A few weeks ago, the White House encouraged federal agencies to be less than zealous about enforcing the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 piece of legislation that forbids non-profit organizations from advocating political or policy positions lest they lose their tax-exempt status or even be prosecuted for tax fraud. Mitchell Rocklin argues that Jews of all denominations should encourage the law’s repeal:

Consider an election featuring a progressive supporter of single-payer healthcare versus a conservative free-market reformer. Several weeks before the election, a synagogue could lose its tax-exempt status if its rabbi preaches that Judaism prioritizes supporting social justice in all areas of life. Similarly, a synagogue could lose its status if its rabbi preached that Judaism is strongly opposed to socialism in all its forms, and that his congregants have a religious obligation to oppose it. All that would matter for the purposes of enforcement is who is running the IRS. Indeed, the law is so ambiguous that many rabbis refrain from making any remarks that could even be perceived as political. . . .

It is therefore particularly tragic and shortsighted that many progressives support the Johnson Amendment. . . . American Jews provide a case in which progressive groups are far more political and vocal than traditionalist groups. Congregants are far more likely to hear political sermons in Reform synagogues, which tend to emphasize progressive political issues as part of their religious outlooks, than in Orthodox ones, which tend to eschew politics in the synagogue in favor of ritual or “spiritual” matters. And yet, in defending the Johnson Amendment, some progressive Jews are defending a policy that is more likely to be enforced against their own communities.

As for the Orthodox, some rabbis privately believe that the Johnson Amendment is a good thing, helping the Orthodox to keep politics out of religion, and thereby fostering religious devotion in synagogues that tend to be more politically divided than Reform or Conservative congregations. . . . During my years as a congregational rabbi, I never wished to violate the Johnson Amendment from the pulpit, and most fellow Orthodox rabbis I know feel the same way. But we might, under the right circumstances. The instinct of many rabbis, across the denominations, to feel that religion and politics are best kept separate is a noble one. But shouldn’t it be up to clergy—and, by extension their congregants—to decide when exceptions should be made?

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.