Today is Purim, the holiday that commemorates events in the ancient Persian Empire between 486-465 BCE, during the reign of King Ahasuerus—often identified with Xerxes I or Artaxerxes I. The entire story unfolds in the very land we now know as Iran.

Once again, Jewish history feels as though it is repeating itself. Sad, but true. Another chapter is being written, in which we find ourselves defending ourselves against powerful forces that openly speak of our destruction. In the days of Esther and Mordechai, the existential threat came from ancient Persia. Today, that same geography—modern‑day Iran—stands at the center of a new and frightening conflict.

It’s exhausting to witness how often Jews become the target of hatred across centuries and continents. And yet, here we are again, confronting a familiar pattern that refuses to fade from the world’s story. The geography has changed names, but the pattern has not.

Another difference, beyond the passage of time, is the hope that someday an uplifting story will be told about the current conflict as well.

Jewish survival in the face of an existential threat

Courage in the face of power

Reversal of fate (venahafoch hu)

Purim is a joyful holiday commemorating the moment when Haman—the official who sought to eliminate the Jews because Mordechai refused to bow to him—was ultimately destroyed.

Haman’s decree to eradicate the Jews echoes modern Iranian leadership’s eliminationist rhetoric toward Israel.

Some commentators have noted the symbolic timing of Khamenei’s death during the 2026 strikes, calling it a modern echo of Haman’s downfall.

Intertwined in Purim’s themes are moments of existential danger that demanded courage under pressure.

These themes are being invoked directly in commentary about the current war. Our brave soldiers in both Israel and the United States are facing frightening hardships. May the memories of those already lost be a blessing to their families.

The Purim story centers on a moment when Jews in ancient Persia faced a state‑sanctioned plan for annihilation—and acted through Esther and Mordechai before the decree could be carried out. Same here.

Purim is a happy holiday, yet given that Israel—and now the United States—is also at war, it can feel wrong to celebrate. And yet, as Israelis huddle in a bomb shelter in the video above, they are still joyfully celebrating Purim. It’s inspiring.

Even in the middle of a war, Israelis found a way to celebrate Purim—not in the streets, not in community centers, but in a bomb shelter. The video above shows people singing, dancing, and laughing while sirens blare overhead. It’s surreal, heartbreaking, and uplifting all at once. This is what resilience looks like when joy becomes an act of defiance. When celebration becomes a declaration of life. When Purim’s ancient message—venahafoch hu, the turning of fear into courage—is lived in real time.

Watching them, you can feel both the fragility and the strength of the moment. They are literally underground, yet spiritually unshaken. They are dressed in costumes, but the danger outside is not pretend. And still, they choose to sing. They choose to dance. They choose to live.

If Purim teaches anything, it’s that even in the shadow of threat, the Jewish people insist on joy. They insist on community. They insist on hope. And in that shelter, with missiles in the sky and music in their voices, you can hear the quiet heartbeat of a nation saying the oldest truth we have: Am Yisrael Chai — the People of Israel Live.

Why did Israel and the United States act first?

Iran has been attacking the United States—directly and through proxies—for 47 years, beginning in 1979 and continuing without interruption into 2026. This isn’t a figure of speech; it is a documented, continuous pattern of hostile actions that US officials themselves describe as a “one‑sided war” waged by Iran against America.

Below is a clear, structured timeline showing how many years these attacks have spanned and the forms they have taken.

The span: 1979–2026 (47 years of attacks)

The modern Islamic Republic was founded in 1979, and from that moment forward, Iran has engaged in anti‑US violence, either directly or through proxy militias it funds, trains, and commands.

2. The forms of Iranian attacks on the US (1979–2026)

1979–1981: Hostage crisis (direct attack on US sovereignty)

Fifty‑two Americans were held hostage for 444 days.

This marked the beginning of Iran’s open hostility.

1980s: Iran‑backed attacks on US forces

The 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing, which killed 241 US service members, was carried out by Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy.

Multiple kidnappings and killings of Americans occurred in Lebanon.

1990s: Continued proxy attacks

Iran supported groups that targeted US diplomats and interests in the Middle East.

2000s: Iran kills US troops in Iraq

The Pentagon confirmed Iran’s IRGC supplied explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) that killed 603 US soldiers in Iraq.

This was one of the most lethal sustained campaigns against US forces since Vietnam.

2010s: Attacks on US ships, drones, and bases

Iran shot down a US drone in 2019.

Multiple attacks targeted oil tankers and US naval assets.

Iran‑backed militias repeatedly attacked US bases in Iraq and Syria. US Soldiers stand at the site of an Iranian bombing at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar, Iraq, January 13, 2020. (AP/Qassim Abdul-Zahra)

2020s: Escalation and American deaths

After the US killed IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, Iran vowed “severe revenge.”

Iran‑backed militias killed three US soldiers in Jordan in 2024.

Dozens of rocket and drone attacks targeted US bases in Iraq, Syria, and the Gulf.

2025–2026: Direct missile attacks

In June 2025, Iran fired missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where US troops are stationed.

In 2026, the US described the situation as a “one‑sided war” Iran had been waging for decades.

The attack was a response to Iran’s accelerating nuclear progress and expanding ballistic missile arsenal. Israel and the United States viewed these developments as crossing a threshold that required action before Iran could strike first.

Israel has been plagued by Iran and its proxies for decades, and the threats were not going away—only increasing in severity with the possibility of nuclear weapons—almost like hearing the ominous theme from Jaws in the background.

Regardless of whether one feels this was the right moment to act, there were credible concerns and emerging opportunities:

Diplomacy failed → no further negotiations remained to slow Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s nuclear and missile programs accelerated → the threat crossed a threshold.

Israel judged the threat existential → waiting was no longer an option.

The United States judged the threat imminent → a strategic danger, not a specific attack.

A rare intelligence window opened → leadership and missile sites became targetable.

The strike happened when it did because all three conditions aligned at once:

Unacceptable threat level,

A fleeting operational opportunity.

If preventative measures had to be taken now, as determined by individuals more knowledgeable about military intervention than I am, I am grateful that the United States is protecting its citizens, our military, and supporting Israel. I may not believe in war, but if this action meant stopping Iran from harming more innocents, then at least the reasons given can be understood.

My book, BLASTED from COMPLACENCY: A Journey from Terror to Transformation, recounts our family’s experience in 2014 during the first Gaza war, witnessing incredible sights and running to bomb shelters. It was a time when we learned about Iron Dome, one of Israel’s missile defense systems that intercepted rockets and destroyed them in the air before they could land and cause harm. This defensive system has saved countless lives. These systems are responsible for protecting Israeli lives, while also contributing to the disproportionate injury seen in the Israel–Gaza conflict.

Of course, there is always concern about Iron Dome missing, as we saw one morning when we passed a parking lot where an unexploded missile lay buried nose‑first in the asphalt, its tuches—Yiddish for “rear end”—pointing back toward the sky. The cost was another concern, with each battery of three launchers priced at $70–95 million and each interceptor at $40,000-$150,000. It raises a troubling question: what happens if the funding runs out?

In just the first few days of the battle, other concerns have come to mind. In the past, Israel’s defense systems could handle the types of rockets that Iran or its proxies launched. Drones take about nine hours to reach Israel, while cruise missiles take roughly two hours. But ballistic missiles take only twelve minutes.

The independent defense tracker JINSA recorded 32,948 rockets, missiles, and drones launched at Israel since October 7, 2023, as of October 2025.

In just the first few days of the war, hundreds of these projectiles have been launched at Israel, at times overwhelming the systems designed to intercept them before they could land.

Ballistic missiles are an entirely different kind of threat. Although Israel’s Arrow and David’s Sling defense systems can intercept them, ballistic missiles remain terrifying because:

They arrive in roughly twelve minutes from Iran.

They travel at speeds between Mach 5 and Mach 15, depending on the model.

Newer Iranian missiles use maneuverable re‑entry vehicles (MaRVs) that zigzag to evade interception.

Iran fires them in saturation waves to overwhelm radar and interceptor systems.

As if Israeli confidence in the IDF hadn’t already been shaken by the failures of October 7, 2023, the onslaught of ballistic missiles has left many feeling like sitting ducks; even in bomb shelters, protection is not always guaranteed.

Hearing the constant sirens in news videos, warning of incoming projectiles, brings back memories I wish I didn’t have from our Israeli vacation. Still, given my decade of Peace work since that trip, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the treasured opportunities it opened. The people working within these Peace organizations—both Israelis and Palestinians—seem like angels on Earth, and it has truly been a privilege to meet each of them. Having interviewed so many in our PEACE with Penny library is comforting to look back on, especially during war. I find myself revisiting those interviews to listen to real‑world messages of hope.

Another way Purim evokes thoughts of this war—and of so many other acts against Jews, from antisemitism to the Holocaust to Israel’s many wars—is that the majority of people were not targeted, but Jews were. We are the minority that so often seems excluded from the protection of the majority, even though other minorities are shielded. As I wrote in my August 27, 2024, Times of Israel blog, “More Than Size Matters — Are Jews the Invisible Minority?”, we are only 0.2% of the world’s population and 2.4% of the U.S. population as of 2025.

Rightly so, if other minorities faced similar statistics reflecting the rampant deluge of antisemitism we are seeing, there would be an outcry from supporters to defend them. And, as has so often been the case historically, Jews would likely be at the forefront of protecting them. Where is the support from our friends and neighbors?

In part, perhaps many Jews do not fit the stereotype of an “underprivileged” minority. Mazal tov! As a people, many have done well. Given the freedom to strive to be their best, they lived the dream—whether their persecuted relatives ended up in Israel, the United States, Europe, or elsewhere. Far too often, they have been forced to leave their homes with nothing, seeking a place where they could be reasonably safe and start over. Let’s be clear: they were forced to leave simply because they were Jewish and were being persecuted—and worse.

And today, one of the saddest realities is that there is no place where we can feel safe. I’d like you to take a moment to think about what that feels like, especially if you are not Jewish. Do you pay attention to the news? So many of our friends from other religions—or those who aren’t religious—have never had to think about this situation and consequently don’t. You wouldn’t sign up for it—trust me.

I realize, of course, that the ICE attacks are giving people of color real trepidation right now, and their actions need to be stopped.

The last thing we need are unvetted, untrained, armed militias. Rodney King had it right: “Can’t we all get along?” No one wants criminals or rapists entering the country, but whatever number may have slipped through, the majority of immigrants are the hardworking people who helped build the United States.

Antisemitism is becoming publicly accepted. Although it has always existed, comments that were once whispered are now spoken openly; every day, you can hear how Jews are portrayed in the news, often with hardly any objection.

Jews are attacked on the streets if they wear Orthodox clothing or a kippah (a religious head covering). How would you feel if you had to tell your children, “I’m sorry, but don’t wear Grandma’s Jewish star—it’s not safe”?

College campuses are replete with examples of antisemitism—so much so that our next generation has had enough and is now challenging administrations for failing to defend them. What did the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania mean when they testified to Congress that calling for the genocide of Jews on campus wasn’t necessarily against their rules—that it depended on the context? Were they suggesting that Jews could not be defended until at least one student killed a Jewish student?

Schoolchildren at the Nysmith School for the Gifted in Northern Virginia present a drawing of Adolf Hitler as an image of a ‘strong historical leader’ in October 2024, according to a legal complaint filed in July 2025 against the school. (Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law)

Although my Times of Israel blogs often focus on the egregious rise of antisemitism today, one of the saddest pieces I’ve written as a parent was realizing that not only are our college kids contending with this hatred, but so are our K–12 children. When I wrote my September 24, 2024 blog, “As Our American K‑12 Children Return to School—What Hell Awaits Them?”, I had tears in my eyes. Of course, I knew about antisemitism on college campuses, but until I researched that blog, it was beyond my comprehension that the same kind of vitriol was being directed at our younger children.

A Title VI complaint filed in 2024 by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the Anti‑Defamation League (ADL) was investigated by the Department of Education.

Examples of antisemitism revealed “numerous incidents, including anti‑Jewish comments such as ‘kill the Jews,’ non‑Jewish students asking Jewish students what ‘their number is’—a reference to Holocaust tattoo numbers, Jewish students being told ‘I don’t like your people,’ being mocked for their physical appearance, and being blamed and demonized.”

The complaint also stated that students had to endure antisemitic teacher rants, class activities, and teacher‑promoted “walkouts” that praised Hamas. During an unauthorized teacher-promoted walkout for Palestine, no teachers intervened as students shouted, “Kill the Jews,” “KKK,” “Kill Israel,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Anti-Jewish bigotry and harassment have increased, and the environment has become even more hostile and threatening. Additional incidents included: “Kill Jews” scrawled at Berkeley High School; “Kill all Zionists” written at a bus stop used by many Berkeley High School students; a ninth‑grader bullied after his parent reported antisemitic incidents; teachers continuing to teach one‑sided anti‑Israel propaganda disguised as education; and the removal of posters condemning antisemitism and supporting Israel’s right to exist, while anti‑Israel and pro‑Hamas posters remained undisturbed.

Since October 7, 2023, the rise in antisemitism has been astronomical. I wrote about what we have learned in the two years since, in my TOI Blog “October 7, 2025, Two Shocking Years — What Have We Learned?”

What will the Israel–US–Iran war do to antisemitism statistics? I would be surprised if they did not grow demonstrably worse. But where will people’s actions go from here? It’s frightening to consider.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has borne the brunt of the world’s criticism. So much more is written about Gaza than about the inhuman atrocities perpetrated against the innocent Israelis who were savagely murdered. One can’t help but think that antisemitism is at play here as well.

Let me say that what has happened in Gaza is also unspeakable, but it is not genocide simply because people attach that label to it. Any Middle Eastern war is extremely complicated, and given people’s busy lives, they often do not take the time to understand the nuance. Too often, lies are repeated regardless of their validity, and if repeated often enough, they are accepted as fact.  I do not believe war can ever be the solution, no matter the circumstances, and yet here we are in another war.

Wishing you a happy Purim. I hope you enjoy your Purim spiels (comical plays) and especially have fun with the kids. Hopefully, when all is done, we will have a safer world. Only time will tell.

May You Live in Peace, שלום and سلام. Amen.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)