Joel Pollak
Politics • Lifestyle • News • Travel • Writing
I will share my thoughts about American politics, as well as current events in Israel and elsewhere, based on my experiences in the U.S., South Africa, and the Middle East. I will also discuss books and popular culture from the perspective of a somewhat libertarian, religiously observant conservative living in California. I will also share art and ideas that I find useful and helpful, and link to my content at Breitbart News, Amazon, and elsewhere.
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Letting go of a project

No sooner had I finished my 450-page draft of the biography of Rhoda Kadalie, and sent it along on a path to the publisher, when I realized there were three blank pages between the table of contents and the acknowledgments. I had forgotten to put the dedication in before turning it in.

I was tempted to fix the problem (which I did) and send a new version (which I did not). I told myself: you have to let it go.

You have to let the publisher, and the editor, do what they do, and then you can make whatever fixes are needed. In fact, it's better to have at least one mistake that you know about -- a principle I learned from the holiday of Passover, when you leave a few pieces of leavened bread around the house the night before the holiday. The idea is that if you know there are a few crumbs that you will find, your awareness will be sharper to find those pieces of bread (forbidden on the holiday) that you don't know about.

It's done; it's in; it will continue to grow, in my mind and in the hands of the editor, but for now, I need to let that process happen by moving on, for now.

And I still have the monthly bills to do -- plus my taxes for 2021, ugh.

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What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
Time-lapse sunrise at Temescal Falls
00:00:17
This is what is left of my special place in the forest

Burned, then covered in mudslides and rockslides. The river still flows through it. But we have lost so much. I have to believe the spirit still lives on.

00:00:16
The drive home 💔
00:00:46
Breitbart News Sunday: show rundown (August 24, 2025)

This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?

Special guests:

  • Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
  • Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
  • Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
  • Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
  • DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV

Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874

Weekly Torah reading: Re'eh (Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17)

This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.

In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.

The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.

Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.

We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...

Breitbart News Sunday: show rundown (August 17, 2025)

We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.

Special guests:

Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California

Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874

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