Those who follow college basketball closely will know that the University of Kentucky’s much-admired coach, John Calipari, is leaving for Arkansas. Among those wishing him well is the local Chabad rabbi Shlomo Litvin, who developed a friendship with the coach. Kelsey Dallas writes:

Rabbi Litvin described getting to know Calipari through a series of casual run-ins at a coffee shop. The two men would exchange polite hellos and sometimes chat about the latest developments affecting campus life. But in late 2018, after eleven people died during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, their conversation took on a more serious tone, Rabbi Litvin said. Calipari, who grew up in Pennsylvania and used to work in Pittsburgh, expressed his concern and offered his support.

“He compassionately shared how horrified he was by the shooting, inquired how our community was, and how I was doing personally. He shared about his own connections to the city. Then he asked: How can I help?” Rabbi Litvin wrote.

Calipari ultimately agreed to be part of a menorah-lighting ceremony for Hanukkah, even though the event was taking place during basketball season. . . . Calipari and Rabbi Litvin went on to work together on other community initiatives, including a rebuilding effort after a tornado hit Kentucky in 2021.

Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas (the latter necessary to prevent further hostage taking) are to some extent contradictory, since Yahya Sinwar, the ruler of the Gaza Strip, will only turn over hostages in exchange for concessions. But Jacob Nagel remains convinced that Jerusalem should continue to pursue both goals:

Only consistent military pressure on Hamas can lead to the hostages’ release, either through negotiation or military operation. There’s little chance of reaching a deal with Hamas using current approaches, including the latest Egyptian proposal. Israeli concessions would only encourage further pressure from Hamas.

There is no incentive for Hamas to agree to a deal, especially since it believes it can achieve its full objectives without one. Unfortunately, many contribute to this belief, mainly from outside of Israel, but also from within.

Recent months saw Israel mistakenly refraining from entering Rafah for several reasons. Initially, the main [reason was to try] to negotiate a deal with Hamas. However, as it became clear that Hamas was uninterested, and its only goal was to return to its situation before October 7—where Hamas and its leadership control Gaza, Israeli forces are out, and there are no changes in the borders—the deal didn’t mature.