The majority of violence in this war is taking place in the Middle East, but part of this war is also taking place here in the U.S. and around the world: the war against not only Israel, but against all Jews. The leaders of those attacks have been the social media influencers (who affect politicians, as those politicians are always worried about losing or gaining votes); virulent antisemites like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, et al. Many of those influencers call themselves “traditional Catholics,” although they are actually not “traditional” but extremists who know little of their own Catholic theology; as they reject Vatican II, call the Pope “the usurper of Peter,” and seek to make the United States a new incarnation of Europe during the Crusades.
They have exponentially been gaining power and finances in the last year especially, and the vitriol by these extremists against all non-Catholics (and they include the majority of the official Catholic Church in this category, even those devout brothers and sisters who pray in Latin but do accept the Pope and Nostra Aetate), especially Jews, is larger than anything seen since the Holocaust and possibly even the most intense since the Middle Ages.
But a significant blow was struck against these preachers of hate on Thursday. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops put out an official statement and video condemning these anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists. The church officially restated its support of Jews and noted that Catholic doctrine clearly forbids antisemitism. With clarity and courage, they restated what the great French philosopher and theologian Jacques Maritain said: that the term “Catholic antisemite is not only an error; it is an oxymoron.”
May the American bishops be blessed and thanked for adding moral clarity to the public forum by denying and ostracizing these preachers of hate.
In the Middle East, the coordinated attacks by Hezbollah and Iran using indiscriminate multi-cluster warheads have continued and intensified, and non-military targets like homes, school yards, and railway stations have been the recipients of the random bombings. Iran has also attacked Arab neighbors Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, who are now threatening that if the Iranian attacks do not stop, they will retaliate against Tehran.
In this week’s Torah portion of Mishpatim, the Hebrews are given a variety of laws to observe, but the portion ends with Moses going up Mt. Sinai for 40 days and nights to receive the tablets. This is the same amount of time that it rained during the flood; the number of days of Lent in preparation for Easter, the number of days Jesus wandered in the wilderness after his baptism, and the number of days the Sufi mystic Rumi spent in seclusion with his teacher, Shams Tabriz.
In Jewish mysticism, the number 40 corresponds to the Hebrew letter “mem” and signifies many things:
- The physical womb and any type of transition
- The mind and intelligence (moach in Hebrew)
- The waters of Torah and divine inspiration
- The Messiah (Moshiach in Hebrew)
As we struggle through this war in so many ways and on so many levels, may we find wisdom and understanding through the pain and conflict. May we all transform into the best versions of ourselves. And may we prepare ourselves and the world for the coming of the Moshiach and the peace and joy that will fill all of us and the world in that time.
Shabbat Shalom and Chazak u’Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
March 20, 2026
2nd of Nisan, 5786
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