April 8, 2025

(JEWISH GROUP) Antisemitism on College Campuses & Beyond: Harvard's Dara Horn Breaks It Down

Is the world more comfortable with dead Jews than living ones? In this powerful conversation, bestselling author Dara Horn (People Love Dead Jews) joins Being Jewish with Jonah Platt to discuss the origins of antisemitism, how it manifests today—including on college campuses—and why Holocaust education may be doing Jews more harm than good.

Dara and Jonah also explore the role of Jews as history’s great non-conformists, the truth about Zionism and… ancient Greek reverse circumcisions?! If you want to understand the real story behind antisemitism, Jewish resilience, Israel, and why these issues matter more than ever, don’t miss this episode!

This is PART 1 and it is 45 minutes long...and fucking worth it!!! It is MUCH more than the title of the video...MUCH MORE! Carve out 45 minutes and WATCH THIS!!!

February 6, 2025

Marigny, my pretty princess, passed away one month ago today. (Long rambling narrative and photos)

Today marks one month since my sweet Marigny left. The first part is about her final days. The second part is about her life and the joy she brought me, my husband, our pets, and those who encountered her.

The Final Days
Sitting next to me, as I stroked her frail body, Marigny passed away, likely due to sudden kidney failure, at 5am on Monday, January 6th. She was 15.5 years old. She went to join her partner in crime, Zatanna, her big brother, Voodoo and her favorite being in all the world, Tony. She had a host of medical issues for the past few years from joint issues, heart problems, eye problems, and finally kidney issues. Even with all her problems, she was always plucky until the start of the year. She had over 10 different types of medications in the past two years; eye drops that had to be five minutes apart, one in one eye, one in the other, one in both, two were once a day, three were twice a day, and one was three times a day! The eye medicine routine sometimes took up to 40 minutes. Several different types of heart meds, as well. I actually had to create a special calendar just to keep track of her medications.

As the new year rolled around, she became more and more lethargic. She already slept quite a bit, but I thought she was just getting her strength back after a really bad bout in November. Her blood panels, in December, came back and they were a remarkable, even miraculous, improvement. My vet was shocked. She was eating regularly again, even quite a bit. Then, on the second, she started to stumble around. She was almost completely blind at this point, but now she couldn't keep her balance and was running into objects. So, on Friday, the 3rd, we met with the vet to discuss "end of life". She got some fluids to flush her kidneys, and went back on Saturday morning for another round, and just like that, she was her old self! Still blind as a bat, but eating, wanting to go outside in the sun, her favorite past time. Then Sunday morning, the bottom of the barrel fell out. She wouldn't eat, she whimpered, and she was like a limp doll. I contacted the vet, gave her supplements, got her heart meds down the night before, but she wouldn't take any food at all, so we couldn't get her meds to her. When I saw blood coming from her mouth, her gums were bleeding, I freaked, but it was 11pm and I didn't get a call back and the nearest animal hospital was an hour away.

My husband went to bed because he had to work in the morning. I am a night owl, so I was up anyway. She was downstairs in a special pen that limited her movement and prevented her from running into something. I bundled her up in her favorite blanket, put pictures of Zatanna and Tony in her bed, kissed her and told her it was OK if she had to leave. We would miss her, but we would always love her. When I came down at 2am, she had got out of the bed and collapsed in her food bowl. I wrapped her up and took her upstairs with me. Around 4:30am, I saw she was struggling, so I went downstairs, sat on the sofa, with her next to me and turned on the TV. I just stroked her and told her how excited Zatanna will be to see her. At 5am, I no longer felt her chest rising. I listened to her heart...she was gone. I just continued to stroke her, until my husband came down at 6:30am. The other dogs ran up to me, tails wagging, until they saw me crying, then all tails stopped. They all got off the couch and stared at me. Marigny's sister, Laveau, wouldn't even get near her, she ran and hid. The strangest reaction was Nyx, who, after being put on the sofa (she is too small to jump onto it), she just nuzzled Marigny and then laid down. She and Marigny had a turbulent relation, the only time Marigny never really got along with someone, but I think it had more to do with Marigny's decline in health.

My husband picked her up, placed her in a cage, and then in the special pen. I was still crying and then my Darkness, my nickname for Erebus, got up on the sofa, got behind me, stood on my shoulder and licked away my tears, then nuzzled my neck. I finally went to bed at 8am. My husband took Marigny to the vet. When I got up, we went there to see her one more time and make final arrangements. She was so cold. I cried so much my vision was blurry so I can't really remember what I saw. I cried all day.

Two days later, I got the call her remains were back. I decided to go get her and a good thing I did because it snowed the next day and everything was shut down for two days, so she would have had to stay at the vet's office by herself for two days. I cleared off a bookshelf in the living room and started putting up her pictures. A week later, her urn arrived. It is a crown, with a chihuahua sitting on top. She is now with Tony, Voodoo, and Zatanna.

The above was the end of Marigny's life, so let me tell you about her life and the joy she brought us.

The Joy of Marigny
My husband and I were living in New Orleans (NOLA) at the time, but we were still good friends with the woman who brought most of our pets into our lives. We wanted a mate for Voodoo and our friend picked out a perfect mate. We named her Laveau, after Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen. Get it? Anyway, Laveau had a younger half-sister, and they were raised together and very close. Our friend asked if we would take both. We agreed. So, May 11th, 2010, Laveau and the now-named Marigny, arrived in NOLA. Marigny was the name of our street and our neighborhood. I think it is actually the name of French pirate.

After picking them up from the airport, and bringing them home, Marigny burst out of the cage, shit on the floor, and ran all over the house. She was a bundle of energy. Laveau had to be coaxed out of the cage. Voodoo and Tony didn't know what to make of this soon-to-be one year old pup. Marigny fell for Tony immediately and followed him EVERYWHERE. We soon learned Marigny was a lover dog. She loved everyone and everything. Showed her attention? She loved you back, then made you putty in her paws. She was super friendly. When a rooster, Waldo, took up residence in our oak tree and would come on the ground, Marigny would chase him and get frustrated when he didn't chase back. She befriended several stray cats, especially kittens. This was after Katrina so there was an overpopulation of feral cats. They were usually skittish around me and my husband, but if Marigny was in the yard...cats and kittens popped out of the bushes to play. It was nuts! She even made friends with a mother racoon, but I was ALWAYS nearby.

While living in NOLA, we had several neighbors who just adored her. The man who did our laundry, loved to stop by and see her. Marigny loved when Ralph came over. One day, he couldn't come so he sent someone else. Marigny growled and walked away from him. I called Ralph and said I never wanted that man in my house again. When he asked why, I said Marigny growled at him and walked away. Ralph said he will never come back in our home and later fired the man. Princess knew something was off with that dude! Oh yeah, her nickname was "Pretty, Pretty Princess"! Within a year or so the nickname was just "puh-puh princess" basically running the "prettys" to basic syllables.

When we moved back to Oklahoma, the movers were bringing in items to the house. I noticed, at some point, all four of the men were MIA. I looked around and found them all sitting on the breakfast room floor, cross-legged, like cardinal points on a compass, with Marigny in the middle. They were all playing with her! Each trying to get her to come to them. "Who's my sweet girl?!" "Who's the prettiest baby in the world?!" Four grown, big-ass men fawning over a 4lb chihuahua vying for her attention! She loved it. I, however, was pissed as my furniture was still in the front yard!

Of course, anyone familiar with Oklahoma knows we have some serious weather here. Thunderstorms where the thunder will cause the house to shake. Marigny hated thunderstorms. She was terrified of them and fireworks, but storms much more. I used to tease my husband as they went to bed; "Well, someone is getting a hat tonight!" . See, during thunderstorms, Marigny would crawl on top of my husband's head to sleep (and shake). My husband was born deaf in one ear, so if he has his "good" ear to the pillow, he can't hear shit, but during a storm, a "vibrating hat" that was our Marigny sitting upon his head, often woke him. If storms were during the day, she was my shadow. She never really shook once I was near her. I guess I am just meaner than my husband (this is true) and she felt I could take on the big, bad rumbblies! LOL!

Marigny, my sweet princess, really was a ray of sunshine. If she were converted into human form, she would never understand the word "stranger". She just didn't understand the concept. Every new person or animal was just a chance to make a new friend. There were rare, very rare, exceptions. On a few occasions, I would see her darting back and forth. I couldn't figure out what she was doing. Turns out, she was trying to get a salamander to play chase with her. She did that with the bunnies that lived in the yard and even with birds. Sometimes, I felt she look "defeated" when they wouldn't play with her. Oh, and she had NO CONCEPT of the fact she was only 4lbs and 7 inches long and stood about 6 inches off the ground.

We didn't often dress up the dogs, but sometimes, on Halloween, we would pet the dogs in costumes. Marigny was really the only one that seemed to enjoy them. She also had a few cute little outfits we would put her in and it just made her even more precious. She was the cutest when in her French Maid outfit. She also loved seeing the kids coming to the door. When she realized they would make a big deal about her, soon as she heard them coming, she was ready at the door!

She was also a favorite of my brother the doctor. He loved her! He spoiled her rotten and anytime he visited us, she stuck to him like glue because she knew he would pet her, love on her, and feed her, and that girl could eat! My husband and I often joked we wish we had her metabolism because she could eat and eat and never gained a pound. When we went to his house in Illinois, she followed him all over the house, sometimes even ignoring my husband. Then, one time we visited, my brother's friend Sam came over. Sam is a nurse and he is extremely good-looking. Marigny was in love! She literally jumped in his lap and when my husband tried to pick her up she started to cry! When Sam's wife bent down to pet Marigny and kiss Sam, Marigny pushed her away! LOL! My princess had great taste in men.

The last few years were filled with vet appointments of all kinds. From our local vet to the eye doctor, to the heart doctor, she was a favorite. We went to the eye doctor one time and the receptionist said, "Oh look! Our princess is here! Hey Sarah (vet assistant), Marigny is here!" I had to call them to cancel an upcoming appointment, letting them know she had passed. They were very comforting, and I heard the receptionist tell one the vet assistants passing by that Marigny was gone. I heard her say, "Oh no! Not the puh-puh-Princess." I just lost it. The vets, the assistants, and other office workers, loved her. They said she was one of their best patients and just enjoyed seeing her anytime she came. Some would even pop in during an exam and say they just wanted to see her. She was such a good girl and people knew it.

The love this dog had for us and others was unreal, magical. This was so obvious when our cat, Tony (see link above for his memorial) passed away. Marigny loved Tony. She was his annoying little sister, and he was her can-do-no-wrong awesome big brother. When Tony passed away, not far from where she would breathe her last, she sat next to me and shook and cried and laid across his body. For almost two months, she would search the house for him. I would see her pop up from various hiding places that Tony liked with tufts of his hair in her mouth, which she would never surrender. The hair had to be fished out of her mouth. She mourned him almost as long as I did. Sometimes, she would sit and stare at one of his favorite hiding spots, like she was waiting for him to come out. It always made me cry and sometimes, I would sit with her and tell her, "He's not coming, baby." I will never, ever, believe that animals can't feel the pain of loss. They may not understand it, but they feel it!

Finally, as I have rambled on and this post has taken me days to write. I would start and stop so many times because it was so hard to write, even the good parts because I know there will be no more good days with her. I wanted to say I will always have a special place for her in my heart. She was a ray of light, which may explain one of her favorite pastimes, laying in the sun. Whether it was in the house in front of the open door or sunning in the yard, which was her all-time favorite. And that will be reflected in the last picture I post. When you see it, you will instantly know, Marigny was light and joy. She will always be my Pretty, Pretty Princess!

Marigny: June 6, 2009 - January 6, 2025


Marigny and Tony


Marigny and Zatanna









My Pretty, Pretty Princess at her best...

January 28, 2025

Holocaust distortion more dangerous than denial, warns departing IHRA chief Kathrin Meyer

As the world marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, one of Germany’s most prominent Holocaust scholars says twisting the facts about the Nazi extermination of 6 million Jews is far more harmful than outright denial — and that such distortion is “a stepping stone from antisemitism into the mainstream.”

Kathrin Meyer, secretary-general of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA, said she considers Holocaust distortion particularly dangerous, especially as the number of survivors dwindles with each passing year. This week, when the world focuses on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, only 50 survivors took part in ceremonies at the Nazi death camp in Poland – down from 300 just five years ago.

“Obviously, it’s an insult to the victims, but it’s also a threat to our democracy because you will not find a single radical, anti-democratic, nationalistic, imperialistic group ideology that does not have a distorted view of the Holocaust,” Meyer said about distortions that are often disguised as differing opinions rather than outright lies.

Tracking Holocaust denial and distortion is part of its wider mandate to address “contemporary challenges related to the Holocaust and genocide of the Roma people,” according to its website.

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A-fucking-men!

November 4, 2024

(Jewish Group) New Poll: Jewish Voters Overwhelmingly Support & Trust Kamala Harris, Oppose & Distrust Donald Trump

A new national poll of Jewish voters finds overwhelming support for Vice President Kamala Harris. Less than two months until the election, 72% of Jewish voters back Kamala Harris, while only 25% support Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup. Nearly all – 91% – of Jewish voters are concerned about antisemitism in the United States, and Jewish voters trust Kamala Harris more than Donald Trump to fight antisemitism by nearly a three-to-one margin (60% – 23%). Harris’s lead over Trump by a 47-point margin (72% – 25%) is an improvement from Biden’s 41-point margin among Jewish voters in April (67% – 26%) when compared to an April poll of Jewish voters conducted by the Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI).

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68% of Jewish voters hold a favorable view of Kamala Harris, and 63% view Tim Walz favorably, compared to only 23% and 20% for Donald Trump and JD Vance.

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91% of Jewish voters are concerned about antisemitism in the United States, and by a 37-point margin, Jewish voters trust Kamala Harris more than Donald Trump to fight antisemitism (60%-23%).

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The future of democracy and abortion rank as the two top issues for Jewish voters, followed by the economy and inflation, climate change, and national security and foreign policy.

Israel ranked as the 9th most important issue for Jewish voters when deciding which candidate to support.

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This is a reminder: don't believe the anti-Semitic hype that is out there and be prepared to defend Jews, even after a Harris win!

October 21, 2024

Shirel Golan survived the Nova massacre but died by suicide. Online denial may be to blame

Many survivors of Oct. 7 have spent the past year testifying about what happened to them. They find meaning in speaking for those who no longer can — those who were murdered or abducted, as well as those who were silenced by their trauma.

But many of these survivors, especially young women who witnessed or experienced sexual violence at the Nova music festival, have told me over the past year that they feel like they are screaming into the void as they try to counter anti-Israel propaganda and misinformation online.

This weekend, we witnessed the tragic toll that can result from these survivors having to relive the most horrible day of their lives over and over again, from them being stuck in an endless loop of trauma. Shirel Golan, who was rescued by a police car as she fled the Nova site, died by suicide on her 22nd birthday, after twice being hospitalized with acute symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder including disassociation and withdrawal.

The brutal atrocities committed on Oct. 7, especially against the thousands of young people attending the Nova festival, were beyond imagination. I do not know how anyone experiences these horrors and moves on. Adding to the trauma of witnessing their friends hunted down, tortured, raped and murdered by terrorists, these survivors are also facing a world that refuses to believe their accounts.

Online, female hostages who have shared how they were sexually assaulted when in Hamas captivity have faced denial and mockery. “She is lying through her teeth and reading through a script,” read one of the more charitable replies to Amit Soussana’s testimony of being groped and forced to perform a sexual act on her captor.

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Shirel Golan died by suicide on October 20 at her residence in Porat, northwest Israel, close to Netanya.

October 14, 2024

Targeting Hillel, Antisemites and Anti-Israel Activists Push to Undermine Jewish Life on Campus

Hillel International, the premier Jewish on-campus organization that supports Jewish life at hundreds of colleges across the United States and abroad, has been one of the most frequent targets of anti-Israel activists and other antisemites in recent months, totaling more than a hundred incidents in the U.S. since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Jewish students and Hillel staff members have received threatening emails and phone calls; Hillel buildings have been vandalized and tagged with graffiti; and Hillel-sponsored events have been protested; and in some cases, anti-Israel student groups have even launched campaigns demanding that Hillel be banned entirely from universities.

Most recently, on July 19, 2024, an anti-Zionist student group at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee posted a message on social media declaring that “ANY organization or entity that supports Israel is not welcome at UWM,” calling out Hillel and the Jewish Federation by name. The post went on to ominously state that these organizations “will be treated accordingly as extremist criminals. Stay tuned.”

The university administration quickly denounced the threatening language, but UW-Milwaukee Popular University for Palestine — the group that published the original post and also served as a key organizer of the anti-Israel encampment at the school earlier in the spring — doubled down on its rhetoric in a follow-up post that reiterated that Zionist groups “will not be normalized or welcomed on our campus.” The group’s statement was endorsed by UW-Milwaukee’s chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) and others.

The university has since temporarily suspended the SJP chapter and those of SDS and YDSA.

This extreme anti-Zionist rhetoric that seeks to target and marginalize mainstream Jewish organizations reflects a concerning trend that has taken hold across the United States since October 7. This sentiment has manifested in direct actions against the American Jewish community on the ground and online. College campuses, in particular, have been a hotbed of antisemitic rhetoric and activity.

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October 12, 2024

Trump Called Harris 'Retarded,' Railed Against Jews Supporting Her

Former President Donald Trump called Vice President Kamala Harris “retarded” at a recent dinner in New York City, where he also railed against Jewish voters supporting her amid the White House race, according to a new report.

Trump made the comments during the event last month at Trump Tower in Manhattan, The New York Times reported Saturday. As the GOP presidential nominee complained about the number of Jewish voters backing his Democratic rival, he reportedly said that they needed their heads examined for not standing with him despite his support for Israel.

Trump has previously sought to put the blame on Jewish voters for a potential election loss this year.

The dinner event, where Trump also suggested that contributors to his campaign needed to do more for him, was attended by high-profile donors including billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer. Billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens was present as well, along with former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her husband.

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October 7, 2024

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP) May his/her memory be a blessing. (zikhrono livrakha (m.) / zikhronah livrakha (f.) )

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!!)

MURDERED BY TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, HAMAS


BRING THEM HOME NOW!
Hostages STILL Being Held by Terrorist Organization, HAMAS
Alexander Trupanov, Ariel Cunio, Arbel Yahud, David Cunio, 33, Doron Steinbrecher, 30, Naama Levy, 19, Yousef Zyadna, 53, Elad Katzir, 47, Ohad Ben Ami, 55, Twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, 26, Shlomo Mansour, 85, Daniela Gilboa, 19, Matan Angrest, 21, Eli Sharabi, 55, Agam Berger, 19, Edan Alexander, 19, Kaid Farhan Elkadi, 52, Matan Zanguaker, 24, Eitan Horn, 37, and his brother Yair, 45, Keith Seigel, 64, Omri Miran, 46, Bipin Joshi, 23, Ilan Weiss, 58, Oded Lifshitz, 83, Omer Neutra, 22, Itzhk Elgarat, 68, Gadi Moses, 79, Nimrod Cohen, 19, Tsachi Idan, 51, Yarden Bibas, 34, Ronen Engel, 54, Karina Ariev, 19, Ofer Kalderon, 53, Omri Miran, 46, Liri Elbag, 18, Omer Shem Tov, 21, Idan Shtivi, 28, Yosef Ohana, 24, Avinatan Or, 30, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 22, Eitan Mor, 23, Alon Ohel, 22, Maxim Kharkin, 35, Segev Kalfon, 26, Romi Lesham Gonen, 23, Bar Kuperstein, 21, Eliya Cohen, 26, Elkana Bohbot, 34, Rom Braslavski, 19, Omer Wenkert, 22, Evyatar David, 23, Ohad Yahalomi, 49, Tal Shoham, 38, Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, Watchara Sriuan, 32, Thailand's government says that six of its citizens are still being held hostage in Gaza

Hostages MURDERED by Terrorist Organization, HAMAS

Bodies STILL Held by Terrorist Organization, HAMAS – Amiram Cooper, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger and Nadav Popplewell, Lior Rudaeff, 61, Elyakim Libman, 24, Thai hostages, Sonthaya Oakkharasr and Sudthisak Rinthalak, Uriel Baruch, 35, Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir.

Bodies Returned by Terrorist Organization, HAMAS -- Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sgt Ori Danino. (Name withheld by request of family), Gadi Haggai, Ron Scherman, Nik Beizer, Tal Chaimi, an Israeli-Romanian citizen aged 41, Joshua Mollel, a 19-year-old Tanzanian student, 27-year-old Eden Zecharya, and 36-year-old Ziv Dado. Jonathan Samerano, 21, Sahar Baruch, 25, Dror Kaplun, 68, Aviv Atzili, 49, Arye Zalmanovich, 85, Ronen Engel, 54, Maya Goren, 56, Guy Iluz, 26, Ofir Tzarfati, 27, Ofra Keider, 70, and Eliyahu Margalit, 75. Tamir Adar, 38, Yossi Sharabi, Itay Svirsky, Inbar Heima.

Accidentally killed by Israel while escaping Terrorists, HAMAS -- Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 22, and Alon Shamriz, 26.

Bodies recovered by Israel from Terrorist Organization, HAMAS - Abraham Munder, Alex Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtab, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger and Nadav Popplewell, Orion Hernandez, 30, Chanan Yablonka, 42, Michel Nisenbaum, 59, Shani Louk, 23, Amit Buskila, 27, Itzhak Gelerenter, 58, Ron Benjamin, 53, Noa Marciano, 19, Yehudit Weiss, 65.

Hostages Released from Terrorist group, HAMAS
Mia Leimberg, 17, her mother Gabriela, 59, and Mia's aunt Clara Marman, 63. Amit Soussana, 40, Mia Schem, 21, Aisha Zyadna, 16, and her brother Bilal, 18, Nili Margalit, 41, Ilana Gritzewsky 30, Raya Rotem, 54, Hila Rotem Shoshani, 13. Itay Regev, 18, and his sister, Maya Regev, 21; Amit Shani, 16, Ofir Engel, 18, Gali Tarshansky, 13, Yarden Roman-Gat, a 36, Raz Ben Ami, 57, and Moran Stella Yanai, 40, Liat Atzili, 49, Sapir Cohen, 29, Lena Trupanov, 50, and Irena Tati, 73, Roni Krivoi, 25, Sharon Aloni Cunio, 34, and her three-year-old twin daughters Ema and Yuly, Daniele Aloni, and her six-year-old daughter Emilia. Or Yaakov, 16, and his younger brother Yagil, who turned 13, Meirav Tal, 53, Rimon Buchshtab Kirsht, 36, Siblings Sahar Kalderon, 16, and Erez, 12, Karina Engel-Bart, 52, and her two daughters Mika Engel, 18, and Yuval Engel, 11, Eitan Yahalomi, 12.

Rescued from Terrorist group, HAMAS
Kaid Farhan Elkadi; Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, Shlomi Ziv, 41, Fernando Marman, 60, Louis Har, 70.

: זיכרונה לברכה‎ (f.) / זיכרונו לברכה‎ (m.)

August 21, 2024

A mile from the DNC, a giant pair of bloody sweatpants evokes the horror of Oct. 7

A mile from the DNC, a tribute to the Israeli hostages features a 22-foot replica of the bloody sweatpants worn by 19-year-old Naama Levy, one of the 100-plus Israelis still in captivity in Gaza. Photo by Jodi Rudoren

You can glimpse part of Tomer Peretz’s artwork from the street, but not really make out what it is; gray fabric splattered with paint flapping in the summer breeze a few feet from a wall of beige brick here in Chicago’s West Loop.

To really see it you have to walk inside the fenced-off lot festooned with Israeli and American flags, let the security guard check your bag and go through the metal detector. You have to pass by the giant milk cartons depicting some of the people killed and abducted by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and the charcoal sketches of the same victims hung on clotheslines under yellow balloons.

As you approach, you will see that the gray fabric is gathered with elastic at the bottom like sweatpants, and then you realize the splattered acrylic paint is meant to evoke blood. This is a 22-foot replica of the bloody sweatpants worn by 19-year-old Naama Levy, one of the 100-plus Israelis still in captivity in Gaza, in a video that went viral on Oct. 7 as one of the earliest hints of the sexual violence committed as part of the massacre.

“The idea is to touch people’s emotions and to stab them a little in the heart and the stomach,” Peretz, who grew up in Jerusalem and lives in Los Angeles, told me.

“When people see clothing with blood, it shrinks them, it makes them ask what it is,” he added. “If you drive downtown Chicago right now, you will see a lot of billboards and ads for clothing. Everything is so clean and so beautiful and so fashionable. The idea here is to create something that is a contrast. I see darkness right now, and I think it’s OK to show the darkness.”

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June 26, 2024

He wanted to throw an Idaho town's first Pride. Angry residents had other ideas.

In the beginning, Tom Wheeler didn’t expect he would need a fence. He wanted to give Canyon County, Idaho, its first Pride celebration, and when he imagined that day, he pictured a park without barriers, an open space where everyone was welcome.

But then the mayor said the event conflicted with her beliefs, and angry residents called for a protest. Wheeler was a real estate agent from Boise, an out-of-towner, and worse, gay.

Far-right extremists had already targeted another small-town Idaho Pride, and now, Wheeler’s event seemed to be at risk, too. His mother begged him to stay home. An uncle urged him to wear a bulletproof vest. At the very least, local officers said, he might want a barricade.

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At best, they hoped, they might raise $1,000 — enough for T-shirts and rainbow-colored streamers. In their planning documents, they estimated 50 people would attend.


Drag queen Cookie Pusss performs for the crowd at the festival. (Kyle Green for The Washington Post)

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