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If Not Now, Then When?
The blowing of the shofar, traditionally done on Rosh Hashanah. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
JNS.org – It’s been a very sad and difficult week for Israel and Jews around the world. Six hostages who survived and endured nearly a full year in captivity—some of whom were on the list to be released with the next deal—were suddenly and brutally murdered in cold blood. It’s no shock to us that their captors are savages who have zero humanity, and yet we are all devastated and heartbroken. They were “so near and yet so far.” They survived nearly 11 months of torture and abuse; now they are gone forever. Our hearts go out to their families, their loved ones and their communities, and we pray for the remaining living hostages to come home safely and speedily.
And now, with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, less than a month away, our prayers are that it should bring with it new blessings, new life and new hope for Israel, its people and all Jews around the world. We pray that this madness should somehow come to a quick and successful conclusion, that families will be reunited with their loved ones and that the future security of our tiny country will be assured.
And, of course, we all pray for ourselves and our own families. Even if we aren’t such regular synagogue-goers, we do tend to show up during the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. And we do need to arrange to have our designated seats in our chosen synagogue. But as I always say, our backside gets the seat, but our brain needs to be there as well. Yes, we must be there physically, but we also need to be there intellectually and spiritually. After all, which is more important, our brains or our backsides?
We have just begun the month of Elul, the last month before Rosh Hashanah. It is traditional to be particularly busy with our spiritual traditions, reciting extra Tehillim (“Psalms”), giving more tzedakah (“charity”) and studying more Torah.
Older rabbis and community members have shared their memories of Elul in the shtetl before the war. They recalled how back then, you could feel Elul in the winds! It was in the very atmosphere of the community. People were profoundly aware of the coming Days of Judgment.
Well, we’re here, alive and hopefully well, and we’re ready for another year of life.
Last year, God granted us a good new year. We are here to tell the tale, thank God. But, here’s the question: Did we really and truly merit a good new year last Rosh Hashanah? If we’re honest with ourselves, we might conclude that, in fact, God gave it to us on credit rather than on merit.
Now a shop or business may give their customers credit. But how much credit? Usually, it’s 30 days. If you’re a good negotiator, perhaps you can get 60 days. Some people get as much as 90 days, and some exceptional dealmakers get a line of credit for 120 days! Well, God Almighty gave us a “hundred and plenty days!” And He gave it to us in the anticipation that we would do better this year than we did the year before.
Perhaps we prayed last Rosh Hashanah and said to God, “Hashem, You do Your side, and I’ll do mine.” If we are alive and well now, then He did His part. But did we do ours? He’s a very patient businessman, the Almighty, but even He does expect us to pay for what we took on credit a year ago. He gave us 11 months, interest-free!
Who gives such terms? Well, just as there is an end to the financial year, so, too, is there a spiritual year-end. And God wants to “close His books.” He needs to make sure that they balance, and that there are no outstanding debts. Elul is the time to make good on all our commitments. If not, then we owe Him.
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is our last opportunity to make good on the promises we made to God in shul last Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Remember all those wonderful New Year’s resolutions? Well, if we haven’t made good on them until now, then now is definitely the time to do so.
In less than a month, we will once again gather in synagogues around the world for Rosh Hashanah—the annual Day of Judgment—and this year, God Almighty, the chief justice of the supreme heavenly court, may have to consider whether we are a good “credit risk” or not.
If we pay now, we can return to synagogues on Rosh Hashanah without feeling indebted, ashamed and apologetic. And we can then confidently ask for another new year of health and happiness. “You see, God, I pay my debts. You can trust me.”
What promises did we make last year? Did we promise to increase our observance of Shabbat, tefillin, kashrut? Did we promise to give more tzedakah, light candles at the right time for Shabbat, build a sukkah or end a faribel, a long-standing grudge with someone? Whatever good resolutions we may have made, now is the time to implement them if we have not yet done so. It’s not too late. He is very patient. Let’s do our part and the Almighty will do His. Elul is the time. Now is the moment. Let’s not squander it.
Wishing us all a Good and Sweet New Year filled with all the Almighty’s abundant blessings, and especially, peace, tranquillity and security in Israel and for Jews the world over.
Shanah Tovah!
The post If Not Now, Then When? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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UN Data: Nearly 90 Percent of Gaza Aid ‘Intercepted’ Before Reaching Intended Recipients
Palestinians collect aid supplies from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 9, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
The vast majority of humanitarian aid entering Gaza is intercepted before reaching its intended civilian recipients, newly released data from the United Nations shows, fueling growing concerns among Israeli officials and international observers about systemic aid diversion by armed groups in the enclave.
According to figures tracking humanitarian assistance for Gaza from May 19 to Aug. 1 of this year, out of the 2,010 UN trucks (carrying 27,434 tons of aid) collected from any of the crossings along Gaza’s perimeter, only 260 trucks (4,111 tons) reached their intended destination. That equates to a staggering 87 percent of all trucks and 85 percent of all tonnage of aid being stolen and not getting into the hands of civilians at the intended destination.
The UN’s own data, posted on the website of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) as part of the “UN2720 Monitoring & Tracking Dashboard,” reveals that almost all the aid — 1,753 trucks (23,353 tons) — has been “intercepted, either peacefully by hungry people or forcefully by armed actors” while being transported inside Gaza over the past few months.
No breakdown is provided of how much aid has been seized by armed groups versus civilians.
The data also shows that much of the UN aid offloaded at any of the crossings along Gaza’s perimeter has not been collected to enter the war-torn enclave during this period. Out of 40,012 tons of aid (2,134 trucks) being delivered to the crossings, just 27,434 tons (2010 trucks) have been picked up. It’s unclear what exactly led to this discrepancy, with issues such as poor internal coordination and security concerns potentially delaying aid shipments.
The UN2720 mechanism, created earlier this year, was intended to boost transparency by verifying and tracking aid shipments via QR codes at key checkpoints. The system monitors each pallet from offloading to delivery and flags any discrepancies in a centralized database.
Israel has facilitated the entry of thousands of aid trucks into Gaza, with Israeli officials condemning the UN and other international aid agencies for their alleged failure to distribute supplies, noting much of the humanitarian assistance has been stalled at border crossings or stolen by the ruling Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
On Sunday, Israel announced a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and new aid corridors as Arab and European countries began airdropping supplies into the enclave.
However, the UN and several Western governments have increased pressure on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, blaming the Jewish state for what they described as a hunger crisis and insufficient amounts of aid reaching civilians.
Israeli officials have said that claims of mass starvation in Gaza are false and being amplified by not only Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, but also international humanitarian organizations and media organizations to manipulate global opinion.
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Dutch Nurse Under Police Investigation for Alleged Threats Against Israeli Patients
Pro-Hamas demonstrators march in the Dutch city of Nijmegen. Photo: Reuters/Romy Arroyo Fernandez
A Muslim nurse in the Netherlands is under police investigation after allegedly threatening to administer lethal injections to Israeli patients — an incident that has sparked public outrage and intensified fears over rising antisemitism and patient safety in Europe’s health-care systems.
The comments were widely circulated by Israeli influencer Max Veifer, who also exposed a recent case in Australia where two nurses were suspended for two years over antisemitic threats and remarks.
In a video shared on social media, Veifer denounced Dutch-Muslim nurse Batisma Chayat Sa’id’s remarks as a serious violation of medical ethics.
“Someone like that should be prosecuted and barred from treating patients. Imagine your grandparents being cared for by someone so hateful,” the Israeli influencer said.
Zorgwekkende dreiging op Instagram: Nederlandse verpleegkundige is bereid om “zionisten een extra spuitje te geven” en bereid “zionisten te laten sterven binnen de gezondheidszorg.” pic.twitter.com/xTnXNi1wH5
— CIDI
(@CIDI_nieuws) July 29, 2025
The incident was sparked when an Israeli-Dutch woman living in the Netherlands commented on a social media post by far-right politician Geert Wilders, who cautioned about what he called the country’s looming radical Islamization by 2050.
A social media account belonging to the Muslim nurse also commented on the post, claiming it would happen by 2027, to which the Israeli woman responded, “Your dream is our nightmare. But people wake up from nightmares. Our Netherlands, our Israel.”
“Nothing belongs to you! My grandparents built the Netherlands. I was born and raised here, and I will do everything in my power to help this country get rid of the Zionist cancer,” the nurse further replied.
“You know what I’m doing with Zionists — giving an extra injection as a nurse specialist. Letting them go to heaven!” Sa’id continued.
When the Israeli woman threatened to report her, Sa’id replied: “Haha, try your best! I don’t have a boss — I’m the boss! All Zionists can die, inside healthcare and beyond, and I’m happy to help with that!”
Shortly after her posts gained widespread attention, Sa’id deleted all her social media accounts, insisting that her identity had been stolen and that she was not responsible for such comments.
On Wednesday, local police detained Sa’id for questioning, but she denied the allegations, asserting that someone had impersonated her online.
“It seems someone is pretending to be me, posting false and defamatory statements,” the nurse said. “I want to make it clear — I hold no hatred toward Jews or any people, race, religion, or identity.”
Even after announcing plans to file an identity theft complaint, she faces skepticism from authorities, who have assigned a digital forensics expert to scrutinize her online accounts.
Last year, an account under her name also posted threatening messages aimed at Jewish people, including “Your time will come — don’t spare anyone,” and another in which she described the burial of Israelis in Gaza as “a dream come true.”
Earlier this year, two Australian nurses — Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh — gained international attention after they were seen in an online video posing as doctors and making inflammatory statements during a night-shift conversation with Veifer.
The widely circulated footage, which sparked international outrage and condemnation, showed Abu Lebdeh declaring she would refuse to treat Israeli patients and instead kill them, while Nadir made a throat-slitting gesture and claimed he had already killed many.
Following the incident, New South Wales authorities in Australia suspended their nursing registrations and banned them from working as nurses nationwide.
They were also charged with federal offenses, including threatening violence against a group and using a carriage service to threaten, menace, and harass. If convicted, they face up to 22 years in prison.
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French Authorities Halt Gaza Evacuations After Palestinian Student Expelled Over Viral Antisemitic Posts
Anti-Israel demonstration supporting the BDS movement, Paris France, June 8, 2024. Photo: Claire Serie / Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect
French authorities have halted evacuations from Gaza after a Palestinian student was expelled from the prestigious Sciences Po Lille and placed under investigation, following the viral circulation of hundreds of antisemitic posts praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and calling for the murder of Jews.
The incident drew widespread condemnation and public outrage, prompting French ministers to demand answers and call for an investigation into how the Gazan student was allowed into the country in the first place.
On Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that all further evacuations from Gaza would be suspended pending the completion of the investigation into the student’s background.
After receiving a scholarship, 25-year-old Nour Atalla, a Palestinian from Gaza, arrived in the country in early July to begin her master’s degree in law and communications this fall at the Institute of Political Science in Lille, northern France.
Barrot confirmed that discussions are ongoing about the student’s possible return to Gaza, making clear that she must leave the country pending the investigation’s outcome.
“She has no place at Sciences Po, nor in France,” the top French diplomat said.
On Thursday, local authorities reported that a criminal investigation is underway into Atalla, with the public prosecutor in Lille confirming the case was opened for “apology of terrorism, apology of crimes against humanity using an online public communication service.”
Barrot admitted lapses in the screening process that allowed her entry and has mandated a comprehensive review of everyone evacuated from Gaza to France.
“The security checks, carried out by the French services and Israeli authorities, did not detect the antisemitic content,” the French diplomat said.
Atalla is one of 292 Gazans admitted to the country following a court ruling that opened the door for Gazans to seek refugee status based on their nationality.
She was offered a place at Sciences Po Lille University based on “academic excellence” and following a recommendation by the French consulate in Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, the university announced it had revoked Atalla’s enrollment after hundreds of her past antisemitic and violent social media posts went viral, sparking widespread condemnation from political leaders and members of the local Jewish community.
In several of these posts, she glorified Hitler, praised Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, called for the execution of Israeli hostages and the killing of Jews, and expressed support for terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
In one post, Atalla shared a video of Hitler giving a speech about Jews, writing, “Kill their young and their old. Show them no mercy … And kill them everywhere.”
In another post shared on Oct. 7, 2023, the day of the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, she wrote, “We must do everything we can to match the bloodshed — as much as possible.”