Media recommendations, vol. 45
Israel's Gaza blockade at the ICJ, summer camp thought crimes and more
One of the reasons why Josh and I have this newsletter is for education. We do not have all of the answers, but we are prepared to ask the important questions. Two of the key questions are: How should diaspora Jews relate to Israel during a time of genocide in Gaza? And how far are mainstream Jewish organizations willing to go to defend Israel? Both feature in this week’s column.
The United Nations General Assembly voted in December to seek an advisory opinion from the judges of the International Court of Justice on Israel’s humanitarian obligations as the occupying power in Gaza as well as East Jerusalem and the West Bank.1 This hearing comes more than 50 days into Israel’s total blockade on aid entering Gaza.2 Global News produced a clear, detailed video on the stakes.
The Associated Press reported an important story on the growing dangers for pregnant women in Gaza.
Up to 20% of Gaza’s estimated 55,000 pregnant women are malnourished, and half face high-risk pregnancies, according to the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA.
In February and March, at least 20% of newborns were born prematurely or suffering from complications or malnutrition.
With the population displaced and under bombardment, comprehensive miscarriage and stillbirth figures are impossible to obtain. But records at Khan Younis’ Nasser Hospital show miscarriages in January and February were double the same period in 2023.
Dr. Yasmine Shnina, a Doctors Without Borders supervisor of midwives at Nasser Hospital, documented 40 miscarriages a week in recent weeks. She has recorded five women a month dying in childbirth, compared with around two a year before the war.3
Gregg Carlstrom, the Middle East correspondent for The Economist, wrote a very interesting post at his Substack on the day after the ceasefire for Hamas. His point is that reconstruction aid provides more leverage over Hamas than military might.
As long as the war is raging, Hamas has no reason to give up on Gaza. It is loath to concede its rule under Israeli fire and it can postpone a reckoning with its own people. Gazans might be furious with Hamas: recent protests against its rule are just the tip of the iceberg. But most of them are busy just trying to survive.
The moment the war ends, though, Hamas will have to face the consequences of what it has wrought. A ceasefire is not the end of the group’s problems. It is the beginning. Gaza is uninhabitable: Hamas will have to deliver on reconstruction or face the wrath of 2m angry people. The former cannot happen without international help. And the international community can make clear that no help will be forthcoming unless Hamas leaves.4
Peter Beinart, whose new book has received lots of attention, debated its ideas with Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian on his Substack. Segments from that conversation are now on YouTube and worth watching.
The Hollywood Reporter published an amazing and fascinating debate between pro-Israel influencer Hen Mazzig and The Encampments director Kai Pritzker. This passage captures the competing perspectives.
KP: if you’re saying there was violence that took place, tell me what happened.
HM: Oh you think if you put a sign that says “al-Qassam’s next target” is that an issue for you or is that something legitimate? Is that a call for violence or not?
KP: Sorry, well you said someone was attacked. Who got attacked?
HM: I’ll find you some — I mean everyone can Google all of those cases but yeah there were Jewish students that were attacked. In Los Angeles I remember the bloody face of the student that was attacked.
KP: Yeah those were students in the Palestine encampment. It’s in our film; did you watch our film? Those students in the Palestine encampment that were ripped out and beaten by a Zionist mob and they fired fireworks into the UCLA encampments. That was pro-Israel violence. Those were pro-Israel people that beat up pro-Palestinian students. Who were the Jewish students who were attacked again?
HM: Do you think that calling to kill Jewish students is ok? That’s not attack, that’s not violence for you?
KP: I don’t agree with it. But it’s speech. It’s not violence.
HM: Oh it’s speech? To call someone to be killed is speech Kei? Are you serious?
KP: I don’t agree with it. But you said someone was attacked.
HM: I’m sending links, don’t worry, I’m sending links. Here you go. [Links appear in chat.] This is one link to an incident with two Jewish students at DePaul. Don’t worry I’ll get you all the links and all the sources.5
Mainstream Jewish organizations in Canada are turning to the courts to police and prevent pro-Palestine speech in the name of stopping antisemitism. The Breach, a progressive online publication, covered the story.
The core challenge for the pro-Israel lobby in Canada in trying to suppress what they call “the new antisemitism” is that much of the speech they target is protected under section 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as “political debate.”
Criticism of a state or political ideology does not on its own meet the legal threshold for hate speech under the Criminal Code.
In his lawfare webinar, the ACCA’s [Mark] Sandler outlined a new strategy to overcome these legal hurdles.
He announced the formation of the Canadian Jewish Law Association, which will join forces with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and a cadre of “top flight” criminal lawyers to “triage” criminal issues. In other words, they will coordinate and pool resources to take on these cases.
Their plan is to couple ongoing litigation with an extensive outreach campaign to police and prosecutors across the country to persuade law enforcement to investigate Palestine solidarity activism as if it were hate speech.6
Our last story is a strong competitor to the herem in Atlanta that was covered by this column two weeks ago. But this time, thought crimes are the reason for a firing of a B’nai Brith camp director in Kenora, Ontario. Jacob Brodovsky was a 15-year veteran of the camp.
In the weeks leading up to Brodovsky’s exit, communications from parents and posts on social media—including letters from parents to the camp board viewed by The CJN—referenced stories about his supposedly dissociating from Israeli flag-raising, or discouraging a focus among campers on yellow ribbons and concerns for hostages.
The CJN is unable to substantiate these claims, even after speaking to parents of campers.
However, those parents shared letters of concern sent to the camp board along with the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg (which funds this BB Camp in part, although it plays no role in its operations) about the initial decision to retain Brodovsky.
One of the more recent occurrences, which appears to have set off this particular imbroglio according to camper parents, involved the former co-director’s “liking” a social media post about a pro-Palestinian event hosted by a known local anti-Israel activist.7
Fortunately, as the Canadian Jewish News reports, B’nai Brith camp’s board of directors is taking measures to ensure better outcomes moving forward.
New policies will include adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism into the code of conduct—which employees and board members will be required to sign. BB Camp says it will review and update its mission statement and core values statement “to better reflect the camp’s fundamental support of Israel,” hire a Jewish education coordinator, and a form an Israel engagement subcommittee.
“Our campers will continue to do what they have been doing for decades: proudly sing Hatikvah daily while the Israeli flag is lowered, participate in meaningful and inclusive daily prayer services, enjoy the ‘Shabbat Procession’ and Friday challah, and feel a connection to Israel and Judaism through our programming,” the letter continued.8
Thanks, as always, for reading.
See UN News, Israel’s restrictions: https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/04/1162656
See Guardian, Israel seems set on…: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/28/un-is-threatened-by-israels-decision-to-cut-ties-with-relief-agency-world-court-told
AP News, Takeaways from AP’s report: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-pregnancy-childbirth-takeaways-c1644d5f7b9d6eac3ed7d0e36ca42b9e
Gregg Carlstrom, Unsettled Sources, A Gaza ceasefire…:
Hen Mazzig, Kei Pritzker, The Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/hen-mazzig-the-encampments-israel-gaza-1236198576/
Breach Media, Canadian lawyers borrow: https://breachmedia.ca/palestine-solidarity-canadian-lawyers-borrow-playbook-quash/
Canadian Jewish News, Summer camp whose co-director…: https://thecjn.ca/news/bb-camp/
Ibid.