Today, writes Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, few Conservative Jews see Jewish law as a set of divinely ordained obligations, while few Reform Jews see Jewish ritual practice as entirely antiquated—both in contradistinction to the formal theology of these denomination’s founders. Moreover, he argues, their attitudes reflect those of the overwhelming majority of American Jews. These facts, to Cosgrove, suggest a positive way forward for Judaism in the U.S. and elsewhere:

Mitzvot and the aspiration to perform them abound in the souls of American Jews. The decision to order from one side of the menu but not the other, the decision to purchase t’filin for their children as they reach b’nei mitzvah age, the decision to study Torah or to participate in communal prayer—the subset of American Jewry I serve, in their own inchoate way, often perform and continue to aspire to perform mitzvot. For many (but not all) of the Jews I serve, the non-performance of mitzvot is not so much a “no,” as it is a “not yet.” Even if they are not observing mitzvot, they feel they should, they could, and might one day do so. Moreover, nearly 25 years into my rabbinate, I believe that my congregants hold the expectation that as their rabbi, I will urge them to do so.

There is more than enough work to go around, and while our ideologies, practices, and tactics may differ, [rabbis and lay leaders of all denominations] would do well to remember that we stand united in our unyielding mission to secure the future of Judaism. The task of religious leadership must be to facilitate the modern individual’s retrieval of the Divine by way of a life of mitzvot. God’s presence may have receded, but it has not been utterly eclipsed.

We must show Jews that the riches of Jewish practice are compelling to the spiritually searching and God-thirsting soul and can more than compete with the marketplace of secular alternatives.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.