In the southeast corner of Oregon, there is a sparsely inhabited swath of land known as the Outback. It is a place every Oregonian should visit at least once, for as the sun drops below the horizon, the night sky there becomes one of the darkest places left on the planet. Staring up there when the moon is small is to gasp in wonder at a vision of the stars most modern people no longer have access to.

As many are aware, South Africa brought charges of genocide against the State of Israel in one of the legal bodies of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice. Arguments were heard, beginning yesterday. Because of time constraints, I want to make two quick points at this time: if this is a topic in which people have interest, it would be possible to explore this legal case more deeply and to explain more thoroughly my own evolving thinking on this historic and pernicious case, while also providing more sources for those who want to continue their own investigation. If this is a topic on which you would like to hear more, please reach out.

This week, much of the Jewish and general social media universe have quickly written about the meaning of Claudine Gay’s resignation as the president of Harvard University. There are people who view this as a victory in the war against antisemitism on college campuses, while others think this is a terrible result for Jews as it will be used by our enemies to exaggerate the strength and reach of Jewish power.

I want to invite you to imagine the ancient walls of Jerusalem surrounded as the Babylonians lay siege to the holy city. Nebuchadnezzar built towers around the city. For approximately two-and-a-half years, the city was cut off from the outside world. No one seemed to care about the Jews. In II Kings 25:1, we read that “by the 9th day of the [4th month] the famine had become acute in the city; there was no food left for the common people.”

In second grade, in the face of injustice, I committed a terrible act of cruelty. It’s an incident that I have shared before, although not in many years, so please forgive me if you recall the story. A new child joined our second-grade class. His name was Zinatalli; when he first arrived, I was as excited as could be, because for the first time, I was no longer the shortest child in my grade.

November 18th, 1978—that’s when the mass suicide occurred, forty-five years ago. November 18th is also my birthday, so perhaps that is why the story of Jim Jones and the Jonestown Massacre has always haunted me. Jim Jones began as a social activist, working to ameliorate some of America’s racism. Over time, the forms of his social activism and his associated beliefs became more extreme, even as his ability to manipulate and exert control over his followers grew.

Carl Jung once said that “Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism.”