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Why the Past Gives Us Hope as We Enter a New Year for Jews and Israel
“No such torment … has ever transpired previously in history. The bizarre tortures and the freakish, brutal methods invented by the depraved, perverted murderers, solely for the suffering of Israel, are unprecedented and unparalleled. May God have mercy upon us, and save us from their hands, in the blink of an eye.”
These shocking words were written in the depths of hell — the Warsaw Ghetto in the summer of 1942 — by Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, the fabled Piaseczner Rebbe, who, together with hundreds of thousands of Polish Jews, had been forced into the ghetto by the Nazis less than a year earlier.
At its peak, the Warsaw Ghetto held over 400,000 Jews crammed into just 1.3 square miles. The overcrowding led to catastrophic conditions: extreme poverty, widespread disease, and starvation. But worse was yet to come. Between July and September 1942, 265,000 ghetto residents were deported to the Treblinka death camp for extermination, while another 35,000 were viciously murdered in the ghetto.
In April 1943, Jewish resistance fighters staged the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the most significant act of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. The fighters held out against the Nazis for a month before being brutally crushed. The remaining inhabitants were then dispatched to their deaths, including Rav Shapira, who perished at Trawniki on November 3rd, 1943, during the infamous Operation Harvest Festival (“Aktion Erntefest”), when the Nazis eliminated all remaining Jewish laborers in the Lublin District.
Rav Shapira wasn’t just any rabbi. He was a spiritual firebrand and a towering figure of resilience, even when facing the unthinkable horrors of Nazi brutality. He gave weekly speeches in the ghetto about faith, resilience, and divine love, never allowing himself to be crushed by fear and despair.
“With what can someone strengthen themselves, at least a little bit, so long as salvation has not appeared? And with what can the spirit be elevated, even the tiniest bit, while being crushed and broken like this? Firstly, with prayer and with faith that God would never utterly reject His children. It cannot be possible that He would abandon us in such mortal danger as we are now facing for His blessed name’s sake. Surely, He will have mercy immediately, and rescue us in the blink of an eye.” (Sacred Fire: Torah from the Years of Fury 1939-1942, p.333)
Rav Shapira’s words reflected the pain of the moment, but they also exuded unwavering hope. Each week, he recorded his speeches on scraps of paper, hoping to publish them once the horrors ended.
Though Rav Shapira was murdered, miraculously, his teachings survived the Holocaust thanks to the Oyneg Shabbos group, who preserved documents and testimonies from the Warsaw Ghetto by burying them underground in milk urns in early 1943, under the leadership of historian Emanuel Ringelblum, who was discovered in hiding and murdered in 1944.
Rav Shapira’s manuscripts were found after the war. They eventually reached Baruch Duvdevani, a Polish-born religious Zionist activist whose family had been followers of the Shapira Hasidic dynasty. In 1960, he published Rav Shapira’s work in a book titled Eish Kodesh (Sacred Fire).
Although Rav Shapira’s words were not meant to inspire future generations — he composed them as a direct response to the crisis he and those around him were facing in real-time — their preservation has ensured that his faith, resilience, and spiritual defiance continue on as a legacy, speaking powerfully to anyone struggling with suffering and hardship. They remind us that even in life’s darkest moments, the human soul can find strength and connection to the divine, trusting that good times will follow bad.
This past year, in the wake of October 7th and all that has transpired since, I have found myself returning to Rav Shapira’s teachings repeatedly. In particular, that first quote haunts me; he seems to be describing the horrific events of October 7th with vivid clarity — an echo from Jewish history.
But I have also been inspired by Rav Shapira’s faith. When everything seemed dark — as Israel reeled from unimaginable horrors and went to war, and as Jews around the world felt vulnerable and under attack — Rav Shapira’s unshakable faith became my anchor.
Rav Shapira never allowed moments of pain and confusion to turn into a crisis of faith, and I found strength in his incredible resolve. We have all struggled this year, when even victories — whether against Hamas in Gaza or antisemitic mobs on college campuses — have been twisted into weapons to attack us. Thankfully, Rav Shapira’s model of faith provided a firm foundation for me to stand on. His resilience reminded me that even when we don’t understand the world’s darkness, God is still present, shaping a future redemption.
Just as the Nazis were ultimately brought down, despite their early victories and seeming dominance, so too will the enemies of Israel today — Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran — meet the same fate.
Rav Shapira’s words remind us that evil’s apparent success is always temporary, and its defeat inevitable. We stand today as witnesses to the unraveling of their power, knowing that just as the Jewish people survived then, we will rise again now, stronger than before.
Tragically, Rav Shapira did not live to witness the fall of the Nazis. But his faith was not misplaced. The Nazis were ultimately defeated, and the Jewish people, whom they sought to annihilate, rose from the ashes of Europe to rebuild their lives — not just in the newly founded State of Israel, but in vibrant, thriving communities around the world. The Jewish spirit was not broken; it came back stronger, fortified with faith and determination.
And today, as we celebrate a new Jewish year and reflect on the past year, we can see that our faith was not in vain. Though we have endured profound loss and faced the painful reality of rising hatred against Israel and Jews across the globe, we are also witnessing the collapse of our enemies — their plans and strength unraveling before our eyes.
Hamas, who heinously butchered our people and then celebrated our grief, has been decimated, and its leaders are dead. Hezbollah is weakened, its leadership gone, and its threats subdued. Iran, the puppet master behind this indescribable evil, scrambles to defend itself against the inevitable. Like Hitler in the final days in Berlin, they know that their time is coming.
And so, as we continue to navigate these turbulent times, Rav Shapira’s words resonate across the decades with renewed significance: “Even if you are broken and oppressed, you must nevertheless be sincere and whole. Take strength in God because you know that God is with you in your suffering. Do not attempt to project into the future, saying, ‘I cannot see an end to the darkness.’ Rather, simply accept whatever happens to you, and then you will be with God…[and] your salvation will draw close.” (Sacred Fire, p.213)
These words are as true today as when Rav Shapira first spoke them. Though the challenges we face are immense, our faith must remain firm. Time and again, we have experienced God’s presence, even in our darkest hours, leading us toward a brighter future.
The Nazis were defeated, and today’s enemies will also fall — and when that day comes, the Jewish people, resilient and steadfast, will rise stronger than ever. We have overcome destruction before, and with unwavering faith, we will meet the challenges ahead, knowing that our adversaries will be vanquished, and the Jewish people will stand tall and strong.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
The post Why the Past Gives Us Hope as We Enter a New Year for Jews and Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Federal Judge Dismisses Antisemitism Lawsuit Against Harvard University
Illustrative 373rd Commencement Exercises at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 23, 2024. Photo: Brian Snyder via Reuters Connect
Harvard University has secured a major legal victory against one of the many lawsuits it has faced over its alleged mismanagement of campus antisemitism after the Oct. 7 massacre.
On Wednesday, a judge dismissed a suit in which ten Harvard alumni alleged that the university had cheapened their degrees during the 2023-2024 academic year by giving anti-Zionist protesters free rein to promote antisemitism, terrorism, and the destruction of Israel.
Filed in a Massachusetts federal court in Feb. 2024, the complaint claimed that Harvard has breached an informal but binding agreement to preserve the institution’s prestige in perpetuity and thereby protect alumni’s investment in a Harvard degree. That compact was violated, the former students alleged, by Harvard’s failing to correct a noxious campus environment and a negative perception of the university which has caused potential employers and prestigious law firms to reject job applicants who carry any affiliation with it.
District Court Judge George O’Toole Jr. — appointed to bench by former president Bill Clinton in 1995 — disagreed with their argument, however, ruling that they presented no evidence which proves that the university’s policies injured them personally.
“The plaintiffs do not currently attend Harvard, nor are they employed by Harvard,” wrote the O’Toole, who is an alumnus of Harvard Law School (HLS). “They graduated from Harvard many years before the central events referred to in the complaint. They are not themselves directly affected by Harvard’s recent administrative actions and/or omissions, and consequently they have no cognizable legal injury that could be redressed through this suit.”
Judge O’Toole Jr. was recently involved in another high profile legal fight. Earlier this month, he temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to restructure federal government by shrinking its workforce, a decision he walked back six days later when he ruled that the parties who challenged the initiative lacked standing. The highly regarded jurist’s career has seen him render rulings on a range of matters, from the criminal investigation of the Boston Marathon Bombing to a defamation suit filed against Barbara Walters by an alleged former associate — a claim he dismissed.
Following the decision, Harvard University said it is “committed to ensuring our Jewish community is embraced, respected, and can thrive at Harvard, and to our efforts to confront antisemitism and all forms of hate.”
Harvard recently settled two antisemitism lawsuits, which were merged by a federal judge in November 2024, in Jan. The agreement, coming one day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump — who vowed to tax the endowments of universities where antisemitism is rampant — prevented a prolonged legal fight that would have been interpreted by the Jewish community as a willful refusal to acknowledge the discrimination to which Jewish students are subjected.
According to details of the settlement disclosed by the university, Harvard will add the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism to its non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies (NDAB), recognize the centrality of Zionism to Jewish identity, and explicitly state that targeting and individual on the basis of their Zionism constitutes a violation of school rules.
Harvard’s legal counsel has more litigation in its future, however, as a case brought by Harvard graduate student Shabbos Kestenbaum, who has made similar claims as the groups which agreed to settle their cases, is still pending. Kestenbaum was a member of one of those groups, Students Against Antisemitism (SAA), but declined to be a party to the settlement due to this belief that a public trial will fully reveal the extent of Harvard’s alleged transgressions and result in its being held accountable for alleged failing .
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
Reporter Debbie Weiss contributed to this story.
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Most Gazans Reject Hamas Rule and Doubt Its Ability to Govern: Poll
Trucks carrying aid move, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hussam Al-Masri
Most Gazans reject Hamas rule post-war and question its ability to govern as tensions rise and efforts continue for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, according to a new poll.
The Institute for Social and Economic Progress (ISEP), a Palestine-based independent research institute, conducted a representative poll in Gaza on January 22, revealing that only 6% of Gazans prefer Hamas to rule post-war, while just 5.3% would vote for the group in future elections.
As perception of Hamas in the Gaza Strip remains negative, the survey found that 70% of respondents believe the terrorist group lacks the ability to govern, and only 12.4% expect it to remain in power post-war.
Meanwhile, Gazans have shown increased support for Fatah rule, the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s ruling party, after the ceasefire, with 60% favoring its leadership.
Respondents show increased support for Fatah rule in the Gaza Strip post-ceasefire. Photo: Institute for Social and Economic Progress (ISEP)
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists started the war in Gaza when they murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages during their invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.
Last month, both sides reached a ceasefire and hostage-release deal brokered by the US, Egypt, and Qatar.
According to ISEP’s recent poll, 67.9% of Gazans credit US President Donald Trump for the success of the ceasefire deal, with Qatar following behind. Most respondents also believe the ceasefire will hold and lead to reconstruction efforts, with over 60% highly confident in its stability and another 30% considering it somewhat secure.
Two in three (67.9%) respondents in the Gaza Strip credit Trump for the success of the ceasefire deal. Photo: Institute for Social and Economic Progress (ISEP)
Under phase one of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas agreed to release 33 Israeli hostages, including eight who are deceased, in exchange for Israel freeing over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, many serving multiple life sentences for terrorism-related offenses, and withdrawing troops from some positions in Gaza.
So far, 29 Israeli hostages – plus five Thais – have been released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, with the bodies of four more hostages, initially due to be handed over on Thursday, still to come.
The initial phase of the ceasefire deal is set to end on Saturday, while negotiations for the second phase, aimed at securing the release of remaining hostages and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, are ongoing.
ISEP’s survey found that 89% of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip lack the means to rebuild their lives after the war. Housing support was cited as the most helpful form of aid, with one in three also emphasizing that housing and shelter should be the priority of reconstruction efforts.
One in three (30%) respondents believe that housing and shelter should be the priority of rebuilding efforts. Photo: Institute for Social and Economic Progress (ISEP)
After the war, Gaza’s future remains uncertain, but Israel has ruled out any role for Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. Meanwhile, Hamas says it does not necessarily need to stay in power but insists on being consulted.
With the exception of Israel, most Arab states have rejected Trump’s plan to “take over” Gaza to rebuild the war-torn enclave, while relocating Palestinians elsewhere during reconstruction efforts. Trump has called on Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab states to take in Palestinians from Gaza after nearly 16 months of war between Israel and Hamas.
Middle Eastern leaders, expected to bear much of the financial burden of rebuilding Gaza, have struggled to propose their own plan but insist on a role for the Palestinian Authority, while also advocating for a two-state solution.
This week, former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, now the opposition leader in Israel’s parliament, proposed “The Egyptian Solution” as his alternative plan for Gaza’s reconstruction after the war. The proposal, which suggested Egypt administer Gaza for 8-15 years in exchange for canceling its $155 billion external debt, was rejected by Cairo.
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‘The View’ Co-Host Sara Haines Honors Murdered Bibas Family While Whoopi Goldberg Accused of Generalizing Their Murder
Kfir Bibas. Photo: Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
During Tuesday’s episode of the ABC talk show “The View,” co-host Sara Haines drew attention to murdered Hamas hostages Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas right before co-host Whoopi Goldberg attempted to generalize their barbaric murder and compare it to all human suffering.
“These two little boys, they became, with their mother, kind of the symbol of October 7th,” Haines said, during the Hot Topics segment of the show. She talked about Hamas having a staged ceremony to show off their dead bodies in the Gaza Strip during handing them over to the Red Cross, as part a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, and how the US-designated terrorist organization originally gave the incorrect body to Israel for Shiri, who was 32 at the time of her death.
Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 10 months old, along with their mother were brutally murdered in November 2023 by Hamas terrorists during their captivity. Shiri and her two red-headed young bodies were held hostage in the Gaza Strip for more than 500 days before Hamas returned their bodies to Israel. They were buried on Wednesday. Forensics examination of their bodies revealed that Hamas murdered Ariel and Kfir “were their bare hands” and afterwards “committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities.”
Haines concluded her remarks during Tuesday’s episode of “The View” by acknowledging the 63 hostages who are still in Gaza, after being abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. “There are 60 more remaining hostages in Gaza,” she said. “They’re still there and our hearts are with Israel and the families. This is the most heart-wrenching part for everything.”
Haines’ co-hosts on “The View” include Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin.
After Haines concluded talking about the Bibas family and the remaining hostages, Goldberg made comments that equated the savage murder of the Bibas family by a worldwide recognized terrorist organization to suffering people are experiencing around the world, including in Russia. Her remarks, and the fact that she draw attention away from the murder of the Bibas family, have sparked outrage from Israel supporters, including celebrities, and pro-Israel organizations.
“There is nothing positive about any of this,” Goldberg said. “For everyone who’s affecting, our hearts should go out. All the families, all the children. This is horrifying. I find it so shocking that when we talk about things like Hamas, and I look at where we’re putting our energy, I think – well, who are the bad guys now?”
Her fellow co-hosts all replied at the same time saying Hamas is “the bad guy.” Goldberg quickly cut in and said, “Hamas is the bad guy, but what about Russia? Is Russia not bad with all they’ve been doing?” Hostin then reminded her co-hosts that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against him, which the US House of Representatives has condemned.
“But there’s no equivocation of Netanyahu and Hamas,” Griffin reminded the ladies. “Hamas needs to be destroyed.”
Goldberg ended the Hot Topics segment of the show saying: “My point is, when do we stop saying, ‘It’s these folks, or these folks.’ When do we say, ‘Here’s the enemy. This is what the enemy does. This is what the enemy does to children in Africa, all over the world, because they’re the enemy.’ That’s what the enemies do. And why are we supportive of enemies? What’s happening? I don’t always get it right and they don’t always get it right. But we’ll figure out the answers at some point, I’m sure.”
Creative Community for Peace, a pro-Israel entertaining industry organization, said it is “deeply troubled” by Goldberg’s remarks. Others called her “despicable” for comparing “the depravity of Hamas to Russia,” for “marginalizing” the murder of the Bibas family, and needing to “generalize and universalize Jewish suffering,” as said by comedian and musician Ami Kozak. American actress Patricia Heaton, who is best known for her role on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” also blasted Goldberg in a post on X.
“Why do people like Whoopi seem to need to neutralize the murder of the Shiri, Ariel and Kefir [sic] by claiming ‘this is about everyone who is affected,’” Heaton wrote. “Isn’t that what you railed against when people said ‘all lives matter’ in response to BLM [Black Lives Matter]?” “Why do they have such a difficult time acknowledging that these babies were strangled to death because they are Jewish? It’s not the same as Gazan casualties of war. Not at all.”
“How dare you both-sides the Bibas family and use them as a prop in your dangerous propaganda narrative,” Jewish award-winning radio talk show host and columnist Dahlia Kurtz wrote in a social media post addressed to Goldberg. “A mother and her babies were — barbarically — executed by a terror organization. Then held in captivity for ransom. This while her husband and the babies’ father was held hostage — and savagely tortured. Three generations of the innocent Bibas family were murdered. Plus their beloved dog. This is not about everyone’s suffering. This is about the Bibas family.”
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