Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a simple statement on Tuesday that the world seems intent on forgetting: “You can’t end the conflicts in the region if Iran’s proxies are firing missiles.” And they keep firing missiles, keep recommitting themselves to the destruction of both Israel and the United States, and keep making it clear that their goal is not peace but conquest. And on Tuesday, we started really seeing the results of what happens when people do not confront evil in all its forms.
The actions around the world, including domestically, demonstrated how the Islamic regime of Iran, which seeks a worldwide caliphate, may be losing militarily, but it is clearly winning (for now) the war between its sought-for caliphate and Western civilization.
One of the easiest examples of how our willingness to tolerate Iran and its proxies is increasing hate and dangers around the world was found in North Korea. Kim Jong Un announced that his country is “equipping the navy with nuclear weapons,” according to the state news agency KCNA. He said, “The plan is progressing according to schedule and is designed to ensure that our nuclear force will be ready for a variety of effective operations.” Suddenly, over the last few days, the North Korean leader has started rattling his own sabres as the U.S. flounders in its support of Israel, allowing Iran to control the situation.
It’s not just internationally, but domestically, that we see dangerous signs. In New York on Tuesday, the far-left anti-Israel candidates endorsed by Jew-hater Mayor Zohran Mamdani all won their primaries, including one over an incumbent. New York is becoming progressively unsafe for Jews, as anti-Semitic attacks happen almost daily and are ignored. Also on Tuesday, the Senate passed 50-48 a resolution directing the President to remove all American troops from the region of Iran. As the Supreme Court has previously deemed this unconstitutional, as the President is constitutionally the Commander in Chief, this resolution is moot — except that it gives Iran and its proxies the confidence to just wait it out and know that America will abandon Israel eventually.
We also saw different political attitudes on Tuesday. JD Vance spent time with Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, planning an American/Lebanese/Iranian-run mechanism to create a ceasefire. Again, Vance appears naive regarding Middle Eastern “negotiations.”
Conversely, we saw John Fetterman act with courage and common sense on Tuesday as he voted differently from his party in the Senate and vowed to always support Israel. “I’m proud to stand with Israel, whether I’m the last Democrat standing on this issue or not,” he stated. “I’m going to continue to support Israel, and I’m going to call out what I’m seeing across the country in these races. You have candidates who are actively trying to cram as much anti-Israel sentiment — and, in my view, anti-Semitism — into their platforms as possible.” I have to admit that when the big guy was campaigning in his hoodie and shorts, I did not take him seriously and had little to no respect for him. (I even wrote an article suggesting that he put on his big boy pants.) But I was entirely wrong about him. He has demonstrated ethics and courage in the face of his colleagues who are jumping on the antisemitic Rashida Tlaib/Ilhan Omar bandwagon. (I also wrote an article about a month ago publicly apologizing to Fetterman for my mistakes about him.)
Related: Rabbi Michael Barclay’s Iran Updates for June 23
OK, so the MOU is causing challenges for the U.S., Israel, and around the world. Still, we see glimmers of hope out of darkness by looking at our history.
Today is the ninth of Tammuz, the anniversary of a dark day in our history, when the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 B.C., which led to the destruction of the First Holy Temple built by Solomon. A dark time for our ancestors.
Yet out of that darkness came a renewal of the Jewish people. It was because of that tragedy that Jews went to Babylon (which ultimately became the Persian Empire, and is now Iraq and Iran). Many of the Jews there, known as Mizrahi, stayed there until the 1970s and ’80s, and kept up the customs and traditions of our ancestors more purely than their Ashkenazi counterparts. Because of them, we have a direct relationship to the ways of our ancestors.
There was more good that came out of that painful day. A mere 70 years later, under the new ruler Cyrus the Great, the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. The Western Wall in Jerusalem is part of that Second Temple complex. The Babylonian Talmud (Bavli) was created out of that forced exile to Babylon — the great document of many volumes that became the foundation stone not only of how to understand the Bible, but of how to practice Judaism.
Out of the pain of that day in the 6th century B.C. came wisdom and understanding that enlightens us still today, thousands of years later. History again shows us the future.
And we can all have faith that out of the challenges of today, a joy and wisdom will arise that will renew our people, Israel, and the world.
May we all have the faith, courage, and blessing to make and see that renewed world of joy and peace in our time.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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