RSS
This Tisha B’Av, Our Savior Won’t Be a Politician or Political Party; It Will Be Ourselves
Supporters of Israel gather in solidarity with Israel and protest against antisemitism, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, during a rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC, Nov. 14, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis
When the coronavirus was spreading throughout the world and stopped our civilization, many were floating a phrase that seemed to resonate: “we’re living in Biblical times.”
In the past 10 months, I have heard this phrase even more frequently from fellow Jews who feel lost in the absurdity of the hate and trauma that has been raged on our people and homeland. Perhaps beneath this statement there is a hope that in this Biblical chapter, once again, our calamities will be resolved with a divine intervention.
Could it be that a new chapter is actually being written today? One about a “Third Temple” in the form of a modern State of Israel, where Jewish inventions are the center of every major technological and scientific advancement in the world. Where Jews are protected by an Iron Dome that was as miraculous as the Passover manna; the place where no matter how much hate and antisemitism they feel in the diaspora, Jews could find a safe haven.
Could this be a new chapter about the place where technology, people, and G-d himself lapsed all at once, and 1,200 people were ravaged, mutilated, and murdered? Where once again, Jews stepped into another cycle of calamities?
I don’t know the answer.
I’m neither religious, nor a Biblical scholar, but as we approach Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, I see a convergence of the past and the present. A quick scan of the Jewish history across millennia shows us some of our worst catastrophes — the destruction of the First and Second temple, the onset of the first and second world wars, and in between, the expulsion of Jew from Spain and England.
More recently, in Israel, hours before this day in 2022, rockets targeting innocent civilians were flying into the airspace, only to be disabled by the Iron Dome. In 2023, the judicial reform debate was tearing the country apart. Polarization had divided us as a people around the world, left against right, religious against secular, this against that — and today, the threats against us are immeasurable, even for the experts. The narratives of the past manifest themselves with the threats of today.
When I was journaling on this topic two years ago, I wrote that as a Jewish community, we need more compassion toward one another, more nuance in our approach in politics, and more humility in facing our enemies instead of false confidence.
This year, I find our community more compassionate than ever and more realistic about the threat of the enemy. We are realizing we are not each others’ enemies. Our community has shown unprecedented levels of generosity and support to those who have been impacted.
Yet I fear that despite our increased unity, we haven’t yet let go of the golden calves that we have made of political figures and partisan politics. As the election season approaches, I see the ugly partisan divide distracting us from the real problems and turning us away from our bond to one another, Ahavat Israel.
Yes, in desperate times, we all need a miracle. But let’s not anoint anyone as our present day Moses. We should not expect Moses to descend from Sinai and fix our problems, because this is our Israelite Revival moment, and we all have to rise to the occasion.
Neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump alone can guarantee to deliver what we need to overcome this crisis. This is the moment for all of us to speak truth to power and hold our leaders accountable, regardless of party affiliation. We should not excuse their mistakes — big or small — because when we get quiet, our enemies get louder, emboldened to monopolize our leader’s powers.
On this Tisha B’Av, thousands of years after the destruction of the temple, we ought to envision new weapons and shields, beyond Iron Domes and anti-missile ammunitions that are essential to our physical safety. We need the blast of the Shofar from Abraham’s miracle; the guiding light from Hanukkah; the diplomacy of Esther and Mordechai; the armor of the Ten Commandments; and ultimately, the collective love for the Torah that guides us.
May the alarm of the Shofar wake us up to the threats and prepare us to confront the enemy. May the diplomacy of Esther and Mordechai succeed at convincing our allies to stand by us. May the light of Hanukkah help to guide our nation to fight corruption, and ignorance. May the Ten Commandments shield us from hate and violence. And may the Torah remind us to gain strength from our joyful tradition and stand in unity with our people.
Born and raised in Iran, Marjan Keypour Greenblatt is a human rights advocate and founder of the Alliance for of All Minorities (ARAMIran.org).
The post This Tisha B’Av, Our Savior Won’t Be a Politician or Political Party; It Will Be Ourselves first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
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.”
RSS
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.
RSS
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.