Former President Donald Trump and 18 others were indicted Monday night by a grand jury in Atlanta in a sweeping racketeering case. They are accused of organizing a criminal enterprise and committing a total of 161 criminal acts attempting to reverse the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. 

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It is the fourth major criminal indictment of Trump. Here are some of the columns we published after the others.

Once upon a time, eager acolytes thought their false Messiah could make their country great again Sound familiar? Rob Zaretsky, a history professor and regular Forward contributor, was talking about Sabbatai Sevi, the 17th century rabbi and mystic. The thousands of Jews who flocked to Sevi were dumbfounded when their leader converted to Islam. “To survive a leader’s act of apostasy, whether political or theological,” Zaretsky writes, “a movement needs both a base filled with fanatical devotion and a front office led by a skilled spinmeister.” Read the story ➤

Also by Rob Zaretsky: Trump compared his last indictment to Nazi Germany. He was right, but for all the wrong reasons.

Opinion | Why this rabbi isn’t celebrating (or dismissing) the Trump indictments: “The Jewish sacralization of law requires a more sober attitude than rejoicing over the misfortunes of one’s enemies — even of one’s oppressors,” writes Rabbi Jay Michaelson. “Bringing the powerful to justice is always a sacred duty, and it must be discharged with appropriate seriousness.” Read the essay ➤

Plus: In the Florida case regarding classified documents, Trump is accused of violating the Espionage Act. So were the Rosenbergs.

Former Trump adviser blames Jews for boarding trains to Auschwitz: Michael Flynn, Trump’s notoriously short-lived national security adviser, falsely stated that “there weren’t any guards” monitoring deportations and that Holocaust victims could have simply walked away or defied Hitler’s soldiers. The clip of his speech has been viewed 8 million times since it was posted to Twitter on Friday. It’s not the first time that Flynn, a retired U.S. Army General and Christian nationalist, has made controversial statements about Jews. We’ve rounded up seven more of his past remarks. Read the story ➤

The new world champion of Scrabble can spell schlep four ways: David Eldar, a 33-year-old from Australia, won the tournament in Las Vegas last month with words like zep and fyce. He spends 10 to 15 hours a week practicing the game. Our Beth Harpaz asked Eldar about Jewish words, his tips for winning, and his favorite Wordle starting word. Read the story ➤

Opinion | Covering the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and its aftermath tested me as a Jewish journalist: Ron Kampeas of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was one of the first reporters on the scene hours after the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history. He’s gone back several times, most recently to cover the months-long trial that ended with the shooter being sentenced to death. It “delivered a punch to my gut,” Kampeas says of the experience. Read the essay ➤

And one more: New York Mayor Eric Adams appointed Fabien Levy, a Persian Jew, as deputy mayor. Colleagues call Levy a “true mensch.”

On this day in history (1939): The Wizard of Oz premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. With songs by the Jewish composer-lyricist team Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, the film adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s fantasy novel about Dorothy’s trip down the yellow brick road took on a distinctly Jewish perspective. Forward contributor Benjamin Ivry says the wistful “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” has an  “innate message of vey is mir despite the overt optimism.”

Murray’s Cheese introduced a new logo. Notice that it now says “Est. 1962.” This comes two years after Andrew Silverstein debunked the iconic brand’s origin myth and its 1940 founding date in an exposé in our pages.

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Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh, Rebecca Salzhauer and Talya Zax for contributing to today’s newsletter. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com.