June 7, 2025, marks 20 months since Hamas initiated the current war we in Israel are experiencing – one that seems without end. Our hostages remain in captivity in the most appalling conditions – a reality verified by those who have been released.
Our brave soldiers – both conscripts and reservists – are asked to return to battle time and again. The painful toll on them and their families is enormous, with too many losing their livelihoods as a result of the damage done to the economy.
New babies are born whose fathers are absent because they are fighting the enemy in Gaza. The death toll of our brave, far-too-young soldiers has reached an unacceptable level.
The psychological damage is beyond comprehension, with this reality applying to men, women, and children, aside from those who are serving in the IDF. For sure, there will not be sufficient psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists to deal with the fallout of this war.
False accusations
Concurrently, the world chooses to forget how the war came about, with the international media projecting the situation as if we in Israel woke up one day and decided to enter Gaza and kill as many civilians as possible – specifically women and children – without rhyme or reason.
It is sickening to view the way United Kingdom’s Sky and BBC news channels report on the war, refusing to accord responsibility where it belongs, namely with Hamas.
The world’s political leadership, together with those who work for the media, barely mention Oct. 7, 2023 – a Shabbat when we Jews were celebrating Simchat Torah while Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel and barbarically murdered 1,200 Israeli citizens – the majority civilians – sexually abused women, and even murdered an unborn baby in front of its mother.
All this horror was duly (and proudly) videoed by the Hamas mass murderers. Where were the women’s organizations worldwide that did not utter one word of condemnation?
How many world politicians and world journalists refer to the catalyst for this war? All we hear is that Israel is committing genocide. How many refer to the hostages kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, who are being kept in cages with their hands and legs bound together, starved, and living in underground tunnels?
There remains a pertinent unanswered question for all the countries that seem bent on putting the blame for this war on us. How come we Jews – the victims of a barbaric mass murder on Oct. 7 – simultaneously became the aggressor?
Not since the rise of Hitler
How is it that the vile murder of Israeli men, women, and children became the trigger of worldwide antisemitism, reaching a level that has seen no precedence since the rise of Hitler in the 1930s?
January 1933 saw the appointment of Adolf Hitler as chancellor of Germany, who initiated the laws and policies increasingly restricting the rights of Jews in Germany. On April 25, 1933, a law was passed aimed at excluding Jewish children from public schools.
Seventy-five percent of all Jewish children attended general public schools in Germany. My late husband, who was German-born, was expelled from his school in Bamberg because he was Jewish.
While today Jewish children are not being expelled, what of the increasing fear and discomfort faced by Jewish students on university campuses worldwide? Should we be comparing antisemitism today with what happened in Germany?
The frightening reality is that today’s antisemitism might well be considered even more disturbing because it is not confined to one country.
Last month saw the release, at a press conference held in Berlin, of the first annual report of “The J7 Large Communities’ Task Force against Antisemitism.”
Countries specifically referred to were Australia, Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The report revealed that Australia recorded a 317% rise in antisemitic incidents in 2024. Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, stated, “This report presents the most comprehensive analysis.”
He went on to say, “When antisemitism is not met with sufficient force, it can escalate into violence.”
Canada reported that since Oct. 7, the Jewish community has faced an unprecedented wave of antisemitic attacks. “The challenges facing the Canadian Jewish community are immense,” said Noah Shack, interim president of Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
The words of Canada’s and Australia’s representatives were reflected time and again by the other countries that formed part of this report.
What the report reveals is that antisemitism has reached an unacceptable level throughout the world. This in itself accentuates the vital necessity of having one Jewish state.
Back to the beginning: There are many Israelis, including the writer of this article, who believe it is time to negotiate an end to this war, enabling the hostages, both alive and dead, to return home.
In addition, it is looking increasingly promising that, should this war end, there are some neighboring countries that would contribute toward ensuring that Gaza is no longer run by the murderous Hamas.
In spite of the increasing challenges we Israelis are facing, we are a resilient people. Resilience is what was patently demonstrated by Israel’s Yuval Raphael at Eurovision 2025 when singing her song “New Day Will Rise.”
Raphael, who survived the Supernova massacre by hiding under dead bodies, delivered a powerful performance that led to an amazing victory for Israel, coming in second place and receiving the maximum 12 points from the public’s vote in Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Among these countries are those whose stance on Israel is totally negative. The public vote was in stark contrast to that of the official Jury vote, where Israel received only 60 points, tying with Ukraine for 14th place.
While currently we Jews, whether here or there, find little reason to rejoice, let us see Eurovision 2025 as a reflection of a reality that not “everyone” is against us. Raphael’s success made us smile, and it mirrors a resilience that marks what Israel and its people are about.
Am Yisrael chai.
The writer is the president of the Israel, Britain, and the Commonwealth Association and has chaired public affairs organizations in Israel and the UK.