CANTOR’S CORNER
Cantor Eyal Bitton
Best of the Week: August 1
2024-08-01
Here are my top 5 must watch or listen for this past week.
1. PODCAST: Proudly Jewish
Why Jewish Pride is the Future – with Ben M. Freeman
This podcast episode features a discussion with me and author Ben M. Freeman, the founder of the modern Jewish Pride movement. Freeman delves into the transformative nature of Jewish Pride, addresses the rise of antisemitism, explores the Jewish connection to Israel, and shares insights from his influential books. How was Freeman inspired by his journey through Gay Pride to create the Jewish Pride movement? Why is Jewish Pride crucial for our future?
2. HONESTLY PODCAST: A Middle East on the Brink
Bari Weiss interviews Haviv Rettig Gur. This podcast is remarkably poignant and insightful. Weiss sums up Haviv Rettig Gur’s view: “This war is–and has always been–about one thing: Iran.”
3. Israel Needs a War with Lebanon: Historian Gadi Taub
I highly recommend watching, in full, this thought-provoking interview with Israeli historian Gadi Taub. Taub defines the current conflict as a war with Iran, addresses the threats from Hezbollah, discusses the failure of the two-state solution, and offers a possible, if uncomfortable, path forward with Gaza.
Taub is an Israeli historian, author, screenwriter and political commentator. He is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Policy and the Department of Communications at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
4. “Harbu Darbu” by Stilla & Nes
With the assassination this week of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, I thought of this powerful Israeli song that was released one month after the October 7 massacre. It captures the anger and resilience felt by Israelis towards the perpetrators of the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. “Harbu Darbu” means “raining hell on one’s opponent”. It comes from an Arabic term for “war strike” or “mayhem”.
In the song, they call for retribution against the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. In particular, they name Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, who was the military planner of the October 7 massacre. Within the past month, two of those three have indeed been eliminated.
Generally, hip hop is not my style of music. Nevertheless, I love this song. It expresses, both lyrically and musically, that Israeli sense of outrage, determination, and national unity in the face of a heinous assault.
5. i24 News Report on Antisemitism and Threats at the Olympics
“Israeli athletes face ‘cowardly’ antisemitism by opponents, particularly from Muslim and Arab countries – meanwhile, French authorities have reported that the Israeli delegation has received death threats.”
