By Adam Pagnucco.
Below are the top ten stories on Montgomery Perspective in October 2023, ranked by page views.
1. Don’t Equivocate About Jew Hate
2. Jewish Organizations Blast MCPS
3. The Police Staffing Crisis Gets Worse
4. Are Heads Starting to Roll at MCPS?
5. Sexual Discrimination Lawsuit Filed Against MCPS, Beidleman
6. MCPS Releases “A Framework for Change”
7. The Dumbest County Council Debate Today
8. MCEA Discusses Class Action Lawsuit with Members
9. (tie). Elrich: County Regulators are Overloaded
9. (tie). Silver Diner Owner: Tip Credit Elimination Led to $7,000 Monthly Loss
I don’t usually post content about international issues. This site is about issues directly affecting Montgomery County and Maryland. Readers don’t come here to read about events happening overseas. So why did I ask Council Member Andrew Friedson to write a guest column about Hamas’s massacre of Jewish civilians on October 7?
One reason is that because of the nature of our community, the line between domestic and foreign issues can get a little blurry. Walk around Silver Spring, Wheaton, Gaithersburg, Rockville and pretty much anywhere in MoCo and you can tell that MoCo is the world. Our residents are as or more engaged with other parts of the world as in any locality in America. That can come from our family, our friends, our professional work or our interests. Whatever the reasons, we feel the impact of big events elsewhere more than most local communities.
Second, the intentions of Hamas as stated in its covenant are to eliminate Israel and kill all Jews. That’s the very definition of antisemitism and that sentiment exists in our county. I have written about this before and so has former Town of Chevy Chase Council Member Joel Rubin. Predictably, Israel’s response to Hamas has provoked even more antisemitism in our schools. The links between Hamas’s terrorist attack in Israel and rising antisemitism inside our county makes this a local story.
Finally, I have a bias: I grew up in the Catskills and worked in a Borscht Belt hotel. I’m not Jewish but I developed an appreciation for Jewish religion and culture a long time ago. When my Jewish friends both here and from New York were reeling from an abhorrent act of terror targeting their core identity and feeling unsafe even in their own communities, I knew that pretending it didn’t happen was not an option. I also knew that I wasn’t the best messenger. So I went out and found the right guy to write about this: Andrew Friedson.
Let’s set aside the county political issues of the day for a moment. Friedson got this one exactly right – defining what Hamas is, drawing a distinction between Hamas and Palestinian civilians, mourning the loss of all innocent lives (including Palestinians), assigning responsibility to Hamas for the current warfare in Gaza and giving voice to Jews in a very hard moment. He also discussed the response of his synagogue, reinforcing the local dimension of this issue. My childhood friends read and circulated his column even though they have never met him. And they were grateful.
That said, the focus of this site will forever remain Montgomery County and Maryland. When you read our top stories list, the local issue that comes up most often is the growing problems at MCPS. Make no mistake: MCPS is the crown jewel of Montgomery County. As MCPS goes, so do the rest of us. That’s the story I am going to continue to follow until our school system’s governance improves.
And I know you will too.