MAYOR-ELECT MAMDANI! I'm excited & honored to host Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, the highest profile rabbi in NYC to endorse & campaign for Mamdani, for this important conversation. Today at 12pm Eastern. See link on graphic. Join us!

My latest, on @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social. Featuring some of my favorite Jewish folks including: @bradlander.bsky.social & @giligetz.bsky.social. Link in comments.

I asked NYC Comptroller @bradlander.bsky.social to share his message to fellow New Yorkers Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who have failed to endorse Democratic primary winner @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social for mayor. They should hear what he has to say:

@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social has reached out broadly to NYC's Jewish community, says @bradlander.bsky.social, NYC's Comptroller & highest-ranking Jewish official. However, Cuomo & Sliwa are not called to account for ignoring NYC's 1-million strong Muslim population. Link to full convo in comments.

Tomorrow at 10:30am ET: On the second anniversary of October 7, join May Pundak and Rula Hardal of A Land for All and me to talk about a vision “grounded in dignity, equality, and belonging for both peoples" that provides more hope for Israel-Palestine than the Trump plan. Link in comments.

“America showed undue deference to Israel, excessive bias vs Palestinians, a constant desire to exert regional supremacy… How much more and how much better Americans could have done w/ much less” I'll ask Rob Malley about his and Hussein Agha's indictment of US Middle East policy and more. Tune in!

I asked Rula Daood, Co-Director of @standing-together.bsky.social (a grassroots Jewish-Arab political movement fighting for peace, equality, and social justice in Israel-Palestine), how she responds when other Palestinians criticize her for working closely with Jewish Israelis. Her reply:

Prefacing his candor about convos with senior Biden Administration officials - including Jake Sullivan and VP Kamala Harris - on Gaza, @jjz1600.bsky.social said, said, "I'm going to be 80... and therefore don't give a s---." Watch our full discussion, or listen to the podcast. Link in comments.

Looking forward to hosting Jim Zogby @jjz1600.bsky.social of @aaiusa.bsky.social to discuss: "Where Is the Democratic Party Going on Israel-Palestine?" We'll also talk about public opinion & political mobilization in the Arab American community. Join us tomorrow at 1pm ET & subscribe to The Debrief

I'm grateful to @saribashi.bsky.social for a rich, thoughtful conversation yesterday. Here, Sari talks about how her world became smaller after October 7 -- when she discovered how “selective” the values of some people she cared about actually were.

TODAY @ 1pm ET: The brilliant and accomplished Israeli-American human rights lawyer @saribashi.bsky.social, who lives in the West Bank with her Palestinian husband (from Gaza) and their 2 kids, joins The Debrief to share her perspective and her Israeli-Palestinian family's experience. Come & learn!

Mariam Dagga, an AP freelancer and mother, was among the journalists killed in Israel's "double-tap" strikes on the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza. In a "double-tap" strike, Israel bombs a facility once and then strikes again... after rescuers and journalists have raced in.

Fmr Knesset Speaker Avrum Burg on the All Its Citizens Party, which he co-chairs. “Is it hopeful? Yes. Is it optimism? Yeah. Is it naive? Yes. But since we tested all the cynical, practical... experiences of people who know it all, who brought us to this fu**ed up reality, give me a bit of naivete.”

I'll be speaking with singular Israeli political figure Avrum Burg tomorrow (yes, Sunday) at Noon Eastern / 7pm Jerusalem. More info + link in comments

TODAY at 3pm Eastern on The Debrief: Join me and @elgindy.bsky.social to discuss "The Blindness of US policy toward Palestine & Israel" --> open.substack.com/pub/drshusha...

In our conversation today on The Debrief, @taniahary.bsky.social of Israeli human rights organization Gisha describes poignantly how the Netanyahu government’s strategy of making Palestinians desperate to leave Gaza is working. Link to video in comments

TODAY at 1pm Eastern - As the Israeli govt is moving toward "full occupation of the Gaza Strip," don't miss this urgent briefing with @taniahary.bsky.social of Gisha. Link in comments.

@rabbijilljacobs.bsky.social: "The question is whether [Mamdani] is open to conversations w/ people w/ whom he might disagree. My experience is that he is… Ultimately the question should be not do we agree or not agree abt Israeli govt policy but how can we put in policies that will keep NYers safe"

Today at 1pm EDT w/ @rabbijilljacobs.bsky.social We'll cover Jews, Mamdani & the NYC mayoral race; the US Jewish community's response to starvation in Gaza; & Trump Admin's attacks on democracy & academic freedom in the name of fighting antisemitism. Subscribe and tune in: drshushan.substack.com/

Looking fwd to my conversation with @rabbijilljacobs.bsky.social on Monday! We'll discuss the NYC mayoral race & the Jewish community's response to starvation in Gaza. Rabbi Jacobs was arrested this week, protesting at the Israeli consulate. Subscribe & watch on The Debrief: drshushan.substack.com

"Genocide is not the Holocaust [but] the Holocaust was a genocide ... The Holocaust had its own unique aspect ... but in order to identify a genocide, you don't have to say 'this looks like the Holocaust'." Omer Bartov speaks with @drshushan.bsky.social on Substack. substack.com/inbox/post/1...

For The Debrief's first live webinar, I spoke with pre-eminent Israeli-American Holocaust scholar Omer Bartov. He explains his conclusion that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, why the "genocide" label is important, how Israel has changed since 10/7, and his hopes for the future.

'I'm a Genocide Scholar: I Know It When I See It': A Conversation on Israel and Gaza with Professor Omer Bartov Live on Monday, July 21 at 1pm Eastern Don't miss Omer Bartov and me on The Debrief with Debra Shushan! Click for details.

💯. What chutzpah! Jews have no problem speaking for ourselves and - surprise! - we don't agree among ourselves on just about anything, much less Mamdani & the NYC mayoral race.

"This Arab Lawmaker Can’t Save the Remnants of Israel’s Democracy Alone": My new Substack piece on AyOdeh's near expulsion from the Knesset, what it means for Israel’s deteriorating democracy, and the desperate need for Jewish-Palestinian solidarity

Sanctioning a UN human rights official for working with the ICC is abhorrent, period. Yep, this is still true if you disapprove of her calling for the ICC to investigate corporate actors for allegedly profiteering from facilitating Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

"My Hope for Zohran Mamdani and Jewish New Yorkers": the first post on my new Substack, The Debrief with Debra Shushan open.substack.com/pub/drshusha... Please subscribe, comment, share!

So sad that @connolly.house.gov has passed. Gerry was an incredible MOC for his Fairfax County constituents. A brilliant statesman w/ an unwavering moral compass. Above all, he was a fighter. We must fight on in his memory. Gerry would expect no less. May his memory be a blessing & an inspiration.

ISRAELIS OVERWHELMINGLY WANT A DEAL TO RETURN THE HOSTAGES & END THE GAZA WAR: 71% ✅, 15% ❌, 14% ❓. Among voters for Bibi's govt: 56% ✅, 24% ❌, 20%❓ Who wants to continue war & sacrifice hostages? Extremists (to build settlements in Gaza) + Bibi (to keep power, avoid jail).

She is a beautiful human being, driven by her commitment to public service. That should be all that matters.

If you're like me, you've been waiting for analysis from Michael Sfard, Israel's foremost international human rights lawyer, on the ICC warrants for Netanyahu & Gallant. As ever, Michael doesn't disappoint. The following is from Michael's Facebook page, translated (by FB) from the original Hebrew:

Former Knesset Member & Meretz Party Chair @zehavagalon on ICC warrants: "What did you think would happen? Where did you think we'd end up? Gaza is devastated and starving. The media may refuse to show us the pictures of the babies but they are there & they are heartbreaking...

55+ Jewish orgs oppose H.R. 9495, which would give the Treasury Secretary unfettered power to revoke non-profit orgs' tax-exempt status. It's a bad bill in any circumstance and an extremely dangerous one in the hands of a President with dictatorial aspirations. rac.org/press-room/r...

BIG NEWS: Biden Admin announces sanctions against AMANA, the development arm of the settlement movement. Amana which has been involved in establishing the majority of West Bank settlements, while providing loans and building infrastructure for new illegal outposts. home.treasury.gov/news/press-r...

"6 Things About Trump’s Hawkish New Defense Secretary That Should Scare the Hell Out of You" Meet Pete Hegseth: Fox host, Iran hawk, Christian Zionist, and more. My video explainer:

NEW: 88 MOCs (led by Sen. ChrisVanHollen & Reps. DeLauro and Casten) release a letter calling on Biden to designate Mins Smotrich, Ben-Gvir & entities incl Amana & Regavim per his Executive Order providing for sanctions on individuals & entities undermining West Bank peace, security & stability.

That’s the quote. I was looking for it. And here it is. Hannah Arendt on the Matt Gaetz as AG announcement

Trump SecDef pick Pete Hegseth to settler-aligned Arutz 7 conference (2018): "There's no reason why the miracle of the reestablishment of the Temple on the Temple Mount is not possible." (The prerequisite razing of al-Aqsa/Haram al-Sharif is no problem!) www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wP5...