Wake Up!
November 3, 2025 - Issue #88
It’s Worse Than I Thought.
Once only lurking in dark corners, antisemitism surrounds us and now infuses itself within our schools, communities and even our synagogues. Striking us physically when it can while otherwise casting Israel as victimizer rather than victim and targeting Jews as enablers of evil.
Antisemites, as part of their propaganda plans, grab words whose common usage describe our historical experience like:
Holocaust
Genocide
Ghetto
Pogrom
They then use them to form building blocks for their false narratives. In essence, they steal our phrases and hurl them at us for shock value. In addition, antisemites mix words like “apartheid” into their messaging that they know will resonate with those with liberal views. Their next step is to twist those words into sentences that when combined with often fake imagery, provocative headlines, and one-sided storytelling are designed to provoke and persuade, thereby clouding our ability to separate fact from fiction.
This malicious combination serves to activate bad people and cause good people, including Jews, to fall for their lies. I will not call the good people taken in “useful idiots” as some do but I will say that they mistakenly allow empathy to overwhelm reason. Then, rather than investigate they castigate. Rather than calling out the evil that is the cause, they question the good that has been attacked. All to the detriment of Israel and the Jewish people. That leaves us divided and disengaged. Precisely what antisemites want.
In the face of the greatest danger we have faced since the end of the last World War, too many Jews:
Bury their heads, hoping to avoid worrying about what they know they should.
Ignore what is plain.
Rationalize that Israel’s war with Hamas is the cause of the rise of Jew hatred (what antisemitism really is) and think now that there is a ceasefire, antisemitism will lessen at some point.
Blame Israel (the victim) for going too far in its efforts to ensure that Hamas (the victimizer) will never be able to kill Jews again.
Think they are safe.
However, history teaches us that we can’t afford not to respond to what is creeping up on us. Hatred for Jews has been around for more than two thousand years. Sometimes it is rampant, sometimes it diminishes. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes it is hidden. And sometimes there are bubbles of enlightenment, but always those bubbles pop. Now, it is no different. Jews worldwide feel the pressure. Jew worldwide have been assaulted. Jewish businesses are boycotted and Jewish academicians ostracized. Jewish lives are at risk. Jews in England and Australia and Italy and Canada and elsewhere no longer feel safe. Jews everywhere are increasingly considering moving to Israel. Jews in Malmo, Sweden and others cities like it no longer recognize their city as a home where they are safe from attack. Jews thinking of traveling abroad must consider the locale, the airline, and even whether their last name makes them a target.
And here, in America, Jew hate is revving. You might think you are safe in your bubble, surrounded by friends of all faiths and secure in your leftist or rightist ideology but you are not. Just like Jews in Israel living near Gaza who thought hiding in their safe rooms or roadside shelters would provide security, they learned that when Hamas’ murderers burst through the doors or tossed grenades into the shelters, you are not safe in your bubbles. Those bubbles only serve to define where the earth has not yet been scorched with Jew hatred. But make no mistake, that hatred is coming for us. Should it reach a critical mass, which it could if we do not collectively take a stand, it will engulf us like in countless other countries throughout history.
Fortunately, it is not yet hopeless. Two things stand between us and our demise: our grit and Israel.
History is filled with examples of outnumbered people surviving by fighting back. They had grit. So do we. But in our case, fighting back first requires ending our denial of the obvious—we are in a war for our survival whether we yet feel touched by it or not. Things will get worse, not better, unless we stand up to what seeks to destroy us. That first requires putting an end to our naivete. There is nothing wrong with being progressive or conservative. But there is everything wrong with allowing our political ideology to mask the Jew hatred that stalks us from both left and right. And we must recognize that their hatred does not stem from something we or Israel has done, it stems from a deep-seated historical hatred for Jews now emboldened and encouraged by pundits, financiers, and leaders from both the left and the right. Once we are clear-eyed as to who our enemy is, by standing together we will defeat it.
But to achieve victory over our enemies, Israel’s continued existence is essential. For two thousand years, since Rome conquered the Jewish State in antiquity, we have suffered much from losing control of our homeland. Although we remain people indigenous to the land— having first achieved self-determination in Israel 3,000 years ago, having always remained present in the land of Israel, having maintained a yearning to be in Israel and mentioning it in our prayers and our customs, having been called Jews which derives from Judea (the ancient name of Israel), and having even keeping alive Hebrew, the ancient language of Israel—since Israel’s loss to the Romans, we lost the protection that continued control of Israel would have given us.
Thus, when the Nazis hunted Jews and eventually killed six million of us, there was no Israel for Jews to escape to. Likewise, when Jews suffered from pogroms in eastern Europe and Russia there was no Israel waiting with open arms. Nor was there an Israel to provide relief during the Spanish Inquisition. And when Jews living in Arab lands were forced to accept second class status there was no Israel where they could live as equal citizens. When crusaders persecuted Jews there was no Israel. When Jews were expelled from England and France and Austria and France in the Middle Ages there was no Israel. Everywhere Jews went, eventually they were persecuted or evicted. Nowhere could they effectively fight back because there was no nation that would back them up and then provide refuge should they fail. That changed in 1948.
Now, all Jews have a home. Over the last seventy-seven years, Jews from around the world have escaped persecution by fleeing to Israel. Now, we in the Diaspora are supported by a powerful Jewish nation. Simply put, without an Israel, Jews everywhere in the Diaspora are an insignificant minority unable to defend ourselves from a concerted attack. No different than how it has been for two thousand years. However, with Israel by our side, as a source of pride and strength and help, we can better muster the force to stand against the waves of hatred heading our way—but only if we are willing.
Which brings me to New York City. New York’s mayoral election is Tuesday, November 4. Polls predict Zohran Mamdani will win with the help of a significant number of Jews voting for him. If you are one considering doing so, I implore you not to. Mamdani is the leading wedge of what will lead to a Jewish nightmare. Mamdani seeks to conquer us by ballots not bullets. His policies may include many progressive ideals that you share. But his goal is also the end of Israel as a Jewish State, revealed by his rhetoric and actions past and present. And his refusal to clearly denounce the term “global intifada, and now, after taking heat for that stance, his newfound willingness to just “discourage” use of the term only shows his true colors regarding Jews. Others, emboldened by a Mamdani victory and supported by an increasingly desensitized public no longer alarmed by manifestations of Jewish hate, will then attempt to duplicate Mamdani’s success if Mamdani does not lose on Tuesday. Mamdani is how our nightmare starts not where it ends. Please don’t risk our future on your aspirations for a better world when the candidate supports a worse one for your people.
Mamdani’s rise coupled with what I see unfolding in too many places concerns me enough. But the conference I attended last week alarmed me even more. Shurat HaDin put on the conference that it called Rage Against the Hate. Shurat HaDin is an effective Israel Law Center that fights terrorism and safeguards Jewish rights worldwide. Mainly, it does so through courts—where it defends Jews and hits back through the legal system with the goal of bankrupting terrorists and reversing wrongs done by other enemies of the Jewish community. Two of the speakers I had interviewed before and several I knew by reputation and having read their work. For the most part they added or confirmed my knowledge of various subjects. But five things I heard stood out that I feel compelled to share with you:
Jews and Israel can no longer take for granted support from the evangelical community or those with rightwing philosophies. Partly this is due to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and others pouring money into K-12 and college education to influence new generations to support Palestinian and Islamic narratives. Partly also it is due to a plethora of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish podcasts that promote Jew hatred. Doubling down on these concerns, Dr. Laurie Cardoza-Moore warned us that post Charlie Kirk’s assassination; we must watch out for the positions the new leadership of Turning Point will take. All this added to the unease I have been feeling for a couple weeks since reading about the rise in some parts of the Christian community of a concept called replacement theology (RT). Essentially, RT teaches that “the Christian church has replaced Israel in God’s redeeming plans for the world.” Thus, some Christians now believe that promises made to Jews in the Old Testament are no longer applicable. Not all who believe in RT, according to the source I read, are antisemitic but some rely on RT as “somewhat of a reason” to be antisemitic. Scary stuff.
The word “redpill” and what it means for us. Redpill is a term used for inflammatory internet content created for radicalizing the viewer. False memes and other material appear on TikTok and elsewhere, get spread by algorithms which link content with consumers that past interactions suggest are susceptible to emotionally responding to it.
That leads some to radicalization. That radicalization then seeps into colleges, families and protests where chants often reflect what the protestors have consumed on the internet. Think of it as an ever-expanding whirlwind of propaganda and hatred targeting Israel and Jews.
Erin Molan, a Christian, spoke to us about her support of Israel. Molan was a popular Australian broadcaster on Sky News. She immediately after October 7 expressed her solidarity with Israel. One rally in Australia caused her to feel shame for her country when crowds gathered at the Sydney Opera House days after the attack where some then screamed “Gas the Jews.” Soon, after Molan continued to speak in support of Israel on television, the death threats started. A year later, after maintaining her pro-Israel advocacy, Sky News fired her. Since then, she has remained a tireless supporter of Israel. Speculation is that she was fired due to her support of Israel, but Molan and Sky News remain silent on that subject. However, what was important to me in her presentation is what she said about the importance role of advocacy that each of us can play a part in. Too many people think that what they say will not make a difference or that their audience is too small. But Molan made clear that in her experience it is in our one-on-one conversations where you can often have the greatest impact and that each one you influence positively might then influence others. I knew that. But coming from Molan, it resonated like never before.
David Litman is a senior analyst for CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis. While his comments about the influx of outside financing and organizational effort supporting campus anti-Israel organizations and demonstrations interested me, one thing he said motivated me, “If you don’t fight for your rights, you will lose them.”
Jonathan Conricus, former spokesperson for the IDF, made clear regarding the battle for minds and hearts that our “mindset needs to be that we will win, not that we cannot.”
Some reading this will think me an alarmist. But I assure you I am not. The threat is growing. I’m merely a realist. I’m asking you to be one too.
A Special Request
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Special Report – Hezbollah’s Rehabilitation Composite in Lebanon — Situation Report—Written by Tal Beeri for the Alma Research and Education Center—October 28, 2025
Israel: Boots on the Ground and Strikes in Lebanon – A Strategic Military Lesson in Response to a Persistent Threat—Written by Tal Beeri for the Alma Research and Education Center—October 21, 2025
Hezbollah 2.0—One Year After Nasrallah’s Elimination—Written by Orna Mizrahi for The Institute for National Security—October 16, 2025
Hezbollah Rebuilds for Next War with Israel: Inside the New Missiles and Killer Drones—Written by Nitsan Saddan for Ynet Global—October 17, 2025
Syria’s Reconstruction: The New Strategic Competition—Written by Yaakov Lappin for the Alma Research and Education Center—October 22, 2025
A New Sunni-Islamist Axis? Turkey’s Involvement in Syria’s Military Force Buildup—Written by Yaakov Lappin for the Alma Research and Education Center—October 19, 2025
Israel is on the Frontline of World War Three—Written by Nachum Kaplan for Moral Clarity: Truths in Politics and Culture—October 26, 2025
Hamas’ Attempt to Re-establish Power Through Terror—Written by LTC Nadab Shoshani for Mission Brief—October 28, 2025
Iran Rebuilding Ballistic Missile Manufacturing Capabilities with China’s Support - CNN—Written by Jerusalem Post Staff—October 29, 2025
10 Unbelievable Stats About the Israel–Hamas War—Written for Future of Jewish—October 17, 2025
The Moral Collapse that Feeds Antisemitism—Written by Nachum Kaplan for Future of Jewish—October 29, 2025
Inside the IDF Unit That Extended Big Data to the Iran War - Exclusive—Written by Yonah Jeremy Bob for The Jerusalem Post—October 26, 2025
How October 7 Transformed Israel’s Defense Tech Industry - Analysis—Written by Abba Aronheim for The Jerusalem Post—October , 27025
Inside the Gaza Stabilization Force Plan—Written by Shimon Sherman for Jewish News Syndicate—October 23, 2025
The Hostages Return Home and the Lies Fall Apart—Written by Eli Lake for THe Free Press—October 13, 2025
Israel’s Struggle with Hezbollah—A War Without End is now available in eBook and hardback format on Amazon and IngramSpark. This compelling narrative explores Hezbollah’s origins and cancerous growth, traces Israel’s response, and reveals Israel’s present readiness to meet Hezbollah’s challenge.
Cliff Sobin
Important Link—Alma Research and Education Center: Understanding the Security Challenges on Israel’s Northern Border
I am not a Jew but I am a Zionist. The changing of minds “one on one” is my policy.
I have become relatively well versed in modern Israeli history and am able to point out issues with the “Palestinian” narrative—the main issue being Palestinianism (Wilf) is the problem.
I spent time in Judea and Samaria working for the Latin (Catholic) church. This gives me street cred with my Christian friends who have fallen for the narrative of so called Palestine.
I understand the draw, but when you are able to pull back the curtain using facts, things fall into place pretty quickly.
I wear a US/Israeli flag lapel pin and this starts lots of conversations. Some good, some I walk away from.
I recently told someone that if I were forced to give up one or the other—my Catholicism or my Zionism—I would give up my Catholicism.
Replacement Theory is heretical and not biblical. Even the New Testament says the promises to Israel are irrevocable—so there is that….
All the best and keep writing!
Jews have been warned ⚠️ before but did not listen. I hope that this time they would heed the call.