With political tensions in America unusually intense, and apt to grow more so as election day approaches, the country’s Jews are hardly exempt from partisan rancor. One can just as easily hear that a vote for Donald Trump is a repudiation of everything Judaism holds sacred as that a vote against him is a betrayal of Israel and the Jewish people. Avi Shafran, in a letter cosigned by several other prominent Orthodox figures, urges Jews not to confuse “Torah values with politics”:

Moral degradation infects a broad swath of the American political spectrum. Among both liberals and conservatives, many political players are on a hyper-partisan quest for victory at all costs. Good character and benevolent governance are devalued, contrition is seen as weakness and humility is confused with humiliation. . . . None of this is good for America, and certainly not for us Jews.

Shameless dissembling and personal indecency acted out in public before the entire country are, in the end, no less morally corrosive than the embrace of abortion-on-demand or the normalization of same-sex relationships. The integrity and impact of what we convey to our children and students about holiness, modesty, truth, human dignity, and good character are rendered hollow when contradicted by our admiration for, or even absence of revulsion at, politicians and media figures whose words and deeds stand opposed to what we Jews are called upon to embrace and exemplify.

We are a people charged with modeling and teaching ethical behavior and morality to others. It should be inconceivable for us to be—or be seen as—willing disciples of deeply flawed people who are now the de-facto arbiters of what is morally acceptable. We should be ashamed when people of low character and alien values seem to have been replaced [religious] leaders as our ethical guides.

As Orthodox Jews, we live in a benevolent host society to which we have rightly given our loyalty. It is thus important that we not be regarded by the American public as turning a blind eye to the degradation of our moral climate in exchange for political support for parochial interests.

On Tuesday, a Hizballah drone attack injured three people in northern Israel. The next day, another attack, targeting an IDF base, injured eighteen people, six of them seriously, in Arab al-Amshe, also in the north. This second attack involved the simultaneous use of drones carrying explosives and guided antitank missiles. In both cases, the defensive systems that performed so successfully last weekend failed to stop the drones and missiles. Ron Ben-Yishai has a straightforward explanation as to why: the Lebanon-backed terrorist group is getting better at evading Israel defenses. He explains the three basis systems used to pilot these unmanned aircraft, and their practical effects:

These systems allow drones to act similarly to fighter jets, using “dead zones”—areas not visible to radar or other optical detection—to approach targets. They fly low initially, then ascend just before crashing and detonating on the target. The terrain of southern Lebanon is particularly conducive to such attacks.

But this requires skills that the terror group has honed over months of fighting against Israel. The latest attacks involved a large drone capable of carrying over 50 kg (110 lbs.) of explosives. The terrorists have likely analyzed Israel’s alert and interception systems, recognizing that shooting down their drones requires early detection to allow sufficient time for launching interceptors.

The IDF tries to detect any incoming drones on its radar, as it had done prior to the war. Despite Hizballah’s learning curve, the IDF’s technological edge offers an advantage. However, the military must recognize that any measure it takes is quickly observed and analyzed, and even the most effective defenses can be incomplete. The terrain near the Lebanon-Israel border continues to pose a challenge, necessitating technological solutions and significant financial investment.