I'm heading to Israel tomorrow with Rebel TV to visit and take a look at the dynamic political situation there. Next week, I'll visit the UAE for the first time. It's going to be a dramatic, high-energy week.
My primary interest is in assessing the debate over judicial reform. I'm planning on attending a pro-government demonstration on Thursday night, and an anti-government protest on Saturday night.
Both sides are setting up the fight as a test of democracy. In fact, it's a test of LIBERAL democracy versus POPULIST democracy. Too much populism can lead to despotism; but liberal elitism is also tyranny.
There is much that we can learn from this debate, which is playing out in the U.S. and in much of the Western world. The liberal creed risks surrendering the core values that make our civilization work.
The populist path risks snuffing out the dynamic and creative spirit that fuels innovation, trade, and growth. These forces must coexist in a creative tension, but instead we have division, conflict, and misery.
I've also had a long-standing interest in Israeli-Arab peace, so the visit to the UAE is going to be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. I'll head to the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, as well as Dubai.
Finally, as it is the month of Elul, a time of renewal, I'm planning a personal mission to visit each of Israel's four bodies of water: the Mediterranean, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and the Red Sea.
Stay tuned for my adventures... this will be the best place to see most of what I post, though obviously I will be posting articles at Breitbart.com. I'm on Twitter @joelpollak and Instagram @pollakjoel.
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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