The Hope of Two Years
History has moved mountains in the span of six days. Is this the real life? I’ve had such an emotional rollercoaster over the past week (and the past two years) I think I’ve got whiplash. THEY HAVE RETURNED. ALL THE LIVING HOSTAGES HAVE COME HOME. First seven, then thirteen more living hostages have been brought back from the dungeons and the terror tunnels of Hamas. Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Eitan Mor, Ziv Berman and his twin brother Gali Berman, Omri Miran, Bar Kupershtein, Evyatar David, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Elkana Bohbot, Maxim Herkim, Nimrod Cohen, Matan Zangauker, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Rom Braslavski, and Eitan Horn. Each of these names deserves a tribute to their suffering greater than I can give. It is an absolute miracle that they are home safe and in the comfort of their families. May their healing begin as soon as it can, and may they all know only peace for the rest of their lives.
Hamas so far has not upheld their commitment to releasing the bodies of the murdered hostages as part of the now-negotiated ceasefire and peace deal. As of my writing, Israel has received four caskets from the Red Cross. The remains inside have not so far been identified. Though some may denigrate slain hostages as “worth less” than those living, my understanding of Judaism is that burial is a very important cultural part of the cycle of life and death. And besides, everyone deserves their opportunity to properly grieve their lost loved ones. The families deserve that much. May the dead also be returned immediately.
It was a very, very late night for me Sunday into Monday morning. I watched the livestream from Hostage Square, Tel Aviv for six to seven hours while frantically bouncing between news sources as I couldn’t catch most of the Ivrit. I caught some of it though and some of it through helpful translators online; one individual translated something about the thirteen remaining hostages being in the hands of the Red Cross before the Times of Israel announced it thanks to one of the speakers at Hostage Square. The atmosphere and emotion of that crowd…and it never waned. From five in the morning Israel time they were there broadcasting and probably had been there all night beforehand. It started out electric and only increased in intensity. So much music and joy and tears and thanks and prayers. Forget about Trump in the Knesset; I watched the catharsis of a nation unfold.
Trump did certainly make history though; meme history and actual history. “He’s a good guy, Bibi” concerning the Yesh Atid opposition leader Yair Lapid is probably already going viral in Israel. It was admittedly a little strange seeing Israeli crowds react lukewarm at best on hearing Bibi Netanyahu’s name, and go absolutely wild for Trump. His domestic policies in America are irrelevant to Israelis; I mean, why would they be in the first place? What matters is that his influence was the deciding factor in bringing the hostages home and ending the Simchat Torah War of 2023. ‘Thank you, President Trump’ may have been the most-spoken English phrase in Israel today/yesterday; and in this moment, it is deserved.
The truth is that this peace deal as written essentially gives a total victory to the Jewish state. Hamas will be disarmed and banished. They will never again control the Gaza Strip, which they ruled with bloodshed and murder for nearly two decades after Israel’s total withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. Yes, Israel is releasing some thousands of criminals and hundreds of convicted terrorists and murderers in exchange for the hostages and peace; I believe some of which have gone to the West Bank. Yes, it is tragedy in the making. And it is unfortunate that despite all the weight of Truth and Justice the forces of evil were still able to negotiate their pound of flesh.
Here is a simple, easily-verifiable fact which I hope adds at least a little levity and perspective to what is without question many travesties of Justice for the victims of these criminals: generally speaking, the life expectancy for terrorists is relatively quite low; and unless they are kingpin-level, the quality-of-life which they will “enjoy” while alive is almost universally poor and miserable. And let us not forget the legendary spycraft and subterfuge of the Mossad. Who else could have succeeded in capturing Eichmann in Argentina to stand trial for crimes against humanity in Jerusalem given the geopolitical landscape of the day? Or for a contemporary example, how about Agent Eli Copter giving out explosive pagers like candy to Hezbollah middle management? To quote the good Reverend Dr. King, “...The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” And who knows…well, it’s probably the most naive thing I could possibly say, but…maybe they will finally give up the ‘Intifada’ and join in helping us to build a better future without hate and evil and bloodshed and violence dragging us down and back.
It is now a waiting game to see how long Khamenei lasts; either as dictator or alive (and really, the two fates are very much intertwined). His genocidal, fascist government has apparently executed over one thousand civilians in this year of 2025, the most in quite some time. The time for a Free Iran is now. The longer you wait to rise up, the more lives that the regime will take before its inevitable downfall. Sic semper tyrannis. And as for the fascist apologists that have covered for Khamenei’s crimes against humanity—including Iran’s integral role in the October 7th massacres—history sees you. It has recorded all of your sins. You will not escape the fate posterity has in store for you. You may, however, mitigate it by joining the side of sanity. It’s never too late.
The tide is now turned. Inertia will soon play in our favor as the world becomes accustomed to a lasting peace in Gaza, Israel, and the Middle East. Those who still shout “free Palestine” are shouting for war. Their mask of ‘Ceasefire Now’ has been revealed for the fraud that it always was. They have never, ever, ever wanted actual peace and coexistence. Their movement of “anti-Zionism” has always advocated for more violence, killing, and bloodshed à la their preferred ‘One State Solution’ of establishing a genocidal nation of ‘Palestine’ on top of the graves of ten million Israelis. It is up to us to bury their movement in history now, so that it does not come back to haunt humanity again. As for our slogan, it may be: ‘Make Nazism Irrelevant Again’.
To be frank, it is quite well-timed that I managed to get my act together in order to organize this enterprise for its second outing. Because I am now perfectly poised to do exactly what the world needs of me; I am in the best possible position I could ask for to begin the lifelong task of restoring sanity to the world. And so it will be done. I will make it so, O Captain, my Captain. For those of you who care about such things as the goals I am in pursuit of, you can help the cause by following A Dose of Sanity on a plethora of social media and platforms and boosting the message of reason to as many of our fellow human beings as you can. The road ahead is long; and life is short. I will do what I can, while I can; but eventually, inevitably, others will have to pick up the mantle I will leave behind.
Tomorrow night into the day after tomorrow, the fourteenth and fifteenth of October, is Simchat Torah. Chag Sameach to those who celebrate. Simchat Torah is a holiday that marks the end of the Torah reading cycle and the beginning of another. How fitting that it bookends the Simchat Torah War of 2023. For probably most of you reading this, the past two years were without question the worst experience of our lives. And now: New Beginnings.
This is the start of a new Middle East and a new world paradigm. We must remain vigilant that it does not fall into the same pitfalls as we have learned through so many sacrifices. My hope is not lost that we will soon find ourselves in a better world than any of us can now imagine.
Shakespeare has been on my mind for a while. You may have noticed from my recent work. What command of the English language the Bard had! I have been contemplating what speech of his may possibly fit this occasion. But I won’t strain your eyes or your ears with a drawn-out monologue in early modern English; only a few lines from Henry V, the St. Crispian’s Day Speech:
‘But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother’
We fought the fight. We won. Now we are brothers and sisters for ever more.
Am Yisrael Chai