Yesterday I explored the city from the wealthiest neighborhoods to the poorest. I took a long, 7-mile run through the Bo Kaap, over Signal Hill, and down into Sea Point, taking in the spectacular views of Table Mountain and the bay. It was thrilling to see how lively the city is in the morning, as people take their morning exercise. My gauge of the degree of personal safety in the city is whether you see women walking alone. And though Cape Town still has some of the same crime problems that plague the rest of the country, there were plenty of women running or exercising alone along the seawall -- as well as older people and families with young children just taking a morning stroll.
Later, I went to Khayelitsha, one of the poorest townships in South Africa. It has been transformed by housing policy in the Western Cape, which departed from nation policy in that it gave grants directly to community groups to build housing, rather than waiting for the national government to take charge. As a result, areas that were once shantytowns have many permanent homes and structures. There is even a new shopping mall in Site C, where I used to teach and volunteer. I visited the home of the late Vicky Ntozini, who started a little bed and breakfast but was murdered by her husband. Her family is still there, headed by her daughter, Malandi. They are struggling, but they have hope.
I headed back into town for lunch, tea, and dinner with various and sundry friends, whom it was delightful to see. The garden at the Vineyard Hotel is a particularly dramatic setting. As Malandi told me: even if you live here, the beauty of Cape Town never ceases to be amazing on an everyday basis.
I also stopped my by (graduate) alma mater, the University of Cape Town. It is still spectacular, despite recent ups and downs, and it was fun to watch students practicing rugby. I took in the empty cube where the statue of Cecil John Rhodes sat until it was torn down at the behest of radical students. The "Rhodes Must Fall" movement gave birth to the contemporary "woke" phenomenon. We are still living with the consequences -- a bit of ugliness amid the beauty here.
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This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
Topics:
- The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
- The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
- The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
- The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
- The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival
And more!
Special guests:
- James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
- Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
- Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
- Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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