The 28 Best Journalistic Pieces I Wrote for Jewish News Syndicate in 2023

I interviewed a whole lot of incredible people this year!

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Having just published this post here collecting my 50 favorite Substack pieces I wrote in 2023, it seems that I should do the same to highlight the best articles I wrote at my new professional home Jewish News Syndicate. You can view my complete archive here.

These are the ones I’d most point you toward checking out.

January

These two stories come from interviews I did of some amazing students who visited Israel and the UAE. Because of these articles I would be invited to cover the Israel on Campus Coalition’s Washington D.C. summit in August.

• Student leaders’ trip to Israel and UAE taps into the magic of diversity

• Israel and UAE trips inspire aspiring leaders

February

I adore Noa Tishby and was excited to talk with her.

• Special envoy for combating antisemitism Noa Tishby speaks semantics at Duke University

March

• A day in the life of Noa Tishby

The 3 guys in this musical comedy group are fantastic.

• Comedy band Lewberger infuses quirky performances with Jewish identity

April

This first article was another fun one to do. I interviewed three hilarious Orthodox Jewish comedians:

• ‘Thou shalt make them laugh’

• Vandals deface Italian Holocaust mural of ‘Simpsons’ characters wearing yellow Stars of David

May

I got to interview the new co-presidents of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance:

• Antisemitism ‘working definition’ not a ‘work in progress,’ say new IHRA co-presidents

So far I’ve interviewed Alan Dershowitz twice. He’s fantastic. Here’s the first one:

• Dershowitz: Amanpour equating terrorists and victims is ‘beneath contempt’

June

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is perhaps the most influential and pernicious antisemitic organization in America:

• White House consulting CAIR on antisemitism is like inviting ‘butchers to National Vegetarian Day’

• Extensive report details decades of antisemitism at CAIR

July

This subject is one that I’ve written about previously and will continue to do so. Conspiracism and antisemitism are deeply intertwined ideological tendencies:

• Study: Antisemitism more associated with conspiracy bias than politics

August

Here are the three articles from the conference I attended. I talked to so many great students and speakers:

• Young adults ‘empowered’ at Israel on Campus Coalition summit in DC

• Israel on Campus Coalition summit in DC has its staff talking about the weather

• On-campus sentiments about Israel range from antisemitism to apathy, students say

September

Rabbi Daniel Lapin is so wonderful and I loved talking with him:

• ‘Judaism has been a colossal marketing failure,’ says Rabbi Daniel Lapin

October

This first article here is by an author I tremendously admire who has written the best books about the JFK assassination and plenty more on a wide range of subjects:

• Investigative reporting ‘almost impossible’ in modern work culture, journalist Edward Jay Epstein says

And here the articles begin following the 10/7 terror attacks…

• Students for Justice in Palestine chapters launch pro-terror rallies across US

• Brandeis University student senate votes not to denounce Hamas

I interviewed 3 students for this next article, including the student whose nose was broken:

• Anti-Israel protesters ‘broke my nose,’ says Jewish student at Tulane

November

• Photojournalists covering Oct. 7 attacks raise ‘ethical questions,’ watchdog says

• Congress targets TikTok to counter social-media propaganda against Israel

December

This first article is from an interview I did with a woman who focuses on trauma in Israel:

• ‘Scalable mental support’ needed for ‘already drained’ Israelis, therapy nonprofit leader says

Another event I attended and covered this year was the StandWithUS annual gala in Los Angeles:

• Enes Freedom announces plans for world’s ‘biggest basketball school’ to bring Abrahamic faiths together

• At LA gala, Oct. 7 survivor testimony, Muslim Zionism—and some laughs

TikTok will be a subject I plan on continuing to cover this year and I hope to interview the extraordinary Rabbi Wolpe again soon:

• Jewish TikTok workers reveal antisemitism in workplace, biased content

• Rabbi David Wolpe: ‘I am hopeful that Harvard is not a lost cause’

• Fetterman: TikTok ‘warping’ young people’s views on Israel-Hamas war

Stay tuned for many more articles reporting on antisemitism and Jewish values in 2024! And if you ever have a suggestion for something you’d like to see me report on then please respond to one of our emails or leave a comment and I’ll check it out!

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