Here’s what we’re reading: expensive luxury trips to lure Hollywood stars to Israel; Ted Nugent’s anti-Semitic pro-gun Facebook post; the man keeping New Orleans’ most famous treat kosher.
Big-ticket items in awards show goodie bags are nothing new. But the luxury trip to Israel worth $55,000 in this Haaretz report sure is. “Are [Leonardo] DiCaprio, [Jennifer] Lawrence and [Sylvester] Stallone on their way to Israel?” asked a statement from the Tourism Ministry, where the idea originated. Says Haaretz:
The vouchers, worth $55,000 apiece, will be distributed to 26 Oscar contenders in the top film categories as well as to the presenters, for a total cost of nearly $1.5 million. Each voucher covers the price of an all-expenses-paid 10-day luxury trip to Israel for two.
Add to Ted Nugent’s assorted distinctions: Facebook anti-Semite. The famously right-wing rocker took serious criticism from Jewish groups after posting an image to Facebook on Monday which showed Israeli flags next to images of 12 Jewish politicians who support gun control, including Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “So who is really behind gun control?,” the graphic reads. As Times of Israel elaborates:
Nugent, a veteran rock guitarist and right wing political activist, is a board member of the National Rifle Association, and a supporter of the Republican Party. His remarks were lambasted by Jewish hate speech groups Anti-Defamation League and Simon Wiesenthal Center for what the latter called “anti-Semitic bigotry.”
And, if you’re headed to the Big Easy for Mardi Gras, have no fear: those beignets are kosher! Over at Tablet, meet Gabe Greenberg, the man who makes sure that the famously decadent beignets at the French Quarter’s iconic Café du Monde are kosher. And as for how he’s compensated for his services, it sounds more than fair to us:
Greenberg … is not paid for the inspections. Occasionally he’s tossed a plate of beignets, but this continuing project is more for the burgeoning Jewish community than the Café du Monde franchise.