Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Sep 15

You buried, due to admirable modesty, that that book launch was the greatest book launch of all time ❤️

Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Sep 15

Who is making the Hannah Einbinder “Go birds, F%#* ICE, Free Palestine” tote bag? The answer is not “nobody,” and I’d like to purchase 18 even though I’m meh on the birds part.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Aug 25

So honestly I do think it was more made for you than me (and other Jews from a coast -- or, like you, with relationships to both coasts -- who have one or more siblings). But it's also for me, without a doubt!

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Aug 10

Full title -- amazing shout-out to the show included -- is "Don't Close the...Door: Rugrats and Its Impact on Jewish Children."

Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Aug 10

I am pleased to report this is a deeply correct and widespread opinion! Here's Terri McGuire's master's thesis entitled "Rugrats and its Impact on Jewish Children."

scholarworks.brandeis.edu/view/pdfCove...

scholarworks.brandeis.edu

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Aug 8

opiniojuris.org/2025/08/04/i...

Is Genocide Happening in Gaza?

[Melanie O’Brien is Associate Professor of International Law at the University of Western Australia, President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and Visiting Scholar with the H…

opiniojuris.org

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jul 29

This yields people who are unable to look at a situation of clear oppressor and clear oppressed without asking "but what's underneath this seeming simplicity that's actually far more complicated."

It isn't that there is nothing about Israel-Palestine that is complicated. But we've lost the plot.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jul 29

The best way to get nods of agreement in Centrist or Liberal-leaning spaces -- independent of topic -- is to express uncertainty between two options.

It feels like we've produced a fundamental addiction to moral uncertainty and a full-on repulsion to moral clarity.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jul 29

An under-discussed piece of how we're failing to clearly oppose the genocide of Palestinians (a Jewish "our" and also a broader American "our"), is how decades of knee-jerk "both-ands" and "multiple truths" in all respects have made us unable to process one group intentionally destroying another.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jul 21

Randy Fine might give him a run for his money down there unfortunately lol!

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jul 21

Full 4-minute audio is in the body of the article. Every second is honestly incredible.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jul 21

I did not think Cuomo would be the one to name that he might’ve lost the overall Jewish vote to Mamdani in the primary, due to all the Jews on the left who are pro-Palestine and socialist, but as someone who’s Jewish, pro-Palestine, and socialist — it’s a fun listen!

forward.com/fast-forward...

Cuomo blames Mamdani’s young, Jewish and pro-Palestinian voters for his primary loss

Andrew Cuomo is sharpening his attacks on Zohran Mamdani, accusing the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor of ‘fueling antisemitism.’

forward.com

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jul 20

The audio is remarkable. It’s like Cuomo was really excited to record a soundbite to energize his opponents. I love it. He may or may not be right about the Jewish vote breakdown but it got me revved up as a Jewish Mamdani supporter with tons of friends who are Jewish Mamdani supporters!

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jul 9

Thank goodness that the ADL calmed us all down less than 6 months ago, reminding us it’s silly to presume that Elon Musk’s gesture was anything other than an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm,” and centrists shook their finger at us wacky leftists who thought maybe he kinda likes Nazis!

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jun 26

Oh sure ya the Brooklyn Nets just drafted two Jews — both Israeli citizens — with back to back 1st round picks.

I’m sure New York and my fellow Jews will be very normal about this.

Also, lol that this is not close to being the biggest New York story related to Jews today.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jun 25

I am filled with joy about Zohran’s primary victory!

Many of my grandparents and great-grandparents were Jewish Socialists — some in New York City. I think their emotion would also be joy.

I’m sick of distillations of Jewishness, past and present, that make this feel surprising. It’s very common.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · Jun 5

Just writing down a note to self to create a program someday about the history of the outrageous and frustrating organization known as the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, for the sake of the title

"Where did you come from? Where did you go? Where did you come from, COPMAJO?"

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · May 30

And like....a lot of people largely watch because they're in bracket pools and no other reason. If bracket pool participation takes a huge hit, that's a problem for TV viewership!

Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · May 30

A thing about this people are talking about enough:

Expansion to 72/76 decimates online bracket pools as we've experienced them. Are casuals gonna participate when 1/3rd of 1st round games have a / between two teams? Is ESPN gonna sacrifice all Tues/Wed signups in order to make play-ins pickable?

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · May 29

I guess I see it as a bigger sacrifice for the high-majors to lose control over a significantly higher percentage of their non-conference schedule than otherwise.

I agree with you that high-majors do everything they can to avoid going to low-majors, but they also wanna control their schedule.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · May 29

I love this so so much! Only pushback I have is 6 games in CBBCL group play -- I don't love seeing same noncon opponent twice in one year.

I'd go 3 games, coinflip or something for who is home for 2/3 versus home for 1/3. Overall point-differential as tiebreaker like it is in the Olympics.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · May 21

It's horrific that in our world "Palestinian children deserve to eat" is seen as "controversial." That Jewish orgs need to debate whether it's "mission-aligned" to sign onto that statement.

Not complicated! Sign on!

Individuals: www.foodaidforgaza.org
Jewish Orgs: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

"Torah is clear: If there's a hungry person, one must feed them.

- Shulchan Aruch"

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · May 14

We don't talk enough about how good "the rest is commentary, go and learn" is as a mic drop.

Most arguments I'm in, I think about saying that at the end but then I remember only some people are Jewish.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · May 13

www.foodaidforgaza.org

#JewsForFoodAidForPeopleInGaza

"Torah is Clear: If there's a hungry person, one must feed them." - Shulchan Aruch

In Hebrew: ".אם היה רעב, יאכילוה"

Add your voice: FoodAidForGaza.org.

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Lex Rofeberg @lexaphus.bsky.social · May 9

"The crucial element of the Genocide Convention is that the acts that constitute genocide must be 'committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.' Was this true in October, 2023? I still see no evidence that that was the case. Israel may or may not have responded with disproportionate force; that debate will likely never be resolved. But there were warnings of bombing attacks, there were systems in place for humanitarian aid, and there was an obvious, and I would say compelling, military objective.

This was even true in the Spring of 2024, as the devastation increased but the strategic goals and humanitarian assistance remained. The International Court of Justice was correct that there was 'plausible' evidence that the Genocide Convention had been violated, but not yet compelling evidence.

But today?

Israel's current actions are, to cite the Convention, 'deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.' Unlike in 2023, there are now ample statements by Israeli ministers, military leaders, and former military leaders, that the strategic aim of the continued destruction of Gaza is, simply, to destroy Gaza and force much of its population to leave. This is ethnic cleansing and this is genocide -- an act committed to destroy, in part, a national group."