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“Ufros alainu succot shlomecha” - spread upon us the sukkah (covering) of your peace. The joyous Yom Tov of Sukkos is rapidly approaching. (If you are reading this on Sukkos, well, it’s already here.) The song “v’samachta, b’chagecha, v’hayita…” is more associated with Sukkos than other Yomim Tovim. This is not a coincidence. Why is it that way?

(Oct. 6, 2024 / JNS) The first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacres in southern Israel adds yet another sacred date to a calendar already filled with those devoted to mourning tragedies in Jewish history. But the fresh pain from this most recent instance of Jewish suffering is due to more than the fact that it happened only 12 months ago. The war against Islamist terrorists that began that date is ongoing with hostilities against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. And more than 100 of the hostages taken on Oct. 7 are still unaccounted for or continue to be held captive by Palestinian terrorists.

(Oct. 11, 2024 / JNS) On Yom Kippur, there was, as there is every year, a lot of collective breast-beating in the American Jewish community for all that we’ve done wrong. And, then, as usual, we generally go back to doing many of the same things as soon as the fast is broken and our stomachs full. That this will happen is human nature and no different from innumerable times in the past when we have made collective promises.

While I listened to a shofar-blowing outside on Rosh HaShanah afternoon, it dawned on me that the distant sound of fighter jets was totally unremarkable. No one even looked up. 

The anniversary of the horrific attacks on October 7, 2023, should have been a time of mourning, reflection, and solidarity with the State of Israel. Because we live in an upside down and horrific world, however, it became an excuse for all those who want to see the Jewish state destroyed to march proudly and freely advocating as such, and for Jew-haters to spread their lies and propaganda with impunity. While not the sole perpetrators of this evil, the actions done on the campuses of Queens College and Columbia are especially noteworthy.

I wrote this article a number of years ago. Sadly, throughout this year, we find ourselves once again in a very painful and frightening period of time.