When will their faith start to waiver?

All around the world, people pray, preach, and invoke the name of G-d—sometimes in hope, sometimes in hatred. Tragically, many direct their prayers toward the destruction of the one Jewish state. From a numbers perspective, it seems like an overwhelming imbalance: nearly 2 billion Muslims and just 15 million Jews—a ratio of 133 to 1.

Think about it – the prayers of hundreds of millions are directed solely towards our deaths. Why? I truly don’t know how this level of hatred against a people so incredibly strong persists but it does.

And yet,, despite the numbers, history tells a different story. Faith is clearly not about majorities.

A History of Resistance and Survival

Since its founding, Israel has faced existential threats from powerful neighbors—Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and others. Backed by religious and political fervor, these nations launched wars with the goal of erasing the Jewish state. They failed.

Today, Iran and its proxies continue that mission. But in full view of the world, their efforts are being dismantled. Leadership is being decimated, and facilities—many designed to develop weapons of mass destruction—are being neutralized.

Spiritual Reflections

How does this repeated failure resonate with the religiously devout who pray for Israel’s downfall? Does it challenge their understanding of divine will?

As a person of faith, I take no joy in the suffering of others. I do not wish for war. I want my children to grow up in peace, side by side with Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and atheist friends. I believe G-d calls on us to spread His light—not through coercion, but through compassion. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said, “There is dignity in difference.”

The Enduring Spirit of the Jewish People

Mark Twain once marveled at the resilience of the Jewish people in his 1899 essay Concerning the Jews:

“If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of; but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk.

His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers.

He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it.

The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished.

The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind.

All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”

This resilience is not rooted in hatred or vengeance, but in faith, perseverance, and a commitment to life.

A Call for Unity and Justice

I believe in a just G-d whose wisdom is beyond my comprehension—but whose purpose is rooted in love, not hate. Many people of all faiths share this belief. And to those who celebrate violence or pray for destruction, I say this: one day, you may come to see that your version of the Divine is not one of peace, but of power—and that it is flawed.

May Israel continue to prosper. May all peoples rise above extremism and embrace a future built not on fear, but on mutual respect and shared humanity.

Human’s sadly use G-d as an excuse to justify their murderous intentions. May they fail.