Examining some recent good news about American Jewish educational institutions, Paul Bernstein, who directs an organization for Jewish day schools, writes:

Most notably, in the early years of the millennium, particularly after 2008, enrollment in Jewish day schools outside the ḥaredi sector was in decline. Some even questioned the future viability of such institutions. That decline is over.

Jewish day schools excelled during COVID-19. Enrollment is up across all denominations and most geographic areas. Families turned to Jewish schools that were open when so many other schools were not, and they found a high-quality education; a close, supportive, welcoming community built on meaningful relationships; schools that care deeply for and nurture the whole child; and an environment that promotes strong Jewish values. None of this magically appeared because of the coronavirus. Our schools were at their best because of what they were before the pandemic and what they continue to be as we emerge from it.

A full 72 percent of students who enrolled due to the pandemic reenrolled for the 2022-23 academic year. Even more exciting, enrollment in preschool programs increased by 5 percent this year, suggesting the pipeline is strong for future students.

Between the explosion of thousands of Hizballah pagers on September 17 and now, Iran’s geopolitical clout has shrunk dramatically: Hizballah, Iran’s most important striking force, has retreated to lick its wounds; Iranian influence in Syria has collapsed; Iran’s attempts to attack Israel via Gaza have proved self-defeating; its missile and drone arsenal have proved impotent; and its territorial defenses have proved useless in the face of Israeli airpower. Edward Luttwack considers what might happen next:

The myth of Iranian power was ironically propagated by the United States itself. Right at the start of his first term, in January 2009, Barack Obama was terrified that he would be maneuvered into fighting a war against Iran. . . . Obama started his tenure by apologizing for America’s erstwhile support for the shah. And beyond showing contrition for the past, the then-president also set a new rule, one that lasted all the way to October 2024: Iran may attack anyone, but none may attack Iran.

[Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s] variegated fighters, in light trucks and jeeps, could have been stopped by a few hundred well-trained soldiers. But neither Hizballah nor Iran’s own Revolutionary Guards could react. Hizballah no longer has any large units capable of crossing the border to fight rebels in Syria, as they had done so many times before. As for the Revolutionary Guards, they were commandeering civilian airliners to fly troops into Damascus airport to support Assad. But then Israel made clear that it would not allow Iran’s troops so close to its border, and Iran no longer had credible counter-threats.

Now Iran’s population is discovering that it has spent decades in poverty to pay for the massive build-up of the Revolutionary Guards and all their militias. And for what? They have elaborate bases and showy headquarters, but their expensive ballistic missiles can only be used against defenseless Arabs, not Israel with its Arrow interceptors. As for Hizballah, clearly it cannot even defend itself, let alone Iran’s remaining allies in the region. Perhaps, in short, the dictatorship will finally be challenged in the streets of Iran’s cities, at scale and in earnest.