Welcome back. I was just off in Northern Italy for a wedding, and am now on the road again in Austin, Texas, for a couple of campus talks. This continues to be an extraordinarily difficult time for the Jewish community and those of us with family and loved ones in Israel. But, alas, life must go on—and here are some highlights from the past week.

My most recent column analyzed the fallout from the horrific Hamas pogrom in Israel on October 7— the single deadliest day for the Jewish people since the defeat of Nazi Germany 78 years ago. I wrote the column from Lake Como in Northern Italy, where I happened to be for a Jewish wedding. I explained how even though emotions are running high for all of us right now, Jewish law and custom are unambiguous: The show must go on. There can be no "letting the terrorists win," and we must proceed with our mitzvot (commandments, or deeds). The situation on the ground in Israel is constantly evolving, and President Joe Biden is now in Israel; the jury is out on whether he is there to be a true friend, or to apply pressure on Israel to prematurely de-escalate. The dichotomous nature of this conflict could not possibly be starker. As I wrote toward the end of my column: "Everyone the world over now faces a decision: Are you with the Islamist savages who committed unspeakable Nazi-level atrocities, or are you against them? Some conflicts are not so black-or-white; some have a third way. But there is really no third way here. One must choose a side."

I have had two podcast episodes since our last newsletter. First, Jason Rantz of "The Jason Rantz Show" on 770 AM KTTH (Seattle) joined to discuss his brand-new book, What's Killing America: Inside the Radical Left's Tragic Destruction of Our Cities. I also devoted the final large chunk of the episode to providing a detailed history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, now that the topic is once again (unfortunately) dominating the news. (For additional background reading on that topic, you can also read my 2020 National Interest essay and 2021 Tablet essay). You can listen to that episode on Apple, Spotify, or here.  Second, I recorded a solo episode discussing what the U.S. should and should not be doing about the current Israel-Hamas war, the growing anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism on the American Left, and why the U.S.'s commitment to supporting Israel in this conflict is so crucial. That lattermost segment was part of a broader explanation about what a prudential "third way" foreign policy looks like, between the twin follies of neoconservatism on one extreme and isolationism on the other extreme. You can listen to that episode on Apple, Spotify, or here.

In terms of other media hits and appearances since our last newsletter, I wrote a piece for the Daily Mail on the horrific metastasis of genocidal Jew-hatred on American university campuses in the aftermath of the Hamas pogrom; joined the Australian Jewish Association to discuss "Jews Against Soros," which Will Scharf and I co-founded earlier this year; joined "Tipping Point with Kara McKinney" on One America News Network to discuss all the latest developments on the ground in Israel and back home on campus; joined "Jenna Ellis in the Morning" on American Family Radio to discuss all the latest developments in Israel; joined "The Megyn Kelly Show" on SiriusXM for a lengthy and wide-ranging discussion on the same topic (I highly recommend this conversation!); joined "NTD Evening News" on NTD to discuss the same topic; and joined "I'm Right w/ Mike Slater" on The First TV to discuss the same topic.

In terms of upcoming public appearances, I am in Austin for a talk this evening for the University of Texas-Austin's Young Conservatives of Texas chapter on national conservatism and the "New Right," and I am speaking tomorrow for the University of Texas School of Law's Federalist Society chapter on my jurisprudential theory of common good originalism. I am on the road again next week, speaking next Tuesday to the University of Wyoming College of Law's Federalist Society chapter on Big Tech, in addition to events next Wednesday with the Sturm College of Law (University of Denver) Federalist Society chapter (also on Big Tech) and the local Colorado Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society.

Our additional highlighted right-leaning Newsweek op-eds from the past week include selections from Liz Wheeler, Bassem Eid, Alan Dershowitz, Joseph Epstein, and Elliott Abrams.

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