How should the media report hate crimes and alleged hate crimes? How should media report alleged hate crimes that are now suspected hoaxes? And lastly, most dizzyingly, how should media report alleged hate crimes that are now suspected hoaxes when the hoax may, itself, be a hoax?

In late January, “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who is black and gay, with Jewish heritage, was hospitalized after being attacked by two men who first shouted racial slurs, then beat him physically, poured a chemical substance on his face, and placed a noose around his neck, Chicago Police reported.

Chicago Police Department just sent out this statement re:
Jussie Smollett pic.twitter.com/DxQswZn8xd— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 29, 2019

Smollett told police that his attackers shouted, “This is MAGA country,” in reference to the President’s slogan.

The attack, the police wrote, was to be treated as “a possible hate crime.”

Now some sources have claimed that the attack was a hoax orchestrated by Smollett himself. On February 13, Vox reports, police arrested two brothers, who were being treated as “persons of interest.” It became clear that the two brothers knew Smollett professionally, and both were released, with the Chicago Police Department saying that new findings had “shifted the trajectory of the investigation.”

Multiple publications quoted unnamed sources who said that Smollett staged the attack, though on February 14 Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted that the hoax reports are “unconfirmed.” He added that reporting by ABC7Chicago, which claimed to use Chicago police as sources, was “uninformed and inaccurate.”

On the 17th, Guglielmi tweeted that detectives for the Chicago PD will interview Smollett again, writing, “While we are not in a position to confirm, deny or comment on the validity of what’s been unofficially released, there are some developments in this investigation and detectives have some follow-ups to complete which include speaking to the individual who reported the incident.”

The alleged attack has triggered an avalanche of responses as details have been released. One consistent factor has been pushback on social media against the reporting of the story.

Though responses to coverage have been consistently critical, the criticism itself has shifted on its axis. Initially, critics expressed disgust over reporting of an “alleged” attack and a “possible” hate crime. Later, critics berated media for reporting the alleged attack at all.

Possible hate crime? This is horrific. And a hate crime. Ugh.— Elisa Zied (@elisazied) January 29, 2019

Possible? Fuck you.— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) January 29, 2019

POSSIBLE hate crime?

They tied a rope around him, doused him in chemicals, yelled racial & homophobic slurs. Then yelled “This is MAGA country”.

Call it what it is. A hate crime by racist pieces of SHIT.— Chris Crocker xxx (@ChrisCrocker) January 29, 2019

this is the first article i’ve seen that actually calls the attack on Jussie Smollett what it was: racist and homophobic https://t.co/Nh60mVBR6q— Riley J. Dennis (@RileyJayDennis) January 29, 2019

Yet as accusations against Smollett have surfaced, others have called the media culpable for treating the Smollett story with too little scrutiny:

The Jussie Smollett debacle shows, yet again, that the media are more interested in pushing a left-wing agenda than sticking to facts. https://t.co/NO9OB5sTBo via @BenShapiro pic.twitter.com/nftCPjyuK9— National Review (@NRO) February 19, 2019

Odd that this story has been quietly evaporating from the liberal media. #JusticeForJussie! https://t.co/zs6rNq60Uw— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) February 12, 2019

New column—> Fakers Prefer to Play Victims Now, and the Press and Politicians Buying It Are Playing Into Trump’s Hands https://t.co/JuiPHAScDW— Matt Lewis (@mattklewis) February 18, 2019

Montage of mainstream media spreading fake news that #JussieSmollett was attacked by white men in MAGA hats. pic.twitter.com/1RV7YFtIQt— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) February 17, 2019

The criticism, which comes primarily from the left, that journalists and media groups should not hesitate to label clearly racist events, for example, as “racist” instead of “racially charged,” has become common. Criticism primarily from the right, that media is fixated on victims and addicted to stories about identity politics, is also nothing new.

But there’s no winning in the Smollett case anyway. It ends either with the vindication of a man who was brutally attacked and belittled, or the revelation that he lied will cast suspicion on anyone who comes forward as a victim of a hate crime.

Jenny Singer is the deputy life/features editor for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

If two people are hot and white enough, can we get past the fact that one of them is a Nazi-bystander and just enjoy watching them have sex?

Yes! A trailer for the movie “The Aftermath” emphatically answers.

Based on the book of the same title by Rhidian Brook, “The Aftermath” follows the true story of Brook’s grandfather in Hamburg, Germany in the fallout of the Second World War. A British colonel is given a requisitioned Hamburg mansion to use as a home base while he works to set the fire bombed city to rights. Soft of heart — Hamburg was known as the “Hiroshima” of Germany; bombing had left bodies bleeding in the streets — he allows the German mansion owner and the owner’s daughter to stay and cohabitate with him and his wife and son.

This is where Brook’s novel and movie (he penned the script, for director Ridley Scott) differ from history. In this story, Rachael, the Colonel’s wife, and German mansion-dweller Herr Lubert simply have too much sexual chemistry to be kept back by marriage vows or cultural allegiance or, say, whether or not one of them might be a war criminal. They seduce each other, falling into bed faster than you can say, “Hey, what did you do to retain an enormous mansion full of servants during Hitler’s war?”

Knightley’s character lost a child in the German bombing, while Alexander Skarsgård, her gauntly beautiful opposite, lost his wife to British bombings. But the important thing is that neither of them are Jews or blacks or queers or Roma, and neither has a disability, so they can still get nasty and stay pure.

Are people really so different? The book and movie ask. Is good really that different than bad? Can’t we all just get along, even members of the opposite sides of a war, so long as we are cream-colored and smooth?

Brooks’ book rarely mentions Jews, camps, or victims of genocide, and all mentions of such un-lovely topics come from the mouth of an alcoholic thief, who is “exotic [and] unEnglish-looking.” What are the 55,000 people who died at Neuengamme, the concentration camp just outside Hamburg, compared to the perfect facial symmetry of Alexander Skarsgård?

There’s no doubt that a movie that looks at the humanity of Germans trying to recover from World War II could be a worthy effort. But probably not one that aims to be, as Bustle called “The Aftermath,” “The sexiest movie of the year.”

Jenny Singer is the deputy life/features editor for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

A Jew dies and goes to heaven. Standing at the pearly gates, she sees…wait — is that Maya Rudolph? Or Steve Buscemi? Or can she not see anyone at all?

An uncanny theological dialogue has quietly broken out in the splashiest of places — network television — where three different shows, all by Jewish creators, portray God. One is a multiracial black, Jewish woman. One is a white, Italian man. And one God cannot be seen.

These days, God is all around, if you just turn on your TV.

Paging Michael Shur, Simon Rich, and Bryan Wynbrandt and Steven Lilien, the creators, respectively, of “The Good Place,” “Miracle Workers,” and “God Friended Me”: Are you guys okay? Is there anything you want to talk about? Can we put you in touch with a rabbi, or lend you a copy of Martin Buber?

In the meantime, let’s meet these Gods:

Judge Gen, “The Good Place,” NBC:

via GIPHY

The irreverent-yet-reverent smash hit of moral philosophy and fart jokes, “The Good Place” features a fitting “God” character — Judge Gen (it’s short for Hydrogen, since that’s the only thing that existed when she was born.) She likes burritos, doesn’t know anything about Earth, and does her best to be fair. She’s played by beloved comedian Maya Rudolph, an actress who is black and an Ashkenazi Jew. Rudolph’s God is funny and weird and not-necessarily-moral, and not necessarily God.

God, “Miracle Workers,” TBS:

via GIPHY

Similarly to “The Good Place,” Jewish wunderkind Simon Rich’s new show attempts a kind of parable in which we realize that life after death is just like life. So perhaps it’s fitting that God is, as he has so often been fashioned, an old white dude. Played by Steve Buscemi, the “God” of “Miracle Workers” looks more or less like the mental heuristic white Americans tend to hold fast to when we imagine a humanoid God. Either that or that’s just a really generous over-thinking of this issue and producers cast a white man as God because they thought that would be most believable for viewers. Rich’s God (the new TBS show is based off his novel; Rich is also the executive producer) is a scummy depressive who watches TV in a bathrobe. Like Judge Gen, he is kind of bad at his job, and is played by a beloved character actor.

God, “God Friended Me,” CBS:

via GIPHY

“God Friended Me” has a Christian-seeming ethos — discussions of blind faith, shots of light slanting through windows, and, more to the point, a preacher’s kid protagonist whose atheism is challenged when he receives a Facebook friend request from “God.” But both of the show’s creators, Bryan Wynbrandt and Steven Lilien, grew up Jewish. Wynbrandt and Lilien were drawn to the idea of Facebook, arguing that “social media is a really interesting metaphor for religion in that way because it started off as a great way for all of us to stay connected. And now it’s become this divisive tool.” It’s also an interesting way to stay in touch but invisible — the “God” of their show is not corporeal. Their God is also the least endearing.

So who is God? Or, short of answering that rather tricky question, who is God when realized most movingly and insightfully on our TV screens? In 2019, there are three drastically different visions of omnipotence on prime time. But one thing remains steadfast: the vision-havers — Schur, Rich, Wynbrandt, and Lilien — are all men.

Some things, I guess, are just eternal.

Jenny Singer is the deputy life/features editor for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

The difference between Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and his 2020 campaign?

“This time, we’re gonna win,” he told CBS on Tuesday morning, shortly after announcing his bid for candidacy.

What won’t be any different?

The onslaught of online takes about Sanders, particularly on Twitter.

Seeking the 2016 Democratic nomination, Sanders was defeated by Hillary Clinton by a significant margin, but the lasting success of his grassroots campaign that pushed aggressively for Medicare For All, tuition-free college, and a universal minimum wage — now most 2020 Democratic candidates are campaigning on similar promises.

If Sanders wins the presidency, he will be the oldest person ever to be inaugurated president, surpassing the current holder of that distinction, Donald Trump, by nine years. He will also be the first Jewish person to be president. And he will certainly be the first president whose celebrity doppelgänger is Larry David.

Let’s see what the internet has to say about all this. We’ve rounded up the best tweets about Bernie Sanders’ latest presidential run, skimming Jewish takes, thoughtful criticism, and fandom off a pile of bonkers partisanship.

Special consideration was given to tweets that made excellent use of GIFs.

Impressive early donor stats:

The Sanders campaign says that it received donations and sign-ons to a petition supporting his bid from 50 states within 20 minutes of launching.— Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) February 19, 2019

Bernie Sanders campaign confirms they raised $1 million in the first 3.5 hours since his announcement.— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) February 19, 2019

Pride:

Yes, Bernie is an old white guy. But not in the same way as, say, Joe Biden. Let’s not erase his Judaism and the fact that his family was wiped out in the Holocaust. He comes from a lineage of trauma, and I’m tired of the erasure. The potential of a 1st Jewish president matters.— Esor🥀 (@Esor_Fasa) February 19, 2019

Bernie, the polarizer:

My favorite thing about Bernie is that he prompts the most extravagant irrationality from literally every corner— Tobi Haslett (@TobiHaslett) February 19, 2019

BERNIE SANDERS: Causing Fights Between Friends since 2016— Susan Orlean (@susanorlean) February 19, 2019

Tweets that refer to Sanders as “Bernard:”

I was, am, and shall remain a Bernard Brother, and OH MAN am I not looking forward to the spicy takes— Nate Bethea (@inthesedeserts) February 19, 2019

Hot Bernadette Peters takes:

I never, ever want to hear the words “Bernie could’ve won” unless it’s in reference to this woman and the 2003 Tony Awards. pic.twitter.com/apMHTqcChb— Casey Mink (@Casey_Mink) July 27, 2017

Strong GIF-usage:

bernie and his online army arriving to 2020 twitter pic.twitter.com/T8CNXPTDiG— Steadman™ (@AsteadWesley) February 19, 2019

Bernie Bros emerging after the Sanders 2020 presidential announcement: pic.twitter.com/YKBVpgzlri— e.b. (@thick_and_tired) February 19, 2019

Double standard tweets:

Wonder why nobody is telling Bernie he should go knit or spend more time with his grandchildren.— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) February 19, 2019

What age does a male candidate have to be before this country will reasonably consider electing a woman?

My guess is 1000.— Victor LaValle (@victorlavalle) February 19, 2019

Love how women presidential candidates have to worry about likability while Alec Baldwin and Larry David play two of the men that are running.— Maris Kreizman (@mariskreizman) February 19, 2019

Tweets that involved the parents:

Nothing makes me happier than my dad referring to Bernie Sanders as my boy pic.twitter.com/EgKLTiQkKO— Matt Flood (@Floodius_) February 19, 2019

Me: Mom, who are you voting for in 2020?

Mom: The Jewish guy — Bernie Sander — who shouts like an Arab.— Khaled Beydoun (@KhaledBeydoun) February 19, 2019

Cosplay tweets:

When you look in the mirror and realize you’re a young #BernieSanders pic.twitter.com/o73dxj9Wg4— sumofadhal (@sumofadhal) February 19, 2019

A meta-tweet about articles like this one:

I really don’t think “evaluate candidates on the basis of the behavior of Twitter personalities that support them” is as sound an approach as some people seem to believe.— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 19, 2019

Jenny Singer is the deputy life/features editor for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny****

What’s the difference between Donald Trump and a bar mitzvah boy?

A bar mitzvah boy has studied, worked hard, and is finally mature enough to be treated as a man.

Ba-dum tssss.

On Monday night on “The Late Show,” the ever-affable Stephen Colbert gave the comic treatment to President Trump’s declaration of national emergency. Breaking down the President’s Friday Rose Garden announcement, which was rather full of tangents about Syria, chairs, the Nobel Prize, and Anne Coulter, Colbert said, “After five minutes of clumsy crisis foreplay, he ambled up to the idea of an emergency.”

Explaining his decision to declare a national emergency, Trump said, “I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster.”

This, Colbert pointed out, is akin to calling an ambulance to take you to the movies when Uber wait times are too long.

Here is a segment of Trump’s vision of the future, as he explained it in the Rose Garden:

“We will have a national emergency! And we will then be sued! And they will sue us in the 9th circuit! Even though it shouldn’t be there! And we will possibly get a bad ruling! And then we’ll get another bad ruling! And then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court! And hopefully we’ll get a fair shake! And win in the Supreme Court! Just like the ban!”

“A little sing-song! Don’t you think!” Colbert said, mimicking the President’s tone. “I can’t tell if he was answering a question or reading his Torah portion.”

The crowd roared, and Jon Batiste, the “Late Show” bandleader, cried out “Jacob Hirschman! Jacob Hirschman!”

It’s not the most incisive critique, when you consider the goldmine of potential bar mitzvah-related comedy. But Colbert is halfway to the truth — Trump sounds a little like a Torah reader, but he sounds almost exactly like a person saying the Haftarah blessing.

Take a listen (through 5:54):

And now, listen to this:

We’ll give Trump this Jewish cultural moment — he’s spot on.

Jenny Singer is the deputy life/features editor for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny