Abe Silberstein
@abesilbe.bsky.social
Writer, Ph.D. student in History and Jewish Studies at New York University. Interested in modern political history, labor, migration, diaspora, and religion.
Pinned
Abe Silberstein
@abesilbe.bsky.social
· Aug 19
After a long and productive break, I think I am ready to use social media in moderation again. Or until I delete again. Anyway, here goes.
Reposted by Abe Silberstein
America has a housing shortage. Every single housing proposal you see that is not "build more housing" will have the primary effect of pushing up the prices of existing housing, and is therefore, in reality, a plan to enrich current homeowners. In conclusion, build more housing.
President Trump will issue a plan next week for letting Americans tap their 401(k)s for a down payment on a home, a senior White House official said Friday.
Trump Plan Would Let Americans Use 401(k)s for Down Payments on Homes, Official Says
President Trump will issue a plan next week for letting Americans tap their 401(k)s for a down payment on a home, a senior White House official said Friday.
on.wsj.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:11 PM
America has a housing shortage. Every single housing proposal you see that is not "build more housing" will have the primary effect of pushing up the prices of existing housing, and is therefore, in reality, a plan to enrich current homeowners. In conclusion, build more housing.
There was every reason to believe this would be the case from the start. Here's what I wrote in 2021:
www.haaretz.com/us-news/2021...
www.haaretz.com/us-news/2021...
January 16, 2026 at 8:20 PM
There was every reason to believe this would be the case from the start. Here's what I wrote in 2021:
www.haaretz.com/us-news/2021...
www.haaretz.com/us-news/2021...
Scam vs. Scam
The Donald Trump vs. Eric Adams general election would shake the foundations of the Earth and undam the Heavenly Tides from beyond the Spheres of the Moon; all would be as ashes and dust, and the Seas would rise up like a cresting mountain. I unequivocally support it happening as soon as possible.
this has the ring of truth but the other public figure it most strongly applies to is eric adams, whom we should all fear making a presidential run
January 16, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Scam vs. Scam
Reposted by Abe Silberstein
99% chance this is what they mean
January 14, 2026 at 5:25 PM
99% chance this is what they mean
This isn’t actually a historical fact, though. The West German state was crawling with ex-Nazis, as was the East German military command. Konrad Adenauer’s chief of staff worked on the Nuremberg Laws! Yes, Nazi leaders were punished and the party was banned. We won’t even get that.
The congressional switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. Put it in your cell phone. Use it. If you're not calling at least once a week, you're not doing your part.
January 14, 2026 at 2:10 PM
This isn’t actually a historical fact, though. The West German state was crawling with ex-Nazis, as was the East German military command. Konrad Adenauer’s chief of staff worked on the Nuremberg Laws! Yes, Nazi leaders were punished and the party was banned. We won’t even get that.
A wonderful reflection on a type of lovely character university environments once fostered.
The Last Intellectual | Michael Casper
Years after defending his dissertation, perhaps unable to adapt or evolve, he appeared stuck in an eternal limbo that would give any student the night sweats. On the other hand, John seemed an extreme...
www.nplusonemag.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:38 AM
A wonderful reflection on a type of lovely character university environments once fostered.
The Epstein story makes so much more sense when you realize that he was tossing golden crumbs and attracting a pigeon swarm of nouveau riche.
The White House has added a new sign above the Rose Garden reading “The Rose Garden.”
January 13, 2026 at 8:37 PM
The Epstein story makes so much more sense when you realize that he was tossing golden crumbs and attracting a pigeon swarm of nouveau riche.
Reposted by Abe Silberstein
I'm sorry but if you got rugpulled by *Eric Adams* you were going to lose your money to a man selling you magic beans or leprechaun meat anyway. Quite possibly also Eric Adams.
January 13, 2026 at 7:25 PM
I'm sorry but if you got rugpulled by *Eric Adams* you were going to lose your money to a man selling you magic beans or leprechaun meat anyway. Quite possibly also Eric Adams.
Reposted by Abe Silberstein
Not a dime of Democratic political capital should be spent defending the Clintons on Epstein. Their fight is not the country's.
Facing Contempt Threat, Clintons Refuse to Testify in Epstein Inquiry
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Not a dime of Democratic political capital should be spent defending the Clintons on Epstein. Their fight is not the country's.
Deborah Lipstadt has become one of the least reliable public commentators on antisemitism in the United States. Truly a remarkable turn in one's career.
It makes Jews much less safe when we presume all antisemitism comes from Muslims, and imply it couldn’t possibly be Christians.
Sincerely,
A Jew who lived in Jackson, loved living there, wore a yarmulke every day, and is unsurprised a white, religious Christian man set fire to the synagogue there
Sincerely,
A Jew who lived in Jackson, loved living there, wore a yarmulke every day, and is unsurprised a white, religious Christian man set fire to the synagogue there
January 13, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Deborah Lipstadt has become one of the least reliable public commentators on antisemitism in the United States. Truly a remarkable turn in one's career.
A decade or two ago, there would have been little support among the rank-and-file of AHA for such resolutions. As in many other spheres, pro-Israelism is losing its hegemony. It now relies on raw power exercised from the top. That is not sustainable in the long term.
Leaders of Historians’ Group Veto Resolutions Critical of Israel
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 1:59 PM
A decade or two ago, there would have been little support among the rank-and-file of AHA for such resolutions. As in many other spheres, pro-Israelism is losing its hegemony. It now relies on raw power exercised from the top. That is not sustainable in the long term.
Haaretz could not get more a ringing endorsement from the government.
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
January 13, 2026 at 2:43 AM
Haaretz could not get more a ringing endorsement from the government.
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Reposted by Abe Silberstein
I'm FOR the independence of the Fed.
I'm AGAINST the attack of Jerome Powell.
I HOPE business reacts strongly.
But it would be nice if business types, now bestirred, also condemned ICE's attacks on immigrants and Americans--not just Trump's attack on the Fed.
I'm AGAINST the attack of Jerome Powell.
I HOPE business reacts strongly.
But it would be nice if business types, now bestirred, also condemned ICE's attacks on immigrants and Americans--not just Trump's attack on the Fed.
January 12, 2026 at 12:58 PM
I'm FOR the independence of the Fed.
I'm AGAINST the attack of Jerome Powell.
I HOPE business reacts strongly.
But it would be nice if business types, now bestirred, also condemned ICE's attacks on immigrants and Americans--not just Trump's attack on the Fed.
I'm AGAINST the attack of Jerome Powell.
I HOPE business reacts strongly.
But it would be nice if business types, now bestirred, also condemned ICE's attacks on immigrants and Americans--not just Trump's attack on the Fed.
Reposted by Abe Silberstein
You did not see this kind of statement from the Turkish central bank before Erdogan staffed it with sycophants because he had carefully laid the groundwork to do so without resistance over the course of 15 or so years. And then once he did do it, inflation went from 10% to 86% in two years.
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:06 AM
You did not see this kind of statement from the Turkish central bank before Erdogan staffed it with sycophants because he had carefully laid the groundwork to do so without resistance over the course of 15 or so years. And then once he did do it, inflation went from 10% to 86% in two years.
Will Israeli university leaders speak out or choose to remain in "the national consensus"?
Israel bars entry to French historian over alleged 'anti-Zionist' views
Prof. Vincent Lemire, a French Historian of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Who Previously Lived in Israel, Was Notified Days Before His Arrival in Tel Aviv That His Visa Had Been Revoked. French Off...
www.haaretz.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:13 AM
Will Israeli university leaders speak out or choose to remain in "the national consensus"?
"There are slogans heard on the streets calling for freedom, but not necessarily for democracy. Beyond that, it is extremely difficult to discern with any confidence where this could lead, whether the regime collapses or manages to endure."
The Bloody Lesson the Ayatollah Took from the Shah
With demonstrations in dozens of cities across Iran, Ali Khamenei and his regime are faced with a dilemma.
www.newyorker.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:01 AM
"There are slogans heard on the streets calling for freedom, but not necessarily for democracy. Beyond that, it is extremely difficult to discern with any confidence where this could lead, whether the regime collapses or manages to endure."
Until the larger culture stops validating the belief that law enforcement are "warriors" adjacent to the military, I'm not sure any tweaks in training will matter. The toxic workplace culture, the transmission of "knowledge" from one generation of cops to the next, will undermine any modest reform.
I'll preface this with saying that I'm a liberal and think liberalism is good, but the mewling about training from so many Dems is an absurd example of liberal proceduralist pathology.
Chris Murphy: "The amount of training that's given to an ICE officer has been cut in half by this administration. The number of days of training they get are 47. You know why they get 47 days? As an homage to the vanity of POTUS. No wonder the number of violent incidents are going through the roof."
January 11, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Until the larger culture stops validating the belief that law enforcement are "warriors" adjacent to the military, I'm not sure any tweaks in training will matter. The toxic workplace culture, the transmission of "knowledge" from one generation of cops to the next, will undermine any modest reform.
Reposted by Abe Silberstein
The reactionary centrist logic is simple: if the left does something bad it’s the left’s fault, and if the right does something bad, it’s also the left’s fault for making them do it. It’s a simple formula and once you see it every one of their arguments is the same
January 10, 2026 at 11:24 PM
The reactionary centrist logic is simple: if the left does something bad it’s the left’s fault, and if the right does something bad, it’s also the left’s fault for making them do it. It’s a simple formula and once you see it every one of their arguments is the same
"America First is often misunderstood as isolationist. But it’s never been that...It’s better described as anti-universalist, as a tribalist nationalism that rejects the burden of global stewardship while clinging fiercely to regional supremacy."
Trump, Venezuela and the doctrine that wouldn’t die
Long seen as defunct, the Monroe Doctrine is being invoked once again as a blueprint for assertive US foreign policy. Historian Greg Grandin charts the rise, fall and rebirth of an ambiguous creed
www.ft.com
January 10, 2026 at 5:01 PM
"America First is often misunderstood as isolationist. But it’s never been that...It’s better described as anti-universalist, as a tribalist nationalism that rejects the burden of global stewardship while clinging fiercely to regional supremacy."
Reposted by Abe Silberstein
Kids are freezing to death in Gaza.
January 10, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Kids are freezing to death in Gaza.
It is demoralizing, but we must remember that powerful institutions will invariably side with power. We have to find and exercise leverage.
It's incredibly demoralizing to constantly see the highest institutions of government and academia and the most important and widely seen news outlets knuckle under one after another, but then to see the gulf between that and the bravery of communities and neighbors and teachers - that's something
January 10, 2026 at 5:10 AM
It is demoralizing, but we must remember that powerful institutions will invariably side with power. We have to find and exercise leverage.
Incisive essay by Noam Pianko on a counter-Brandeisian American Zionist tradition that emerged in the 1950s and crystalized in the '60s and '70s. The intellectual origins of today's establishment consensus.
muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/edite...
muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/edite...
January 10, 2026 at 3:35 AM
Incisive essay by Noam Pianko on a counter-Brandeisian American Zionist tradition that emerged in the 1950s and crystalized in the '60s and '70s. The intellectual origins of today's establishment consensus.
muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/edite...
muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/edite...
"A decade into Trump’s political career and nearly a year into his second term, we can now say definitively that the President’s signature geopolitical move is not withdrawing the United States from the world but performative displays of force to impose his will on it."
Why Donald Trump Wants Greenland (and Everything Else)
There’s no Trump Doctrine, just a map of the world that the President wants to write his name on in big gold letters.
www.newyorker.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:22 AM
"A decade into Trump’s political career and nearly a year into his second term, we can now say definitively that the President’s signature geopolitical move is not withdrawing the United States from the world but performative displays of force to impose his will on it."
I don't know why this is so jarring when we're living through a Strom Thurmond administration, but it is.
We've reached the point where the world's wealthiest person is just openly promoting the John Birch Society.
January 9, 2026 at 8:48 PM
I don't know why this is so jarring when we're living through a Strom Thurmond administration, but it is.