While these are dark days for Anglo-Jewry, there is some small comfort in the fact that Britons, like many others, have not lost their appreciation for the classic American musical adaptation of Sholem Aleichem’s Tevye stories. Fiddler on the Roof returned to the London stage in August, writes John Nathan:

Unlike the Wickeds and Les Miserables of this world whose original productions became semi-permanent features on the musical theatre landscape, the original Fiddler on the Roof has been regularly reborn since it premiered in 1964. . . . For there is nothing semi-permanent about audience appetite for Tevye, the milkman whose five daughters must be married but without diluting the tradition in which they were raised.

Fiddler on the Roof is the show that made Jewish experience universal, not because of money but because of Tevye’s battle to hold onto his traditions. Yet after the Broadway smash the creators were advised (I wish I knew by whom) that the show was “too Jewish” for London.

The proof of how wrong they went down in musical theatre history when [the writer Joseph] Stein travelled to Tokyo for the Japanese premiere. After the performance a fan approached Stein expressing his surprise that the musical with such themes as holding on to tradition could have ever worked in a place like New York. “It’s so Japanese,” he said.

Considering the current state of Israel-Arab relations, Ghaith al-Omari writes

First and foremost, no ceasefire will be possible without the release of Israeli hostages and commitments to disarm Hamas and remove it from power. The final say on these matters rests with Hamas commanders on the ground in Gaza, who have been largely impervious to foreign pressure so far. At minimum, however, the United States should insist that Qatari and Egyptian mediators push Hamas’s external leadership to accept these conditions publicly, which could increase pressure on the group’s Gaza leadership.

Washington should also demand a clear, public position from key Arab states regarding disarmament. The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas endorsed this position in a June letter to Saudi Arabia and France, giving Arab states Palestinian cover for endorsing it themselves.

Some Arab states have already indicated a willingness to play a significant role, but they will have little incentive to commit resources and personnel to Gaza unless Israel (1) provides guarantees that it will not occupy the Strip indefinitely, and (2) removes its veto on a PA role in Gaza’s future, even if only symbolic at first. Arab officials are also seeking assurances that any role they play in Gaza will be in the context of a wider effort to reach a two-state solution.

On the other hand, Washington must remain mindful that current conditions between Israel and the Palestinians are not remotely conducive to . . . implementing a two-state solution.