September 18, 2025

Over the past few days, Benjamin Netanyahu has stood before journalists and articulated a vision that startled many and comforted few. He warned of a coming era of economic and diplomatic isolation, urged Israel to brace for embargoes and boycotts, and declared that the Jewish state would need to become a “Super Sparta.” In the same breath, he insisted Israel must remain an Athens as well, a society of innovation, intellectual brilliance, cultural confidence, even as it girds itself like Sparta for a long siege.

To his critics, I imagine this sounded like desperation dressed in classical allusion. To his admirers, it must have been realism at last. Acknowledgement that the Western world is moving on, that Israel must depend only on itself. But to students of Zionist history, none of this was shocking. Netanyahu was not inventing a new philosophy, he was restating an old one. The tension between Athens and Sparta, openness and fortification, building and defending, has been with the Jewish people from Tanakh through Jabotinsky and into the present moment.

The prime minister’s remarks, covered widely in the Israeli and international press, included four essential claims. First, Israel faces intensifying economic and diplomatic isolation: European governments flirting with sanctions, arms suppliers reconsidering their commitments, trade channels narrowing. Second, Israel must cultivate radical self-reliance, developing domestic defense industries, ensuring supply chains independent of hostile actors. Third, the metaphor of Sparta captures the discipline and resilience he envisions, while Athens symbolizes Israel’s intellectual, technological, and cultural vitality. Fourth, this dual posture will come at a cost — austerity, sacrifice, and vigilance— but survival demands nothing less.

What alarmed observers was less the policy than the candor. For decades, Israeli leaders have insisted the country is simultaneously secure and globally integrated. To describe Israel as a potential Sparta, even a Super Sparta, is to admit the fragility of those ties.

And yet, in 1923, in his essay “On the Iron Wall,” Vladimir Ze’ev Jabotinsky argued that the Arabs of Palestine would never consent to Jewish sovereignty. “It is utterly impossible to obtain the voluntary consent of the Palestinian Arabs,” he wrote, “for turning Palestine into a country with a Jewish majority.” Zionism, therefore, could succeed only by building an “iron wall which they will be powerless to break down,” a power so unassailable that resistance became futile. Only then, he insisted, would peace become possible.

A companion essay, “The Ethics of the Iron Wall,” insisted this realism was not immoral. On the contrary, self-defense was the precondition for eventual reconciliation, because only after strength was undeniable would compromise be conceivable.

In other words, Jabotinsky combined two truths: the need for power, and the promise of peace. Netanyahu’s Super Sparta echoes this. He is warning that, once again, Jews cannot depend on the benevolence of outsiders. Our survival depends on what we can build and defend with our own hands.

Jabotinsky combined two truths: the need for power, and the promise of peace. Netanyahu’s Super Sparta echoes this. He is warning that, once again, Jews cannot depend on the benevolence of outsiders. Our survival depends on what we can build and defend with our own hands.

This, too, is not an innovation of Revisionist Zionism. It is a biblical inheritance. In the book of Nehemiah, the exiles return to a shattered Jerusalem and begin to rebuild. They face mockery and opposition from neighbors. Nehemiah rallies them to both construction and defense. “They who built up the wall, and they who carried the materials, every one of them with one of his hands worked at building, and with the other hand held a weapon.”

Yuval Levin, in a 2024 address at the Jewish Leadership Conference hosted by Tikvah and later published by Mosaic, seized on this image. Speaking largely about the American experience, renewal, he argued, always requires two simultaneous postures: institution building and vigilant defense. “The task before us is not only to build but also to defend what we build, to work with one hand while the other holds a weapon.”

Nehemiah’s lesson complicates the debate about Netanyahu’s Sparta. Sparta alone would be too narrow, Athens alone too exposed. The biblical model is both — not alternating, but simultaneous.

Athens, in Netanyahu’s metaphor, stands for openness, creativity, and intellectual flourishing. That, too, has biblical roots. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes probe questions of wisdom and meaning like ancient philosophy seminars. Job stages a dialogue about justice that rivals Socratic disputation. Isaiah imagines nations streaming to Jerusalem, for Torah shall go forth from Zion. The Song of Songs is sheer poetry, unabashed beauty.

Israel has always had Athens within it — a place of learning, culture, universal vision. Even the prophets, fierce in judgment, were also poets, seers of possibility, dreamers of new worlds.

Israel has always had Athens within it — a place of learning, culture, universal vision. Even the prophets, fierce in judgment, were also poets, seers of possibility, dreamers of new worlds. But alongside Athens, we have Sparta.

But alongside Athens, we have Sparta. Joshua conquering Canaan, Judges rallying militias, David fighting Philistines, Nehemiah erecting literal walls, all testify that survival in a hostile landscape requires arms and vigilance. Psalm 125 compares Jerusalem to mountains that surround and protect. Zechariah imagines God Himself as a wall of fire around the city. Defense is not an embarrassment to the tradition — it is inscribed within it.

The danger, of course, is that Sparta overwhelms Athens. That is what happened historically. Sparta’s rigidity bred stagnation and eventual decline, while Athens’ openness allowed for innovation but also for vulnerability. The Jewish genius has been to combine them, Athens and Sparta fused in Jerusalem.

In invoking Super Sparta, Netanyahu is not so much innovating as invoking Jabotinsky and Nehemiah. He is reminding Israelis that international legitimacy can be fickle, that alliances shift, that boycotts and embargoes are not theoretical. The task is not to despair but to prepare. Build the walls, develop the industries, ensure deterrence.

His addition of Athens is equally important. Israel cannot afford to become only Sparta, a garrison state devoid of imagination. It must remain a global center of technology, art, Torah, philosophy, or it ceases to be the Jewish state as envisioned by prophets and sages.

And yet, metaphors matter. To call for Super Sparta risks making austerity, suspicion, and isolation into virtues for their own sake. Jabotinsky insisted that the Iron Wall was temporary, a means to eventual peace. Nehemiah rebuilt walls in order to reopen the Temple, restore worship, renew covenant, not to hunker down forever. If Israel confuses means with ends, it may entrench an isolation that corrodes its Athens and disfigures its Jerusalem.

History also complicates the Sparta metaphor. Sparta was never fully isolated — it relied on allies and tribute. Its vaunted discipline masked dependence. The lesson for Israel is that even the toughest Sparta needs partners, trade and openness. A Sparta without Athens is a Sparta doomed.

The Jewish story is one of trowels and swords, prophets and soldiers, Athens and Sparta. To be a people that endures requires building institutions, cultivating wisdom, and defending both with vigilance. From Nehemiah’s walls to Jabotinsky’s iron wall, from Netanyahu’s speeches to Israel’s daily realities, the challenge is the same: how to keep both hands busy, one constructing, the other guarding.

Our task is not to become Sparta or Athens but to be Jerusalem: strong enough to withstand siege, wise enough to teach nations, humble enough to know that building and defending are always simultaneous.

Netanyahu has offered the metaphor of Super Sparta. Jewish history suggests a deeper one: Jerusalem, the city that is both fortified and luminous, both mountain-ringed and word-radiating. Our task is not to become Sparta or Athens but to be Jerusalem: strong enough to withstand siege, wise enough to teach nations, humble enough to know that building and defending are always simultaneous.

Adam Eilath is the Head of School at Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City, California. He is proud to lead a talented team of educators who are committed to raising the next generation of leaders steeped in the Jewish tradition.

Jimmy Kimmel was fired by ABC for his comments on the air about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The celebration of Kirk’s death from segments of our society reveals a disturbing rot in our social fabric, an unraveling of the basic moral fibers that hold our society together.  Jimmy Kimmel should not have made light of or in any way attempted to rationalize the murder of Charlie Kirk.  Hollywood’s condemnation of Kimmel, however, is deeply hypocritical.

For two years celebrities have been calling to “globalize the intifada.” The term “intifada” refers specifically to two Palestinian uprisings — one in the 1980s and the other in the early 2000s — that were defined by violent acts of terrorism in Israel, such as bus bombings, attacks on pizza parlors, and the killing of innocent civilians.  These acts were explicitly political.  They were often committed under the guidance or encouragement of the PLO and were intended to exert pressure on the Israeli government to change official political policies.

When celebrities shout to “Free Palestine from the River to the Sea,” they are not calling for a negotiated two-state solution: they are invoking an Arabic slogan whose literal and original translation calls for Palestine to be Arab.  The cheer isn’t just a catchy rhyme — it is calling for the violent eradication of the State of Israel.

When celebrities shout to “Free Palestine from the River to the Sea,” they are not calling for a negotiated two-state solution: they are invoking an Arabic slogan whose literal and original translation calls for Palestine to be Arab.

Hollywood loves to brand itself as a bastion of free expression, tolerance, and justice. But when it comes to antisemitism, the industry reveals a glaring double standard.  There have been virtually no career or public opinion consequences to the myriad Hollywood stars who have used their platforms to spread anti-Israel and anti-Jewish disinformation.

Just after the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, Susan Sarandon spoke at a rally and said that American Jews were “getting a taste of what it feels like to be Muslim in this country.”  Sarandon was suggesting that American Jews somehow deserved violence.  She was briefly dropped by her agency, but was signed by another within months.  She faced no career blowback.  There was no exile from Hollywood’s elite parties.

Mark Ruffalo has been claiming that Israel is committing a “genocide” since 2021, well before the current Israel/Hamas war.  Ruffalo’s repetition of Hamas talking points is not just factually inaccurate — it paints Jews as war criminals and human rights abusers.  Ruffalo was rewarded for his comments with a starring role in the Avengers series.  He is painted in Hollywood as a “human rights activist.”

Just last week, at this year’s Emmys awards, actor Javier Bardem wore a keffiyeh on the red carpet and raised his hand in a fist of defiance declaring that he cannot “work with someone who justifies genocide in Gaza.” His statements were an endorsement to blacklist and boycott Israeli or “Zionist” artists.  Bardem was not fired or cancelled.

Statements like “globalize the intifada” collapse an immensely complex conflict into a jingle. They flatten centuries of Jewish history and trauma.  They paint Israel, and by proxy all Jews, as the singular villain.  Accusing Israel of “genocide” is not just hyperbolic, it is incendiary.

Jimmy Kimmel referred to the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk as a “MAGA extremist.” Now Kimmel is fired.  Charlie Kirk was an ardently Zionist Christian, but he was not a Jew.  When speech in Hollywood endangers Jews, frames Jews as genocidal, and excuses terrorism against Jews, then somehow it is not political incitement, it is just celebrities speaking “their truth.”

Antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed in the United States since October 7, 2023. Jewish students have been assaulted on campuses, Jewish-owned businesses vandalized, and Jewish neighborhoods targeted by protests that veer into intimidation.  Speeches from celebrities glorifying intifada help legitimize Jew-hatred around the world and give cover to extremism.

Free expression is essential in a democracy.  No one should call for the censorship of ideas.  But there must be accountability when speech crosses into incitement of political violence.  This accountability must be applied evenly.  If calling a murderer “MAGA’” is a fireable offense, then surely calling for global condemnation and ostracization of Jews deserves equal scrutiny.

The question isn’t whether Jimmy Kimmel deserved to lose his platform. The question is why has Hollywood looked away for the last two years when celebrities call for political violence against Jews.

Julie Marazouk is an attorney, author, and the founder and principal of Marzouk Evolve Advocacy Consulting

Iryna Zarutska was murdered by a life-long criminal on the Charlotte, North Carolina transit system. The assailant stabbed her in the neck and proceeded to walk through the train car brandishing the murder weapon, reportedly saying, “I got that white girl.”

As troubling as the video footage of the stabbing is, the most disturbing aspect is what happened just after the attack. Zarutska can be seen putting her face in her hands, weeping, until she slumps over and dies a minute and a half later.

During this time, multiple riders are visible playing on their phones and ignoring the tragedy that’s unfolding. Just before her life slipped away, one rider finally attempted to staunch the bleeding but it was too little, too late.

The news of this story brought back memories of a terror attack in Israel exactly seven years ago. Ari Fuld, a long-time advocate for Israel, was stabbed in the neck by a terrorist at a mall in the Gush Etzion region. Ari also tragically succumbed to his injuries, but he did not go quietly. He fought until his last breath, managing to neutralize the terrorist despite his mortal wound, and saved many lives in the process.

Ari’s heroism is evident because rarely does the victim become the savior. Some suggest that he may have survived had his wound been immediately treated. But instead he protected those around him at the greatest cost.

Living in Israel, we are often called on to help in different ways. I recently had to fill in for a colleague on short notice. Usually when officiating a wedding, couples are in touch months in advance to arrange every last detail. But this couple’s rabbi suffered a family tragedy in the days leading up to the event and, according to Jewish law, he was unable to work for the seven days following the burial.

His brother had been murdered in the Ramot shooting on the outskirts of Jerusalem that left around 20 injured and took the lives of six. Like most terror attacks in Israel, the murderers were neutralized by armed citizens. But this time things were different.

The two heroes who saved so many lives were Haredi (Ultra Orthodox) — one was an off-duty soldier, and the other was a citizen with a gun license. With all the tensions in Israel surrounding Haredim dodging army service, the news couldn’t have made us prouder despite the tragic circumstances.

The contrast to the murder of Iryna Zarutska highlights the stark difference between Israel and the rest of the West. Of course, Zarutska did no wrong, being an innocent victim of a schizophrenic’s rage. No one expected her to tackle her assailant as Ari Fuld did. But how could the other riders have done nothing in the face of such evil?

Of course, Iryna Zarutska did no wrong, being an innocent victim of a schizophrenic’s rage. No one expected her to tackle her assailant as Ari Fuld did. But how could the other riders have done nothing in the face of such evil?

One could argue that there was good reason no one subdued the killer. A similar case occurred on the New York subway system in 2023. When a person with the same mental condition as Zarutska’s killer began threatening the lives of riders, Daniel Penny put the assailant in a submission hold, accidentally leading to his death. Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

Although ultimately acquitted, outcomes like these may deter bystanders from acting in cases such as Zarutska’s. However, those sitting near her, who didn’t even attempt to stop the bleeding, have no excuse.

From the outside, much of the West appears morally confused. All the wrong things are being celebrated. Race overshadows individuals’ character and actions. In the Daniel Penny case, the media’s focus was on Penny being white and the assailant being black. In the Iryna Zarutska case, the story was ignored because the victim was white. The news cycle must always serve the narrative.

From the outside, much of the West appears morally confused. All the wrong things are being celebrated. Race overshadows individuals’ character and actions.

In all of the above incidents there were good and bad actors. The focus needs to shift back to right and wrong. And those who do right to protect those around them should be lauded and those who threaten or commit acts of violence need to be chastised, irrespective of skin color or narrative. Rewarding decent behavior encourages others to stand up and do the right thing.

Israel has suffered an onslaught of attacks due to the war in Gaza. Many claim that our behavior indicates national moral failings. But the world is wrong. Israel is a nation of action. It’s a nation of love and concern for its fellow citizens that both protects life and celebrates it — whether it’s those who defend the innocent or those who step in when a colleague is in need; whenever terror strikes, we all do what’s necessary. However, this should not just be Israel’s story, it must be the aspiration of every free society. When good people do something — whether in Israel, New York or Charlotte — then none of us are truly alone.

The writer is a rabbi, a wedding officiant, and a mohel who performs britot (ritual circumcisions) and conversions in Israel and worldwide. Based in Efrat, Israel, he is the founder of Magen HaBrit, an organization protecting the practice of brit milah and the children who undergo it.

This past Sunday evening, I witnessed a stark contrast that perfectly encapsulates the divide within American Jewish identity today. In one room, the Jewish American Summit in Los Angeles gathered 700 people, Jews and non-Jews, liberals and conservatives alike, united in support of Israel and authentic Jewish values. Simultaneously, across town at the Emmy Awards, we saw the opposite: a performative rejection of Jewish connection to Israel, delivered with the hollow prefix “as a Jew.”

At our summit, Senator John Fetterman, a Catholic, and Bill Maher, a self-described liberal atheist, both of whom spoke passionately about standing with Israel and the Jewish people. They both demonstrated more understanding of Jewish values and Israel’s ethical conduct than many who claim Jewish identity while undermining Israel’s right to defend itself.

Maher pointed out something rarely acknowledged in mainstream media: Israel has conducted this war with unprecedented ethical restraint, resulting in the lowest civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio in modern urban warfare. He didn’t hesitate to call out Qatar’s $2 billion campaign to indoctrinate American university campuses, creating the antisemitic atmosphere we now witness. These are facts, delivered by allies who recognize truth regardless of political alignment.

Meanwhile, at the Emmy Awards, Hannah Einbinder took the stage and made a statement aimed at effectively divorcing “American cultural Judaism”, the only Judaism she apparently knows, from Israel. This exemplifies what I call the “As a Jew” disease: individuals with minimal connection to Jewish tradition or knowledge making public statements that undermine Israel or Jewish values while using their Jewish heritage as a shield.

This performative distancing isn’t new. For some in Hollywood, donning keffiyehs or signing anti-Israel statements appears to be a career-advancing rebellion. But make no mistake, these actions align them with the terrorists and perpetrators of the October 7th massacre, a slaughter these same celebrities rarely acknowledge.

One room celebrated Jewish identity through understanding and solidarity; the other showcased the shallow performance of rejecting one’s people for applause.

Jerry Seinfeld recently called the “Free Palestine” movement the modern equivalent of the KKK, recognizing that antisemitism is simply racism dressed in political clothing. He’s right. When you attend pro-Israel rallies, you see singing, dancing, and celebration of life. At pro-Palestinian demonstrations, you often encounter burning flags, Molotov cocktails, violence, and raw hatred.

What explains this dichotomy? Those at our summit, Jewish or not, understand that Judaism is built on a foundation of love, as established by Abraham. We stand for our principles, defend our people, but ultimately build rather than destroy.

Contrast this with the document recently circulated in Hollywood, a racist manifesto that advocates refusing to work with anyone connected to Israel. This is not social justice; it’s discrimination based on national origin and religion.

The “As a Jew” phenomenon represents a troubling trend: those with the thinnest connection to Jewish tradition often speak the loudest against it. They position themselves as moral authorities precisely because they’ve distanced themselves from Jewish communal life. Their Judaism exists primarily as a credential for criticizing Israel.

We face an information war where facts compete with AI-generated images and emotional manipulation. Qatar-funded propaganda has infiltrated our universities and media, with Al Jazeera, now openly controlled by Qatar’s royal family, serving as its mouthpiece.

The summit speakers recognized this reality. Both Fetterman and Maher, representing different backgrounds but united in moral clarity, refused to accept the false narratives that dominate campus protests and Hollywood statements.

True allies don’t need Jewish ancestry to recognize right from wrong. They understand that Hamas, not Israel, is responsible for civilian casualties in Gaza. They acknowledge that Israel targets terrorists while Hamas targets civilians and uses them as human shields, often forcing them to stay in harm’s way on pain of death. They recognize that Israel provides humanitarian aid while Hamas steals it.

Those who stand on stages declaring “as a Jew” while distancing themselves from Israel aren’t speaking from Jewish knowledge or values. They’re performing for an audience that rewards Jewish self-rejection, often with likes and shares on social media.

Our tradition teaches that all Jews are responsible for one another. This doesn’t mean agreeing on everything, but it does mean understanding that our fates are intertwined. Those who believe they can separate “good Jews” from “Zionists” misunderstand both Judaism and history.

The summit showed that support for Israel transcends political identity. Liberal Democrats stood alongside conservatives in recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism. They understood that this isn’t about politics, it’s about morality.

I’m grateful for authentic allies who stand with us not because it’s popular, but because it’s right. And I pray that those Jews who distance themselves from Israel in pursuit of approval will one day recognize that true courage means standing with your people, especially when it’s difficult.

Judaism is a living tradition of ethics, community, and resilience that has survived millennia, and we will survive Hannah Einbinder and all the other “As a Jew” voices too.

Steven Burg is the CEO of AISH, a global Jewish institute, and the Chairman of Aish Ha’am, a new party in the World Zionist Congress. Prior to Aish, he was Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, where he oversaw the Museum of Tolerance in New York City and contributed to the center’s fight against antisemitism. You can find out more about him here: https://rabbiburg.com/