Bye bye Bowman... and Shalom, Judith Magazine!

Children of Israel Are Never Alone

Hey, beloved tribe.

First, a shred of good news: I will admit to celebrating the ouster of Representative Jamaal Bowman from Congress last night.

I supported Bowman’s original election campaign. I was thrilled to donate to a progressive candidate who seemed fair-minded toward the Jewish nation and who favored a two-state solution.

But he lost me irrevocably when he sought to deny that Hamas raped Jewish women on October 7th and when he relentlessly characterized Israel’s response to that massacre as a genocide.

He’s the first Squad member to go down and I’d be disingenuous if I pretended I wouldn’t like to see the rest of them follow.

It annoys me mightily when people try to frame Jewish opposition to the Squad as somehow inherently hostile to representatives of color.

I could not be more devoted to the congressional longevity of Ritchie Torres, Hakeem Jeffries, Raphael Warnock, Gregory Meeks or Cory Booker, to name just a few.

But while criticism of the Israeli government is far from a deal-breaker, anyone who seeks the country’s wholesale destruction as a Jewish state is crossed off my campaign-assistance list.

It’s also beyond vexing to have just about every mainstream news outlet frame Bowman’s defeat as an outcome purchased by AIPAC.

Yes, Bowman’s district includes a lot of disenchanted Jews with good reasons to want him gone. But there was also his reputation for remaining aloof from his constituents, that trifling little scandal involving a deliberately-pulled false fire alarm, his musing within his personal blog that 9/11 might well have been an inside job, his obsessive preoccupation with Gaza at the expense of a whole range of local issues, and an eleventh-hour campaign rally in the Bronx where every third word was an f-bomb.

(Don’t get me wrong; I curse like a sailor and I hope to die the saltiest of old ladies. But I would not characterize that facet of myself as Congressional, and profane rants would not be part of my re-election strategy.)

At any rate, Latimer’s win is a glimmer of good news in a seemingly — at least at this moment — bleak sky. And I’ll take what I can get.

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But while we’re on the positive stuff, I have to tell you: I’m very excited about several new ventures in the works, all of which will be readily available to you.

Do you remember when I asked all who were interested in forming a book club to join a group over at Facebook so we could talk amongst ourselves without annoying the rest of Never Alone’s readership?

When I invited that subset over there, just over 100 had expressed interest. Even that was more than I expected. I was thrilled to have so many!

Well, in just 12 days, we went from 100+ members to more than 2000! Moreover, the talent and energy that’s gathered in the group is nothing short of staggering.

And yet I hope and believe this is just the beginning. I truly think we can reach a serious critical mass that will empower us all in every imaginable way. Book club picks will sell Jewish books. The press I’m building with my esteemed partners will sell Jewish books. And the literary / arts / culture magazine I’m launching will promote the hell out of Jewish creators of every stripe.

Membership in the book club is free. My magazine will be free. My goal is support as many Jewish artists as humanly possible, and to build a warm, tight-knit, loving Jewish community massive enough so that every flavor of art finds its audience, its patrons, and a celebratory reception.

I spent this past weekend in Seattle, where my daughter was competing, and even in the 24 hours after announcing these plans, a spontaneous, impromptu little gathering happened on Sunday, where a group of Jews from the club, who’d never met before, got together for lunch.

So many people offered their formidable skills to the publishing house. And whenever someone called or messaged me to ask, “What can I do?” I would respond — as we Jews tend to do — with another question: “What do you want to do?”

Seriously, if you’d like to assist, think about what would make you genuinely excited to get out of bed in the morning and send me a pitch. There’s an endless amount to do and these spaces are for all of us.

The Facebook page for the Never Alone Book Club will remain up and active, but for the many who aren’t on the site, and in the interest of communicating directly with each member, I’m also keeping a hub here. If you look at the tabs spanning the top of Never Alone’s home page, you’ll see that I’ve added two features. The first is the book club and it looks like this:

I realize it’s hard to see the icon, so here’s a better look at our mascot, an erudite lion of Zion:

And right next to the book club tab is the new magazine tab. Here’s the visual aid:

Now here’s the beauty of substack:

If you just want to keep reading the newsletter and aren’t interested in the Jewish lit world, you never have to see a thing related to the magazine or the club.

On the other hand, if you just want to hear about the club and/or the magazine, and don’t want to receive the Never Alone newsletter, you can arrange to get email related only to either or both of those.

And of course, you can subscribe to all three.

If you’ve been with me since the beginning of Never Alone, and you read my very early posts — The Origin Story of My Zionism, Parts I and II — then you know about Judith, the child survivor of Auschwitz who became family to me.

I’ve named the magazine in her memory and honor.

She told her story so obsessively, to me and to anyone else who would listen, with the hope that it would make a difference the next time. I’ve spent so many years since her death thinking that for all her valiant efforts, nothing at all had come of them, since the world feels very much on the brink of acting, yet again, on the same ancient hatred.

But I was wrong. Her efforts weren’t in vain at all. Because she lit the torch that burns inside me, the one lighting my path now, and all I want to do is to hold it aloft, carry it forward, and use it to kindle other kindred flames for the rest of my life.

So please: sign up for these new features if they call to you, and tell your friends.

I’ll be back with you on Friday.

Love to you all. Chazak, chazak.

Am Yisrael Chai.