I woke at 3:30 a.m. and jogged from my hotel to the Western Wall, the Kotel, to pray just after 4:00 a.m. I jogged back, showered, packed my belongings, and headed northwards, meeting old friends at the incomparable Hotel Magdala, on the Sea of Galilee.
We drove north to the Golan, stopping at an olive oil factory in the town of Katzrin before reaching Mount Hermon, the highest peak in the Middle East. A group of Israeli soldiers from the new Alpine Brigade took us around the mountain and to a lookout from Har Dov, a strategic point that Hezbollah wants Israel to give up: it commands all of northern Israel.
We drove onwards to Majdal Shams, the northernmost town in Israel, a Druze village where 12 children were killed by a Hezbollah rocket in July -- in retrospect, a turning point in the war.
Later, at the brigade's base, there was an incoming rocket alarm, and we ducked into a shelter. Several Christians in our group began a joyful song of prayer to lighten the mood. We heard the booms of the Iron Dome, and emerged to see the smoke trails of the downed rockets.
We headed south again, witnessing a spectacular sunset over the Galilee and Lebanon. In the distance, there was a wisp of smoke, rising from an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. In the evening, I met for a delicious dinner in the Golan with a cousin who happened to be on a hiking trip.
So many thoughts in one day. Wondering what the future will bring; wondering about my own purpose in all of this; enjoying the fellowship of my fellow travelers; admiring the fortitude of the soldiers after more than a year of war; feeling so many emotions. A Thursday in Israel.
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
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 ...
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
