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There is a midrash about a businessman who was adversely affected by gossip that had been spread about him. His rabbi heard about the incident and went to confront the man who spread the gossip in the first place. The gossiper asked the rabbi, “Couldn’t I easily just share another story and fix the problem?” The gossiper was surprised that just a little talk had created such a big problem for the businessman. The rabbi wanted to demonstrate to him how even a little gossip could have big ramifications. He told the gossiper to go to the center of town with a pillow and break the pillow open letting the feathers fly with the wind. The gossiper went to the center of town and did just that. He reported back to the rabbi, who said, “Now go back into town and collect all the feathers and place them back in the pillowcase.” Of course, the gossiper could not and began to see how far and wide words could spread, and no matter what could not be “unheard.”

In this scary time of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, we find ourselves among many stray feathers that can’t be placed back in the pillowcase. The volume of misinformation and poor reporting is stunning and the megaphone that it's getting is loud and far-reaching. It is incumbent upon us to combat this torrent of misinformation by being discerning in choices for news sources. It has been proven on a daily basis that many of our most-favored stations/publications (for so many issues) get it wrong when it comes to Israel and Jewish matters.

Rabbis Ron Segal, Natan Trief, Sam Trief, and Congregational Engagement Manager Avery Friedman have compiled a comprehensive list of good and accurate news sources, social media personalities, and scholars to follow to help us gain clarity on the situation in Israel, and confront the antisemitic climate throughout the diaspora.

https://www.templesinaiatlanta.org/sinaistandswithisrael

Use it, but also SHARE IT. Share it with your friends of other faith traditions. Share it with your family members or co-workers. We can help others be better reporters by pointing them to reliable sources. When you feel helpless, remember that being a discriminating consumer of news and steering others toward thoughtful, nuanced reporting can combat the harmful feathers that are floating out there now.

Shabbat Shalom and Am Yisrael Chai,

Beth