In the wake of the murderous attacks on Jews in Pittsburgh, Poway, Jersey City, and Monsey, and the now-commonplace, but less bloody, anti-Jewish violence on the streets of New York, American Jewry has more reason than ever to fear for its own safety. Drawing on extensive research into the situation in Europe and the U.S, New York City’s former police commissioner Raymond Kelly and the former head of the NYPD’s Intelligence Analysis Unit Mitchell Silber address what police forces can do to protect Jews and what Jews can do to protect themselves. Kelly in particular urges American synagogues to adopt some of the security measures employed by their European counterparts, while both he and Silber believe that European police forces can learn much from New York’s. (Moderated by Hannah Meyers. Video, one hour.)

With the IDF engaged in ground maneuvers in both northern and southern Gaza, and a plan about to go into effect next week that would separate more than 100,000 civilians from Hamas’s control, an end to the war may at last be in sight. Yet there seems to be no agreement within Israel, or without, about what should become of the territory. Efraim Inbar assesses the various proposals, from Donald Trump’s plan to remove the population entirely, to the Israeli far-right’s desire to settle the Strip with Jews, to the internationally supported proposal to place Gaza under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA)—and exposes the fatal flaws of each. He therefore tries to reframe the problem:

[M]any Arab states have failed to establish a monopoly on the use of force within their borders. Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan all suffer from civil wars or armed militias that do not obey the central government.

Perhaps Israel needs to get used to the idea that in the absence of an entity willing to take Gaza under its wing, chaos will prevail there. This is less terrible than people may think. Chaos would allow Israel to establish buffer zones along the Gaza border without interference. Any entity controlling Gaza would oppose such measures and would resist necessary Israeli measures to reduce terrorism. Chaos may also encourage emigration.

Israel is doomed to live with bad neighbors for the foreseeable future. There is no way to ensure zero terrorism. Israel should avoid adopting a policy of containment and should constantly “mow the grass” to minimize the chances of a major threat emerging across the border. Periodic conflicts may be necessary. If the Jews want a state in their homeland, they need to internalize that Israel will have to live by the sword for many more years.