Jodi Ochstein

29 Followers
34 Following
832 Posts
Jewish Feminist Living in DC.
Times of Israelhttps://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/jodi-ochstein/

"This week, something broke. Maybe Trump does not understand the link between the past and the present, but other people do. They can see that, as a result of decisions that Trump made but cannot explain, the Strait of Hormuz is blocked by Iranian mines and drones. They can see oil prices rising around the world and they understand that it is difficult and dangerous for the U.S. Navy to solve this problem. They can also hear the president lashing out, as he has done so many times before, trying to get other people to take responsibility, threatening them if they don’t."

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/trump-iran-war-allies/686423/?gift=VJ2n9up78q38NTikVq8V9Ql_kGCnSTOkxnhPoAW6NLQ&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

Everyone but Trump Understands What He’s Done

Allied leaders know that any positive gesture they make will count for nothing.

The Atlantic

"On the left, too many Black ministers have betrayed the Bible for a political and ideological worldview that casts Israel as the perpetual villain no matter what and ignores the barbaric slaughter of innocents, including Oct. 7.

On the right, some prominent voices traffic in antisemitism dressed up as populism. They protest that they are just asking questions. They lie that they cannot criticize Israel. We see through their disgusting grift."
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/why-i-refuse-stay-silent-jews-scapegoated-left-right?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Why I refuse to stay silent as Jews are scapegoated by left and right

Pastor Corey Brooks writes from Shreveport during his Walk Across America, defending Jewish people and Israel against attacks from both side of the political aisle.

Fox News
"...there is one sticking point that is non-negotiable: I will not sit among people who equivocate about the murder of Jews."
https://open.substack.com/pub/politicaljewdaily/p/on-political-homelessness?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
On Political Homelessness

Political homelessness does not involve political betrayal.

Political’s Substack

"None of these claims makes much sense from a logical or factual perspective. But they are perfectly coherent as part of the long tradition of conspiratorial anti-Semitism, which blames groups of Jews for being behind the world’s problems. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a Russian forgery considered the most influential anti-Semitic work of all time, purports to record Jewish schemers plotting to profit by keeping the world in a state of perpetual war. The Hamas charter, which cites The Protocols, similarly blames Jews for the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, World War I, and World War II."

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/03/joe-kent-resignation-iran-trump/686434/?gift=VJ2n9up78q38NTikVq8V9coZ6gveGXVFufQyKdvhtyU&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

The Cautionary Tale of Joe Kent

The conspiracist anti-war activist completely misunderstood the movement and the president he served.

The Atlantic
NEW OP-ED: Stop Rationalizing Antisemitic Violence

Violence is never justified, and we excuse it at our own peril.

Jewish Dems Substack
Joe Kent has a history of promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, defending convicted January 6th attackers as “political prisoners,” and ties to Nazi sympathizers and Holocaust deniers.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/31/politics/senate-confirmation-counterterrorism-joe-kent
Trump pick for counterterrorism role confirmed by Senate despite Democrats’ concerns over past association with extremists

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Joe Kent to a top counterterrorism role, overcoming opposition from Democrats who described the retired Army Green Beret as a conspiracy theorist who has associated with White nationalists and other far-right extremists.

CNN

"A different source with knowledge of the matter called the firing of the members of the CI-12 squad "devastating to the FBI's Iran program." The source said that these agents have confidential informants in the Iranian community in the U.S. "You can't replicate that with new agents. These sources will go away.""

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-agents-patel-fired-counterintelligence-including-iran/

FBI agents fired by Patel worked in counterintelligence, including on cases involving Iran, sources say

Many of the agents who were fired last week by FBI Director Kash Patel were assigned to a squad that worked on global counterintelligence cases, including those involving Iran, sources said.

Trump Is Learning That His Bullying Has Consequences

Allies are not eager to assist a superpower that’s shown them no loyalty.

The Atlantic
Israeli Scientists Giving the World Its First Hepatitis C Vaccine

For forty years, no one could build a Hepatitis C vaccine. Two Israeli professors just found a way through the wall. Here's what they did and why it matters.

Mitch's Substack