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Joseph Taught Us How to Turn Our Enemies Into Allies

US President Harry Truman receives a menorah gifted by visiting Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion and Abba Eban, Israel’s envoy to Washington. Photo: National Photo Collection of Israel / Government Press Office
World War II was so cataclysmic that even now, when someone says “The War,” no one has to ask them which one they mean. The villains of that dreadful conflict—Germany and Japan—unleashed horrors that defied human imagination, leaving entire countries, including their own, in ruins. Millions died, and millions more had their lives shattered.
The Allies won, but just barely—and not before being brought to their knees, literally, by blitzkriegs, kamikaze pilots, and some of the most heinous war crimes and terrifying military strategies ever devised. Unsurprisingly, the victory celebrations didn’t last long. As the world exhaled a collective sigh of relief, one daunting question lingered: What now?
The last time the world tried to clean up after a global war in 1919, it hadn’t exactly gone to plan. The Treaty of Versailles didn’t just punish the Germans; it humiliated them, grinding the nation into groveling submission, saddling them with crippling debt and a national identity crisis.
Unsurprisingly, Versailles backfired—spectacularly. Instead of licking their wounds and learning their lesson, Germany doubled down. Within a generation, they’d elected a violent psychopath who promised to restore their pride and lead them back to dominance.
By 1939, the Germans were back in uniform, goose-stepping straight into chaos and dragging the rest of the world along for the ride. So, in 1945, the Allies faced a big question: Should they repeat the mistakes of Versailles or try something completely different?
U.S. President Harry S. Truman, now the undisputed leader of the free world, was no softie. This was the man who dropped not one, but two atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II. He knew exactly what it meant to be tough. But Truman also understood something else—winning the war was only half the job. The real challenge was winning the peace.
With his Secretary of State, the famously humble George C. Marshall, Truman set out to rebuild what the devastating war had torn apart. Both men instinctively knew that grinding defeated enemies into the dirt might feel good in the moment, but in the long run, it was a recipe for resentment, instability, and—eventually—more war.
So, instead of punishment, they chose partnership. And instead of vengeance—which no one could deny was justified—they chose vision. The result? The Marshall Plan—a bold, almost utopian investment in Europe’s recovery that turned former enemies into future allies.
Meanwhile, over in Japan, General Douglas MacArthur—the military genius with a flair for dramatic poses and a love of corncob pipes—took charge of the occupation. And he did much more than oversee the country rebuild – he practically rewrote Japan’s playbook. With sweeping reforms, a new constitution, and a total overhaul of the country’s political and economic systems, MacArthur turned a defeated imperial power into a peaceful, thriving democracy.
Cleverly, he left Emperor Hirohito, who had nominally led the country during its war with the Allies, in place as head of state. And remarkably, it worked. Like the Marshall Plan, the idea wasn’t to punish but to empower, ensuring that former enemies wouldn’t become future threats. It was bold, risky, and surprisingly effective.
Both Truman and MacArthur played the long game. They understood that real leadership isn’t about humiliating enemies—it’s about turning them into allies. Truman proved he could be tough when it was necessary—his drastic decision to drop the atomic bomb made that abundantly clear. But he also recognized that securing the future required vision and partnership, not just brute force.
MacArthur took a similar approach, combining strength with strategy to transform Japan—not by crushing its spirit, but by reshaping its identity. And that brings us to Joseph, whose treatment of his brothers, especially in Parshat Vayigash, feels like a case study in strategic reconciliation.
Joseph had every right to make his brothers squirm. After all, they had sold him into slavery and left him for dead. He had done nothing to harm them, yet they conspired against him, sentencing him to what should have been a slow and miserable end. Although he survived slavery, he endured years of hardship—separated from his beloved father and locked away in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
But when the moment of reckoning arrived, Joseph didn’t crush his brothers. Instead, he orchestrated an emotional roller coaster designed to wake them up, force them to confront their guilt, and—most importantly—show them a way forward.
Joseph was tough, but he was also tender—equal parts drill sergeant and therapist. He wasn’t interested in an apology. He wanted a transformation. Like Truman and MacArthur, Joseph understood that the real victory wasn’t revenge and submission—it was redemption.
Joseph’s actions, as Ramban explains, weren’t about revenge or vindication. Instead, they were carefully calibrated to lead his brothers through a process of self-reflection and growth. Joseph wasn’t trying to break them—he was trying to rebuild them. By recreating a scenario that echoed their original betrayal, he allowed them to confront their guilt and prove they had changed. But Joseph’s brilliance didn’t stop there.
As Sforno points out, Joseph’s ultimate goal wasn’t to shame his brothers but to lift them up and empower them. He reframed their actions within a larger divine plan, assuring them that despite their wrongdoing, God had used the situation for good—to save lives and secure their family’s survival. And now, Joseph invited them to consciously step into that plan, turning past failures into a foundation for future success.
What Joseph intuitively understood was that crushing people under the weight of their mistakes might feel justified, but it’s ultimately counterproductive. True leadership means showing people how they can rise above their past and step into a better future.
And that’s the trick, isn’t it? Whether you’re rebuilding nations or repairing fractured relationships, the goal isn’t to keep score—it’s to move forward. Whether it’s Joseph in the biblical narrative or dealing with a defeated enemy in the modern world, the best way to win is to make sure everyone gets to share in the victory. Because the only thing better than defeating your enemies is turning them into your allies.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
The post Joseph Taught Us How to Turn Our Enemies Into Allies first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War

Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.