Among much else, the High Holy Days are the time that American Jewish congregations hold fundraising drives on which their financial survival often depends. Many synagogue budgets also count on selling seats for services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. But an economic downturn and, for the non-Orthodox, the prospect of praying over Zoom threaten theses sources of income. While it is too soon to know the effects of the most recent holidays, Menachem Wecker notes that there is good news as well as bad:

Reform Jews report . . . feeling more connected to and likelier to recommend and to remain members of their congregations than before the pandemic. For more than five years, Reform congregations have increasingly streamed services online throughout the year, and more and more have waived High Holy Day ticket fees for non-members.

At Temple Sinai (Reform) in Reno, Rabbi Sara Zober [notes that] Friday-night services online have drawn about 100 people, when twelve people might have come pre-pandemic.

With payroll for rabbis and staff representing synagogues’ greatest expenses, some Orthodox synagogues have found respite in Paycheck Protection Program loans. Many are waiving ticket fees altogether this year. [One Los Angeles] congregation, which typically draws 1,000 on High Holy Days compared with 300 on a regular week, [planned] fifteen socially distanced High Holy Day services . . . in congregants’ backyards and in parking lots.

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.