From 9/11 to Zohran Mamdani - How Far NYC Has Fallen

From 9/11 to Zohran Mamdani - How Far NYC Has Fallen
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
October 28, 2025

The latest salvo from Zohran Mamdani hit the public’s eyes and ears just days ago. An oldie, but a goodie, from the archives of September 5, 2023, when headlining as the keynote speaker at the Democratic Socialists of America national convention, Mamdani said “when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF.” (Israel Defense Forces) Wow - two slurs for the price of one from the Socialist-Marxist-Islamist candidate for mayor of New York City.

One of Mamdani’s State Assembly (36-Queens) colleagues, Democrat Kalman Yeger (41-Brooklyn) said, upon hearing Mamdani’s antisemitic and anti-police diatribe, “sometimes it’s hard to tell if Zorhan hates Jews more than he hates cops, or if he hates cops more than he hates Jews.” Sadly for the voters of New York City, there has been more than enough putrid rhetoric to go around from the Democrat-Socialist candidate for mayor of the Big Apple. Should Mamdani get elected on Tuesday, November 4, he will be the worm that infests the Big Apple.

This is just one of myriad thoughts, slogans, professions from the catalog of Mamdani’s Greatest Hits. While flying under the radar as a backbencher in the New York State Assembly, Mamdani’s espousal of virulent antisemitic, anti-Zionist, anti-Israel, anti-police, anti-capitalist, anti-democracy screeds continue to rise to the forefront. Videos of his own words, and not just rhetoric, but a hard core belief system that is dangerous not just for New York City, not just for the United States of America, but for all of Western Civilization. Just about anytime Mamdani opens his mouth, it’s a fair bet something cringeworthy will emerge from his gaping maw.

Sadly, far too many New Yorkers have fallen for the facade of Mamdani’s smarmy grin reminding folks of the supervillain Joker from the Batman franchise. How is it possible for a Marxist to be the frontrunner in this election in the economic epicenter of the United States, if not the world? How is it that a socialist/communist can be on the verge of victory in the first capital of these United States - where General George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789 - at Federal Hill overlooking Wall Street?

How can the citizens of New York City elect a sharia-supporting, Muslim extremist to be mayor of the city that will forever be the face of September 11, 2001? Imagine next September 11 - the 25th memorial of 9/11 - with “Mayor Mamdani” present with the thousands of victims’ families and friends that are sure to attend for the reading of the 2,977 names of those murdered by Mamdani’s fellow travelers. And don’t forget the additional 8,200 men and women who have subsequently died from 9/11 related diseases and illnesses, according to legalunitedstates.com. The hypocrisy of Mamdani showing his face will stain the somber ceremony and trample the memories of those murdered that fateful Tuesday morning in New York City, at the Pentagon in Arlington, VA, and in a field in Shanksville, PA. 

Mamdani recently had the unmitigated audacity to compare the slaughter of 2,977 innocents on 9/11 to an alleged experience he said his aunt had. Mamdani said his aunt no longer felt comfortable riding the subways wearing her hijab. Turns out that story has been debunked, that he didn’t even have an aunt living in New York City at the time of 9/11.  Mamdani even campaigned with a jihadi, Hasan Piker, an extreme leftist who, in 2019 said “America deserved 9/11.” 

How, in good conscience, can a single Jewish New Yorker cast a ballot for Mamdani, an antisemite who does not even support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish sovereign nation? Mamdani has attempted to equate the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023 with Palestinian criminals legitimately locked away in Israeli prisons. In September Mamdani appeared on Qatari television declaring the United States is underwriting the genocide in the Middle East, that he supports jihad, and that terrorism is a western invention not one from the Middle East. Mamdani has links to the Qatari royal family - the family who harbored Khalil Sheik Mohammad, the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mamdani consistently refuses to condemn “globalize the indifada,” both the concept and the language. In fact, he has never actually condemned the Holocaust. Additionally, Mamdani is a keen supporter of the BDS movement (boycott, divest, and sanction) against Israel, calling it “a righteous movement for liberation.” He supports a one state solution, and that state is not Israel, as Mamdani endorses “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and said he would never set foot in Israel. Mamdani also said he would have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested should he set foot in New York City.

“The most frightening thing about him is his antisemitism,” said Emily Compagno, co-host of Outnumbered on the Fox News Channel.

Mamdani, 34, and born in Uganda, has lived a life of privilege and hypocrisy. Hypocritical because he supports the abolition of private property, just so long as it is not his family’s properties being commandeered by the government. One of his advisors, Cea Weaver, posted in 2019 that “private property,” and “especially home ownership, is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as wealth building public policy.” On March 25, 2020 Mamdani said “the oligarchs who want to return to work to goose the stock market, are the same ones with thousands of luxury condos as investment properties, sitting empty while New Yorkers die on the streets and in shelters. Seize those properties. House the homeless. Enact a houses guarantee.” Part of his platform calls for a rent freeze, which he cannot institute unilaterally, and for the construction of 200,000 affordable housing units. Mamdani lives in a $3 million condo in Chelsea.

Hypocritical for calling to defund the NYPD, yet has a personal security team. Not only to defund the police, but replace them with social workers, and has called for a ban on all guns. Naturally, throughout his campaign Mamdani has refuted those defund statements. Of course he can’t deny them as social media is forever. He also calls for the abolition of prisons. On October 18, 2021 Mamdani said “we must decarcerate and we must do it now.” Do the 33,000 men and women in blue really believe Mamdani will have their backs while desecrating Gracie Mansion? Perhaps Mamdani’s security team should be social workers.

Mamdani comes by his belief system honestly, as the antisemitic, anti-capitalist, anti-democracy, anti-Western Civilization candidate did not fall far from the tree of the same hatreds. His father Mahmood, a one time professor at Columbia University, called the suicide bombers “worthy of sympathy, not scorn.” One of his mentors, Linda Sarsour, the co-chair of the Women’s March, a Palestinian-American, is also a virulent antisemite who objected to, and attempted to, bar Jewish and LGBTQ women from participating in the march in 2019. 

There is a video of Mamdani flipping the middle finger at a statue of Christopher Columbus in New York City, and shouting, “take it down!”

Some of Mamdani’s other platform planks include decriminalizing drug possession, providing safe injection sites, legalizing prostitution and sex work, raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour, seizing the means of production, and a $10 billion tax hike on businesses. When businesses begin to flee New York City, as many already have, how will Mamdani pay for his socialist/communist agenda? On the backs of the remaining people, too poor to afford to move away from The City? 

More of the Mamdani agenda includes providing free child care, free city buses, and the creation and operation of city-owned grocery stores, all of which are unsustainable. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said government-owned grocery stores have worked, yet failed to name one locality where it has. These pie in the sky promises to gullible voters goes beyond socialism. Mamdani said capitalism is “theft. When we tax the rich, we’re reclaiming the wealth bosses and corporations steal,” he said. While on the topic of the rich, “I don’t think we should have billionaires because quite frankly it is so much money in a moment of such inequality,” said Mamdani on Meet the Press on June 29, 2025, just five days after winning the Democrat primary.

So in addition to overtaxing the wealthy, opening the prisons, legalizing drugs and prostitution, Mamdani also wants to protect illegal aliens and the homosexual community calling for making New York City an LGBTQ sanctuary city, akin to the sanctuary city for the illegals regardless of their sexual orientation. (Not that there’s anything wrong with protecting appropriate gay rights.) Mamdani wants a $65 billion commitment for transgender surgery for children, but did not say from whom the commitment should come. He also called for free abortion and contraception on demand.

Mamdani not only wants to end cooperation with I.C.E., but he wants to abolish the entire department of Immigration and Custom Enforcement. “He’ll ensure our immigrant New Yorkers are protected by strengthening our sanctuary city apparatus, getting I.C.E. out of all city facilities, and ending any cooperation, increasing legal support, and protecting all personal data,” it said on Mamdani’s “Zohran for NYC” site.

This is who the citizens of New York City are going to entrust as their leader?

Even the liberal Washington Post condemned Mamdani as wrong for New York City and wrong for the Democrats. “...New Yorkers should be worried that he would lead Gotham back to the bad old days of civic dysfunction, and Democrats should fear that he will discredit their next generation of party leaders, almost all of whom are better than this democratic socialist,” wrote the Post in a June 26, 2025 editorial, two days after Mamdani took the primary.

When the shouting's all over, voters in New York City may have to paraphrase Hyman Roth from The G-dfather Part II and say, “this is the government we’ve chosen.” Do the voting citizens of New York City deserve better? Or do they deserve the government they’ve chosen? May G-d continue to Bless the good people of New York City - there’s still a few out there; and may G-d continue to Bless these United States of America.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He grew up in northern New Jersey, a short distance from New York City.

Celebrating Middle East Peace is Premature

Celebrating Middle East Peace is Premature
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
October 13, 2025

Mazal Tov! The 20 remaining living Israeli hostages held in Gaza by the terrorist organization Hamas have finally been returned to Israeli soil after 738 days in captivity. And they have been released on the eve of Simchas Torah, celebrating the completion of the reading of the Torah - scripture, and the beginning of the reading from Genesis all over again, along with singing and dancing - including dancing with the Torah scrolls. 

Seeing these 20, now former, hostages reunite with families, friends, and other loved ones expressing sheer exhilaration, raw emotions of tears of joy and grief, genuine love, and relief, as well as physical and mental exhaustion should implore anyone with a pulse to thank G-d for their return.

After 738 horrendous, painful days, Matan Angrest, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, Ariel Cunio, David Cunio, Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kupershtein, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or, and Matan Zangauker are back home in Israel where they belong. Say their names and pray for their mental and physical recovery.

“Those prayers of millions have finally been answered. Together we have achieved the impossible. At long last, we have peace in the Middle East,” said President Donald J. Trump.

This potential Gaza Peace Accords deal could only have been accomplished under Trump’s leadership through what President Ronald Reagan often referred to as “peace through strength.” So much strength that Trump took control of these negotiations in spite of countries like Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom recognizing a Palestinian state. Terrorists must never be rewarded with statehood or legitimacy. https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2025/10/un-rewards-terrorists-near-107.html 

Under the feckless, weak-kneed Joe Biden administration, the United States commanded virtually no respect around the world. Biden displayed personal and political animus toward Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - a continuation of the less than friendly relationship between Biden’s former boss Barack Obama and Netanyahu. Additionally, Biden simply did not have the energy or mental capacity to conduct all the negotiations and deal making required to bring the necessary parties together to even consider such a lasting commitment. Perhaps Trump’s next bestseller ought to be entitled The Art of the Peace Deal.

Yes, potential, so don’t start celebrating Middle East peace just yet. There are still numerous pieces that have yet to navigate their way through this geo-political labyrinth.

The agreement has already been broken by Hamas in their failure to return all 28 bodies of deceased hostages - just four have thus far been sent back to Israel. Does anyone actually think Hamas can or should be trusted? Of course not. Can Hamas simply be marginalized? Will they disarm, as required? Will they actually leave Gaza willingly? Anyone holding their breath? And if so, where will they go? No other country wants them - this is how this kerfuffle began in the first place - so-called refugees for more than 75 years, claiming Israel to be their land. More than 40 Arab/Muslim nations refuse admission to the so-called Palestinians, because those nations know who those so-called refugees are. Yet, it is Israel that continues to be lambasted for not wanting, and with good reason, to absorb these people.

These so-called refugees chose to leave Israel upon its independence in 1948. They chose not to live side by side with the Jewish people in peace. What makes anyone think a so-called two-state solution could ever possibly succeed? Especially when the charters of Hamas and Hezbollah call for the evisceration of the Jewish people and the destruction of Israel. These self-defined refugees were not exiled, unlike the Jewish people living in the Arab/Muslim nations. Longtime thriving Jewish communities in the diaspora of the Middle East and North Africa suffered expulsion, a loss of property, and murder as their populations unwillfully shrank to nearly zero, and in some cases, absolute zero. In Israel, Arab/Muslim populations continue to blossom - completely belying the notion of Israel as an apartheid state. That Israel consistently traded, unadvisedly, land for peace, also evinces the lie of Israel as a colonizer. And, being historically accurate, make no mistake, Gaza is still Israel, as is the so-called West Bank, which, in reality is Judea and Samaria. Judea - as in Jewish - as in the Biblical, historical, indigenous, ancestral home of the Jewish people, and should never be under the auspices of any other peoples or nations. Ever.

Aside from the issue of where members of Hamas should relocate after leaving Gaza, what of the myriad other terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, al-Qaeda, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, and Islamic Jihad? What about the Islamic Republic of Iran, the largest state sponsor of terror? Even if Hamas abides by these agreements, none of these other terrorist organizations agreed to anything. They all have the destruction of Israel and the death of the Jewish people as their top priorities. Will the Islamic Republic of Iran offer safe haven to Hamas? Why is Hamas even being given a reprieve for their crimes against humanity in the first place? Quite frankly, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) should stay in Gaza until the last Hamas terrorist is eliminated. Allowing any to live gives them an opportunity to regenerate. There can be no peace with surviving Hamas members or any of the other terror organizations’ members.

If this is intended to be a peace deal, why would there be a demand for the release of upwards of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and prisons? These are criminals convicted of commiting heinous crimes including, but not limited to rape, kidnapping, murder, bombings, and terrorist activities. There is no equivalence, moral or otherwise, between 250 Israelis forcibly taken hostage by Hamas versus criminal Palestinians imprisoned for committing the aforementioned crimes. If there is to be peace in the Middle East all geo-political entities must not only recognize Israel and its right to exist, but to do so in peace. Remember, on October 6, 2023 a ceasefire existed until shattered by Hamas the next morning - on Shabbos and celebration of Simchas Torah.

And just what will peace in Gaza look like? If Hamas is no longer to be the governing authority, who will fill that void? There are 2.1 million so-called Palestinians in Gaza. Gaza is still and should remain part of Israel. Should Gaza become a de facto Palestine? Quite frankly, Gaza is barely inhabitable. If Israel is to rebuild Gaza, it should be reinhabited by Israelis, not unlike those who were forced to evacuate in 2005. Israelis not only fled Gaza, their dead were taken with the living and reburied outside of Gaza. What became of Gaza after the Israelis departed is absolutely disgraceful - the so-called Palestinians destroyed the infrastructure, greenhouses, and even the agriculture, replacing much of it with substandard housing, schools teaching children to kill Jews and hate Israel, mosques preaching the same, and hundreds of miles of underground terror tunnels. Those so-called Palestinians who are truly displaced persons from their destroyed homes should be absorbed by the other Arab/Muslim nations on a per capita basis so as not to create an undue burden on those nations’ economies.

If Israel rebuilds Gaza, it should be Israelis who benefit with and from the businesses, technology centers, hotels and other hospitality at the beach, sports and music venues, as well as new, state of the art hospitals, schools and houses of worship that neither teach nor preach the killing of Jews and the hatred of Israel.

To paraphrase an old adage, a rising peace lifts all economies. The successful Abraham Accords during Trump’s first term between Israel, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates moved to normalize relations between those nations. With this future phase of Abraham Accords off in the not so distant horizon, a new era of recognition, cooperation, and hopefully economic partnerships will be ushered in where investments will be made in life saving medical techniques, technology, and agricultural advancements instead of bombs, munitions, and terror tunnels. 

Prabowo Subianto, president of Indonesia, a country with no diplomatic ties with Israel for decades, spoke before the United Nations on Tuesday September 23. “We must also recognize, we must also respect, and we must also guarantee the safety and security of Israel. Only then we can have real peace,” said Subianto, head of state of the largest Muslim-majority nation, with a population of 283 million people. Subianto concluded his speech with “Shalom.”

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He and his wife last visited Israel in 2019 and they look forward to a return trip.

UN Rewards Terrorists Near 10/7 Anniversary

UN Rewards Terrorists Near 10/7 Anniversary 
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
October 3, 2025

The upcoming celebration of Sukkot will be marred by the still fresh memories and open wounds of the invasion of Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas, the slaughter of more than 1,200 innocent Israelis by Hamas, and the capture of an additional 250 innocents - 48 of whom are still being held hostage by Hamas. Adding insult to injury, the feckless United Nations voted to reward those terrorists with a state, and did so just days before the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah.

The first day of Sukkot, an eight day festival celebrating the harvest, where Jewish People eat their meals in huts, just thatched enough to be able to see the stars in the sky, falls on October 7 - the second dour “anniversary” of the 2023 invasion and massacre. Those huts, Sukkahs, are decorated by children with produce and artwork. Sadly, thanks to Hamas, hundreds of young people will not be able to decorate their family or synagogue sukkahs this year.

And yes, it is Hamas being rewarded with a state. It was the terrorist organization Hamas that garnered a so-called election in Gaza in 2006 - to date the only such plebiscite under the authoritarian and terrorist regime. A regime responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of its own people via shootings, stoning, strangulations, and starvation. Gaza, (Israel) which had been inhabited by Jewish People, withdrew not just the living, but the dead - reintering their deceased out of Gaza in order to allow so-called Palestinians the inhabitation of that land in 2005. Since then, Hamas destroyed the infrastructure left in place by the Jews before vacating Gaza, and in its place Hamas built hundreds of miles of terror tunnels. Gaza has beachfront land that could have been built into the Riviera of the Middle East. But instead, terrorism, murder, rape, kidnapping and destruction became the order of the day.

For those with short memories or who have chosen to ignore facts, reality, and truth, the ceasefire demanded by the useless UN, and a cavalcade of their ignorant minions (so-called sovereign nations living on their knees), actually existed until October 6, 2023 when Hamas shattered it by slaughtering more than 1,200 innocent Israeli children, women, and men, many attending a music festival, others preparing to observe Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah celebrates the completion of the reading of the Torah - scripture, and the beginning of the reading from Genesis all over again, along with singing and dancing - including dancing with the Torah scrolls. Hamas produced its own video footage of their heinous crimes against humanity - including raping little girls and women, murdering pregnant women, murdering babies and children, as well as the kidnapping of more than 250 other innocents. Of those 250 hostages, 48 are still in captivity, with 20 believed to be alive - maybe. Put in perspective, consider if more than 40,000 Americans were murdered on September 11, 2001.

In the two years since the October 7, 2023 Hamas invasion of Israel, in unprecedented actions, Israel warned civilians in Gaza, via various forms of media, to flee for their safety as the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) sought to eliminate Hamas and other terrorists. Additionally, it is Hamas killing its own people - preventing them from seeking safe havens because of the optics to make Israel look guilty in the eyes of the anti-Israel press, the UN, and other detractors. It is Hamas starving its own people - again with video proof - by hijacking thousands of tons of food and medical supplies sent into Gaza provided by Israel. Hamas then extorts its own people in an effort to fund their continued terrorist war against Israel. While Israel gives Gazan civilians warnings before strikes against Hamas, it is Hamas hiding in hospitals, elementary schools, even mosques - desecrating their own houses of worship.

And for all the damage, death, and destruction perpetrated by Hamas and its rabid supporters, the UN decided now is the right time to reward that evil, heinous, murderous behavior. So the message, the takeaway, is clearly rape, kidnap, and kill as many Jews and Israelis as possible and you will become a sovereign nation within the family of nations. Where will this nation exist? With what borders? Under what leadership? With what form of government? Will this be the same nation people supporting a two-state solution have naively called for? Naively because it is written in the charter of Hamas (and Hezbollah) that the Jewish People are to be eliminated (killed), and the sovereign, independent nation of Israel is to be razed. One cannot negotiate with, or peacefully coexist with those seeking your total annihilation. And those rabid supporters include the tens of thousands of painfully ignorant college students residing full time in their echo chambers driving the rates of antisemitism through the roof. And the overseas antisemitism that includes the attack on, and murder in a Manchester, UK synagogue on Yom Kippur (Oct. 2), the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

This is also why land for peace is a perpetual failure. Once land is gone, it is gone; peace is fleeting at best. A nation for the Palestinian people must never include land that is Israel. And that includes the so-called “West Bank,” which is, and always has been Jewish land - Judea and Samaria - Judea, as in Jewish, and should never belong to anyone else. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Islamic Jihad, and myriad terrorist organizations won’t even acknowledge Israel as a nation or recognize its basic right to exist as a people, as a sovereign nation. They certainly wouldn’t dare to praise Israel for being the most democratic nation in the Middle East affording equal rights to its citizenry - Jewish, Christian, Druze, Muslim, Israeli, and Arab. They serve in the military, the Knesset (parliament), work as judges, doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, businessmen, and teachers. All these terrorist organizations want is the death and destruction of the Jewish people and its Biblical, eternal, indigenous, native land of Israel. That is never a viable solution.

The UN voted overwhelmingly, on September 12, to reward terrorism and terrorists with a nation called Palestine, as 142 nations voted in favor, 10 voted against, and 12 abstained. The 10 nations opposing the measure included the United States, Israel, Hungary, Argentina, Paraguay, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga. These are the brightest nations in an increasingly dim UN who know terrorism and terrorists should never be rewarded with a nation, or anything else. (https://www.newsweek.com/un-general-assembly-israel-palestine-two-state-solution-2129372) 

Israel and the Jewish People, a scant 0.2 percent of the global population - not two percent, two-tenths of one percent, are fighting for mere survival on a daily basis. From the executions, expulsions, pogroms, and Holocaust prior to the present-day re-founding of Israel in 1948, to the five-pronged invasion upon the announcement of independence, to the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the intifadas, the War with Iran, and the myriad continuous invasions and terrorist attacks on an almost daily basis, as well as the calumny of disinformation, misinformation, and outright lies perpetuated by Israel’s enemies, the UN, and the global press, Israel is in a constant state of defense and survival mode. While they are made to be a constant victim, they are not behaving like a victim - laying on the floor crying, whimpering in the corner. 

No, instead, Israel and the Jewish People are doing what is right and necessary to not just survive, but prosper and thrive. Public opinion be damned. Israel and the Jewish people must stand strong, be bold, be proud - speak out against antisemitism wherever it may be - on campus, in the cities, in the media, and in the body politic. Dara Horn (no relation) wrote an excellent book - People Love Dead Jews, a title that speaks volumes. That there is sympathy, for, and a desire to read about dead Jews in history, and not the living. It is the living Jewish People who are the future of a strong, vibrant nation, growing stronger in their faith, their patriotism, and their continuing contribution to all avenues of society - medicine, law, education, science, literature, and service to community. The Jewish People and Israel - hardly monolithic - survived the pogroms, the Holocaust, October 7, 2023, and will continue to do so in spite of the terrorists, the antisemitic press and academia, and the antisemitic UN and its tentacled agencies, such as UNRA, UNESCO, WHO, and ICC. 

Am Israel Chai. עם ישראל חי.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He and his wife last visited Israel in 2019 and they look forward to a return trip.

SGA Votes in Ignorance Against Israel

SGA Votes in Ignorance Against Israel
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
September 22, 2025

The University of Maryland’s Student Government Association ignorantly voted overwhelmingly urging the University to “acknowledge Israel’s military offensive in Gaza as a genocide and call for a ceasefire.” (Diamondback, 9/18/25) The vote by the feckless SGA cast 25 ballots supporting the resolution, one abstention, and one vote opposed, by an obviously knowledgeable member of that student body.

The SGA resolution came on the heels of a United Nations report urging Israel and all countries to end the genocide. No mention of which other countries encompassed “all countries,” while, as is typical of the UN, singling out Israel. The SGA followed in the uneducated, inept footsteps of a virulently antisemitic UN, clearly without doing its own due diligence. Since 2015 the UN voted to sanction Israel 140 times, while sanctioning the rest of the world a combined 68 times - this includes only six times against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. (https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-condemned-israel-more-than-all-other-countries-combined-in-2022-monitor/)

This is the same UN that voted overwhelmingly, on September 12, to reward terrorism and terrorists with a nation called Palestine, as 142 nations voted in favor, 10 voted against, and 12 abstained. The 10 nations opposing the measure included the United States, Israel, Hungary, and Argentina. (https://www.newsweek.com/un-general-assembly-israel-palestine-two-state-solution-2129372)  A nation for the Palestinian people must never include land that is Israel, the Biblical, indigenous, eternal, native land of the Jewish people. The Jewish people did not colonize the land, as it has been theirs for more than 3,500 years. Israel is a sovereign nation affording equal rights to its citizenry - Jewish, Christian, Druze, Muslim, Israeli, and Arab. They serve in the military, the Knesset (parliament), work as judges, doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, businessmen, and teachers. 

The land called the “West Bank,” is, and always has been Jewish land - Judea and Samaria - Judea, as in Jewish, and should never belong to anyone else. Gaza, (Israel) which had been inhabited by Jewish people, withdrew not just the living, but the dead - reintering their deceased out of Gaza in order to allow Palestinian people that land in 2005. Since then, having elected the terrorist group Hamas as its leadership, no other election has been held, Hamas destroyed the infrastructure left in place by the Jews before vacating Gaza, and in its place Hamas built hundreds of miles of terror tunnels. Gaza has beachfront land that could have been built as the Riviera of the Middle East. But instead, terrorism, murder, and destruction became the order of the day.

Consider this ceasefire the UN demands. What the UN refuses to acknowledge, and by association, the SGA, is that a ceasefire existed on October 6, 2023, until Hamas shattered it by slaughtering more than 1,200 innocent Israeli children, women, and men, many attending a music festival, others preparing to observe Simchat Torah. (Simchat Torah celebrates the completion of the reading of the Torah - scripture, and the beginning of the reading from Genesis all over again.) Hamas produced video footage of their heinous crimes against humanity - including raping girls and women, murdering pregnant women, murdering children, and the kidnapping of more than 250 other innocents. Of those 250 hostages, 48 are still in captivity, with 20 believed to be alive.

Since October 7, 2023 - almost two years after the Hamas invasion of Israel, in unprecedented actions, Israel warned civilians in Gaza, via various forms of media, to flee for their safety as the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) sought to eliminate Hamas and other terrorists. Additionally, it is Hamas killing its own people - preventing them from seeking safe havens because of the optics to make Israel look guilty in the eyes of the anti-Israel press, the UN, and other detractors. It is Hamas starving its own people - again with video proof - by hijacking thousands of tons of food and medical supplies sent into Gaza provided by Israel. Hamas then extorts its own people in an effort to fund their continued terrorist war against Israel. While Israel gives Gazan civilians warnings before strikes against Hamas, it is Hamas hiding in hospitals, elementary schools, even mosques - desecrating their own houses of worship.

The resolution voted upon by the University of Maryland’s Student Government Association, is at best shortsighted, at worst, dangerous and ignorant. In the United States of America, the greatest country on earth, we the people are entitled to our own opinions, but not our own facts. Both the UN and the SGA must travel outside of their echo chambers for facts, reality, and truth.

Sanford D. Horn, Maryland, Class of 1988 - History/Government and Politics, is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. During his time at Maryland, he served on several SGA committees (among other activities).

Absence of Religion Opened Door to Chaos

Absence of Religion Opened Door to Chaos
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
September 21, 2025

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the advent of the Jewish New Year ushering in the year 5786, I wax a bit more introspectively, perhaps more so as the political assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is still raw. He sought order amidst the chaos.

That order, for Charlie, came through the church. I find that same order in the synagogue, or shul. One of the myriad things, in addition to our abiding faith in G-d, Charlie and I had in common is our observance of the Jewish Sabbath - Shabbat. I heard Charlie often say he observed the Jewish Sabbath - from Friday night sundown, through Saturday night sundown. He reveled in the opportunity to step back from the rigors of the work week - those same six days the L-rd labored before, as it says in scripture, “He ceased from work and rested.” If that’s good enough for G-d, it most certainly is good enough for the rest of us.

Charlie said Shabbat gave him the all important family time - with his wife Erika and their two children he lacked the other six days of the week. He said they turned off their phones - they had no connection with the outside world, and the outside world had no connection with them.

Religion offers order amidst chaos. Many people have declared the structure of a church or shul service grants them peace - the ritual. I know walking into any shul, whether in Indianapolis where we live, or Baltimore, Mexico City, or Jerusalem at what point the service is. This is due to the ritual. Whether a prayer is being chanted or recited, I know where to turn in the siddur - prayer book. It’s familiar; comforting, and shuts out the outside world providing order amidst the chaos.

When religion found itself exiled from daily life, it opened the door to chaos, and the devil, and far too frequently that chaos, that devil, found acceptance in people’s lives. More than a century ago conservatives ceded the education of our children to the left, which preached, among other things, unimportance of the family. The federal government took that one step further when it replaced the father in the home with a welfare check - infinitely less order and much more chaos. Fatherless boys turned to gangs for a father figure, and more often than not, it ended with a prison record or a coffin. Single parent families lead to more children dropping out of school, higher crime rates, greater use of illicit drugs, higher teen pregnancy, and sadly, more slaughter of children in the womb - abortion. I witnessed this up close and in person having taught middle and high school in inner city public and charter schools. Perhaps were prayer returned to school along with dress codes or uniforms order could begin to be restored.

This is the point of no return - when people lose their humanity, when life ceases to have value, which is what has given rise to the point at which our society stands now - solving disagreements and arguments with political assassinations. A grim figure shows a growing acceptance, almost exclusively from the left, that assassination is an acceptable form of behavior as a solution to a problem. Particularly among the 18-35 generation. Increased polarization separating left from right is not just on a sharp rise, it seems to be coming more from one side than another. Almost exclusively from the left, and even a couple on the right, live in echo chambers where they only hear that which they agree with, and to hear anything to the contrary causes them discomfort and triggers them to behave irrationally. There is no law protecting people from hearing things with which they do not agree or that discomforts them.

Just recently on the floor of the House of Representatives when a call for a moment of prayer in memory of the just fallen Charlie Kirk, a number of Democrats loudly objected, and then continued to interrupt the attempts to memorialize Kirk in prayer. Why? Because they disagreed with him? The man stood for free speech, and sadly, died because of free speech. This is what is masquerading as free speech from the left? Democrats and leftists employed cancel culture throughout the Biden administration to silence and demonize the right or scare the right into submission. Fortunately that did not work.

A leftist assassinated Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare in New York City on December 4, 2024 to the glee of those on the left. SO much so, they are celebrating the assassin. An extremist antisemite assassinated Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim - two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC on May 21, 2025. Deranged trans leftists are responsible for shootings at two religious schools - three students and three adults murdered at Covenant School in the Nashville suburb of Green Hills on March 27, 2023, and just last month two students lost their lives at the Annunciation Catholic School in the Minneapolis suburb of Windom on August 27. And of course, two attempts on the life of President Trump during the 2024 campaign, which also have been celebrated by many on the left.

When George Floyd died in Minneapolis the left razed the city. No order whatsoever. Pure chaos. During the so-called summer of love in Seattle, no order, just chaos as people were killed in the streets. This came from the left. As did the virulent campus antisemitism, which plunged college and university campuses into academic darkness, unrest, and centers of abject fear for Jewish students. Again pure chaos. Absolutely no order. So much so, a number of university presidents found themselves on the unemployment line. Upon the assassination of Charlie Kirk no violent outbreaks or rioting, no looting and robbing of stores and businesses, no arsons occurred. Instead, outbreaks of prayer vigils, candlelight vigils, memorials with flowers and Bible verses could be found nationwide.

But if our so-called leaders continue to set such poor examples, in the halls of Congress, the halls of school houses where teachers often dress like streetwalkers and bums with voluminous piercings and tattoos, chaos will continue to reign while order won’t even be visible in the rear view mirror. One network noted, the Sunday following the assassination of Charlie Kirk saw a noticeable increase in church service attendance. I made the same observation the day before, in shul, on Shabbat.

If there is any hope for order it must start with leadership in all walks of life. Set an example. Turn off those phones for a 24 hour period. Dedicate oneself to the study of scripture, the Torah, even if for just an hour or two. Over the next three weeks Jewish people the world over will be immersed in prayer, reflection, introspection, seeking forgiveness from not only G-d, but from each other (that’s not so easy), and seeking inscription in the Book of Life for the next year. Throughout Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), and Simchat Torah (celebration of the completion of the cycle of reading the Torah and the beginning of the cycle yet again), there will be intense spirituality and ritual, returning us to order.

Let’s fill the pews and seats of the churches and shuls for meaningful religious experiences, reinvigorate family and family values, restore American values and patriotism as we approach America’s 250th birthday, return to what our founding documents stand for, including our freedoms of speech and religion. Freedom OF religion, not FROM religion. Bring G-d back to daily life and chaos will surrender to order. To those who will observe, Shana Tova Umetuka (a good and sweet year.)

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Conservative Influencer Charlie Kirk Assassinated

Conservative Influencer Charlie Kirk Assassinated
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
September 10, 2025

Charlie Kirk, the enormously popular conservative commentator, influencer, and co-founder of Turning Point USA died at the hands of an assassin’s bullet while responding to a question about transgender school shooters during an event at Utah Valley University. The lone fatal bullet hit Kirk, just 31, in the carotid artery on the left side of his neck, shortly after noon MDT. Witnesses reported blood gushing out of Kirk’s neck. Confirmation of Kirk’s death came from President Donald Trump at 4:40 PM EDT. Kirk died at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah.

“The Great, and even Legendary Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” posted Trump on his Truth Social network. Trump also called for flags to be lowered to half-staff through Sunday, September 14. 

Ironically, a self-taught college dropout himself, Kirk entered the belly of the beast visiting campus after campus from coast to coast to challenge the students living in their echo chambers. His purpose on campus had been not to lecture, but to debate any and all comers. In the interest of calling for an open exchange of ideas Kirk would typically open his events with, “if you disagree with me, move to the front of the line.” It did not appear that any topic was off limits, but favorites of his audiences usually included, abortion, American values, Judeo-Christian values, faith, capitalism, democracy, socialism, and communism. Having seen several of these Kirk-student exchanges on YouTube, Kirk masterfully gave students more than enough rope from which to hang themselves, and typically by their own words, leaving them twisting into the ground.

Charles James Kirk, born in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, IL co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at just 18 years of age. Kirk’s co-founder of the non-profit was businessman William “Bill” Montgomery (1940-2020). Strongly advocating for conservative issues and politics, Turning Point USA proudly boasts of more than 3,500 chapters on high school and college campuses, totaling more than 250,000 members, and the Utah Valley University event appeared on the schedule as part of the American Comeback Tour. Utah Valley University is located in Orem about 40 miles south of the state capital of Salt Lake City. It is the largest university in Utah, with more than 40,000 students. More than 2,000 people attended the Kirk event of September 10. The large numbers of people attending Kirk’s events on campuses required most of them to be held in outdoor venues, such as the quad near the food court at Utah Valley.

“When people stop talking, that’s when violence happens,” Kirk often said.

This is not the first volley in the politically violent war on conservatives by the rabid, extreme left. This is yet another phase in the culture war, vying for the hearts, minds, and soul of America. A supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (DS-VT) shot four men, including then House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) at a baseball practice on June 14, 2017 in Alexandria, VA. Another far leftist assassinated Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare in New York City on December 4, 2024. An extremist antisemite assassinated Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim - two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC on May 21, 2025. Deranged trans leftists are responsible for shootings at two religious schools - three students and three adults murdered at Covenant School in the Nashville suburb of Green Hills on March 27, 2023, and just last month two students lost their lives at the Annunciation Catholic School in the Minneapolis suburb of Windom on August 27. And of course, two attempts on the life of President Trump during the 2024 campaign.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared his thoughts on the assassination of Kirk on X: “Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom. A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization. I spoke to him only two weeks ago and invited him to Israel. Sadly that visit will not take place. We lost an incredible human being. His boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.”

Kirk’s popularity and strong following helped him change an election. Kirk understood young people, and Trump garnered a greater percentage of their votes in 2024 versus 2020. In the under age 30 constituency Trump won 41 percent of the male vote in 2020, improving to 56 percent in 2024. With women, Trump earned 33 percent of their vote in 2020, rising to 40 percent in 2024. Trump largely credited Kirk for those electoral successes. (Source: Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement - CIRCLE)

In his personal life, Kirk enjoyed success and many blessings, having married his wife Erika in 2021. The couple welcomed their daughter in 2022 and their son in 2024. They must now soldier on without a husband and a father, but with the support of a movement he created.

That movement must not only carry on in Kirk’s stead, it must continue to grow and thrive to preserve Kirk’s memory and that he did not perish in vain. Kirk’s supporters, those thousands and thousands on the myriad campuses across the nation must ensure his legacy by speaking up, speaking out, speaking louder - now more than ever to let his assassin know they will not be intimidated or silenced. Instead, like waking a sleeping lion from a long slumber, the roar must be heard from coast to coast. That conservative, American, Judeo-Christian values will win the day, month, year, and millennium.

“Honor the Sabbaths and turn your phones off one day a week,” Kirk also said.

Charlie Kirk, a champion of free speech, traversing college campuses the nation over, gave an open forum for all who wanted to "ask me anything," and to "prove me wrong," as the signage said at his events. He strove to conduct open debate with anyone who disagreed with him, taking on all challengers. Charlie Kirk lived for free speech, and now he has died because of free speech. His name will undoubtedly be invoked, and Charlie Kirk will be martyred through the 2026 midterms. Yes, this is a political assassination. Charlie Kirk's death, his murder, is a hate crime, a political assassination. Charlie Kirk was murdered - assassinated because of his love of country, his love of his children, and his love of Christ.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

9/11 at 24 - Was Lincoln Right?

9/11 at 24 - Was Lincoln Right? 
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
September 5, 2025

On January 27, 1838, at a mere 28 years of age, Abraham Lincoln gave what would prove to be a seminal address at the Young Men’s Lyceum in Springfield, IL. In these most precarious times in which we the people live in these United States, Lincoln’s words, perhaps prophetically, should be heeded.

Lincoln begins with a now common comparison between the current generation and the prior, articulating similar concerns as are expressed in the 20th and 21st centuries - the prior more patriotic, better prepared for the future, etc. And with that keen observation, Lincoln warns that the future of the United States is in the hands of the up and coming generations, and they must work hard to preserve it within the Constitutional realm or it shall be laid waste by our own hands.

“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide,” said Lincoln.

There exists within these United States a growing animus toward our own nation mostly from within our borders rather than outside those borders. The extreme, radical anti-American, anticapitalist, antidemocracy, antisemtic forces that have dominated academia for more than a century is as good a place to start as any. College campuses are destructive breeding grounds for the aforementioned “antis.” 

Now more than ever before Jewish students on myriad campuses not only feel unsafe, but are unsafe - from Columbia University to Cal-Berkeley and points in between. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 were as much an antsemitic assault on America, as it was anti-American, anticapitalist, and antidemocracy. The Islamic extremist terrorists struck at centers of large Jewish populations - New York City and Washington, DC, also the seat of finance in New York City, and the seat of the federal government in Washington.

The destruction from within about which Lincoln warns/prophisizes is a genuine concern thanks to some of the most dangerous people in America. Bill Gates, who supports mandated vaccinations regardless of age and health conditions, is a huge proponent of population reduction - both in the United States and globally, and thus is one of the most dangerous Americans. 

Another homegrown virulently dangerous American is Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood. According to their annual report, with the most current data available, during the period October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023, Planned Parenthood committed 402,230 murders of children in the womb via abortion. Consider that 620,000 people lost their lives during the War Between the States that spanned four and a half years versus the abhorrent Planned Prenthood figure for a single year. It is both daunting and telling. Even after the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, the next full year of abortion statistics is beyond disturbing.

US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is among the most dangerous people in America. This homegrown peddler of anti-American, antisemitic hate filled bilge reaches international audiences with a large following. Never missing an opportunity to condemn both the United States and Israel, Tlaib consistently reminds those willing to listen to her, that “her people” are not only here to stay, but alter the course of American history. Kind of reminds one of the evil words spoken by Barack Hussein Obama on October 30, 2008 in Columbia, MO. “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” Perhaps still the most popular Democrat in America, Obama is certainly a dangerous American.

Chicago-born US Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) had the audacity to say “I’m a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American,” while attending the second annual Panamerican Congress in Mexico City, during the first week of August. If these are the public pronouncements of an elected official, Ramirez is certainly one of the most dangerous people in America. She should be censured and expelled from Congress. Here’s another couple of scary thoughts - Ramirez not only serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security, but she admitted her husband Boris is in the United States illegally - the lone member of Congress to hold such a dubious distinction. 

The dramatic weakness and failure of the immigration system in the United States is responsible for millions of anti-Americans to enter this country either legally or illegally, thanks to poor or no vetting, to then peddle their anti-American, America Last tropes; some now occupy elected positions in the body politic. Somali-born, now US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) condemns the US and Israel as often as humanly possible. She typically calls the United States the worst country in the world. She came from Somalia! If she feels this way, she can pack her rather expensive bags, and the $6-30 million she claims to have amassed during her short time in Congress and return to Somalia with our Blessings. In fact, if Omar loathes America that much, just leave - take nothing earned in America with you.

Hungarian-born George Soros and his American-born son Alexander are purveyors of the father’s Open Society - no borders, one world order, one global currency, and virulently anti-American. Soros for years contributed millions of dollars to sanctuary city mayoral candidates, sanctuary state gubernatorial candidates, anti-law and order district attorney candidates, all for the purpose of weakening America from within. 

To see Soros’s successes all one need do is look at the high crime rates of virtually every large American city and the mayoral and DA candidates he supported that won. Witness the number of illegal aliens who have committed heinous crimes leaving dead young Americans scattered across the fruited plain. Soros, in one way or another, is responsible for dangerous Americans such as Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) - both of whom have designs on the White House in 2028. Add to the mix Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D-CA) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D-IL). Johnson is single-handedly producing more Black Republican Congressional candidates than the GOP could muster on its own. None of these elected officials are representing their constituents, but instead the illegal aliens they are protecting in their sanctuary jurisdictions.

Another import, and Democrat candidate for mayor of New York City is Uganda native Zohran Mamdani, one of the most dangerous people in America. This virulent antisemite, Islamo-Marxist, anti-American is gaining in popularity in the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel said “we have to destroy the idea of America.” Is this the person who should be charged with leading the biggest city in the United States? Is this the person, a Communist, who should lead the city that is the seat of America’s financial life? Mamdani has said repeatedly, and endorses the mantra “globalize the intifada,” and vowed he would never set foot in Israel. Is this the person who should be at the helm of one of America’s most diverse populations? Mamdani’s smarmy grin has the look of satan about him.

Dishonorbale mentions go to US Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). They are lightning rods with large  followings, continuing to pull the Democrat Party farther and farther to the left, while the party seems to follow willingly. They are dishonorable mentions as they are vapid traffickers of lies, manipulations, and disinformation who can be detected from a mile away.

On Thursday, September 11, for the 24th consecutive year, the names of the 2,977 innocent souls, murdered by 19 Islamic extremist terrorists who skyjacked four American airplanes with the express purpose of inflicting as much damage as possible against people, property, and the body politic, will be read.

For the 24th year we will, and we must, pay homage and respect to the fallen who were murdered by Islamic extremist terrorists on that clear, crisp, 64 degree Tuesday morning when the screaming airplanes permeated the sunshine, penetrated their steel and glass targets, plunging this nation and the world into darkness and chaos. (And perhaps the last time Deomcrats and Republicans stood together for any reason.)

But are we too far removed from that calamitous and fateful day? Or will the prophetic words of Mr. Lincoln jar the sensibilities of the American people reminding them the importance of closed borders, strong defense, deportation of illegal aliens, no sanctuary cities/states, safe streets, and the right of every parent to decide at what school their children should be educated.

A brief timeline of the harrowing and disturbing events of September 11, 2001:

        Between 7:59 AM and 8:42 AM four flights depart Boston’s Logan, Washington’s Dulles, and Newark airports, headed for Los Angeles except the Newark flight, headed to San Francisco.

        8:46 AM: American Airlines flight #11 is flown into #1 World Trade Center - the North Tower - by five Muslim extremist hijackers murdering the 11 crew, 76 passengers and hundreds inside the tower instantly. 

        9:03 AM: United Airlines flight #175 is flown into #2 World Trade Center - the South Tower - by five Muslim extremist hijackers murdering the nine crew, 51 passengers, and hundreds inside the tower instantly. 

        9:05 AM: President George W. Bush is alerted to what is now believed to be terrorist attacks. “Terrorism against our nation will not stand,” said Bush.

        9:37 AM: American Airlines flight #77 is flown into the Pentagon in Arlington, VA by five Muslim extremist hijackers murdering the six crew, 53 passengers, as well as 125 military and civilian personnel on the ground.

        9:59 AM: The South Tower collapses in 10 seconds after burning for 56 minutes. More than 800 civilians and first responders are murdered. 

        10:03 AM: United Airlines flight #93 crashes into a field in Shanksville, PA when passengers and crew storm the cockpit. There are no survivors of the seven crew and 33 passengers due to the murderous plot by the four Muslim extremist hijackers. Flight #93 was 20 minutes from Washington, DC where the White House or the Capitol Building were the presumed targets. 

        10:15 AM: The damaged section of the Pentagon E-Ring collapses.

        10:28 AM: The North Tower collapses after burning for 102 minutes. More than 1,600 civilians  and first responders are murdered. 

        8:30 PM: President George W. Bush addresses the nation.

This must never be forgotten. To forget is to become complacent. This nation has traversed down a path of complaceny that has invited enemies from abroad, supported by the homegrown who have turned toward Marxism, Islamofascism, antisemitism, and anti-Americanism - the bellwethers of our destruction. They must all be curbed and eradicated from within as we restore and strengthen the greatness that once was, and will be again, the United States of America.

May the memories of the 2,977 murdered on September 11, 2001, and those who succumbed to related illnesses thereafter, always be for a blessing.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He grew up in northern New Jersey in the shadow of the Twin Towers. On September 11, 2001, he was writing for a newspaper in northern Virginia, 10 minutes from the Pentagon. His annual 9/11 column is dedicated to the memory of the 2,977 murdered that day and the hundreds who have died since due to its unhealthy aftermath.

Democrat's Hypocrisy Unmasked

Democrat’s Hypocrisy Unmasked
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
July 10, 2025

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Democrats couldn’t mask up fast enough - slapping masks on anyone and everyone - including infants, including while driving in cars alone. They would have strapped a mask on Lady Liberty if they could have made one big enough.

Now, midway through 2025, the sight of people in masks sends Democrats into apoplectic fits and rages. To be fair, the Democrats only lose their minds when seeing ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers donning masks - and doing so for their own protection and self preservation. Apparently, to the Democrats, not all people are or should be treated equally.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), in a display of pure grandstanding and ignorance, demanded ICE agents be unmasked. ICE agents wear masks for their own protection while conducting immigration raids in an effort to root out criminal illegal aliens. Jeffries calls for the unmasking of ICE agents in the interest of transparency and vows to “unmask every single ICE agent,” knowing full well this will endanger these government officials. “This is America, not the Soviet Union,” Jeffries bloviated.

Yet Jeffries and myriad Democrats calling for the unmasking of ICE agents, are not demanding the same of the criminal illegal aliens wearing masks to hide their identity from ICE agents. Jeffries, fellow New York Democrat Dan Goldman, and their anti-law and order Democrat colleagues are not demanding protesters, rioters, and looters take to the streets unmasked. Nor are they calling for the unmasking of anti-American, antisemitic, and anti-Capitalist protesters on hundreds of college and university campuses.

Like the mayors of numerous sanctuary cities, House and Senate Democrats are defending and protecting the masking of criminals, protesters, and troublemakers while those very miscreants are doxxing ICE agents, putting their personal information - photos and addresses - online or on posters tacked to telephone poles in various neighborhoods. This puts ICE agents in danger of being outed and known to drug cartels, gangs and groups like MS-13, tren de aragua, and Sinaloa. These animals play for keeps and the grandstanding of partisans like Jeffries and Goldman in their zeal to score political points, are putting the lives of these ICE agents, and, quite frankly, their families, in jeopardy.

Mayors such as Michelle Wu of Boston, Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mike Johnston of Denver, Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ, Sheng Thao of Oakland, and Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC who run sanctuary cities, have said they would protect and defend the illegal aliens in their cities, using taxpayer dollars to fund such protections.

Governors such as Katie Hobbs of Arizona, Gavin Newsom of California, Jared Polis of Colorado, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, and Kathy Hochul of New York also announced their intentions to protect and defend the illegal aliens in their states, and would likewise commit taxpayer dollars to fund the illegals.

Additionally, these aforementioned mayors and governors, along with others in more blue cities and states, announced in no uncertain terms that they and their police forces will not cooperate with ICE. So, in addition to wanting to out, and put at risk ICE agents by unmasking them, these so-called leaders of American cities and states are harboring, defending, and protecting illegals, they are hypocritically not calling for the thugs, protesters, rioters, and looters to commit their crimes sans masks. These masked marauders, just this week alone, have rioted in San Francisco and Camarillo, CA endangering the safety and lives of ICE agents.

One of the biggest hypocrites is US Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who, filmed through Covid and beyond wearing a mask, said ICE agents would “have more credibility” without masks. His was one of the loudest voices demanding mask mandates - including for infants and toddlers, which had been medically proven to be unnecessary. It is even more hypocritical for Swalwell to dare opine on anyone’s credibility. Remember, this is the Congressman who had an illicit relationship with a suspected Chinese spy - Christine Fang, a.k.a. Fang Fang.

Taking this demasking of ICE agents to a deeper level of stupidity is one of Swalwell’s colleagues, US Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA). The fifth term backbencher announced this week that “I’m gonna introduce legislation that essentially says no more masked federal agents in our community.” This is not just stupid, and a waste of time for Congress, it has two chances of passing - slim and none.

What is genuinely disconcerting is that there is actual support for this myopic notion that continues embracing the open borders policies of both the Obama and Biden administrations. These are the America Last folks who, quite frankly, should be charged with treason, and at the very least be removed from office. This is the crowd calling ICE agents Nazis and gestapo, much to the vexation and mortification of Holocaust survivors who know what real Nazis and gestapo were.

This potential legislation is not just foolish and putting ICE agents in harm’s way, it demonstrates those who support it simply hate their country. Putting illegal aliens who are, themselves masked, and committing crimes, above and ahead of American citizens - the hardworking ICE agents, is inappropriate prioritization. These anti-American elected officials must be challenged by strong, pro-American candidates in the 2026 midterms. The men and women of ICE have difficult enough jobs to do in the first place, they certainly don’t need members of their own government throwing roadblocks in their way. Members like those, as well as the mayors and governors siding against their own constituents have no business holding elected office in the United States of America.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Trump's Actions Necessary, not Unconstitutional

Trump’s Actions Necessary, not Unconstitutional
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
June 22, 2025

In basketball parlance, President Donald Trump offered Israel an “assist,” over the weekend, in helping to avoid a greater conflagration versus the Islamic Republic of Iran, or spreading beyond the Middle East. The assist appears to be successful in that Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites have been, according to Trump, “completely and totally obliterated,” and the operation a “spectacular military success,” he said.

In retaining the element of surprise, the precision targeted strikes by the United States on Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz - all just northwest of central Iran, met with no resistance. These are key sites where Iran had been in the advanced stages of uranium enrichment and had the ballistic missiles with which to strike. Even the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) reported Iran’s “engaging in clandestine nuclear activity.” 

“Iran must not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump has repeated for more than 20 years. “Now is the time for peace,” he said following the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, which included the participation of 125 US aircraft in what should be a one and done. These American fighter pilots are to be applauded the world over. On this night, Israel and the United States together saved humanity, and that is not hyperbole. Anyone not seeing the importance and urgency in the actions of Israel and the United States over the last two weeks has absolutely no moral compass. 

However, the issue here is the constitutionality of Operation Midnight Hammer. Article II, Section 2 of the US Constitution says that “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States….” Due to the foresight of the Founding Fathers, who installed a series of checks and balances amongst the three branches of the federal government, Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 grants to Congress the power “To declare War.…” 

Just to complicate matters, on November 7, 1973, overriding the veto of President Richard M. Nixon, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution, a.k.a. The War Powers Act. The purpose of the WPR is to limit the authority of the president to send US military overseas or into foreign wars without Congressional approval. The War Powers Resolution is actually not Constitutional - the Legislative Branch is curtailing the Executive Branch from exercising its Constitutional duties as Commander in Chief. There is but one Commander in Chief, not 435, and as such, that individual has the responsibility to make decisions about troop movements, et al, at a moment’s notice. He doesn’t have time to consult with 435 people who may or may not even have the appropriate clearance. And let’s not forget the possibility of a House member opposing the Commander in Chief’s decisions and leaks them to the media in an effort to thwart such plans, which could be considered treason.

The quagmire in Vietnam, still having just under two more years of active combat, was not a declared war. Of course tell that to the more than 58,220 Americans who lost their lives fighting in that non-war. During the Korean Conflict, also an undeclared war, 36,574 Americans lost their lives. The fact of the matter is, that the United States has not declared war since June 4, 1942 when it did so against Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania, who sided with the Axis Powers during World War II.

Every president since 1942, beginning with Harry Truman, when he sent the first “advisors” to Vietnam in 1950, has made unilateral decisions to send troops into harm’s way. Every president from Dwight D. Eisenhower through Gerald Ford continued digging the United States deeper and deeper in Vietnam, where if not for the French and NATO, the US might not have ever set foot.

President Jimmy Carter had the dubious distinction of overseeing the arming and training of Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan fighting against the Soviet Union. This led to the rise of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, who would ultimately be the villains in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Islamonaziterrorists brought down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, crashed a plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, VA, and crashed another plane into a field in Shanksville, PA. Were it not for the brave passengers on that flight, that charged the cockpit, that plane had a target of hitting either the White House or the Capitol building. All told, on that horrific day 2,977 innocent men, women, and children lost their lives on American soil, the gravest assault on American territory since the December 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Under President Ronald Reagan the invasion of Grenada in 1983 was justified for protecting American citizens overseas. President George Herbert Walker Bush’s reasoning for the 1989 Panama invasion concerned drug trafficking. During President Bill Clinton’s terms he cited international obligations to justify sending American troops to Bosnia and Somalia.

President George W. Bush received special dispensation regarding the sending of troops overseas because of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The nation came together, as did the Congress, which worked in a bipartisan manner to give Bush a wide berth with Operation Enduring Freedom. Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) giving Bush that latitude. Perhaps too wide, as American involvement in Afghanistan ran from 2001-21 when Joe Biden bungled the evacuation of Americans from that country that saw 13 American servicemen murdered on his watch.

Airstrikes on Libya in 2011 under Barack Obama were necessary to protect civilians - Libyan civilians. During Trump’s first term, heavy counterterrorism operations against ISIS, al-Qaeda, in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan took place, again largely under the auspices of AUMF. While Biden occupied the White House, and also mostly under AUMF, military operations occurred in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.

Hardly any effort has been made to reel in the presidents via the War Powers Resolution. Now, with the US assisting Israel in their efforts to rid Iran of any possibility of achieving nuclear weaponry, all of the sudden Trump violated the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. Why? Because it’s Trump and because it’s Israel.

Trump has not violated the Constitution as he is working to protect Americans at home and abroad - there’s no telling how many sleeper cells are in the United States thanks to the open borders policy under Biden. And there are tens of thousands of American nationals in the Middle East at any given time - both military and civilians. Trump has not called for regime change in Iran (although they sure could use it - its own citizens seem to want that). Iran is responsible for the deaths of well over 1,000 Americans in recent years - that gives Trump cause to be vigilant and cautious against Iran. 

Most importantly, Trump has not declared war against Iran - not that he could, legally. Iran has made war against the United States, certainly since the 1979 Iranian Revolution that witnessed the capture of 66 Americans on November 4, 1979, 52 of whom remained hostages in Iran for 444 days, released, not uncoincidentally, on January 20, 1981 - the very day President Reagan took the oath of office.

Opposition coming from the right like Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon who don’t seem to comprehend America First does not mean America Only. Trump’s decision to assist Israel, from the air, not with boots on the ground, is beneficial to Israel, the United States, and all civilized peoples.

“Today it’s Tel Aviv. Tomorrow it’s New York. Look, I understand ‘America First.’ I don’t understand ‘America Dead.’ That’s what these people want,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about Trump’s MAGA critics.

US Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who never met a decision he supports favoring Israel, simply said, “this isn’t Constitutional.” He’s wrong and he’s an antisemite.

In her traditional ignorance and grandstanding, US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said, “the President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers.” As a member of Congress she ought to know that under the parameters of the WPR, Trump is required to notify Congress within 48 hours of initial military action, and deployment can only be up to 90 days, sans a Congressional declaration of war. AOC, vapid, Marxist, antisemite that she is, would rather see Iran with nukes that could destroy Israel, than recognize that Trump, along with Netanyahu and their respective militaries and intelligence have saved the world.

“They were notified after the planes were safely out. But we complied with the notification requirements of the War Powers Act,” said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

US Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) naively said “the Israeli Foreign Minister admitted yesterday that Israeli bombing had set the Iranian nuclear program back ‘at least two or three years.’ So what made Trump recklessly decide to rush and bomb today? Horrible judgment.” What proof does Kaine have? Even if true, is it acceptable that Iran can continue their goals of building nuclear bombs? Does Kaine not understand what “death to America” and “death to Israel” actually mean? Very shortsighted.

No Senator, it is not acceptable if Iran has nuclear capabilities in two years, three years, or 200 years. President Trump took bold, decisive, measured actions. None of his predecessors had the intestinal fortitude to do so. How do we know Trump’s actions were measured? Because Trump posted on his Truth Social “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers.”

Operation Midnight Hammer seems to be a tremendous success. Success for the people of Israel, the people of the Middle East, the people of the United States, and the people of the civilized world - including the citizenry of Iran who hope and pray for their genuine freedom from the Tyrant of Tehran.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

US and Israel Make the World a Safer Place

US and Israel Make the World a Safer Place
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
Overnight June 21-22, 2025

In history making strikes, President Donald Trump announced at 10 PM EDT Saturday June 21 that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites have been “completely and totally obliterated.” With strikes Trump called a “spectacular military success,” this hopefully completes the necessary work begun by Israel.

Hopefully, because until the dust settles, it may not be known to what extent the level of success, and Israel is also preparing for Iranian retaliation. Now in its tenth day, what began with Operation Rising Lion, Israel took preemptive measures knowing how close Iran had become to completing its nuclear weapon capability, presumably, the hard part is over, as Iran is severely diminished via its air capabilities as well as its nuclear facilities.

The precision targeted strikes by the United States included Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz - all in central Iran. In hitting Isfahan and Natanz, US bombers successfully used 30 Tomahawk missiles. Fordow, considered the most difficult to access, roughly 300 feet underground and beneath a mountain. It is there where the United States launched six bunker buster bombs, carried on three B-2 stealth bombers - a mission practiced and prepared for, for a number of years. These operations do not happen overnight - they require an incredible amount of preparedness, precision, and even patience which when conducted in real time, and completed with the level of success achieved, make these pilots beyond the best of the best. They are to be applauded the world over. On this night, Israel and the United States together saved humanity, and that is not hyperbole.

Israel had no choice but to unleash the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) on June 12, against the number one state sponsor of terror, who for decades have called for “death to Israel, death to America,” referring to the United States as the Great Satan, and Israel as the Little Satan. Iran had been in the advanced stages of uranium enrichment and had the ballistic missiles with which to strike. Even the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) reported Iran’s “engaging in clandestine nuclear activity.” When someone tells you they want to kill you, take them at their word.

“Iran must not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump has repeated for more than 20 years. “Now is the time for peace,” he also said tonight.

Iranian leadership is not honorable; at best they are disingenuous. Its citizenry, for the most part, desperately wants to see regime change. Every day Iranians have been virtual prisoners in their own country since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. This revolution saw the capturing of 66 Americans on November 4, 1979, 52 of whom remained hostages in Iran for 444 days, released, not uncoincidentally, on January 20, 1981 - the very day President Ronald Reagan took the oath of office.

The Islamic Republic of Iran refused to sit at the negotiating table. And quite frankly, what is there to negotiate when Iran and its funded proxies - Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis only seek the death of the Israelis and the Jewish people, as well as the evisceration of Israel itself. 

Iran had 60 days to comply and reach the negotiating table, which when they refused, on day 61, Israel took decisive action. President Trump indicated he would decide within two weeks what actions, if any, the US would take. Two days later, those awesome decisions helped save the world. Both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deserve to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. Don’t anyone hold their breath, but they do deserve it. The world as a whole owes both leaders and both nations an enormous “thank you.” Even German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that Israel and the United States are doing the dirty work that so clearly needed doing. 

These are issues of moral clarity. Israel would not move against Iran if not absolutely necessary. Iran has made it vividly clear, in their death to America, death to Israel mantra, that acquiring nuclear capability is to use their nuclear capability against, first Israel, then the United States. Is Israel moving against Canada? Spain? Japan? Of course not because none of those nations are threatening Israel. As has oft-been said, should Israel lay down their weapons, there will be no Israel, but should Israel’s enemies lay down their weapons, there can, and will be peace.

Of course Iran is not expected to simply roll over and lay down. Israelis, at this very hour, now approaching 8 AM Jerusalem time, remain in or close to their bomb shelters, while schools and most businesses remain closed. Iran has taken a beating. They have been embarrassed and humiliated, and they will not take that lightly. Whether in the Middle East or via sleeper cells in the United States, all must remain vigilant and on high alert. Make no mistake, thanks to the open borders under the failed Biden administration, there’s no telling how many of the illegal aliens are part of organized cells seeking to commit acts of terrorism in the United States. On the other hand, it is rather telling that key supporters of Iran, the Chinese Communist Party, North Korea, and Russia, have been virtually silent.

President Trump sounded effusive when addressing the nation at 10 PM EDT, and quite frankly, humble. “I want to thank and congratulate Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. Thank Israel’s military for the wonderful job they have done…. Incredible effort by the US military - no military in the world could have done what we did tonight - not even close. I want to just thank everybody, in particular G-d. I want to just say we love you G-d, and we love our great military - protect them. G-d Bless the Middle East, G-d Bless Israel, and G-d Bless America,” said Trump. How often does the president, any president, or any world leader invoke the name of our L-rd, our G-d, the way President Trump did this evening. 

I think the two assassination attempts on Trump’s life last July during the presidential campaign changed Trump in a spiritual way. Make no mistake, he can still be boisterous, but there also seems to be a leveling off, putting him on a more even keel. He’s still tough, says what he means, and means what he says, and this situation with Israel and Iran certainly proves that.

Netanyahu offered his praise. “Congratulations President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with [the] awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history. History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime, the world’s most dangerous weapon. His leadership today… can help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace.”

In addition to the Iron Dome, the missile defense system that has so protected Israel, Rabbi Chaim Mentz of the Chabad of Bel Air, CA added, “Israel has that extra dome - the G-d Dome.”

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He and his wife last visited Israel in 2019.

...And Tiny Israel Shall Save the World

…And Tiny Israel Shall Save the World
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
Overnight June 12-13, 2025

It is approaching midnight (EDT) - soon to be Friday, June 13, nearly 7 AM in Jerusalem. Operation Rising Lion underway for several hours, has Israel preemptively striking the nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel’s strikes are designed to prevent a nuclear war, and not start a war.

Israel had no choice but to unleash the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) against the number one state sponsor of terror, who for decades have called for “death to Israel, death to America,” referring to the United States as the Great Satan, and Israel as the Little Satan. When someone tells you they want to kill you, take them at their word.

While Iran’s political leadership sits at the negotiating table, its scientists continue enriching uranium in the laboratories. It’s reminiscent of pre-World War II Germany, building and stockpiling military weaponry underground in remote places while allowing inspectors to visit Germany in a sleight of hand parlor game. Iranian leadership is not an honorable entity; they are terribly disingenuous. Its citizenry, for the most part, desperately wants to see regime change. Every day Iranians have been virtual prisoners in their own country since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. (This revolution saw the capturing of 66 Americans on November 4, 1979, 52 of whom remained hostages in Iran for 444 days, released on January 20, 1981 - the very day President Ronald Reagan took the oath of office.)

The Islamic Republic of Iran is no longer inching toward nuclear weaponry. In recent months and weeks it has made nuclear armament a potential reality by leaps and bounds, thus making Israel’s preemptive strikes necessary - necessary for the actual survival of the nation of Israel. But Iran is not just a threat to the Jewish people, Israel, or even the United States. It is not hyperbole to say Israel is fighting to save the world.

President Donald Trump dearly wanted negotiations to succeed, and still does, letting it be known he played no role in this preemptive strike by Israel, all the time knowing and understanding how vital this operation is. Trump reiterated the importance of Iran never achieving nuclear capability. And the longer Iran’s political leadership sits at a negotiating table, they maintain their jobs and power. But don’t count on continued negotiations - even as there are some scheduled in Oman this weekend.

Quite frankly leaders in the Middle East, in Europe, and the citizenry of Iran also appreciate what Israel must do. They won’t say so, at least not publicly, but behind closed doors, the Iranian citizenry, and even many other leaders are quietly thanking Israel. Iran has long been the bully, a menace, in the Middle East. The success of the Abraham Accords during the first Trump administration gives credence to thinking Israel’s neighbors, save for Qatar, actually appreciate the bold, necessary operations by Israel.

Israel made pinpointed, targeted strikes, and assassinations overnight. The targets included nuclear facilities, ballistic missile sites, and specific leaders in an attempt to end Iran’s quest to become a nuclear nation with the capability of following through on the decade’s long threats to eviscerate Israel, slaughter the Jewish people, and do similarly to the United States. Israel struck Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, with goals of doing likewise at the atomic energy research center in Bonad, the heavy water nuclear reactor in Arak, the nuclear fuel, research, and production center in Isfahan, the nuclear fuel unit in Ardakan, and the nuclear facility in Bushehr.

The pinpointed assassinations included three top level Iranian military figures and six nuclear scientists. The military leaders assassinated were Mohammad Hossein Bagheri - Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Gholam Ali Rashid - Armed Forces Deputy Commander, and Major General Hossein Salami Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Civilians did not suffer during this operation.

Israel’s actions became necessary because under both former presidents Barack Hussein Obama and Joseph R. Biden, Iran could flex its muscles, and did. The United States under both America Last presidents and their policies of appeasement,  slathered Iran with pallets of cash to the tune of billions of dollars. Billions of dollars used to fund the proxies of the Islamic Republic of Iran - Hezbollah to Israel’s north, the Houthis to the southeast, and Hamas to the south and west. Hezbollah and Hamas have it written in their charters the call to wipe Israel off the face of the globe, and slaughter the Jewish people. This is the same Hamas that, unprovoked, slaughtered more than 1,200 Israeli children, women, and men, and kidnapped hundreds more on October 7, 2023, violating the cease fire that existed on October 6. More than 50 hostages remain in captivity.

As of 8 AM, Jerusalem time, 100 drones had been launched by Iran, heading toward Israel. Israel naturally anticipated retaliatory actions and advised its citizenry to stay as close to the bomb shelters as possible. Schools are closed, businesses are closed, outdoor activities have been cancelled, yet Shabbat approaches. While Israel’s attacks on Iran were carried out with pinpointed precision and accuracy, Iran’s  retaliation will undoubtedly include civilians of all ages - just as their proxies carried out their heinous actions 20 months ago, and continue in the war lasting more than 600 days. As of 9:30 AM, Jerusalem time, Israel had already begun to intercept the Iranian drones, yet the nation remains in a state of emergency and on full alert. Israel enjoyed a very successful overnight and put Iran on its heels. By noon, Jerusalem time, Israel continues to successfully thwart Iran’s drones, none having struck any targets in Israel.

It matters not what international criticism befalls Israel, it is used to global condemnation for all the ills of the planet. There can be no compromise with nations wishing to erase you from the planet. How many tens and tens of thousands of missiles and rockets have to be fired into Israel before Israel is granted permission to retaliate? Is Israel not supposed to defend itself? Sadly, there are far too many people in far too many nations who would be satisfied if Israel did not defend itself and just disappeared. More and more of those people are making themselves known, especially in the United States with skyrocketing rates of antisemitism since October 7, 2023. Is Israel expected to wait until Iran is fully nuclear capable and an atomic bomb is headed toward Tel Aviv before it defends itself?

Eighty years ago the Holocaust of European Jewry, the slaughter of six million innocent children, women, and men officially came to an end. This only happened to be another chapter in the history of the Jewish people - a history including expulsions, inquisitions, pogroms, invasions, deadly attacks and bombings, when all the Jewish people want is to be left alone to live in peace amongst their neighbors, within a world that does not seek its eradication. Israel is no threat to a nuclear free Iran. The world is a safer, more peaceful place with a nuclear free Iran. Ever since the Holocaust the rallying cry has been “never again,” and especially since October 7, 2023. Israel will no longer roll over and be led like lambs to the slaughter. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said overnight, “we have risen like lions to defend ourselves.”

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

How Safe are Jews in America?

How Safe are Jews in America?

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

June 4, 2025

Sunday night June first ushered in the Festival of Shavuot (Means Weeks and Oath) for Jewish communities around the world. Yet hours before the celebration by the Jewish people commemorating receiving the Torah from G-d at Mount Sinai, terror struck the Jewish community of Boulder, Colorado, and in turn, terror in the hearts of all Jewish people in America.

It is painfully ironic that on the eve of celebrating the gift of the Torah (literally means instructions), in essence, the laws under which Jewish people have lived 3,337 years, laws of the United States and the state of Colorado were shattered in an act of antisemitic terror leaving 15 people (and a dog) severely injured and hospitalized, as well as a community shaken.

“Tonight, as many prepare to mark the Shavuot holiday, our Jewish community has been subjected to yet another brutal and horrific act of antisemitism. The scourge of antisemitism has metastasized across our country, and we must do more — now — to stop this hatred and violence,” posted US Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) on Facebook.

“We stand with the Jewish community — today and always — and will be united in supporting the victims and their families in the weeks ahead, and to redoubling our efforts to stop antisemitism,” continued Neguse, whose district includes Boulder and Fort Collins.

While shouting “Free Palestine,” a depraved Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, ignited an incendiary device, described as a homemade flamethrower, that set ablaze, and sent to the hospital, 15 people having gathered at the Pearl Street Mall. There is a bit of schadenfreude to report, in that Soliman also set himself ablaze. This group of people, called “Run for Their Lives,” held a weekly walk since the October 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas who slaughtered more than 1,200 children, women, and men, as well as taking several hundred hostage. And that is the purpose of the weekly walk - to call for the immediate release of the Israelis still held hostage in Gaza by Hamas - to bring attention via a peaceful protest gathering.

Soliman, a father of five, entered the United States in August 2022 on a B-2 visa that expired more than two years ago, according to the Department of Homeland Security, making Soliman illegally in the United States. Soliman is a product of the Joe Biden open borders policy, but having overstayed his visa, is automatically deportable. Authorities picked up Soliman’s wife and five children on Tuesday, June 3. The Solimans are not United States citizens. Born in Egypt, Soliman lived for 17 years in Kuwait prior to moving to Colorado three years ago. While he apparently has no prior criminal record in the United States, Soliman faces both federal and state charges, including 16 counts of attempted murder in the first degree. Other charges Soliman faces are the federal charge of a hate crime which could get him life in prison for that alone, in addition to six counts of first degree assault, two counts of use of an incendiary device, 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device - the 16 additional, unused Molotov Cocktails, and one count of crimes against at-risk adults - the elderly. All told, Soliman is looking at a maximum of 264 years in prison. He deserves each and every one of those 264 years. Soliman plotted for a year, waiting until his daughter graduated from school. He admitted to authorities he has no regrets, and would do this all over again as his goal is see all Zionists dead.

The “federal hate crimes charges [were] already filed, and [he] will be accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during her Tuesday June 3 presser. “And to Jewish Americans at home, across the country, this president has your back,” said Leavitt.

Part of the celebration of Shavuot includes the reading of the 10 Commandments from the Torah, which of course includes thou shalt not murder. The 16 victims of attempted murder by Soliman range in ages from 52 to 88 - the 88 year old, a Holocaust survivor. Leo Terrell, in charge of the antisemitism task force with the Justice Department, referred to the unnamed 88 year old Holocaust survivor as one who “endured the worst evil in human history,” and “came to America seeking safety. Now decades later, she’s victimized again.”

“The attack on this survivor reminds me of the horror of October 7, when Holocaust survivors were murdered and dragged away by Hamas terrorists in Israel. But this time, it happened here. In our country. This is all caused by the same type of hatred - antisemitism. Holocaust survivors should not spend the final chapter of their lives experiencing or witnessing this hatred again. We must fight this terror together,” said Terrell.

These antisemitic attacks, domestic terrorism, have become normalized in the United States in ways never experienced before in this country. A major reason for this normalization is the absolutely shocking degree of antisemitism that has plagued American college campuses, especially since the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas in Israel. The  level of indoctrination on myriad campuses by even more professors, who have lost their objectivity, if they ever had any to begin with, is stunning. Students being taught lies about Israel, lies about Jews, lies about history, which can, and have been refuted. Yet this oppressor-oppressed mindset, a black and white distinction that because Israel has achieved a level of success, they must automatically be the oppressor, and the Hamas-led Gazans must be the oppressed because their fortunes have not been as bright.

Israel, which has been the ancestral, Biblical, historical, and religious homeland of the Jewish people long before its current naming in 1948. False accusations of Israel as a colonizing state, as an apartheid state, as a genocide state are patently false and proveably so. But people haven’t learned history and want to punish Israel for its success. Israel doesn’t start wars - it serves no purpose for them to do so. For Israel to lose a war is to witness the eradication of Israel, the lone Jewish nation on the planet. Israel is in a constant struggle simply to survive as it gets attacked and invaded from every direction, and from any number of enemies. There are 57 Arab and/or Muslim nations, and while they are not all at war with Israel, none of them have been willing to absorb the so-called refugees - a status so-called Palestinians have claimed since the political founding of Israel in 1948.

Israel did not run its Arab/Muslim neighbors into exile in 1948, yet hundreds of thousands chose to flee Israel, start perpetual wars against Israel and claim that very land - the land that is the lone Jewish nation - barely the size of New Jersey to be their own. History proves otherwise. The Jewish people, the Israelites, the ancient Hebrews, have existed 5,785 years, Christians just under 2,000 years, and Muslims about 1,415 years. Since 1948 the Jewish populations from the collective Arab/Muslim lands faded dramatically from around 900,000 to under 30,000 due to pogroms, exiles, and those who moved to Israel (made aliyah). Arabs/Muslims in Israel have grown in numbers precipitously, live freely and equally with more rights and freedoms than they would enjoy in their “own” 57 states. 

Those who have continued to claim so-called refugee status have suffered due to their own unwillingness, their own stubbornness, to accept any number of peace overtures from Israel - the so-called Two State Solution. These so-called refugees live under the tyrannical fists of terrorist organizations Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis - all funded by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terror. The terrorist organizations have written into their charters calling for the evisceration of Israel and the slaughter of the Jewish people. The Islamic Republic of Iran, since their 1978-79 revolution, has made it their dual goal to destroy the United States, who it calls the Great Satan, and Israel, the Little Satan. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the closest it has ever been to possessing the weaponry to attempt just that.

Yet, it is the bastardization of the truth, the actual history, the demonization of Israel and the United States from within the United States on the myriad college campuses where indoctrination, false narratives, misinformation, and outright lies perpetrated by professors and leaders of campus organizations are peddled. And not cheaply, when considering the cost of a college education these days and the value one gets for that cost of tuition. Students leave such institutions ill-prepared for the real world with their gender studies, philosophy, and even journalism degrees because of the erroneous lessons they have learned. It is on these campuses where the students are indoctrinated into learning what to think, not how to think. What to write, not how to write. 

It is this disservice that has promulgated the continuing rise in antisemitism and the criminal behavior accompanying it. In addition to the antisemitic terrorist attacks in Boulder, less than two weeks prior, in the nation’s capital - Washington, DC, on May 21, a radicalized Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago, assassinated Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, outside the Capital Jewish Museum. The two, soon to be engaged, staffers at the Israeli Embassy attended a Young Diplomats Reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Rodriguez also shouted “Free, free, Palestine,” then pulled out a keffiyeh and admitted to witnesses in the museum, “I did it. I did it for Gaza,” thus became the clarion call for global intifada.

“For these neo-nazis, ‘Free Palestine,’ is just today’s version of ‘Heil Hitler.’ They don’t want a Palestinian state, they want to destroy the Jewish state. They want to annihilate the Jewish people who have been in the land of Israel for 3,500 years,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This recent spate of antisemitism includes a Dearborn, Michigan man who pled guilty to federal gun charges on May 28, after allegedly threatening pre-school children and their parents outside a Bloomfield Hills synagogue. Hassan Chokr, 35, plotted to slaughter pre-school children at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills, drove through the parking lot shouting antisemitic slogans and threats as parents dropped children off at the synagogue back in December 2022, according to the New York Post. Chokr’s Instagram posts included convoluted thoughts such as: “your Jew tactics will only backfire on you, you have no place on this earth, Jew (expletive), Jew mother (expletive). A storm is coming to wipe you all out of our lives,” prosecutors testified. To protest his arrest, Chokr dropped his pants, exposing his bottom to the judge at a court appearance. He faces 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

It’s Chokr’s last sentence that is the most alarming. “A storm is coming to wipe you all out of our lives,” screams global intifada. And certainly the startling massive increase in antisemitism speaks to that. An audit conducted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) indicated 9,534 antisemitic incidents took place in 2024 - the highest total in 46 years, and five percent greater than the 2023 figure. Over the past five years antisemitic incidents have risen by 344 percent, and by 893 percent over the last 10 years. These numbers are both daunting and disturbing. What’s more disturbing is that these are not just numbers. They represent people who have been assaulted or murdered because they were Jewish. They represent synagogues, day schools, as well as businesses and private homes owned by Jewish people.

What is not represented in those figures, and occurred just five weeks prior to the Washington, DC assassination, on Sunday April 13, is the arson fire at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and official residence. Cody Balmer, 38, of Penbrook, Pennsylvania, broke windows and threw homemade Molotov Cocktails into the banquet hall of the mansion a couple hours after the first night of Passover. No one suffered injuries, as Governor Josh Shapiro (D) and his family slept safely ensconced in various bedrooms of the mansion. Yet, just hours prior, Shapiro hosted a Passover Seder attended by about two dozen people. Balmer himself called 9-1-1 and turned himself in. “I’m not hiding, and I will confess to everything that I had done,” said Balmer. Once in police custody Balmer also admitted he would have attacked the governor with a hammer, if he happened upon Shapiro. Balmer faces eight charges, including attempted murder, terrorism, and aggravated arson, according to ABC News. Attacking the residence of the Jewish governor on the first night of Passover is certainly an act of antisemitism, confirmed when Balmer said he committed his acts in support of Palestine. How that helps Palestine remains a mystery.

These crimes of terrorism and antisemitism in the name of Palestine accomplish nothing productive or positive. They do, however, create a culture of fear, and thinking of the oft-heard threats of global intifada should be taken seriously. When someone tells you they want to kill you, take them at their word.

Certainly US Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) is taking these crimes and threats seriously. “I’m not just a congressman, I’m a Jewish congressman, and I’ve got two Jewish sons. We have to live in this world and people are scared - Jews are scared. Eighty years ago Jews were being burned in Nazi Germany - today they are being burned in the United States, so we have got to be willing to do what is necessary to deal with this, and frankly it starts by recognizing that the call for “Free Palestine,” is a call for violence. And we in this country after 18 months of this have to say enough,” said Fine.

Apparently enough includes the “Run for Their Lives” group announcing it will resume its events and activities next week. They will not let antisemitism win. That is absolutely the right thing to do, and the right message to send. It’s not hyperbolic to suggest Jews around the United States feel as though they are living in 1935 Germany. The difference is, while the Nazis forced Jews to wear an identifying yellow Star of David, Jews in America should proudly don their Stars of David.

Jewish Americans cannot give up on the United States as either a safe haven for religious freedom or as a place to thrive as has been the case for as long as America has been America. We must be more openly Jewish, be more observant as religious Jews, be more supportive of Jewish groups and organizations that support Israel, be more supportive of political candidates who support Israel and Jewish values as American values, and be more vigilant in fighting antisemitism. The antisemites will not chase us from the United States of America. Their antisemitism can’t be hidden, nor will we as proud Jews and proud Americans.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.