Sometimes what is absent from a conversation is, or can be as important, as what is present. (See, e.g., Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story, The Adventure of Silver Blaze.) The same is true for museums: Sometimes, what’s not in a museum tells as powerful a story as what can be found in the museum.

To use a current example, in a 2020 interview, Jake Tapper told Lara Trump, “I think you were mocking his (Biden’s) stutter, and I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody’s cognitive decline.” The interesting silent part, to me, is who gave Jake Tapper standing to diagnose the absence of cognitive decline? It is said that Tapper later apologized to Lara Trump. Who knows? We only have his word.

Seal from the Reign of Hezekiah, who ruled in the first half of the 7th century BCE, by Rubén Betanzo S. CC BY-SA 3.0.

The prompt for this essay was a Joseph Klein piece in Front Page Magazine. It could have been any one of scores of similar articles. I just decided to write this after reading that one.

Klein writes,

Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old pro-Hamas supporter from Chicago, allegedly shot to death two Israeli Embassy employees who were leaving a reception on May 21st at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

We all know the drill. Evil Jews, Europeans all, came to the ancient homeland of the so-called “Palestinians,” like, yesterday and uprooted them from their ancient homeland, colonized it and have occupied it for a couple hundred years at most as filthy, white, colonizing, newcomer scum are wont to do.

Putting the murders aside for the moment, what is most interesting is the part about the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.

What is that? What artifacts and exhibits are housed in the Capital Jewish Museum in DC?

Per AI (Chat GPT) which I continue to dislike:

The Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. explores the Jewish experience in the national capital region through historical artifacts, photographs, and interactive exhibits. Here’s a look at some of its collections and exhibitions:

• Artifacts & Collections
  • Washington’s Oldest Synagogue – The museum incorporates Adas Israel, the city’s first purpose-built synagogue, originally dedicated in 1876.
  • Historic Photographs & Documents – Over 24,000 digital and print photographs, 1,050 objects, and 800 linear feet of archival materials from the 1850s to the present.
  • Jewish Business & Community Records – Personal papers, oral histories, and organizational records documenting Jewish life in D.C..
  • Matchbox from President Carter’s Hanukkah Event (1979) – A unique artifact from a White House Hanukkah celebration.
• Current & Ongoing Exhibitions
  • “LGBTJews in the Federal City” – A landmark exhibition exploring Jewish LGBTQ+ activism, culture, and legal milestones in D.C. (May 16, 2025 – Jan 4, 2026).
  • “What is Jewish Washington?” – A deep dive into Jewish life in D.C., featuring interactive maps, historic photographs, and artifacts.
  • “Connect. Reflect. Act.” – An immersive exhibit encouraging visitors to engage with Jewish history and social justice themes.

“Nothing before 1850?,” I asked the AInterlocutor?

Great question! While the Capital Jewish Museum primarily focuses on Jewish life in Washington, D.C., starting in the mid-19th century, it does feature items reflecting earlier Jewish history in the region. However, compared to broader Jewish museums, its collection does not emphasize pre-1850 artifacts as much.

• If you’re looking for older Jewish artifacts, you might want to explore:
• The Jewish Museum (New York City) – Houses ancient manuscripts, religious objects, and medieval artifacts.
• The Skirball Cultural Center (Los Angeles) – Features archaeological finds dating back to biblical times.
• The National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia) – Covers colonial-era Jewish history in America.

I basically stopped there, since the Skirball Cultural Center in LA featured finds dating back to biblical times. Biblical times date back to 4 millennia ago or more. Beats 1850.

So the next logical question is, “What museums are there to the history of the Palestinians, where are they and what is in their collections?” CHATTY CHATGPT, again (links from the original):

There are several museums dedicated to Palestinian history, culture, and heritage, each with unique collections showcasing art, artifacts, and historical narratives. Here are a few notable ones:

1. The Palestinian Museum – Birzeit, Palestine

• Focus: Palestinian history, art, and cultural heritage.
• Collection Highlights:
  • Thobes (traditional embroidered dresses)
  • Historical documents and artifacts
  • Contemporary Palestinian art
• More Info: Visit the Palestinian Museum

2. Museum of the Palestinian People – Washington, D.C., USA

• Focus: Palestinian identity, history, and diaspora.
• Collection Highlights:
  • Objects spanning 200 years of Palestinian history
  • Artifacts from Palestinian exile and refugee camps
  • Textiles, embroidery, and cultural items
• More Info: Learn about the Museum of the Palestinian People

3. Birzeit University Museum – Birzeit, Palestine

• Focus: Palestinian ethnography, textiles, and historical artifacts.
• Collection Highlights:
  • Tawfiq Canaan Palestinian Amulet Collection (1,380+ pieces)
  • Textiles Collection (historic Palestinian embroidered clothing)
  • Archaeological and cultural artifacts
• More Info: Explore Birzeit University Museum

“And what are the Historical Documents and Archives at Birzeit?” Tell me AI:

• Over 200 years of Palestinian life documented through photographs, letters, diaries, and publications.
• The Palestinian Museum Digital Archive – A collection of endangered, dispersed, and inaccessible documents from 1800 to the present.
• Primary documents related to Palestinian resistance, daily life, and cultural heritage

As it turns out, the so-called “Palestinians” can muster but 200 years of history.

So this human detritus supporter of the so-called “Palestinians” killed two Jews to “Free, Free Palestine,” so the people who can only come up with 200 years of history in their less than a handful of museums can get land from the people who have been there for ~4 millennia.

The sad lesson of human excrement supporting the so-called “Palestinians” is learned from the murder of two much more worthwhile Jews.

An ongoing lesson is learned from what is not said aloud – there is no museum because there is no history to this contrivance of a faux nation/people.

Perhaps had the alleged murderer – and his historically-/mentally-/cognitively- impaired ilk – known this, two people would still be alive and he would have realized that Palestine (really, the ~23% that remained after 77% was taken from the Jews by the Brits) is free.

It is called Israel.