3 Hidden Weapons to Defend the Jewish State

Lawfare, education, and journalism are among the arsenal to combat militant antisemitism today.

Dec 23, 2022

brown wooden sticks on black surface — Photo by Mykola Makhlai on Unsplash

This post is the fifteenth in an ongoing series on antisemitism and culture. See the previous installments here:

These writings are part of my ongoing effort to overcome my PTSD by forcing myself to try to write and publish something every day commenting on and analyzing current cultural affairs and their impacts on politics, faith, and, well, everything. “Politics is downstream from culture,” the late Andrew Breitbart popularized among conservative bloggers while he was alive. I’d go a step further: Everything is downstream from culture. The cultures you embrace determine who you are and who you become. You become what you worship.

I had another productive week with my contributions to Jewish News Syndicate and two of my articles were published today.

First, an article about a Hebrew language education program now incorporating IDF slang into their programs for Jewish Americans preparing to go and serve in Israel’s military, “Growing Hebrew language platform ventures into teaching IDF slang”:

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Israeli-American Council (IAC) has been growing an innovative online learning program, the OFEK Hub, to teach Hebrew language, Israeli culture, Jewish history and Holocaust education to interested students of all ages around the globe. Now the program is expanding to prepare Jewish Americans who are joining the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to understand the unique slang spoken by soldiers.
Some of the terms being taught to young American recruits include “chong/tzair;” meaning “young” or “green;” “kader,” referring to learning by doing; “hazlash,” equating to “going back to normal;” “pakal,” referencing the equipment needed for a specific task; and “leshftzer,” meaning to make something look better.
OFEK also teaches more general slang used throughout Israel, like “sababa,” one of the most commonly used words in Hebrew which means, “cool, great.” Sometimes it’s also pronounced “sababi” or “sababush,” since as OFEK explains, “Israelis like to add ‘ush’ to the end of everything.” Another useful term is “stam,” which translates as, “Just kidding, nothing, no specific reason, just ’cuz, whatever.” OFEK instructs that stam is a good word to use “anytime you forget what you’re trying to say.”
The equivalent of “dude” in Israel is “achi,” and teachers recommend using it as a greeting for people whose name one does not know. To dismiss something as ridiculous, say “shtuyot bamitz,” which literally translates as “nonsense in juice.”
One of the most confusing Hebrew phrases is “chavlaz,” which is an acronym for “chaval al hazman.” The literal translation makes no sense: “Shame on the time.” OFEK explains that it is “actually a positive phrase, meaning anything that was completely worthwhile, totally awesome.”
Sharona Israeli-Roth, vice president of online education for IAC, told JNS that OFEK’s goal is “making sure that everyone anywhere will be able to afford and experience Hebrew education, Jewish education in their household.” She noted that since IAC is a nonprofit, it can offer Hebrew language education for a third of the price of most traditional Hebrew programs. She noted that participating students come from not only across the U.S., but also Europe, Australia and even Japan.

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Second, I wrote about a lawsuit filed recently against the Biden administration for violating the Taylor Force Act, “New lawsuit challenges Biden administration to stop funding Palestinian terrorism”:

In 2018, the Trump administration signed into law the Taylor Force Act to prevent the U.S. government from sending funds to the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) as long as it continues to fund terrorism. Now, a new lawsuit supported by victims of terror is seeking to compel the Biden administration to follow suit.
Filed by America First Legal, a new firm founded and led by former Trump presidential senior advisor Stephen Miller, the lawsuit identifies the Biden administration funding the P.A. with more than $1 billion in taxpayer dollars as a violation of the Taylor Force Act, named after a Vanderbilt University student and former army officer stabbed to death in Tel Aviv in 2016.
“Joe Biden is breaking the law by allowing our tax dollars to fund terrorism in Israel, and he must be stopped. I have deep respect for my fellow plaintiffs who have been tragically and directly impacted by Pay to Slay, and I am proud to be on the same team as we hold this failed administration accountable,” U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) said, referring to the P.A. terror-funding policy’s nickname.
Miller said, “Our lawsuit seeks to stop President Biden from violating the Taylor Force Act and illegally subsidizing terrorism against Americans who visit or live in Israel…Thank you to Dr. Ronny Jackson, Taylor’s parents Stuart and Robbi Force, and Sarri Singer, a survivor of a Palestinian suicide attack against a Jerusalem bus, for your courage in fighting back against the lawless Biden administration.”
Advocates for victims of terror Stuart Force (Taylor’s father) and Sarri Singer, director of Strength to Strength, offered their perspectives on the new lawsuit.

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These articles represent three ways in which writing can be employed to defend Israel and counter the antisemitism seeking to destroy the Jewish state. Lawyers write lawsuits to try and shut down government funding of terrorist organizations like the PA. Educators write new curriculum to prepare recruits for serving in the IDF and others for more deeply appreciating and advocating for Israel’s unique culture. And journalists like myself conduct interviews, do research, and write up our findings to publicize these efforts and inspire others to participate.

I plan to continue contributing to JNS and will share and comment on my future submissions in this series.

3 Hidden Weapons to Defend the Jewish State

Lawfare, education, and journalism are among the arsenal to combat militant antisemitism today.

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