All posts tagged: apologizing

A horrific Oct. 7 report demands that Jews stop apologizing for their anguish

A horrific Oct. 7 report demands that Jews stop apologizing for their anguish

Published by Sam Flores

Warning: This post contains references to sexual violence. (RNS) — Sitting on my bookshelf at precisely eye level is the saddest book I know. “The Literature of Destruction: Jewish Responses to Catastrophe,” edited by David G. Roskies, who teaches at the Jewish Theological Seminary, is a 700-page anthology of Jewish literary responses to persecution, from the Bible through the Holocaust. The book consists of sacred text, poetry, fiction, memoirs and art. Its constant theme is, what did it mean for Jews to record, to remember and to return to some semblance of sanity after the catastrophes that faced our people? But for the past two days, I have been reading a document that challenges the Roskies volume in its impact. A recently released 300-page report by an Israeli researcher commission on the sexual and gender-based violence during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel and against hostages held in Gaza is a modern book of Lamentations. The report’s central conclusion: Hamas’ acts of sexual violence were not merely isolated incidents coming from bad actors. …

Mandelson calls Epstein friendship a ‘terrible mistake’ but stops short of apologizing to victims – POLITICO

Mandelson calls Epstein friendship a ‘terrible mistake’ but stops short of apologizing to victims – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“I want to apologize for a system that refused to hear their voices and did not give them the protection they were entitled to expect,” Mandelson said. “That system gave him protection and not them.” In the interview, Mandelson also said he never witnessed inappropriate behavior while spending time with Epstein and claimed he was “kept separate” from Epstein’s sexual activities because he is gay. U.K. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said Mandelson’s refusal to apologize directly to victims was a missed opportunity. “It would have gone a long way for Peter to have apologized to the victims,” she said, adding that she would not have maintained contact with someone in Epstein’s position. Mandelson was dismissed as ambassador in September 2025 after emails emerged showing he sent supportive messages to Epstein following his conviction for soliciting a minor. Mandelson said during the BBC interview that the emails were a “shock” and that he no longer possessed them at the time of his appointment. Asked whether he deserved to be fired, Mandelson said he understood the decision …