JNS.org – As a rabbi, I’ve often had to juggle conflicting life-cycle events in a single day. I’ve gone from a funeral to a wedding, from a brit milah to an unveiling, and over the years, from happy occasions to cemeteries and back. This is precisely what is happening this week in Israel.

It is the annual season of emotional roller coasters in Israel and for Jews around the world. First, we had the festive celebrations of Passover, tempered by the Yizkor memorial service on the final day of the chag. Then it was Yom Hashoah, as we remembered the Holocaust and our 6 million martyrs. And now we have Yom Hazikaron, where we recall and pay tribute to Israel’s fallen heroes, a day which, in recent years, has included all the innocent victims of terror.

And this leads immediately to celebrations of Israel’s statehood and sovereignty, or, as some have cynically labeled it, Israel’s annual barbecue day.

Juggling contrary emotions and such powerful opposing feelings is never easy. If we Jews sometimes seem to be schizophrenic, well, now you know why.

But how do we manage? With all the wars, intifadas, never-ending terror attacks, and, most recently, the horrific Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, how have the people of Israel managed to retain their sanity and emotional equilibrium? Where does the now-renowned resilience of Israelis come from?

Of course, there is a sense of nationalism. Others talk of powerful feelings of peoplehood and shared destiny. I would suggest that for most Israelis, there is something much deeper: faith.

Since Oct. 7, in particular, we have witnessed completely secular soldiers and citizens shouting Shema Yisrael, “Hear, O Israel,” in moments of danger. We’ve seen nonreligious Israel Defense Forces heroes begging for tzitzit, tefillin, siddurim and tehillim, Psalms. Released hostages are sharing how, though they hardly went to synagogue, their faith kept them sane and hopeful, even in those dreadful underground circumstances. One recounted how she would repeat a single prayer—the only prayer she knew—day after day in those months of captivity, and how it never failed to strengthen her. Another shared how a little Torah booklet left behind by a chayal, an Israeli soldier, sustained her throughout his hundreds of days in captivity.

The phrase Am Yisrael Chai has become a cliché now, but its foundation is not only a sense of patriotism. It not only refers to the nation of Israel, the State of Israel, but the people of Israel, and it goes way beyond mere nationalism. It resonates with peoplehood, history and destiny—a higher calling that will never end.

We are not only the people of Israel. We are God’s people, and we have a mission to fulfill.

It never ceases to amaze me how Israel, with all its existential threats, surrounded by mortal enemies on every side that plot its destruction (and would repeat Oct. 7 again and again, if they only could), is ranked at No. 8 on the top 10 list of happiest countries in the world, according to the World Happiness Report 2025. Somehow, Finland always wins, but Israel is the happiest country in the Middle East and also ahead of the United States of America. And this is even after Oct. 7!

It’s quite unbelievable, but it tells a compelling story. Clearly, the people of Israel enjoy a sense of purpose and fulfillment that lifts them beyond the regular routines of running to bomb shelters. Happiness in life is not just measured by creature comforts or in living a sequestered life far from the madding crowd, like the people in the Nordic region. Israel possesses a higher calling, and a higher and deeper purpose in life. There is something eternal about our existence that brings both meaning and happiness.

This same faith is reflected in the story of the Haftarah we read this week in synagogues around the world. It comes from ll Kings (7:3-20) and tells the tale of a great miracle promised by the prophet Elisha. Samaria was under siege by Aram, a formidable enemy with a large army. The siege led to a terrible famine, and people were dying of starvation. The price of food had skyrocketed beyond affordability.

Elisha prophesized to the corrupt Jewish King Jehoram that a miracle would occur the very next day, and that food would be available in such abundance that the prices would drop to rock bottom. One of the king’s courtiers responded skeptically that God Himself could not perform such a miracle. It was impossible. Elisha said that the courtier would see it happen with his own eyes but would be unable to partake of it.

The Haftarah tells the story of how the miracle unfolded. Indeed, true to Elisha’s word, the Aramean army was suddenly seized by inexplicable fear and fled in terror. The siege was lifted, and food became plentiful. In the mad dash by the people to find the provisions left behind, the cynical courtier was trampled to death. He did, indeed, see the prophet’s word fulfilled, but sadly, he didn’t live to benefit from it.

The word of God mandating our people more than 3,000 years ago with a national mission and destiny in our promised land and beyond, continues to nurture and sustain us through all our traumas and tsuris. We have experienced shock and loss, with thousands of us bereaved, injured and traumatized. But we have also experienced many remarkable miracles. Slowly but surely, our enemies are being defeated.

We continue to believe in our mission and our mandate. We are still happy people. Please, God, we will remain happy, strong and faithful, and live to celebrate our complete victory very soon.

The post A Nation Like No Other first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

i24 News – The Israeli military is calling up tens of thousands reservists on Saturday, as the offensive against Palestinian jihadists in the Gaza Strip is set to expand.

The plan was approved on Friday during a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the heads of the military and the security echelon.

While the plan awaits final ratification by the security cabinet, slated to convene Sunday, it is understood that this step is seen as a formality.

At present, there are three IDF divisions operative in Gaza. While Israeli leadership has repeatedly stated that its ultimate goal is dislodging Hamas, the current, more restrained goal is to pressure the jihadist group into releasing Israeli hostages. It is not immediately apparent whether the mobilization announced on Saturday represents a decisive change in strategy, or a further increase in the pressure applied on Hamas.

There are 59 Israelis held in Gaza, of which at least 24 are believed to be alive.

The post Israel Calls Up ‘Tens of Thousands’ of Reserve Soldiers first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

JNS.org – For decades, political observers have judged American presidents by their first 100 days—a somewhat arbitrary marker that can still offer insights into the administration’s priorities and governing style. Trump has done more during this time than any other president. His decisions have been good, questionable or awful, depending on your partisanship. That is true of his policy toward the Middle East and Israel specifically.

If anyone ever believed that Trump holds a special regard for the US-Israel relationship, his imposition of a 17% tariff on Israeli goods, after Israel eliminated tariffs on American imports, should shatter that illusion. Israel is facing harsher tariffs than many countries that are not allies.

Trump’s advisors and cabinet are a mixed bag of pro-Israel stalwarts and isolationists. There are officials with ties to Qatar and others with far-right extremists. One of the more promising appointments has been Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has initiated a much-needed overhaul of the US State Department, eliminating USAID—a move with mixed consequences, given that it both defunded problematic NGOs and cut off support for Israeli hospitals. Another positive addition to the State Department is Mike Huckabee, a Christian Zionist appointed as US ambassador to Israel.

If you substitute the name Obama or Biden for many of Trump’s other policies, Jewish conservatives would be apoplectic. Remember the uproar when Obama visited Cairo and skipped Jerusalem? Trump is going to Saudi Arabia but not Israel. How about the decision to negotiate directly with Hamas and Iran?

Biden’s approach to Israel vacillated between Jekyll and Hyde. Trump’s policies have been similar.

He pressured Israel into ceasefires with Hamas and Hezbollah. Now, however, he’s allowing strikes in the Gaza Strip and Southern Lebanon. He warned against attacking Beirut but apparently approved the attack on a Hezbollah missile facility in a suburb.

Trump told Israel not to attack the Houthis, who are targeting it almost daily. Unlike Biden, who was petrified of the possibility of escalation, Trump ordered ongoing US military strikes on Yemen.

He blocked Israel from attacking Iran but threatened war to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Trump has resumed his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran but said he wants to have direct talks with its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. He’s moved significant military assets to the region but has not used them to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. He says that Iran can’t have a nuclear bomb, but his negotiator talked about a modified version of Obama’s nuclear deal that Trump tore up because it would not accomplish that goal. Like Obama, he is letting Iran string him along and refuse to talk about its missile program or sponsorship of terror.

Trump ordered the release of weapons that Biden withheld and removed his predecessor’s sanctions on settlers. The administration has also denied visas to Israeli cyber experts.

After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump then praised Turkey’s Islamist leader, who has been threatening Israel while saying he could mediate between them.

Trump warned Hamas that there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages weren’t freed, which was an empty threat the terrorists ignored. Meanwhile, his negotiator, Adam Boehler, prioritized the release of Americans and was prepared to leave the other Israeli captives behind while expecting Israel to hand over Palestinian prisoners. In response to criticism, he said, “We’re the United States; we’re not an agent of Israel.”

Trump has shown no interest in resuscitating his failed peace plan from his first term or engaging in a new initiative involving the Palestinians. He cut aid again to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and remains unwilling to fund the Palestinian Authority while its “pay-to-slay” policy continues. Trump floated the fanciful plan to take over Gaza, expel the Palestinians and create a “Riviera of the Middle East,” which received a great deal of backlash and has since stalled in terms of going forward.

After weeks of ignoring the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Trump sounded almost Bidenesque in his demand that Israel open access points for the delivery aid.

Administration leaks of Israeli military plans and shared intelligence has affected Israel’s security.

Domestically, his draconian fund cuts and other threats have forced universities to take antisemitism on campus more seriously. The Hamas-loving protesters no longer have free rein, and some are being targeted for deportation.

Trump issued an executive order mandating full and timely disclosure of foreign funding by higher education institutions, which may finally allow the public to know how much Arab money flows to universities and the purpose of those funds. The administration has also opened dozens of investigations of institutions of higher learning to determine their compliance with civil-rights laws protecting Jews and others. Simultaneously, however, he gutted the department responsible for conducting those reviews.

Perhaps more seriously, Trump has undercut Israel with his rhetoric. When he refused to commit to removing the tariff on Israel, he said: “Don’t forget, we help Israel a lot. We give Israel $4 billion a year, that’s a lot.” Stressing the point further, he added that “we give Israel billions of dollars a year. Billions. It’s one of the highest of anyone.”

This effectively lumped Israel with other countries he considers schnorrers—freeloaders he accuses of sponging off the United States, ignoring the mutual benefits of our alliance. Nevertheless, Rubio expedited the delivery of the $4 billion in military assistance.

After 100 days, Trump has an uneven record, combining some very commendable moves with some serious missteps.

The post Trump’s Schizophrenic Middle East Policy After 100 days first appeared on Algemeiner.com.