News Digest — 10/6/25
Jewish Communities Commemorate October 7 Massacre’s Second Anniversary Worldwide
Jewish communities around the world commemorated the second anniversary of the October 7 Massacre ahead of the date, which falls on the holiday of Sukkot.
Events were held across France on Sunday (5th), according to the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) President Yonaton Arfi.
In Paris CRIF held a demonstration with the families of the hostages and in the evening there was a tribute to the victims of the Hamas-led pogrom in southern Israel. Arfi said that programming was held in coordination with the Interior Ministry and with police present, and that while tensions were high after Thursday’s (2nd) Manchester synagogue terrorist attack, Jewish events and culture had to continue.
The Crif head explained that October 7 was important to remember not just for the attacks on Israel, but also for the impact it had on French Jews and the Diaspora more broadly.
“We have two sides of the October 7 attacks, one side in Israel, and the other for the Diaspora,” said Arfi.”
The Diaspora has faced a wave of anti-Semitism since late 2023, with Jewish sites and persons subject to a variety of attacks.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin also explained ahead of memorial events how the Australian community had been “fundamentally and permanently changed by the events of the last two years.”
“Our community has suffered the sharpest decline in physical security of any Jewish community in the world. We are the only Jewish community to have our synagogues, businesses and homes targeted by the murderous Iranian regime and organized crime,” said Ryvchin.
“There is a strong belief in the community that the federal government views the battle against anti-Semitism as a nuisance and privately blames Israel for creating this thankless and fraught political burden. There is a perception also that the government does not understand the connection between how it treats Israel and how Australians treat Jews,” he continued
“It’s a totally wayward decision to recognize Palestine without at least conditioning this on Hamas’ surrender and release of the hostages – it feels like a monumental betrayal. This has made this past year evermore turbulent than the first,” he added.
Ryvchin detailed how debate had deteriorated into rival street rallies, death threats had become a norm, and public figures were joining a chorus to accuse Zionist Jews and Israelis of genocide and baby killing.”
“This creates a sense of siege, and it triggers a familiar survival response in our community which is to turn inward to what is familiar and safe, which is why Jewish identification, pride and participation has never been higher in this country,” said Ryvchin.
Next Sunday (12th) the Zionist Council of New South Wales is set to hold an anniversary event with the brother of Australian citizen and massacre victim Galit Carbone to be the key speaker in Victoria. The following Sunday (19th) will see another tribute to the victims of the massacre, hosted by the Zionist Council of Victoria.
“The community knows many Australians are solidly with us. We truly feel we are fighting not only for our place in society but for whether this country will continue to be defined by the values our community lives by – respect for the law, personal responsibility and contribution to society,” said Ryvchin.
“Predictions of mass emigration haven’t come to pass. The existence of Israel means that we will always have somewhere to go, but also, we have no reason to leave because Israel gives us courage to stand and fight.”
With a similar defiant tone in their advertisements, rallies were held on Sunday (5th) in the United Kingdom. Dozens of Jewish groups attended a commemorative event at London’s Trafalgar Square. Another event was held in Manchester, whose community was still reeling from the terrorist attack that claimed the lives of two congregants.
Across the Atlantic events were scheduled in the United States. Temple Ahavat Shalom and Temple Judea planned a commemoration for Tuesday (7th), during the first day of Sukkot. The USA-Federation of New York held an event on Sunday evening (5th) with hostage families and other victims.
“It is nearly impossible to believe we’re about to mark two years since October 7, which forever changed Israel and resharped the story of the Jewish people,” the federation said on its website. “Together, we’ll demonstrate our unwavering commitment to the people of Israel and a shared vision of a strong and vibrant future that is free from terror.”
A mile-long memorial is set to be erected near Columbia University on Monday night (6th) by DiploAct, Let’s Do Something, Students Supporting Israel. The exhibit will feature 1,200 empty chairs to represent the victims of the massacre. On the chairs will be placed photographs, candles and flowers.
“The October 7 Massacre was not just a terror attack – it was a turning point in the history of the Jewish people,” said DiploAct CEO Ofir Ohayon. “Since that dark Saturday (Oct. 7, 2023), we have fought not only for Israel’s security, but for the truth itself. Two years later, as anti-Semitism surges on campuses and in communities around the world, we see how hatred of Jews and the delegitimization of Israel have crept into academic , media, and cultural institutions – places meant to stand for freedom and moral clarity.”
The American Jewish Committee said on X that while much of the world had moved on from that day, they had not.
“We will never forget what was done, and we will make sure no one else forgets either,” AJC said on Saturday (4th).
In Canada, the UJA Federation of Toronto held an event on Sunday (5th). The memorial featured a panel, testimonials, and music to engender remembrance of the tragedy.
“October 7, 2023, was a day that forever changed the Jewish people. Life has not been the same since, yet in the face of devastating loss and hardship, we stand together,” read the federation website. “Together, we will honor the innocent lives lost, remember those still in captivity, and acknowledge the enduring impact of the day.”
In South Africa, the South African Zionist Federation is holding a musical tribute to October 7 victims. Former hostage Agam Berger is set to give a violin performance at the October 16 Johannesburg event.
Other communities, such as in Argentina, held early commemorations. On September 30 Argentinian Jews gathered in Centenario Park to demand the release of the 48 people still held captive in Gaza, including four Argentine nationals.
Eilat Deploys 10 New Public Bomb Shelters As Houthi Drone Shot Down Over Resort City
Authorities in Eilat installed bomb shelters on beaches and in other public spaces Sunday (5th), as the Red Sea resort city faces a wave of drone attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Hours later, another incoming drone was shot down.
The move to install further shelters came as a Houthi drone attack last month evaded defense and exploded in the city, wounding 20 people, several of them seriously.
There were no reports of damage or injuries from the drone over Israel’s southernmost city on Sunday (5th). Sirens sounded in the drone attack because of fear of falling fragments following the interception.
The attack came after the Iran-backed Houthis launched a ballistic missile at Israel Sunday morning (5th), which was also intercepted after triggering sirens in central Israel, the Dead Sea area and the southern West Bank, sending hundreds of thousands of people into shelters.
Meanwhile, the IDF Home Front Command installed 10 new mobile bomb shelters in open areas in Eilat, “to provide an immediate safe solution even in open areas,” the municipality said on Facebook.
The shelters were placed at mayor Eli Lankri’s request in open sports fields and beaches that are not adjacent to Eilat’s promenade, the municipality said.
It noted that Home front Command guidelines give Eilat residents 30 seconds to reach a shelter in case of an alert, regardless of the threat and its origin.
The Houthis – whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, and a Curse on the Jews,” began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre that sparked the war in Gaza.
The Iran-backed rebels held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024 prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 91 ballistic missiles and at least 41 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short. In response, Israel has attacked the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, 1,100 miles away, 19 times.
Ancient Synagogue Discovered In The Golan, Testifying To Jewish Ties To The Area
An ancient synagogue dating back some 1,500 years has been unearthed in the Golan Heights highlighting the area’s historic Jewish presence.
The ruins of the house of worship were discovered during an archaeological excavation in the Yehudiya Nature Reserve, as teams from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa worked at the site.
This is not the first time evidence of settlement during the Byzantine period has been found in the Yehudiya Reserve.
However, while large numbers of architectural items had been located in the area in the past, the location of the synagogue remained a mystery.
“In this latest excavation, workers uncovered dozens of decorated items, lintels, and basalt columns,” said Dr. Mechael Osband of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology, and senior lecturer in the department of Land of Israel Studies at Kinneret Academic College.
But the location of the synagogue itself was unknown until now. We identified an unusual concentration of fragments and column drums along a path in the modern abandoned villages, and we decided to investigate. Already at the start of the excavation, dozens of architectural fragments were uncovered, and later, to our surprise, the southern wall of the structure was revealed , with three openings facing Jerusalem,”said Dr. Osband.
Previous excavations hinted at the presence of a synagogue, researchers said.
The ancient synagogue was about 13 meters wide and at least 17 meters long, indicating it was built in the basilica style, with a rectangular structure and two rows of columns and benches along the walls, a layout which was characteristic of ancient synagogues in the Land of Israel.
Dr. Dror Ben-Yosef, archaeologist for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said the discovery of the synagogue was just the latest proof of the ancient Jewish presence in the Golan Heights, noting that more than two dozen other synagogues have been unearthed in the area.
The discovery of the ancient synagogue at Yehudiya is clear evidence of Jewish settlement in the Golan as early as 1,500 years ago, when the Jewish community flourished in the region. In addition to this synagogue, about 25 other ancient synagogues have been discovered in the Golan, testifying to the strong Jewish presence there.”
The Central Obstacle To Peace Between Israel And The Palestinians Isn’t Politics – Lt.-Col. (res.) Dr. Mordechai Kedar
• While Palestinians declare they want statehood in the West Bank and Gaza, they make abundantly clear that their real aspiration isn’t independence but the destruction of Israel, regardless of its borders.
• Hamas – an Islamist, jihadist, and fundamentalist movement – took over the Palestinian parliament in January 2006 democratically and Gaza in June 2007 violently. Hamas’ religious ideology complements the national ideology of the PLO, injecting a religious element into the conflict. The result is that what might otherwise be a solvable problem of borders and demographics takes on almost cosmic meaning as a struggle between Islam and Judaism that began in the 7th century between Mohammad and the Jews of the Arabian city of Medina.
• Given the strength of the religious element, and the weakness of the national element, it is almost impossible for Palestinians to accept a two-state solution. National independence has limited appeal, and anything short of a complete victory over the Jewish state fails to satisfy the need for a victory of islam over Judaism.
• Westerners tend to ignore the religious element when dealing with the Muslim world, viewing it as secondary or purely rhetorical in truth, even groups like Fatah – which often employs secular nationalist rhetoric – are deeply informed by Islamic beliefs and ways of thinking. For Palestinians, national and religious aspirations are inseparable, and, for many, Hamas’ affinity with Islam grants it greater legitimacy as a political movement.
• Hamas and other groups associated with the Muslim Brotherhood have a fixed set of ideas about Jews and Judaism that make any compromise or mutual recognition with a Jewish state anathema. The advent of Islam in the 7th century CE rendered Judaism void. The adherents of this superseded faith do not constitute a nation or people. Therefore, there is no logic or legitimacy to the existence of a Jewish state.
• Moreover, once land comes under Muslim rule, it ought to remain Muslim in perpetuity. Islamists believe this to be true of Sicily, the Iberian Peninsula, and Greece, but especially true of the territory of Mandatory Palestine and its holy sites. The Balfour Declaration and subsequent decisions by the League of Nations and the UN granting sovereignty to Jews in this land are thus an offense to Islam.
• The spectacle of a return of Judaism – in which the Jews regain their land, pray where the Temple once stood, and act as a sovereign people rather than a scattered religious minority – strikes many Muslims as an intolerable offense. As long as Israel continues to exist in any form, the affront remains, and it must be combated through jihad.
• This religious perception also underlines the hostility towards Israel among the rest of the Arab peoples and Muslims more generally. Thus, Palestinians feel that recognizing Israel as the state of the Jewish people would be a betrayal of Islam that would earn them the contempt of their coreligionists.
The writer, a scholar of Arab culture and public discourse, and an expert on the Muslim Brotherhood, served for 25 years in IDF Military Intelligence.
The War With Hamas Will Not End – Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch
Hamas is not a pragmatic actor, it is a genocidal terrorist organization. It is not interested in promoting the best interests of the Gazans. Instead, Hamas is driven by an ideology devoted to the supposed divine promise of reward to those who engage in “Jihad.” When Hamas launched the October 7 massacre, they knew they would not destroy Israel and that the attack would most probably evoke a harsh Israeli response. That did not interest Hamas. For Hamas, the death and destruction in Gaza is nothing more than the “Price of Jihad,” and the very fact that they persist in achieving their goals, despite the losses, is proof of their religious devotion.
Surrender, in the eyes of Hamas, is a breach of the religious genocidal belief that has been a guiding principle of the movement since its creation. Moreover, accepting the terms of the latest plan would mean that Hamas would be relinquishing the last stronghold of the Muslim Brotherhood, and that, in the absence of a clear victory, the organization would lose its position in the Palestinian street.
Only by understanding what drives Hamas is it possible to understand what could potentially motivate them to accept a deal to end the war. Business concerns, prosperity, and security for Gazans do not entice Hamas. While Israel and the international community see the death of Israelis and Gazans as a tragedy; for Hamas, the death and destruction are a strategy.
The writer, former director of Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria, is director of the Palestinian Authority Accountability Initiative at the Jerusalem Center. (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
(jcpa.org)
