What October 7th revealed about Jewish vulnerability

October 7th did not just mark one of the darkest days in Israeli history. It exposed something far more unsettling: how unprepared Jews around the world were for what followed.

I remember the summer of 2021, when there was already a small flare-up in Gaza. I went to a pro-Israel rally in Times Square, and it was nearly empty. Yet I could feel the rumblings—something was brewing, something that many others seemed to believe that wouldn’t amount to much of a threat. That sense of foreboding now reads as a warning, a signal that preparation is never too early.

Within hours of the attack on October 7th, before Israel had even begun to respond, the online and offline backlash began. Within days social media flooded with disinformation. Jewish students were harassed on campuses. Synagogues increased security. In cities across the world, Jews were confronted not for policies or actions, but for existing. The speed and scale of the response were shocking, but in hindsight, they should not have been surprising.

For decades, every major flare-up involving Israel has been followed by a surge in antisemitism. Yet October 7th revealed a deeper problem. While Israel prepares militarily for future conflicts, Jews in the Diaspora remain largely reactive, fragmented, and uncoordinated when the next wave........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)