By Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
INTERNATIONAL
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments last Sunday that Mexico “has to get their act together” because illegal drugs are “pouring through Mexico and we’re going to have to do something.” Sheinbaum replied at a Monday news conference: “We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries. The history of Latin America is clear and compelling: intervention has never brought democracy, never generated well-being, nor lasting stability… Only the people can build their own future, decide their path, exercise sovereignty over their natural resources, and freely define their form of government … Therefore, we state clearly that, for Mexico, and so it must be for all Mexicans: the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples are not optional or negotiable, they are fundamental principles of international law and must always be respected without exception.”
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a news conference on Wednesday that western allies have so far not firmly guaranteed that they will protect his country in case of a new Russian aggression after a peace deal is reached with Russia. France and the United Kingdom signed on Tuesday a declaration of intent that in such a circumstance they would deploy troops in Ukraine, but Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner representing the United States in a meeting with European leaders refrained from signing such a pledge.
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Pollster Nimrod Nir of the Agam Institute said a poll of Likud party members showed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is favored by 80.4 percent to lead the party into the next round of elections. If for any reason, Netanyahu does not run, then Defense Minister Israel Katz has a slight advantage over such potential candidates as Nir Barkat, the former mayor of Jerusalem, and Knesset speaker Amir Ohana.
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Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-New Jersey), fresh from a tour of Israel and the Arabian Gulf, told Jewish Insider that leaders of the Arab countries seem very eager to get to Phase 2 of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast peace plan, but thus far have been reluctant to commit to placing troops in Gaza as part of the proposed International Stabilization Force.
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NATIONAL
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), welcomed a letter from the Congressional Jewish Caucus to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem protesting a requirement that institutions applying for federal Nonprofit Security Grants be supportive of the administration’s policies toward immigrants. She said, “The Nonprofit Security Grant Program has been a lifeline as we face rising antisemitism, hate, and extremism—but these politically-motivated grant requirements threaten to force our communities to choose between their safety and their core religious values.”
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New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will continue to report directly to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani notwithstanding her position on the city’s organizational chart showing her beneath Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, New York Jewish Week has reported. Mamdani said the chart reflects Fuleihan’s role in the “daily minutia of coordination, not about the question of reporting.”
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The Honan Strategy Group polled Jewish voters on this question: ““Do you think Jewish voters in New York have reason to feel threatened by some of Zohran Mamdani’s statements and allies, or is that an overreaction fueled by politics?” Fifty-three percent of Jewish voters responded that Jewish voters have reason to feel threatened, the New York Post reported.
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Congressman Dan Goldman (D-New York) has been endorsed by New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul in his fight for reelection against the primary challenge of Brad Lander, the former New York city comptroller. Goldman has described himself as unabashedly pro-Israel, while Lander, a supporter of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has accused Israel of committing genocide.
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Rebekah Sobel has resigned as executive director of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, effective January 30. She’ll be succeeded on an interim basis by Gail Mandel, the museum’s chief operating and advancement officer.
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STATE & LOCAL
Sixty rabbis and rabbinical students, mainly from the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento areas, have urged Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California State Legislature to create a Climate Superfund to help victims of such disasters as earthquakes, fires, mudslides, and floods. “[T]he worst fossil fuel polluters – those most responsible for the climate crisis – [should be required]—to pay their fair share for the climate damages they have caused, while enabling California to invest in climate resilience, clean energy and support for frontline communities.” The campaign is coordinated by Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action and the Religious Action Center: California.
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Arraignment for Nick Reiner on charges that he murdered his parents, actor-director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner was postponed to Feb. 23 after attorney Alan Jackson withdrew from the case and a public defender, Kimberly Greene, was assigned to Reiner. Rolling Stone reported that when the judge asked Reiner if he agreed to the change in representation, he responded, “Yeah I agree to that.” Meanwhile, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office is still deliberating whether to seek the death penalty in the double murder case.
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World