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What Is the Role of American Jews After October 7?
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
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Reinhold Niebuhr, an American theologian, is credited with composing the Serenity Prayer. This prayer encapsulates the challenge of staying grounded in reality while striving for positive change and holding onto one’s principles.
How do I stay rooted in faith, hope, and love while remaining grounded in the realities and facts as they are?
How do I balance these principles in relation to the ongoing conflict between Israel, my home country, and the Palestinians? It’s extremely challenging, and even more, it’s painful and sad.
On the one hand, my faith compels me to seek peace and understanding. I am guided by hope for a future where coexistence and mutual respect prevail, and I am driven by love for all people involved in this conflict. These values are integral to my identity and my vision for a better world.
On the other hand, I must confront the harsh realities of the conflict.
The facts on the ground are complex and painful, resembling the parallel realities in the movie The Matrix that could never meet. One perspective regards the land as a final sanctuary post-Holocaust, open to compromises, while the other perceives it as occupied by a colonial power, anticipating eventual liberation “from the river to the sea.”
On both sides, elements of religiosity-driven ideology are present. However, Israeli culture is driven by secular ideals about the here and now and how it can be improved, whereas Palestinian culture is largely religious, with its ideological concerns often focused on the next life.
Acknowledging these truths is crucial to any meaningful dialogue and resolution, but unfortunately, I don’t see it happening in the near future. All indicators show further hardening on both sides, especially since October 7, 2023.
I recently read an editorial in a Jewish newspaper urging the Jewish American community to support the establishment of a Palestinian state. This is an extremely complex issue — and arguing that we should create a Palestinian state (regardless of if there are conditions and partners for one) in the wake of October 7 could rightly be seen as a reward for Hamas’ terrorism. Additionally, I noted remarks from a prominent Jewish entertainment businessman during his award acceptance speech, calling for the removal of Israel’s prime minister.
In my opinion, this is not the appropriate time for such actions. Instead, the Jewish community should focus on demonstrating its resolve and unity in support of Israel.
Rather than offering advice or getting involved in the internal public opinion rift in Israel, which is fraught with hate, foul language, and divisive actions, we should concentrate on a singular, unified message: support for Jews and the State of Israel.
The Jewish community in the United States needs to convey one clear and unwavering sentiment. As the Israeli writer Amos Oz poignantly expressed, “To be a Jew means to feel that wherever a Jew is persecuted for being a Jew — that means you.”
In these challenging times, our focus should be on solidarity and support, not contributing to the discord. It is crucial for us to stand together and advocate for the safety and well-being of our fellow Jews, reflecting our shared commitment to Israel’s security and dignity.
David is a visual artist with a background in the telecom hardware industry. His artwork and writings are self-reflections of an Israeli living in Los Angeles since 1987, through the lens of art, travel, trauma, and culture.
The post What Is the Role of American Jews After October 7? 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.