
28 Jan SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER
WAR
Dear Vues Master:
Klal Yisrael is in the midst of fighting a very serious and
challenging war. It is the Milchemes HaYetzer. We are all
in turmoil over the unfairness of the hostage deal that Isra-
el was forced into, just so we could bring our innocent sis-
ters and brothers back from captivity. We may feel that af-
ter all our tefillos and kabalos tovos, why does our sisters’
and brothers’ freedom have to come at such a heavy price?
Were all our efforts, both in the physical realm (thank you
to our brave, heroic soldiers!) and the spiritual realm, in
vain? No, they were not! This is all a test of our emunah—
one of the final tests we must pass as we come closer to
the final redemption. We need to trust only in Hashem,
knowing that everything He does is good, and that none
of our struggles, prayers, or tears are for naught. They are
all part of His perfect plan. Let us strengthen ourselves
with faith, and may we merit the coming of Moshiach very
soon, when all our tears will be wiped away and all our
questions answered. Amen!
S.R.
Vues Master’s Note: We are in a war zone every morn-
ing when I try to get up. The war is between the Yetzer
Tov and the Yetzer Hora. The Yetzer Tov always wins, but
sometimes it’s a battle until 11:00 AM!
SECRET SERVICE AGENT WEARING A
KIPPAH
Dear Vues Master,
The new Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, had a Secret
Service agent wearing a kippah this past Monday, and the
internet went wild. This marks a significant first in the vi-
sual cues of U.S. government security, blending traditional
religious symbols with the modern demands of national
defense. This move not only represents a personal expres-
sion of faith but also sends a powerful message about di-
versity and inclusion at the highest levels of government
protection. It’s a bold statement on the integration of cul-
tural identity in public service, sparking conversations
about representation, security, and the evolving face of
American leadership.
AN
Vues Master’s Note: It’s a big Kiddush Hashem!
UNITED AIRLINES IS RESTARTING
FLIGHTS TO ISRAEL
Dear Vues Master,
It’s about time! United Airlines is likely to restart its
flights to Israel in February, according to industry insiders.
Although United confirmed that “Our flights to Tel Aviv
remain suspended at this stage,” it is believed that the ser-
vice will likely resume on February 22. Currently, tick-
ets for flights to and from Tel Aviv cannot be purchased
through the airline’s booking system. Should United
Airlines resume flights to Israel, it will join several other
carriers that have already set dates for their return, includ-
ing Lufthansa Group, Air India, Air France, and British
Airways.
Vues Master’s Note: Maybe prices will finally start to go
down!
ISRAEL EXISTS BECAUSE OF
ANTI-SEMITISM
Dear Vues Master,
Anti-Semitism doesn’t exist because of Israel—Israel ex-
ists because of anti-Semitism. It’s not just our ancestral
land; it’s our necessity. History has shown us what hap-
pens when we depend on others. A tiny dot on the map,
surrounded by nations, yet it’s the one nation the world
singles out. Fifteen UN resolutions last year against Is-
rael—more than the rest of the world combined.
Think about that. Owning our story is vital. Hillel Fuld
Vues Master’s Note: Exactly!
OVER TIME
Dear Vues Master:
A shamash asked the shul president for a raise. “I work 25
hours a day,” he said. “How could you work 25 hours?”
the president asked. “There are only 24 hours in a day.”
“So what?” the shamash responded. “Ask anyone here,
and they will tell you that I’m here at least an hour before
netz hachama every day.” MB
Vues Master’s Note: And he finishes ad tzeis haneshama!
OFF YEAR
Dear Vues Master:
Yankel was sharing his problems with a friend and, refer-
ring to his wife, said, “שנה עשרה ותשע מאה עד שתחיה “
(“May she live to 119 years”). Surprised, his friend asked,
“Why just 119 years?” Yankel replied, “Because one year,
I’d like to live too.”
LK
Vues Master’s Note: I guess he wants a year off for good
behavior!
STRANGE CHOICE
Dear Vues Master:
A former U.S. official who opposed interven-
ing against the Rwanda genocide has been
named to the United States Holocaust Me-
morial Council, which governs the U.S. Ho-
locaust Museum. The appointment was one
of President Biden’s final acts in office, and
one of his strangest.
In the spring of 1994, Rice was director
of Africa Affairs for the National Secu-
rity Council, under President Bill Clinton.
Reports began pouring in about machete-
wielding militias of the Hutu tribe in Rwanda
carrying out nationwide massacres of the
country’s ethnic minority, the Tutsis.
What were Susan Rice and other U.S. offi-
cials saying about all this behind the scenes?
Samantha Power gave us the answer. Pow-
er—who later became US Ambassador to the
UN and then director of US AID—authored
a Pulitzer Prize-winning book in 2002 about
America’s responses to genocide. She re-
vealed that senior State Department officials
said they were “worried” that acknowledging
genocide was underway in Rwanda “could
commit [the U.S.] to actually ‘do some-
thing’.”
One of those officials was Rice. During one
key discussion among about whether the
U.S. should intervene, Rice remarked: “If
we use the word ‘genocide’ and are seen as
doing nothing, what will be the effect on the
November [midterm] elections?” One other
colleagues, Tony Marley, later recalled how
shocked he was by Rice’s argument. “We
could believe that people would wonder that,
but not that they would actually voice it.”
When Power interviewed Rice about her
statement, Rice replied hat she “did not re-
call the incident.” She added: “If I said it, it
was completely inappropriate as well as ir-
relevant.”
Electoral considerations should have been
irrelevant. But they weren’t. They were
part of the Clinton administration’s calculus
in choosing to stand idly by as more than
800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered in Rwanda.
That troubling episode came up for discus-
sion when Rice was nominated in 2012 to
become President Barack Obama’s National
Security Adviser. During her confirmation
hearings, Rice was asked about the Rwanda-
midterms remark. She replied that she did not
recall having made that statement.
Concern about genocide having unpleasant
political consequences is not a new phenom-
enon among U.S. government officials. Re-
call how the State Department responded in
1942, after receiving overwhelming evidence
that the Germans were annihilating millions
of Jews in Europe.
As information about the killings mounted,
the British suggested to the United States that
the two governments issue a joint statement
acknowledging and condemning the mass
murder. A Roosevelt administration official
objected, on the grounds that if they issued
such a statement, the Allies “would expose
themselves to increased pressure from all
sides to do something more specific in order
to aid these people.”
Dr. Rice has suffered more than one memory
lapse when asked about genocide. A wikileak
cable in 2010 quoted a disturbing exchange
between Dr. Rice and the chief prosecutor of
the International Criminal Court concerning
Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, architect
of the Darfur genocide. The ICC prosecutor
informed Rice that Bashir had stashed away
$9-billion in secret bank accounts. The pros-
ecutor wanted to publicize that information
in the hope of turning the Sudanese public
against Bashir. But the U.S. never publicized
it. After the cable was leaked to the press, a
reporter asked Dr. Rice about it. She replied
that she “didn’t recall” being told about the
$9-billion.
After visiting Rwanda in 2013, Rice recalled
how in 1994, six months after the genocide
there ended, she walked through “a church
and an adjacent schoolyard where one of the
massacres had occurred [and] the decompos-
ing bodies of those who had been so cruelly
murdered still lay strewn around what should
have been a place of peace….[W]e saw
first-hand the spectacular consequences of
the poor decisions taken by those countries,
including my own…” Left unspoken was
Rice’s own role in shaping that U.S. policy.
Now, ironically, Rice will be joining the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Council, which is the
governing board of the U.S. Holocaust Me-
morial Museum. Part of the museum’s de-
clared mission is to “influence policy makers,
and stimulate worldwide action to prevent
and work to halt acts of genocide”—which
makes it a strange place for someone with
such a troubling track record on the Rwanda
genocide. Rafael Medoff
Vues Master’s Note: Thanks for your insight!
US IRON DOME
Dear Vues Master President Donald Trump
signed an executive order this past Monday
that initiated the development of a U.S. ver-
sion of the “Iron Dome” missile defense sys-
tem.
Trump has previously committed to estab-
lishing a missile defense system similar to
Israel’s Iron Dome, which was created in
partnership with the United States and bears
the same name. This initiative is part of his
broader efforts to strengthen U.S. military
defense.
FR
Vues Master’s Note: The iron dome saved
thousands of lives in Eretz Yisrael. Trump
knows that and is no dummy.
SIMILAR
Dear Vues Master,
An Am Haaretz said to his friend, “You spend
a lot of time learning. Let me see if you can
answer this question: Adam HaRishon had
two sons. Which one of them most resembled
his father?” Surprised, the friend didn’t have
an answer. The Am Haaretz triumphantly
said to him, “You’re not learning enough. A
pasuk in the siddur says clearly that ‘אדם
“‘.להבל דמה
JM
Vues Master’s Note: He looked like his twin!
MATZAV
Dear Vues Master,
I just read this and found it very touching. I
believe your readers will appreciate it.
Well-known Israeli journalist Yair Cherki,
whose brother was murdered by a terror-
ist—one of the individuals released yester-
day—perfectly captures the mixed emotions
evoked by this past Sunday’s events.
As our hearts swell with joy for their return,
and emotions sweep us away (rightfully so),
here are some thoughts on the difficult corner
we find ourselves in—and a bit of hope:
1- This is a very bad deal, but the alternatives
are likely worse.
2- The deal cannot be judged in isolation. It
must be considered in the context of what
we’ve done so far and what we will do mov-
ing forward.
3- What we’ve done so far: We had 15
months to explore creative solutions and ap-
ply military pressure, but these efforts failed
for three main reasons:
a. No alternative: The government made it
clear why Gaza shouldn’t be handed to the
Palestinian Authority (PA), but it didn’t pro-
pose any viable alternative to Hamas. As a
result, Hamas remained in control. b. Hu-
manitarian aid: We gave in to pressure at the
critical point of providing humanitarian aid.
In essence, it wasn’t much different from the
infamous “suitcases of cash.” With one hand,
we sent our best soldiers to defeat the terror-
ists; with the other, we ensured their steady
supply chain, thereby solidifying their con-
trol over Gaza. This is where political pres-
sure and creativity should have been focused
much earlier in the war. (Personally, I vehe-
mently disagree with this point, but I oth-
erwise agree with everything else he says.)
c. The Trump strategy: The diplomatic ap-
proach relied on one idea: waiting for Trump.
We waited, and we got Trump. Like Biden’s
constraints, Trump’s “gates of hell” swung
both ways, leaving us with no remaining dip-
lomatic leverage.
4- The ideological tragedy is that those op-
posing the deal (with valid arguments) were
in charge last year. They could have fought
for a different strategy but instead led us into
the corner where we now face a choice be-
tween bad and worse options.
5- After 15 months, the captives’ time has
run out, and the diplomatic clock has brutally
stopped. Israel is now forced to accept the
deal if it seeks to bring back the captives and
attempt to heal a broken society. And it does
seek that.
6- Looking ahead: All the energy spent debat-
ing the merits of this deal must now be chan-
neled into relentless pressure for a different
policy afterward. Zero tolerance—truly this
time—and a proactive campaign to finish the
job against Hamas on our terms, when we
surprise them, not the other way around.
7- The release of terrorists is not just a spe-
cific problem for the victims’ families but for
all of Israeli society—and for future victims,
currently nameless. Everyone must mobilize,
both publicly and practically, to break the
cycle of deals that lead to murder and kidnap-
ping, which in turn lead to more deals, and
so on. Similarly, the release of the captives is
not just a matter for their families, but a col-
lective aspiration of a society that values life
and upholds basic mu-
tual responsibility. This
is our DNA.
Ultimately, this deal is
bigger than the lives of
those who will return.
It represents something
even greater than the
rescue of dozens of our
brothers and sisters: it
holds the potential to
begin healing Israeli so-
ciety. That healing de-
pends on bringing back
everyone still alive from
Hamas’s grip. It will
also mark the end of the
strategic paralysis in the
face of this sadistic or-
ganization. (Sadly, even
Hamas likely doesn’t
know the fate of all the deceased.)
8- We haven’t won, but we haven’t been de-
feated either. This is a 150-year war, since
the dawn of Zionism. We’ve suffered a se-
vere blow, but the axis against us has also
been significantly weakened over the past
year. It will likely take a different leader-
ship to finish the job—one untainted by
failure and misguided perceptions, with the
strength to face the enemy and the basic
ability to mend internal divisions.
9- A heartfelt embrace to the families finally
receiving their loved ones. Our hearts beat
strongly with excitement alongside yours.
No less so for the families witnessing injus-
tice and feeling unable to cry out. And also
for the families who don’t yet know they are
“the families.”
RYK
Vues Master’s Note: Just believe!
FIRES
Dear Vues Master,
With the Los Angeles fires raging, forest
management has become a popular topic.
In addition to its utility in preventing and
controlling actual fires, it provides valuable
guidelines for managing the midah of anger,
which is frequently compared to fire.
Forest management involves regularly
clearing away debris and old, dry tree ma-
terial from the forest floor. Additionally,
periodic controlled fires are recommended.
These practices can be applied to anger by
regularly clearing out the debris of griev-
ances and resentments that build up in the
back of our minds, never being fully re-
solved.
If that doesn’t completely remove the “fuel
source” of our anger, we should try a con-
trolled “burn,” in the form of bringing up
a topic that upsets us and then allowing
the anger to dissipate. Some methods for
this include davening to remove the anger,
learning mussar, reframing the issue, and/
or working with a Rav, therapist, or other
trusted advisor.
DZ
Vues Master’s Note: Put out woke so we get
no more fires!
AMERICA’S RESPONSE TO THE
HOLOCAUST
Dear Vues Master,
America’s response to the Holocaust, a
subject of much historical scholarship and
public discussion in recent decades, increas-
ingly is coming to the stage and screen—
with mixed results.
Last year’s George Clooney film, The Boys
in the Boat, is an example of how Holly-
wood sometimes sacrifices history on the
altar of entertainment. It tells the story of
a gritty American rowing team that made it
to the Olympics despite various obstacles.
There’s nothing Hollywood likes better than
a triumphant underdog. But what happens
when half the story is omitted in order to
prioritize the thrilling narrative?
The Olympics in question were the 1936
games in Nazi Germany.
By that time, Germany’s Jews had been
driven out of their professions and stripped
of their civil rights. Hundreds had been in-
jured in a pogrom in Berlin. Hitler intended
to use the Olympics to impress foreign visi-
tors and thereby soften his international im-
age.
American Jewish organizations, the
NAACP, and the Catholic War Veterans all
called for an American boycott of the games.
So did New York City Mayor Fiorello La
Guardia. A public debate over whether the
U.S. should take part raged for more
than two years. The athletic commu-
nity was deeply divided: the delegates
to the convention of the Amateur Ath-
letic Union, which certified American
athletes to compete in the Olympics,
voted to support U.S. participation–by
just two and a half votes.
As a result, a handful of American
athletes boycotted the games to pro-
test Hitler’s persecution of German
Jews. The boycotters included the en-
tire Long Island University basketball
team, which had been favored to win
the try-outs and represent the U.S. in
the first-ever Olympic competition in
that sport. The LIU Blackbirds chose
to stay home and forego the glory rath-
er than lend a hand to Hitler’s make-
over.
Yet none of that is mentioned in The
Boys in the Boat. The scrappy rowers of
the University of Washington, underfund-
ed and underestimated, are shown battling
their way through a series of competitions
to qualify for Berlin. Along the way, not one
of the athletes expresses the slightest qualm
about legitimizing Nazi Germany. None of
them seem to be aware that what they are
doing is at the heart of a major public de-
bate. And the audience watching “The Boys
of the Boat” is never informed that such a
debate took place.
Were the rowers somehow unaware of the
heated dispute raging around them? Or were
they simply unconcerned about the suffer-
ing of the Jews? Whatever the answer, it
should have been in the film. Instead, the
only conflict portrayed in The Boys in the
Boat is what director Clooney imagines
must have been class resentment between
the impoverished University of Washington
rowers and the well-to-do rowers of the Ivy
League teams.
The critically-acclaimed play The Accom-
plices, by contrast, demonstrates that histor-
ical controversy can be brought to the stage
with the facts intact. This dramatic produc-
tion will be revived at the Khan Theater in
Jerusalem in February, fifteen
years after it was last performed.
Written by former New York
Times correspondent Bernard
Weinraub, The Accomplices
tackles the subject of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s failure
to aid Europe’s Jews, and the
conflict between American Jew-
ish leaders and activists over
how to respond. There are a few
scenes in the production that are
more compressed than literal, but that is the
sort of minor artistic license one would ex-
pect when history is portrayed on stage.
What makes The Accomplices especially
poignant is that the role of Rabbi Wise will
be played by Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin,
who comes from two generations of Ho-
locaust protesters. His grandfather, Rabbi
Mordechai Golinkin, participated in the
famous march to the White House in 1943,
and his father, Rabbi Noah Golinkin, was a
student activist who clashed with Wise over
the need for a more forceful American Jew-
ish response to FDR’s abandonment of the
Jews.
The Accomplices provides an important
service in focusing attention on the Berg-
son Group, the activists who organized that
march in Washington and other protests. Too
many museums and films have minimized
or ignored the Bergson Group’s efforts.
Another dramatic interpretation of Ameri-
ca’s response to the Holocaust will soon be
attracting public attention, as well. Laem-
mle’s List, a documentary by Deborah
Blum, debuted last month at the Miami
Jewish Film Festival. It tells the remarkable
story of her relative, the late Hollywood mo-
gul Carl Laemmle.
Laemmle was co-founder of Universal Pic-
tures, which created such blockbuster films
as Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Phantom
of the Opera. Laemmle, who was born in
Laupheim, Germany, rescued hundreds of
his landsmen from Hitler—until the Roos-
evelt administration intervened and stopped
him, on the grounds that Laemmle was “too
old” (71) to serve as a financial guarantor
for would-be immigrants.
We can expect the public conversation on
these topics to grow in the months and years
ahead, as dramatists and filmmakers contin-
ue to bring history to stage and screen—for
better or worse.
Dr. Rafael Medoff
Vues Master’s Note: Thanks for sharing this
on the week that the world remembers 80
years since the liberation of Auschwitz.