Whether he actually goes through with his on-air moment of silence to honor the Munich 11 during tonight’s Olympics opening ceremonies, NBC broadcaster Bob Costas probably elevated the campaign to memorialize Israel’s slain athletes from the 1972 Games more than anyone else — even the president of the United States. The petition with more than 105,000 signatures that was begun by volunteers at a suburban New York JCC, which turned into a global movement involving heads of state and parliaments, was not enough to convince International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge that Israel’s murdered athletes are worth memorializing at an official event during the Olympic Games. But it probably gave the issue more publicity than had Rogge agreed to the moment of silence in the first place.

Call her the Magenta Yenta, the Diva of the District. Hey, take it as far as ABC News does and focus hard on her constantly gesticulating hands and make a joke about how she yaks, yaks, yaks. Mindy Meyer may invite borderline bigoted coverage, but her all-pink website (set to the beat of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I know it”) is getting the longshot GOP candidate for a New York state Senate seat loads of attention. OK, maybe the 22-year old goes a little overboard — posing with a kiddie bow and arrow and promising “no more hunger games.” But she pins some policies down with clear no-nonsense language, such as opposing the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policies and endorsing school vouchers. So maybe she’s not, as she claims, the first “young” woman to run for the body (Diane Savino was 39 when she ran in 2004; is that young?), or even the first Orthodox woman. But she is getting the airtime.

Solomon Krishef, a blind teenager at Camp Ramah in Canada, learned that the camp wouldn’t allow him to continue for the summer session’s second four weeks, saying they could no longer accommodate his needs in his fifth summer at the camp. His father, Rabbi David Krishef, wanted the world to know about the family’s subsequent anguish. The rabbi’s blog made its way through the Ramah world and beyond, leading to a quick reversal of the camp director’s decision. Although Solomon decided not the return to camp, his experience left many pondering how well Jewish camps accommodate youngsters with special needs – whether cognitive, developmental, physical, emotional or any combination.

When America woke up last Friday to news of the tragic “Batman” shooting in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, many turned to Twitter to express their emotions. Among them was Jason Alexander – a.k.a. George Costanza of “Seinfeld,” who is known for being politically vocal on Twitter. Alexander started tweeting about gun control and the need for limits on assault rifles,  sparking heated debate among followers. That prompted him to step out of the 140-character Twitter limit and explain his opinion in a long online letter, turning him into a flag-bearer on the issue of gun control.

Michael Goldstein has no shame about being a flip-flopper; in fact, he’s eager to let the world know of his shift from life-long Democrat to supporter of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. He’s now starring in a video called “My Buyer’s Remorse,” part of a $6.5 million campaign blitz by the Republican Jewish Coalition.  Goldstein’s spot, the first in a series to be released by the RJC, is aimed at persuading Jewish voters to cast their ballots for Romney come November based on President Obama’s past and future Israel policies.