Grapevine, March 20, 2026: A legislative battle against Jews

“This is a moral failure and a dangerous precedent,” charged David Bocarsly, executive director of Jewish California, formerly the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC), which is a coalition of more than 40 Jewish organizations.

“At a moment when democracy is under assault and working families are struggling to put food on the table, advocates for this bill have decided that their priority is to try to weaken civil rights laws protecting Jewish children,” Bocarsly added.

He also noted that Garcia and the CFA had tried to block the antisemitism prevention bill when it was passed and that he had introduced his own bill without consulting with fellow Assembly members, who had authored the original legislation, the Legislative Jewish Caucus, or the broader Jewish community.

The expression ‘the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer,’ believed to have been originally uttered by poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and later committed to song, is a sad truth that continues to this day. An example is Israeli-born Melanie Bronfman, who is married to multi-millionaire philanthropist, pro-Jewish activist, and entrepreneur Matthew Bronfman.

Melanie is the founder of Stella James Jewelery, specializing in modern heirlooms that come within the category of luxury goods.

The name of her company is an heirloom in itself. Her son is called James, and her daughter is called Stella.

Melanie Bronfman, who designs the jewelry, has the strong, modern woman in mind. Her pieces symbolize connection and legacy plus a deep personal quality. Like some other businesspeople, she started her company with its personal brand name because she was looking for something that reflected her goals in life and couldn’t find it.

She achieved success quite quickly and is now building a fine jewelry house.

Bronfman manages to balance modernity, creativity, motherhood, career, and her own personality, which includes philanthropic initiatives, some of which she shares with her husband.

Crisis situations sometimes bring about strange bedfellows. The Israel Antiquities Authority published a press release in which it stated that its inspectors and Israel Border Police soldiers, responding to a security alert, found themselves in a small roadside shelter in the North, together with antiquities looters who had been caught red-handed illegally excavating at the Horvat Hermesh antiquities site, where ancient Roman and Byzantine remains are located.

Law enforcement authorities were notified, and two suspects were apprehended and arrested.

While the suspects were being transported to the Zichron Ya’acov police station for interrogation, the siren rang out, and antiquities inspectors, border police, and the two prisoners all took shelter together.

All in all, there were some 30 people in the shelter.

This was not the only antiquities looting incident during wartime, with missiles flying overhead.

In the Khorvat Drakhmon Nature Reserve on the Carmel Coast, two residents of the nearby village of Fureidis were caught using metal detectors and excavation tools while searching for antiquities at the Horvat Hadarim antiquities site. In the process, they damaged ancient layers and antique pottery items.

The two men could not deny what they had been doing because antiquities were found in their possession when they were caught.

According to Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, “Robbers of antiquities are not ordinary criminals, but saboteurs of history. Every pottery shard, every coin, and every relic testifies that this has been our land and homeland since the days of our forefather Abraham.”

It has been mentioned in Grapevine several times in recent years that there should be a significant coordinated effort in ensuring food security.

There should be a central body for receiving fiscal donations for food purchases, and accumulated funds could then be distributed to the various organizations engaged in feeding the poor.

Alternatively, the central body could purchase bulk supplies on which it could get a bigger discount based on the volume of purchases, and supplies could be delivered to various organizations for distribution in their cities and towns in coordination with municipal welfare authorities.

The way things are now, there are just too many organizations with the same goal, and generous-hearted people don’t know whom to donate to, especially when some have titles that suggest something more drastic than is actually the case.

An example is Feed Israel. Admittedly, there are many people who are underfed, but there are also many who eat quite well. While the poor may be grateful to receive packages from various organizations, those that offer supermarket vouchers instead of food parcels are doing more to preserve the dignity of each person who has to depend on charity for their groceries.

There is a significant difference between being able to choose items to the value of the voucher and receiving a box of items that cannot be used. For instance, Ashkenazi Jews do not eat rice on Passover, and some do not eat matzah balls. But a package of rice goes a long way in an impoverished household because rice swells as it is being cooked.

The Histadrut (Labor Federation) operates Beyahad B’Shvilcha, (Together for You), an online social supermarket through which it gives its members meaningful discounts. Aside from items that can be chosen individually, for Passover, it offers two different Kosher for Passover boxes containing food items, cleaning, and toiletry products.

The box of cleaning products and toiletries is priced at NIS 178 compared to average retail prices of NIS 298 in regular supermarkets, and the box of food is also heavily discounted at NIS 354. Delivery is free of charge. Orders can be placed up to March 31.

Many tourists and new immigrants are under the erroneous impression that because Israel is a Jewish country, all food outlets are kosher. Some are shocked when they realize their mistake. Those who are shopping for Passover should take a magnifying glass to the supermarket.

The majority of supermarkets in Israel are largely staffed by non-Jews, some of whom cannot read Hebrew, and products that are not kosher for Passover are placed on shelves marked ‘Kosher for Pesach.’

The whole issue of kashrut representation in Israel is questionable.

So-called supervisors in hotels and restaurants spend more time in the dining room eating and schmoozing with guests than they spend in the kitchen. That is bad enough. But too often, there is a certificate displayed on the window or the wall attesting to the fact that the establishment has been certified by a rabbinical authority, yet there is no supervisor in sight.

For people who care about kashrut, it is better to be safe than sorry. The magnifying glass will save a lot of time trying to find certification on a can, package, bottle, or plastic container and will help to avoid the purchase of something that cannot be consumed on Passover.