Enigmas Inherent in Current, Horrific Occurrences

We’re living through considerable numbers of instances in which we have suffered from worldwide, traumatic invalidation (Silow-Carroll) and in which, concurrently, we have failed to rigorously explore any accountability of ours for these catastrophic happenings. I’m referring to malevolent international communications along with our present day kesher, or, more exactly, our lack thereof, with Hashem.

Simply, since we can never know why Hashem acts as He does, our understanding of events continues to be limited to our grasp of human nature. Even given sagacious perceptions of publics and persons, we can’t honestly claim to realize the entire truth as others’ actions, as well as our own, regularly remain hidden (“The Johari Window Model”).

Regardless, civilization’s abrogation of Am Yisrael’s existential rights, in the least, is damaging and dangerous. “Individuals whose experiences are invalidated or downplayed can be at risk for a range of symptoms, including mood swings, anxiety, depression and even post-traumatic stress” (Silow-Carroll). To be more precise, per our war with Iran and its proxies, as stated by reservist Ari Kalker, the national and transnational retractions of our entitlement to basic liberties weakens our civilians and our soldiers.

In terms of the latter, Kalker explains that, “reservists are not burning out because of the number of days we are serving. We’re burning out because we’re being asked to risk everything while being prevented from finishing the job.” Consider that our men and women in miluim “conquer one block in Gaza and retreat the next day. [They] risk [their] lives while fuel trucks cross into enemy territory. [They] train to defeat the enemy, but are ordered to avoid confrontation” (Kalker). Viz., local discourse sounds “logical” although it makes no sense.

Equally as problematic is humankind’s conversation about our crisis.

[A]fter thousands of invading Hamas-led terrorists slaughtered some 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 251 to the Gaza Strip,  [r]ather than being met with compassion and care… many  [Israelis] were instead met with a stunning mix of silence, blaming, excluding, and even outright denying the atrocities of October 7 along with any emotional pain stemming from them (Silow-Carroll).

That is, “misleading or false claims — many of which have proliferated on mainstream social media platforms — manipulate and distort the facts of the mass assault, invalidate the pain of victims and their families, and fuel hateful rhetoric that puts Jews and Israelis at risk of real-world harm” (“Denial and Distortion of the Hamas-led October 7 Attack”).

Basically, whereas the nastiness of anti-Semitism has lasted seemingly forever, it’s now surfaced. What’s more, at this point in time, it’s widely lauded. Sometimes, this revulsion is masked as Anti-Zionism. Other times, it’s straightforwardly presented as Jew hatred. For example,

[o]nline, anti-Semitic content increased by more than 300%, with classical anti-Semitism accounting for 38.5% of reported content, Holocaust denial accounting for 21.1%, and anti-Israel and anti-Zionist content accounting for 15.4%…[There is] a deliberate change in language aimed at making anti-Semitism socially acceptable (Stub).

At least as unsettling is that

anti-Israel conspiracy theorists and extremists have used a variety of claims to construct the broader false narrative that Israel—not Hamas—was responsible for the mass killing spree on October 7, despite Hamas claiming responsibility for the attack and terrorists filming themselves committing the acts (“Denial and Distortion of the Hamas-led October 7 Attack”).

Essentially, the human race continues to deem it acceptable to engage in emotional abuse that targets Jews. Heinousness suffers no reluctance in promulgating misshaped, abhorrent images of us.

Despite the aforementioned wickedness, it’s important for us to hark back to the verity that “[w]henever a Jew encounters a challenge, [our] go-to response is to cry out to G‑d in prayer” (Kehot Publication Society). Especially when we are enduring horrific occurrences, we need to manifest insufficient checks on our personal and joint actions. Like Yaakov Avinu, we’re well-advised to adopt a three-pronged strategy; to “assume a pleasant, generous, and optimistic attitude in a wholehearted attempt to make peace[, to]  invest ourselves spiritually [and to] eradicate evil” (Rahav-Meir).

It’s likewise incumbent upon us to hold up our private “mirrors,” akin to how we examined ourselves during the Exodus; whereas we can’t control hatred, we can and ought to fortify the achdut existing among the members of the Klal. We must persist in our hishtadlut. We need to acknowledge our lives’ blessings and curses as has been true since from the time of “Parsha Ki Tova” (Siegelbaum, 2013).

Namely, Hashem always did, always does, and always will control outcomes at the same time as we always did, always do, and always will control our responses to them. It’s more than advisable that as independent entities, and as a collective, that we scrutinize and improve our middot. Such behavior might appear superficial, even immaterial, but matters significantly. We can’t always extinguish iniquity, but we can always set alight good.

Sources:

“Denial and Distortion of the Hamas-led October 7 Attack: An Overview of False Narratives.” Anti-Defamation League. adl.org/resources/article/denial-and-distortion-hamas-led-october-7-attack-overview-false-narratives. 28 Jun. 2024. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kalker, Ari. “We reservists are burning out” [sic]. Times of Israel. 20 May 2025. timesofisrael.com/reservists-are-burning-out-and-its-our-fault/?_gl=1*13mybr1*_ga*NTA1Njk4OTQ4LjE3NDM0MzkxOTI.*_ga_RJR2XWQR34*czE3NDc4NjUxMTAkbzQ4JGcxJHQxNzQ3ODY1MTU0JGowJGwwJGgw. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

Kehot Publication Society. “Psalms for Times of Distress.” Chabad.org. chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/809299/jewish/Psalms-for-Times-of-Distress.htm#utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_chabad.org_magazine_en&utm_campaign=en&utm_content=content. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

Rahav-Meir, Sivan. “Gifs, prayer, and battle” [sic]. Trans. Yehoshua Siskin. Sivan Raav-Meir. 5 Dec. 2022. sivanrahavmeir.com/the-daily-thought/gifts-prayer-and-battle. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Siegelbaum, Rebbetzin Chana Bracha. “Parashat Nitzavim—Uprooting the Bitter or Making it [sic] Sweet?” “Nature in the Parsha.” Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin. Sep. 2015. berotbatayin.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/NatureNitzavimBitterSweet.pdf. Accessed 10 Sep. 2023.

Silow-Carroll. Andrew. “These Boston therapists put a name to the dismissal of Jewish distress after Oct. 7” [sic].  Times of Israel. 17 Jun. 2025. timesofisrael.com/these-therapists-put-a-name-to-the-dismissal-of-jewish-distress-after-oct-7/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLCBsxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETEzR2JXZ0R3N1BLOFRJQlc4AR72dRU7sChTKRrtyILZ5uhRPx_Dovdtmsx7GE6CzKIfezNWfmfnspokLmFR_w_aem_tcfBlR9k5a8q9PH90945Tw. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Stub, Zev. “Global antisemitism [sic] surged 340% in two years, report finds” [sic]. Times of Israel. 22 Jan. 2025. timesofisrael.com/global-antisemitism-surged-340-in-two-years-report-finds. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

“The Johari Window Model.” Communication Theory. communicationtheory.org/the-johari-window-model. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.