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Responding With Hope After This Week’s Devastating News
A Torah scroll. Photo: RabbiSacks.org.
The devastating news out of Washington, DC, on Wednesday night was both shocking and heartbreaking. Two young Israeli Embassy staff members — Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim — were gunned down at point-blank range outside the Capital Jewish Museum.
They had just attended a peaceful event celebrating Jewish heritage and identity. As they exited the building, a gunman approached, drew a weapon, and murdered them in cold blood.
Yaron had recently purchased an engagement ring for Sarah. He was planning to propose in Jerusalem next week. But instead of celebrating their wedding, their families are now planning their funerals after they were slain on an American sidewalk — simply for the crime of being Jewish.
The killer, Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, calmly entered the building after the attack and handed himself over to police. As they handcuffed him, he chanted, “Free, Free Palestine,” and, chillingly, “There is only one solution — Intifada revolution.”
Let’s be clear: the First and Second Intifadas were violent Palestinian terror sprees in Israel, marked by the systematic targeting of Jews — who were shot, bombed, stabbed, and rammed to death in cafés, buses, bus stops, markets, and on the street.
This is what Rodriguez was invoking. He wasn’t a lone madman acting on delusion. He is part of a global movement that defines itself through the language of “intifada.” He knew exactly what he was doing — but even more disturbingly, he believed what he did was just, even noble.
And make no mistake: he wasn’t targeting Israelis. He was targeting Jews.
Pro-Palestinian thought leaders desperately want us to believe there’s a difference. They insist their opposition is to Zionists, not Jews. That when activists chant “From the river to the sea,” it’s about national aspirations — not exterminationist ideology. That the masked agitators swarming campuses and city halls in keffiyehs are just politically engaged students, not thugs brimming with unfiltered hatred for Jews.
But after the murder of Yaron and Sarah in Washington, they’re running out of excuses. Because when people chant that Israel must cease to exist — and that anyone who supports Israel deserves to die — they obviously mean it. And now, clearly, they are willing to act on it.
This week, it was Washington, DC. Next week, it could be Beverly Hills, or Brooklyn, or Miami. Or London. Or Paris. In fact, it already has been all of those. The common thread is blindingly obvious: the targets are always Jewish.
And yet, remarkably, there are still those who defend this madness — academics who parse words, pundits who moralize from behind microphones, self-appointed progressive ethicists who churn out free-speech justifications and convoluted evasions faster than the victims’ bodies can be removed from the crime scene.
“It’s complicated,” they say. “Context matters.” “Don’t conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.” But let’s not kid ourselves. Anyone still insisting that antisemitic violence, disguised as anti-Israel activism, is just a misunderstood form of political expression has blood on their hands. It really is that simple.
In this week’s Torah portion, Bechukotai, we read a long and difficult section known as the tochacha — a harrowing list of consequences that will befall the Jewish people if we forsake our covenant with God. The passage is devastating: famine, starvation, defeat, humiliation, exile, fear. It paints a portrait of a world turned upside down — where Jew-hating enemies roam freely, Jewish life is cheap, and our dignity is trampled underfoot.
One line from the passage leaps out with chilling clarity (Lev. 26:17): “Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee though no one pursues you.”
Truthfully, it’s starting to feel like that. No Jewish event takes place without security. We live with fear of real threats and anxiety over imagined ones. It’s become a world where those who hate us seem to have gained the upper hand. Mobs chant for our destruction in broad daylight, and public institutions still debate whether these chants even qualify as hate speech. And now, two Jews can be murdered in the heart of America’s capital — and while it’s shocking, it is no longer surprising.
What’s striking, though, is that the parsha doesn’t begin with curses — it starts with promise: אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ (Lev. 26:3). “If you walk in My statutes,” then God’s blessings will surround you from every side. The key word is teileichu — to walk. Not to sit, not to wait, not to retreat.
To walk is to move forward, to stand tall, to keep going. The Torah’s message is clear: if you face the world with your head held high, with clarity, with courage, and with a deep commitment to who you are — then no matter what challenges come your way, you will be blessed. If we remain rooted in our identity, if we refuse to let fear or pressure compromise our values or our mission, then no hurdle will be too high and no distance too far.
It’s only when we compromise — when we stop standing tall, when we dilute the truth, when we choose comfort over conviction and convenience over heritage — that the protection which flows from moral clarity begins to fade. And into that vacuum come the haters, the chaos-makers, and the murderers.
The answer to the current surge in Jew-hatred and Judeophobia is threefold. First: clarity. The man who pulled the trigger wasn’t randomly attacking two innocent people — he was sending a message to every Jew: you are not safe. And to that, we must respond with moral ferocity. Not fear. Not appeasement. Not nuance. Ferocity.
Second: unity. The Jewish people cannot afford the luxury of internal fracture right now. Left, right, secular, religious, Zionist, anti-Zionist — none of that matters when we are all targets. We either stand together, or we collapse and fall.
And finally, faith. Because Bechukotai doesn’t end with the curses. It ends with a promise (Lev. 26:45): “I will remember My covenant with them… to be their God — I am God.” A remarkable statement that is not an empty platitude. On the contrary, it’s a guarantee, reminding us that we’ve been here before. We’ve been hated, we’ve been hunted, and we’ve been massacred. Not once, but many times. And yet the Jewish people always endures. Because that’s God’s promise, and He always keeps His word.
The couple murdered in Washington this week will never get to build a life together. But their memory must build something for us and within us: the courage to stand tall, the strength to speak truth, and the resolve to relentlessly fight back against the evil that masquerades as virtue. That’s the real lesson of Bechukotai: things may seem bleak — they may even be genuinely hard — but we can endure and get through it, because God is with us. Always.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
The post Responding With Hope After This Week’s Devastating News first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Announces Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting as Aid Airdrops Begin
Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Israel on Sunday announced a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world.
Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which the government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off with no deal in sight.
US President Donald Trump, on a visit to Scotland, said Israel would have to make a decision on its next steps in Gaza, and he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with Hamas.
Military activity will stop from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian area along the coast, in central Deir al-Balah and in Gaza City, to the north.
The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. starting from Sunday.
U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the fighting.
“Our teams on the ground … will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window,” he said on X.
In their first airdrop in months, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into Gaza on Sunday, a Jordanian official said, adding that those were not a substitute for delivery by land.
Palestinian health officials in Gaza City said at least 10 people were injured by falling aid boxes.
Work on a UAE project to run a new pipeline that will supply water from a desalination facility in neighboring Egypt to around 600,000 Gazans along the coast would also begin in a few days, the Israeli military said.
On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital, health workers said.
“Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead,” said her mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, as the baby’s father held their daughter’s body wrapped in a white shroud.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 metric tons of food to southern Gaza on Sunday. Some had been looted in the area of Khan Younis after entering Gaza, residents said.
A group of 25 states including Britain, France and Canada last week said Israel’s denial of aid was unacceptable.
The military’s spokesperson said Israel was committed to international law and monitors the humanitarian situation daily. Brigadier General Effie Defrin said there was no starvation in Gaza, but appeared to acknowledge conditions were critical.
“When we start approaching a problematic line (threshold) then the IDF works to let in humanitarian aid,” he said. “That’s what happened over the weekend.”
Israel cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March to pressure Hamas into giving up dozens of hostages it still holds and reopened it with new restrictions in May.
It says it has been allowing in aid but must prevent it from being diverted by terrorists and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza’s people.
HOPE, UNCERTAINTY
Many Gazans expressed some relief at Sunday’s announcement, but said fighting must end.
“People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner. “We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies whether it is fighting or negotiating a ceasefire and vowed to press on with the campaign until “complete victory.”
Hamas said Israel was continuing its military offensive.
“What is happening isn’t a humanitarian truce,” said Hamas official Ali Baraka.
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‘Israel Is Doing More for Gaza’s Civilians than Hamas,’ Says IDF Spokesperson
IDF Spokesperson Effie Deffrin. Photo: IDF
i24 News – In a press briefing held Sunday morning, IDF Spokesperson Effie Defrin addressed the latest developments in the Gaza conflict, including the implementation of a tactical humanitarian pause and the delivery of aid into the enclave.
Defrin sharply criticized Hamas, accusing the organization of spreading false claims about widespread famine in Gaza while actively obstructing humanitarian efforts.
“Israel initiated the creation of food distribution centers to prevent famine,” he said. “We are securing four aid centers, facilitating convoys, and permitting international airdrops. These humanitarian pauses are designed to allow civilians access to essential supplies.”
He went on to condemn Hamas for its handling of humanitarian aid. “While Hamas steals aid meant for civilians and hides it in tunnels, it runs a deceitful campaign claiming there’s famine in Gaza. Let’s be clear: there is no famine, and Israel is operating fully within international law.”
Defrin argued that Israel is showing greater concern for the welfare of Gaza’s residents than Hamas itself. “Hamas is deliberately worsening the situation and disrupting the delivery of aid. They’re not just fighting us, they’re fighting their own people.”
In closing, he stated: “Hamas is no longer a point of reference for many in Gaza. The IDF has established aid centers, and civilians are turning to them daily. No country confronted with such a brutal terrorist organization has done more to support the civilian population in enemy territory.”
The remarks come amid intensified international scrutiny of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with Israel seeking to reinforce its narrative of compliance with international law and contrast its actions with those of Hamas.
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Netanyahu: ‘We’re Making Progress Toward Victory and Hostage Release’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
i24 News – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Ramon Air Force Base on Sunday alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz and Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar, as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza continues.
During the visit, Netanyahu praised the Israeli Air Force for its performance in the operation, presenting a certificate of appreciation to the Air Force Commander.
He held a closed discussion with ground and air crews, where operational insights and future directions were reviewed.
Addressing the media after the visit, Netanyahu said Israel is “making progress in the fighting and in the negotiations for the release of our hostages,” and reaffirmed that Israel’s war objective remains the complete dismantling of Hamas.
In a pointed criticism of the United Nations, Netanyahu accused the body of spreading misinformation about Israel’s role in facilitating humanitarian aid. “The UN is creating an excuse and a lie about the State of Israel,” he said. “They claim we’re blocking humanitarian supplies. That’s false. There are secured convoys—there always have been. Now it’s official. No more excuses.”
Netanyahu added that humanitarian aid routes remain operational, but emphasized that “minimal humanitarian supplies” would continue only as necessary, and not at the expense of military objectives.
The Prime Minister ended his statement by reinforcing Israel’s determination: “We will continue to fight, continue to act, until we achieve all of our war goals—until complete victory.”
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