Current Events Discussion Topics

An on-line "Zoom" discussion is conducted every Monday morning at 9:30am Chicago time through the North Shore Senior Center hosted by Ron Mantegna. You can enroll in this discussion session at   https://www.nssc.org/

Ron conducts a Northbrook Library zoom discussion every 1st and 3rd and 5th Thursday, 10-11:30am. Open free to all who enroll.  Contact the Northbrook Library to connect with Ron Mantegna.

Trump is the clear winner. Will we see a smooth transition?

What was behind Trump’s big win? Did Trump understand—better than Liberals—the anger and fear America is feeling about Cost of Living, Immigration and Crime? What major reasons, or mistakes caused Harris to lose? Did being a woman hurt Harris more than help her? 

Will Trump actual do the more extreme actions he’s proposed? Deportations? Tariffs? Using the Justice Department to attack political enemies? Republicans won the Senate and likely the House.  Will a Congress controlled by Traditional Republicans support MAGA ideas?

What happens now with Health Care and Women’s Rights?

How concerned should we be that Trump will govern more as an authoritarian like Orban in Hungry, who he admires?

Did the MAGA Party, more than Republicans, win this election? How much power does the Traditional Republican Party have? 

What’s the status of the Democratic Party? Who are their leaders?

Can Trump dismiss all of his many legal problems, given his win?

How does the election results affect Ukraine and NATO?

How does Trump win affect Israel? Will peace be any closer?

What should we make of the surge in the Stock Market?

What moves might Biden and the Democratic Senate try to make during the Lame Duck period before Republicans take control?

What might Musk and RFK jr roles be in Trump’s government?

Should Biden pardon Trump in the interest of uniting the country?

What’s the risk that Trump won’t complete his term and Vance becomes President? Would Vance be a MAGA President, or return to something more like a Traditional Republican?

Chicago’s Mayor and antisemitism. The Rev. Mitchell Johnson resigned from his position as president of the Chicago Board of Education due to his lengthy history of making antisemitic remarks online. How culpable is the Mayor in this fiasco?

How do you feel about the Menendez Brothers resentencing?

The Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series.

Good idea? The FTC has finalized a proposal known as "click to cancel" that requires companies to make it just as easy to cancel a subscription or service as it is to sign up for it.

Is eliminating the Education Department a good idea? It’s a central plank in Trump’s school’s agenda. Republican candidates in some of the most competitive Senate and House races have proposed shuttering the agency, in some cases following Trump’s lead.

Sanctuary Cities—are they a plus or minus?

Should the Senate filibuster rule be abolished and allow elections to have more serious consequences?

Now that he was elected, what should we make of Trump’s alleged calls to Putin while out of office? Trump said he would not protect America's NATO allies against Russian attacks. Do most Americans want us to continue supporting Ukraine?

Are we closer to WWIII? Biden may approve giving Ukraine long-range missiles. Putin says that would mean NATO is at war with Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine drones are bombing Moscow.

Israeli History/Israeli Current Events

Upcoming Discussion

Mark Gelfeld leads a Zoom discussion at the Northbrook Library 10am to 11:30am every 2nd and 4th Thursday. Signup is free at this link. A library card is not needed. 
https://visit.northbrook.info/event/4628524

Israeli Current Events will be discussed for the first portion of our session.
Then...we'll continue reviewing events related to the First Lebanon War

Links below allow you to review slides we show and discuss at each session.

Zionism/Israeli History through 1967  

https://www.northbrook.info/sites/default/files/Zionism-Israeli%20History%20thru%201967-1.pdf

Israeli History: Post 1967 

https://www.northbrook.info/sites/default/files/Israeli%20History%20Post%201967-2_0.pdf

Israeli History: Post 1973

https://www.northbrook.info/sites/default/files/Israeli%20History%20Post%201973.pdf 

Below is a list of books mentioned during our sessions:

· "The Arab-Israeli Wars" by Chaim Herzog

· "Kissinger and the Yom Kippur War" by David Morse

· "The Making of Modern Israel 1948-1967" by Leslie Stein

· "Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict" by Charles D. Smith

· “The Iron Wall: Israel & The Arab World” by Avi Shlaim

· “Transformative Justice: Israeli Identity on Trial” by Leora Bilsky

· "Six Days of War : June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East" by Michael Oren

· “The Secret War Against The Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed the Jewish People” by John Loftus and Mark Aarons

· “A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel” by Allis Radosh and Ronald Rados

· "Truman" by David McCullough

· “Louis D. Brandeis: A Life” by Melvin Urofsky

· “The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership” by Yehuda Avner

· “George C. Marshall” by Forest Pogue (a 4 volume work- the most definitive biography)

· “1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War” by Benny Morris

· “Woodrow Wilson: A Biography” by John Milton Cooper, Jr

· “A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East” by David Fromkin

· "Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews": A History by James Carroll

· “In the Garden of the Beasts” by Erik Larson

· “My Promised Land - The Triumph & Tragedy of Israel” by Ari Shavit

· "A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide" by Samantha Power

· "The Physician" by Noah Gordon

· "Start-up Nation: the Story of Israel's Economic Miracle" by Dan Senor and Saul Singer

· "Eichmann in Jerusalem: a Report on the Banality of Evil" by Hannah Arendt

· "The Eichmann Trial" by Deborah Lipstadt

· "The House on Garibaldi Street" by Isser Harrel

· "Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices" by Mosab Hassan Yousef

· “Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life of A Mass Murder” by Bettina Stangneth

· "Jaffa Beach" by Fedora Horowitz

· "Operation Thunderbolt:  Flight 139 and the Raid on Entebbe Airport, the most Audacious Hostage Rescue in History", by Saul David

· "Abba Eban", A Biography by Asaf Siniver

· "Jerusalem: The Biography" by Simon Sebag Montefiore

· "The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine" by Ben Ehrenreich

· "Jabotinsky" by Hillel Halkin

· "Doomed to Succeed: The U.S. Israel Relationship from Truman to Obama" by Dennis Ross 

· "The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel" by Uri-Bar Joseph
· "FDR and the Jews" by Richard Breitman
· "No Ordinary Time" by Doris Kearns Goodwin
· "Remember the Liberty!:Almost Sunk by Treason on the High Seas" by Phillip F Nelson, Ronald G. Kukal, Ernest A. Gallo 
· "Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn" by Daniel Gordis
· "Every Spy a Prince" The Complete History of Israel's Intelligence Community by Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman
· "FDR and the Holocaust: A Breach of Faith" by Rafael Medoff
· "Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations" by Ronen Bergman

· "Then They Came for Me - Martin Niemoller, the Pastor Who Defied the Nazis" - Matthew Hockenos

· "We Stand Divided - The Rift Between American Jews and Israel" - Daniel Gordis
· "BiBi" - Anshel Pfeffer
· "Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the 40-year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East" - Kim Ghattas

WELCOME TO TODAY'S DISCUSSION

“Current Events” Code of Conduct

We respect each other and conduct our discussions with civility.

This includes:

•      Never using loud, abusive, threatening or insulting language.

•      Never offending, threatening, or insulting groups or individuals based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or any disability.

•      Never being under the influence of anything but our best behavior.

•      Never harming anyone, including fighting or challenging anyone to fight.

•      Understanding every aspect of Sexual Harassment - This includes: • making inappropriate personal comments or sexual advances • using obscene or lewd language or gestures • staring at, or following anyone in a manner that reasonably can be expected to disturb him or her • exposing others to sexual Internet content.

Ron's Rules:

1. Civility means treating each other with respect. Hate the comment. Love the commenter. When you make it personal, I will stop you. Talk to the issue. Respond like this: “I disagree. Strawberry is not better than butter pecan. Here’s why. ….”  Responses like this are out of line: “You’re an F-ing idiot if you think strawberry is better than butter pecan!”   Our goal is to shed light more than heat.

2. If someone else makes your point, you don’t need to make it again.

3. I try to seek different views. In doing so, I will call on some folks more than others so there’s a chance to hear different sides. But I may not get to everyone for some topics.

4. If you’re seeking a “support group” to vent heart-felt rants, go elsewhere. Attend with an open mind. You don’t need to agree with what you hear—just do try to understand the other side. I’m preaching to myself here as well.

5. Finally, It’s perfectly OK to push back against my questions you feel are too slanted or flat out incorrect. That’s going to happen.  Just don’t be picky in the interest of time.