or any penalties for tax years up to the present date.

This past Sunday was the Five Boro Bike Tour. I was nervous about whether I would be able to ride after I finished my volunteer work for the event, due to my lack of riding this spring and gaining weight this past year. It was a little cold and windy, especially on the Queensboro and the Verrazzano Bridges.

I expect that my fellow columnists will dissect the Nakba Day video, a propaganda piece put out by Zohran Mamdani right before Shabbos, using taxpayer funds. I could also join in showing the falsities and distortions, but I want to address other issues. I would hope that this finally puts to rest the belief of Jews who voted for Mamdani that he would be more moderate once he became mayor. They were not the first, and unfortunately, may not be the last Jews to believe that those whose hatred of Jews is spelled out before they obtain power will change once they obtain power. Kudos to the many Jewish organizations, including UJA and JCRC, for not attending the annual Jewish Heritage event at Gracie Mansion in response to Mamdani’s video.

Antisemitism is a plague that has affected the Jewish people for thousands of years: Only the methods, justifications, and locations have changed across different eras and locales. Today’s version is antisemitism under the guise of anti-Zionism, and it is no longer on the fringes but has made it into the mainstream. In America, as bad as the situation is, it is only going to get worse: Opinion polls show that across all political parties and Independents, the younger a person is, the more anti-Israel they tend to be. Although not everyone who is unsupportive of Israel is antisemitic, a significant portion are. When these younger individuals grow older and attain powerful positions, they will have the opportunity to enforce their antisemitic views.

It was not too long ago that CUNY Law School was the outlier when it came to anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric by its students. Unfortunately, it is becoming mainstream.

One would have expected that if the price of gas and a barrel of oil had increased more than 40% and the Strait of Hormuz were closed to shipping, the stock market would dive. Yet the market is at an all-time high. This is due to Trump masterfully playing the market. Trump has repeatedly made claims that the war will be over and that Iran has agreed to various proposals, none of which have yet come to fruition. Yet every time Trump does it, the market goes up. Last Friday was a perfect example. He declared that Iran had agreed to U.S. demands to get rid of nuclear material and not to build a nuclear bomb, as well as to have peace talks. Also, Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz without any conditions and to do so while the U.S. would keep the blockade. None of that has happened.