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My mother taught me that in the face of impossible odds to remain as a non - defeatist. She was clear that defeatism had no place in our family. She had no illusions then about the dangerous realities in the world. She became the first white Tai Chi Master. So I never doubted her work ethic, as everything in her life is a challenge to be met, and lessons to be learned. From her I have learned to face what ever comes and to hope against all odds.

The last 48 hours have indeed seen an unusual concentration of major institutional shifts and high-level government actions regarding antisemitism. Here are the most significant changes that have surfaced in the last 48 hours: 1. Federal Legal & Financial Pivot (U.S.) The most dramatic news in the last hour is the Trump administration dropping its appeal against the University of California system. The Shift: The government had been trying to extract $1.2 billion in penalties over allegations that the UC system tolerated antisemitism. The Reality: A federal judge previously ruled that the administration’s methods were essentially a "playbook" to force ideological changes. The administration's decision to walk away today marks a massive de-escalation in the legal battle between the federal government and elite universities. 2. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) Hearings Yesterday and today represent a rare moment of concentrated federal focus on this issue. Yesterday (Feb 19): The Commission held a full briefing on "Antisemitism on America’s College and University Campuses." This was a bipartisan deep dive into whether the DOJ and Department of Education have failed to protect Jewish students. Today (Feb 20): Starting at 12:00 PM ET, the Commission is holding a Public Comment Session. This allows individuals and community leaders to submit testimony directly into the federal record. 3. Strategic "State of the Jewish Union" Address Late yesterday, Eric Fingerhut (CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America) delivered an inaugural address that signaled a move from "defense" to "long-term institutional security." The Demand: He called for a $1 billion annual federal fund for nonprofit security (up from previous levels) and urged governors to implement educational tax credits to support Jewish day schools. The Tone: The speech highlighted that while the community is under physical threat, the focus is shifting toward doubling the capacity of Jewish institutions over the next decade. 4. Global Institutional Actions St. Gallen Conference (OSCE): Major world powers just concluded a summit in Switzerland where the U.S. Special Envoy, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, demanded "concrete actions over conferences," signaling a move toward stricter visa vetting for those who foment hatred. Australian Reform: Just yesterday, the NSW Government in Australia recommended legislating a ban on specific slogans used in protests that incite hatred, a move that is being watched globally as a test case for free speech vs. community protection.

ALL THOSE BRUISES HEAL AND LEAVE INVISIBLE HEARTS: THE ARK WITHIN Beyond fight or flight: Building spiritual stamina in the face of antisemitism By Rabbi Miriam Margles Rabbi Jonathan Kligler February 19, 2026 Share Facebook Twitter Email Print Friendly, PDF & Email Add EJP on Google Over the past two years, being a Jew in the world has required a kind of spiritual stamina that few of us were fully prepared for. Since the terror of Oct. 7, 2023 and the ensuing war in Israel and Gaza, we have been navigating a rising tide of antisemitism. Jews, Jewish communities and Jewish institutions have been the target of violence, demonization, isolation and denial. As a result, many Jews are swimming, perhaps even drowning, in fear, despair, rage and a profound sense of isolation. But for Jewish clergy, educators and organizational leaders, the burden is doubled. They are being asked to hold the heartbreak and fury of their communities while they themselves are struggling. Malte Mueller/Getty Images In our work with Jewish leaders across North America, many describe being overwhelmed by the dangers and demands of this moment. They feel stretched thin, tasked with guiding others without the time or support to notice and sort out their own intense, often conflicting feelings. They find themselves attempting to straddle widening gulfs as the world polarizes and as fellow Jews turn harshly on one another. While resources on combating antisemitism abound, not enough of them help leaders understand and address antisemitism’s internal impact on Jews: how centuries of systemic oppression have scarred us in ways that make us reactive, angry and fearful. This historic and ongoing persecution has primed Jews and Jewish communities to react to real or perceived threats out of ancestral trauma rather than respond with wise discernment. To lead effectively today, Jewish leaders need more than political strategy. We need safe spaces in which we can examine our fears, educate ourselves about the effects of trauma and receive spiritual and emotional support to lead with courage and clarity. The inner flood The 20th century Hasidic sage Rabbi Shalom Noah Berezovsky, known also by the name of his work Netivot Shalom, offers a striking interpretation of the biblical flood that speaks directly to this moment. Rabbi Berezovsky notes that the Hebrew word for flood, mabul, shares a root with bilbul, confusion. He teaches that the waters of chaos and violence inundating the world also stir a torrent of confusion within us. This bilbul ha-da’at, a distorted, unsettled consciousness, is “the root of all harm.” When our inner world is overwhelmed by the storms outside, the threat of danger can make it very difficult to think clearly and act in alignment with our values. But he offers an antidote: yishuv ha-da’at, the practice of settling the mind. He suggests that when we face a flood of chaos, we should build an “inner ark.” This is an inner space of steadiness, where we connect with our holy vitality (chayyut), and ground ourselves so we can ride the waves rather than be thrown by them. Only when our inner waters are calm can we discern what is true and act with integrity. Pausing for mindful awareness is not a luxury; it is a strategic necessity. Four patterns of reactivity When we don’t have that inner ark, our trauma responses take over. In our work at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS), we have identified four common patterns among Jews when safety and belonging are threatened: 1.) Urgency and hypervigilance: When we’re afraid, we tend to either freeze or leap into action. “Fight-or-flight” reactions are valuable when one is in immediate danger, but the grip of terror is exhausting and debilitating, and action driven by panic is usually counter-productive and/or ultimately ineffective. 2.) Over-reliance on physical security measures: We must be vigilant about physical safety. But when our attention focuses only on the external — guards, barricades, surveillance — we neglect our inner sources of grounding and trust. True resilience requires us to confront our vulnerability and develop a trust that doesn’t only depend on external conditions. We can draw strength from the company of others striving to be mindful and self-aware, and we can gain perspective and wisdom from our ancient Jewish tradition. 3.) Choosing sides instead of building bridges: As David Nirenberg, Dara Horn and others have shown, antisemitism targets Jews as the embodiment of what society abhors, the very source of “the problem.” That blame is unconsciously internalized and we redirect it toward one another. We run for cover in polarized camps and position ourselves as the “good kind of Jew” while attacking other Jews as “the problem” — the ones who are dangerous and shouldn’t exist. This intra-Jewish violence fractures our community precisely when we need greater cohesion. 4.) Grievance over grief: Beneath our legitimate grievances lies unacknowledged grief. We often focus on outrage, listing how we have been wronged or abandoned, because holding onto our grievances feels safer than touching our sorrow. But the truth is that grievances grip our hearts closed, trapping us in a cycle of injury and indignation. The path forward Recognizing these dynamics, IJS developed a new approach: mindful Jewish leadership in the face of antisemitism. Our approach doesn’t train leaders in public messaging or advocacy; those resources exist elsewhere. Instead, our goal is to support Jewish leaders by helping them to gently and lovingly address the deep, difficult and often painful dynamics within themselves and within their Jewish communities. We use a deeply Jewish framework for building that inner ark, and we fuse that with trauma-informed mindfulness practices. We also offer time and non-judgemental space for leaders to speak about and sort out the challenges they have been facing. This helps leaders recognize when they are operating from historical trauma, and gives them the tools to choose a different response. As a result, they’re able to guide their communities with less reactivity and more wisdom. They can then support their communities to follow this path. In the last year we have run pilot cohorts in Toronto and Chicago and nationally online. The results have been profound. Participants said that the training enabled them to more effectively engage in and lead difficult conversations again, even on the most charged topics. They were also able to model kind and clear communication in both public and private interactions. They were able to notice when they were agitated and now had the skills and tools to settle themselves and restore inner balance. As one participant noted, “I finally feel like I have a choice about how I show up.” Mindfulness is not about passivity; it is about presence. To cultivate yishuv ha-da’at is to reclaim our ability to choose actions rooted in insight rather than panic. It allows us to build communities where grief is met with compassion, and where leaders are supported to lead rather than be constantly criticized and attacked. In a time when antisemitism seeks to make us small, frightened and reactive, cultivating a clear mind and an open heart is a radical act. We have the choice, breath by breath, to respond not just with discipline, but with devotion to becoming ever wiser, more agile and better prepared. Jews are rightly concerned about antisemitism. As our communities allocate precious time and resources to this challenge, let’s remember that hardening our exterior defenses can do only so much. In the midst of the storm, we need mindful, wise and courageous leadership to guide the Jewish people. Together we can build an ark to carry us through our turbulent and dangerous times. Rabbi Miriam Margles is a member of the senior core faculty at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, where she directs the Mindful Jewish Leadership in the Face of Antisemitism initiative. Rabbi Jonathan Kligler is rabbi emeritus at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation in Woodstock, N.Y., and adjunct faculty at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.

BEAN DIP AND NACHO CHEESE TO BE REUNITED.

IF IT WEREN'T FOR HER I WOULD HAVE NEVER TRIED ANCHOVE PIZZA.

Yes, research and analyses from recent years (particularly post-October 7, 2023) frequently describe a pattern where young people—especially college students and Gen Z—have been systematically groomed or radicalized into anti-Israel activism that crosses into antisemitism. This isn't always literal "grooming" in the predatory sense, but rather ideological indoctrination through education, social media, campus groups, and activist networks that normalize extreme narratives, demonize Israel/Zionism, and sometimes justify or minimize violence against Jews/Israelis.

The most recent and relevant reference to "laundromat" in connection with antisemitism is from a report published on February 18, 2026, by the Middle East Forum (MEF). Titled "The Antisemitism Laundromat: Nexus Project’s Mission to Sanitize Anti-Zionist Hate", it uses "laundromat" metaphorically as a term for "money laundering" but applied to ideas—specifically accusing the Nexus Project of functioning as an "intellectual and political firewall" that "launders" or sanitizes anti-Zionist rhetoric to shield it from being classified as antisemitic.The report claims the Nexus Project (a fiscally sponsored initiative of the New Israel Fund, launched in 2019) creates loopholes and alternative definitions that make it harder to identify, prosecute, or combat antisemitism when it involves criticism of Israel or Zionism. It contrasts this with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which has been widely adopted (including in U.S. policy). The Nexus framework is portrayed as deliberately diluting or undermining IHRA to protect certain anti-Israel actors and rhetoric.This report was released very recently (just a day before your query), and it has been promoted across X (formerly Twitter) by various accounts, including MEF's executive director and others sharing the link and framing it as exposing a mechanism for sanitizing hate under the guise of nuance on antisemitism and Israel-related issues.

"IF LIFE IS A MIRACLE AND ALL THAT YOU SEE AND FEEL IS MIRACULOUS, WHY THEN INDULGE IN SEPERATION AND HATE, FOR THAT DOESN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE DOES IT?"

TOGETHER THE WORLD IS BETTER.