People draped in an Israeli flag dance as the Jewish community gather to mark the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel in Trafalgar Square on October 5, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)
Between Sukkot and Simchat Torah, the Jewish people live in a rhythm of fragility and faith. We dwell in temporary shelters, then step into eternal covenant, dancing with the Torah as though nothing could ever shake us. Yet this year, that dance feels suspended — a breath held since October 7.
On the day meant for joy, music turned to sirens. At the Nova music festival, young Jews came together to dance and were murdered for being alive, for being Jewish. Almost two years later, as the world speaks of cease-fires and negotiations, we are still waiting to bring home our sons and daughters — to dance again, not at a concert, but in a circle of life.
Israel stands once more at an excruciating crossroads. Hamas demands new concessions, new releases of the very terrorists whose hands are stained with the blood of innocents. The world debates with distance, but Israel bears the unbearable choice — to release killers in order to save even one captive. Yet our Torah does not hesitate: “Whoever saves one life, it is as if they have saved an entire world.”
Our enemies interpret compassion as weakness. But to choose life — pikuach nefesh — is our strength, the moral heartbeat of Am Yisrael. We do not worship death; we sanctify life, even when it breaks us.
There is a story told from the Holocaust: Jews in hiding on Simchat Torah, bereft of a Sefer Torah, lifted their children and declared, “Our children are our Torah.” They danced with them in the darkness. Today that image returns — not as metaphor, but as memory and mission. We pray to lift our children again, whole and free, not as symbols of survival but as the living scrolls of our people.
This Simchat Torah, Israel may still be negotiating in the shadow of evil. Yet the sukkah remains standing — fragile walls, open roof, infinite faith. We decorate in blue and white, because we are one people with one beating heart. And we whisper the promise that has carried us through exile, persecution, and war: Am Yisrael Chai.
We will dance again — not blindly, not forgetting, but because joy is our defiance and life itself is our victory.
Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem said Wednesday night that after undergoing lifesaving procedures in its trauma unit, Leiter underwent complex brain surgery lasting several hours along with additional treatments.
While so much of the world seems obsessed with and consumed by its hatred of Israel and Jews, Israelis continue to build, create, work, celebrate, argue, raise families, and plan for the future.
“The biggest concern is that people now have a pathway to shut down Jewish voices through complete falsities that people will believe. … For the future of Jewish entertainment, it’s very scary.”
Mark Smith has compiled an important anthology of Jewish history using 49 works by Yiddish historians to recreate or at least open the door to a world of Jewish thought that was once almost mainstream, but which no longer exists, except in the minds of too few specialists.
Most Jews who have sung “Eitz Chaim” over the past half-century probably never knew Portnoy. They did not know when he wrote the melody or how young he was when he composed it. They simply knew the song.
The failure of the social media era was not simply that we failed to predict what would happen. It was that we continued giving technology companies the benefit of the doubt long after there were compelling reasons not to.
This year, I bless us that we open our eyes to truly see the beauty and the holiness of the world, and of the person before us at each and every moment, and to see the godliness of their aspirations and their fears.
Ushpizin invite us to “welcome in our ancestral constellation and dwell amongst them.” This year, it’s Ushpizot, for the women. It’s the year of the Feminist Visitation.
In between his songs, he proclaimed, “Free Palestine,” which is fine, asserted that opposing Israeli military actions is not antisemitic, which is accurate, and accused Israel of apartheid and genocide, which is offensive, untrue and hateful.
They can destroy our Temples, demonize us in social media, shower us with hate, but they can’t destroy a spirit that never stops building. That enduring spirit is the power of the sukkah.
In many of the nations that believe Israel has no right to exist and routinely root for terrorists to slaughter Jews, a TV show that depicts Israeli covert operatives outsmarting and dispatching Arabs has an inexplicably loyal global audience.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.
We Will Dance Again — But Not Blindly
Dina Leeds
Between Sukkot and Simchat Torah, the Jewish people live in a rhythm of fragility and faith. We dwell in temporary shelters, then step into eternal covenant, dancing with the Torah as though nothing could ever shake us. Yet this year, that dance feels suspended — a breath held since October 7.
On the day meant for joy, music turned to sirens. At the Nova music festival, young Jews came together to dance and were murdered for being alive, for being Jewish. Almost two years later, as the world speaks of cease-fires and negotiations, we are still waiting to bring home our sons and daughters — to dance again, not at a concert, but in a circle of life.
Israel stands once more at an excruciating crossroads. Hamas demands new concessions, new releases of the very terrorists whose hands are stained with the blood of innocents. The world debates with distance, but Israel bears the unbearable choice — to release killers in order to save even one captive. Yet our Torah does not hesitate: “Whoever saves one life, it is as if they have saved an entire world.”
Our enemies interpret compassion as weakness. But to choose life — pikuach nefesh — is our strength, the moral heartbeat of Am Yisrael. We do not worship death; we sanctify life, even when it breaks us.
There is a story told from the Holocaust: Jews in hiding on Simchat Torah, bereft of a Sefer Torah, lifted their children and declared, “Our children are our Torah.” They danced with them in the darkness. Today that image returns — not as metaphor, but as memory and mission. We pray to lift our children again, whole and free, not as symbols of survival but as the living scrolls of our people.
This Simchat Torah, Israel may still be negotiating in the shadow of evil. Yet the sukkah remains standing — fragile walls, open roof, infinite faith. We decorate in blue and white, because we are one people with one beating heart. And we whisper the promise that has carried us through exile, persecution, and war: Am Yisrael Chai.
We will dance again — not blindly, not forgetting, but because joy is our defiance and life itself is our victory.
Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.
Editor's Picks
Israel and the Internet Wars – A Professional Social Media Review
The Invisible Student: A Tale of Homelessness at UCLA and USC
What Ever Happened to the LA Times?
Who Are the Jews On Joe Biden’s Cabinet?
You’re Not a Bad Jewish Mom If Your Kid Wants Santa Claus to Come to Your House
No Labels: The Group Fighting for the Political Center
Latest Articles
Before Oct. 7 and After: Arab Audiences Keep Watching ‘Fauda’
For These Israelis, Voting Is Worth a $10,000 Trip Home
A Harira Hug in the Sukkah
Table for Five: Sukkot
Can We Rescue Our Youth from Social Media?
‘Let No Person Judge Himself’ — On the Apostate, Self-Hatred, and the Wrong Questions
Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter’s Son Undergoes Brain Surgery After West Bank Terror Attack
Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem said Wednesday night that after undergoing lifesaving procedures in its trauma unit, Leiter underwent complex brain surgery lasting several hours along with additional treatments.
More Than a Toolkit: Helping Jewish Students Navigate Campus
First launched in 2024 and updated again this year, the guide offers practical resources and advice for navigating the current campus climate.
The Beat Goes On
While so much of the world seems obsessed with and consumed by its hatred of Israel and Jews, Israelis continue to build, create, work, celebrate, argue, raise families, and plan for the future.
Viral AI Video Targets Jewish Comedian
“The biggest concern is that people now have a pathway to shut down Jewish voices through complete falsities that people will believe. … For the future of Jewish entertainment, it’s very scary.”
Yiddish Historians: Writing in Their Own Language for Their Own People
Mark Smith has compiled an important anthology of Jewish history using 49 works by Yiddish historians to recreate or at least open the door to a world of Jewish thought that was once almost mainstream, but which no longer exists, except in the minds of too few specialists.
The Everlasting Melody
Most Jews who have sung “Eitz Chaim” over the past half-century probably never knew Portnoy. They did not know when he wrote the melody or how young he was when he composed it. They simply knew the song.
We Made This Mistake With Social Media. Let’s Not Make It Again With AI.
The failure of the social media era was not simply that we failed to predict what would happen. It was that we continued giving technology companies the benefit of the doubt long after there were compelling reasons not to.
Rosner’s Domain | Who Is to Blame for Antisemitism?
If Jews come to believe that changing their policies is the key to fixing antisemitism, they are likely in for disappointment.
Who’s Really the Victim?
Those who would revel in Israel’s demise are claiming victimhood on every front and denying attacks on us in the same breath.
The Price at the Pump Is the Price of Terror
Every time Americans fill their cars, buy groceries or book an airline ticket, they are paying an invisible terrorism tax.
Sukkot: A Place for Every Jew
Family wants everyone around the table, because we care about each other.
Biblical Deterrence
After Oct. 7, the sentiment in Israel toward the Iranian leadership was unequivocal: You went medieval — so we will go biblical.
How Sukkot Makes Us Whole
This year, I bless us that we open our eyes to truly see the beauty and the holiness of the world, and of the person before us at each and every moment, and to see the godliness of their aspirations and their fears.
The New Ushpizot
Ushpizin invite us to “welcome in our ancestral constellation and dwell amongst them.” This year, it’s Ushpizot, for the women. It’s the year of the Feminist Visitation.
Macklemore, Or Less
In between his songs, he proclaimed, “Free Palestine,” which is fine, asserted that opposing Israeli military actions is not antisemitic, which is accurate, and accused Israel of apartheid and genocide, which is offensive, untrue and hateful.
The Rokeach’s Remarkable Sukkah
To Rabbi Eleazar ben Judah of Worms (1176-1238), the medieval German pietist known as the Rokeach, the sukkah symbolized Jewish military might.
Men Need a Sukkah, Not a Manosphere
There is deep wisdom for men in Sukkot and its ritual objects.
The Sukkah and the Power of Endurance
They can destroy our Temples, demonize us in social media, shower us with hate, but they can’t destroy a spirit that never stops building. That enduring spirit is the power of the sukkah.
NY Mag’s Habibi City
A satirical response to Zaina Arafat’s erasure of Jews in her New York Magazine article “Habibi City,” written as Zaina Arafat.
The ‘Fauda’ Enigma
In many of the nations that believe Israel has no right to exist and routinely root for terrorists to slaughter Jews, a TV show that depicts Israeli covert operatives outsmarting and dispatching Arabs has an inexplicably loyal global audience.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.