Rabbi Mike Rothbaum

@ravmike.bsky.social

808 Followers 445 Following

Chutzpah, Torah, Manual Transmission. Husband of Anthony. Man rabbi. Lions, Mets fan. Loyal or masochist? he.him

THE CALL SCRIPT U.S. CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD (202) 224-3121 Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I am your constituent from [YOUR CITY/TOWN]. I urge you to support designating TPS for Haiti. The House passed the bipartisan legislation in April, and now Senators Markey and Blunt Rochester have introduced a bill (S.4814) to get this done in the Senate. This measure would extend TPS for Haiti for three years, which would mean saving lives and bringing safety and peace of mind to the more than 350,000 Haitians who are beloved neighbors, parents, faith leaders, and integral members of our communities. Our Haitian community members in [CITY/TOWN] care for our neighbors, check in on the elderly, and pitch in for those who are struggling. My community in [CITY/TOWN] supports keeping our beloved Haitian community members home, so we urge you to support extending TPS and vote yes on the bill S.4814.
NY Times map: "Where the Iran war has escalated"
וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא בִּמְקוֹם שֶׁאֵין מַכְרִיזִין – גְּזֵירָה שֶׁמָּא יִתְּנֶנָּה לוֹ בִּפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֵר. And if you wish, say that the mishna is referring to a place where they do not announce every time they sell a tereifa, and nevertheless it is prohibited to give the gentile a thigh that has been cut up. The Sages issued a decree against doing so, lest he give it to the gentile in the presence of another Jew, who will think that it is kosher and purchase it from the gentile. וְאִי בָּעֵית אֵימָא, מִשּׁוּם דְּקָא גָנֵיב לֵיהּ לְדַעְתֵּיהּ, דְּאָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: אָסוּר לִגְנוֹב דַּעַת הַבְרִיּוֹת, וַאֲפִילּוּ דַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁל גּוֹי. And if you wish, say that there is an entirely different reason why one may not send a gentile a cut-up thigh without removing the sciatic nerve: Because he thereby deceives the gentile. The gentile will think that the Jew has exerted himself to cut up the leg and remove the sciatic nerve and that although the Jew could have eaten the meat himself he decided to send it to the gentile. The gentile will therefore be more appreciative of the gift than he would be if he realized that the sciatic nerve had not been removed. This is as Shmuel said: It is prohibited to deceive people, and even to deceive a gentile.
A person is forbidden to act in a smooth-tongued and luring manner. He should not speak one thing outwardly and think otherwise in his heart. Rather, his inner self should be like the self which he shows to the world. What he feels in his heart should be the same as the words on his lips. It is forbidden to deceive people, even a non-Jew. For example, one should not sell a gentile the meat of an animal which has not been ritually slaughtered as if it were ritually slaughtered meat, nor a shoe made from the hide of an animal which has died of natural causes as if it were made of the hide of a slaughtered animal. One should not press his colleague to share a meal with him when he knows that his colleague will not accept the invitation, nor should he press presents upon him when he knows that his colleague will not accept them. He should not open casks supposedly for his colleague which he must open for sale, in order to deceive him into thinking that they have been opened in his honor. The same applies with all matters of this sort. It is forbidden to utter a single word of deception or fraud. Rather, one should have only truthful speech, a proper spirit and a heart pure from all deceit and trickery.
a slide showing that AIPAC is an org that most US Jews oppose AIPAC's divisive strategy
CNN graphic depicting a variety of opinion polls showing Americans with a net unfavorability rating for Israel ranging from -10 to -23.
Bronny — uh, I mean Gritty — flashing two peace signs.
EVERY LIFE A UNIVERSE On Tisha B'Av, the Jewish people's day of mourning, join us as we mourn the murder of our neighbors and destruction of families by ICE brutality, our modern American catastrophe. Speakers include Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera and Rabbi Michael Rothbaum THURSDAY, JULY 23 Gather at 10:30AM, Program 11-12 Federal Building: 880 Front St. San Diego More info: bit.ly/iceoutofsdmobilize FOLLOWED BY SPECIAL PROCESSION TO HARBOR DRIVE 11:45-12:30: Procession, ICE Out message with a Comic Con twist
Trump stands and smiles into space, refusing to leave the stage as the Spanish team celebrates their World Cup victory.
WSJ headline: Person is killed in ICE-involved shooting in Maine
Washington Post headline — “Judge clarifies: Yes, Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll”
B&W photo of women sitting at a long row of sewing machines
Mexico jersey
List of the ages of current SCOTUS justices. Thomas is 78 and Alito is 76.
transcript from Jesse Watters' show on FOX: The deal requires Iran to put their proxies on a leash, that means Israel needs to chill. Vance thinks Netanyahu has been a little too trigger happy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VANCE: We seem to be right on the cusp of a major breakthrough in the agreement, and then all of a sudden there's a major explosion that goes off in a civilian population center in Beirut, and a lot of people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah lose their lives. That's not acceptable. (END VIDEO CLIP) WATTERS: Vance sent a warning to the Jews. He said, watch out, Trump's your daddy too.
Side-by-side photo of Kier Starmer and Andy Burnham
Close-up of the cop in the “Sandwich Police” squad car
NY Times headline: Hurricanes defeat Golden Knights 3-0 to snap 20-year Stanley Cup championship drought.
OG Anunoby in a Nigerian national team uniform.
graphic saying: DETROIT PISTONS equality Pride
screen grab: Trump: "You're fucking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this."
Posting advertising a job with a “generous hourly rate.”
Cover “art” of an AI podcast about the Battle of Blair Mountain
NCJW message offering Shabbat greetings from Davi Cheng
Collage of pics of pardoned J6 rioters, including men with t-shirts saying six million wasn’t enough and “Camp Auschwitz”
Israeli television channel showing CCTV footage allegedly showing Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee.
Comic strip. Man in panel 1: OK, I hate to act like a fucking dumbass, but are we at war? I mean, did we ever officially declare war? Man in panel 2: Declare war? Who's got time to declare war when there are so many bombs to drop?
Isiah Thomas
Nj.com headline: “Legendary NY radio voice dumps ‘Mamdani Mets’ for Yankees: ‘I think I’ve made my case’”
Willy Wonka singing about a “world of pure imagination”
A message from ups indicating that a package will arrive on “nullnull”
Google AI giving a date for the Omer that’s over two weeks off
Deborah Vance in “Hacks”
Headline: “Adults Lose Skills to AI. Children Never Build Them.”
Prompt and result from Perplexity: write a short paragraph explaining how the Jewish concept of b'shem omro is undermined by AI The Jewish concept of b’shem omro, speaking in the name of the person who first said something, values truth, humility, and proper attribution. AI can undermine this idea because it often blends, rewrites, or generates text without a clear human source, making it easy to pass off ideas as original or to lose track of who truly said them. That weakens accountability and can blur the ethical duty to credit others honestly.
broken pieces of matzah
astronaut... faraway look
Screen shot of Lebanese-American man calling Israel “animals” and Zionism “the most evil, genocidal ideology to ever exist.”
fake TV listings, April 1, 1970
The JEL definition of chutzpah
Friends — My name is Mike Rothbaum, and I’m a rabbi here in San Diego. I’m writing to urge a no-vote on codifying the IHRA definition of antisemitism for the city of San Diego. This bill is part of an international effort to adopt this definition, an effort that is both anti-democratic, and makes Jews less safe, not more. S500 is bad for both Jews and democracy, for the following reasons: * Jewish culture is built on open dialogue and respectful debate, which is also a foundation of democracy. Codifying the IHRA definition sends the false message that the only way for Jews to be safe is to stifle and criminalize others’ opinions about Israel/Palestine. Jews are known for our willingness to argue about hard things. Even in my congregation, we welcome a wide range of beliefs about Israel/Palestine. All people need a voice in their houses of worship, and in their country. * Many of my congregants are university professors. The Trump administration has already strong-armed colleges and universities into curtailing academic freedom. The proposed bill threatens to further limit that freedom, and serve as a cudgel to further attack campus speech. * The bill will make Jews less safe. Equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism blurs the true meaning of the word. Doing so gives actual Jew haters cover to engage in their antisemitism, since it drains the term of its power. Anyone who would seek to attack Jews can do so under the cover of a needless argument about what actually constitutes hate against Jews. * The bill divides rather than unites. As far as I know, there is no definition in San Diego of racism, transphobia, xenophobia, or Islamophobia. Tens of thousands of Jews in our town want ALL marginalized people to be protected, not just Jews. We seek a San Diego that prohibits all hate crime, attacks on any resident's safety, health, and dignity. Numerous Jewish organizations, including Reconstructing Judaism, as well as T'ruah, Bend the Arc Jewish Act…
Washington Post headlines How Iran’s tactics are complicating a quick declaration of victory for Trump The U.S. and Israel crippled Iranian forces in the war’s first two weeks. Tehran’s uranium stockpile and its ability to disrupt oil flows are frustrating the push to end it. By Michael Birnbaum Tehran wages economic war in hopes of outlasting U.S. and Israel U.S. names troops killed in Iraq aircraft crash while supporting Iran war
white jesus in a lawn chair, crown of thorns on his head, holding a glass of wine in one hand and a phone in the other, staring at the phone with disbelief
NYTimes story: Slurs Filled a Chat Created by a Republican Party Official in Florida After the secretary of the Miami-Dade County Republican Party created the chat for college students, it devolved into slurs against Black and Jewish people.
ProPublica story: After Trump Officials Cut Food Aid to Kenya, Children Starved to Death
And now, my friends, here comes the part that, if you have one, will break your heart. Na’hafoch na’hafoch, it’s all reversed, all turned around and gone berserk. What’s good is bad what’s bad is good, there’s bloodshed where the hero stood. Our people are spared, no one kills any Jews and that, of course, is very good news. If only the story could stop right here, we’d offer thanks, we’d raise a cheer! We’d dance and sing and shout in glee, we’d be just who we hoped we’d be. The Jews of Shushan would fall to their knees with gratitude to the Source of Being. But no, my friends, we’ll have no such luck. As the story unfolds, we think, What the F—??? For there is no G-d in the Book of Esther, no One to thank, so the violence festers. Na’hafoch na’hafoch, it’s all reversed all turned around and gone berserk. What’s good is bad what’s bad is good, there’s bloodshed where the hero stood. The Jews run amok, murdering Persians in place of salvation, now there’s perversion. Seventy- five thousand, five hundred and ten were killed that day, by Jewish men. So when we think, We Jews don’t murder we better try to investigate further The secret places deep in our hearts where hatred lurks, and can tear us apart. Na’hafoch na’hafoch, it’s all reversed all turned around and gone berserk What’s good is bad what’s bad is good, there’s bloodshed where the hero stood.
Post explaining that DSA SF members at the protest were disgusted and horrified by a lone individuals antisemitic remarks, make clear her words came from her alone.
Post sharing an article, "Defeating Antizionism": "Important read. Agree or disagree, Adam Louis-Klein is making a strong case. I suspect those in our community who disagree will do so in their private echo chambers. I encourage those who read this to contend with the ideas put forth."
Post card with a group of clothed men wrestling and smiling: “You construct intricate rituals which allow you to touch the skin of other men.”
Article headline: Is That Guy Filming You With His Glasses? Here's How to Tell Many people can't recognize a pair of smart glasses. Here's how to know if the glasses are recording you.
NY Times headline — "Tariff Ruling Has Potential to Disrupt Global Trade" — about SCOTUS ruling prohibiting president from unilaterally imposing tariffs.
NJ Bill A4446 Session 2026 - 2027 Establishes "Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act" [aka "FUCK ICE Act"
Names of figures in Jewish history arranged to make the shape of a map of (greater) Israel.
Congressman Randy Fine (R-FL), tweeting a disgusting message about Muslims.
Man with shofar and Tallis at a protest