How Are You Doing?

"How are you doing?", my German friend asked me shortly after a meeting.

I told him about Israel...how we are cautiously hoping. That there is one hostage left...and I told him about Ran. How he grabbed his rifle and rushed to help lives on October 7. I told him that Hamas is re-arming, Hezbollah and Iran too. I told him how we don't really take Yemen seriously.
But "how are you?" he asked again.

I told him about how Jews around the world are feeling the rise of antisemitism. How synagogues are being attacked. How a Jew was beaten in front of his child in Canada.

"In Canada?" he asked in a surprised voice.

"In Canada and everywhere", I answered. We talked about the rise of hatred and some about October 7.

And he asked again, "How are you? You keep telling me about everything else but what about you...how are you?"

And my voice cracked as I said the truth, "My son is home." My son, who fought so many many days is home. I can breathe.

He said, "I understand."

It was only as I explained everything to him that I understood. We are a people as no other. If some suffer, all suffer. And so when you ask "how are you?", we search inside ourselves to understand how WE are doing.

We are slowly coming back from hell, only to find hell has won. The hatred has spread far and wide, beyond their borders into yours. 

We successfully repelled the monsters of October 7 and followed them back into hell until they finally released all but 1 of our hostages. All the rest are home, most still alive.

But hell won. Every time a Jew is beaten, attacked, threatened, they won. No matter that their land lies in rubble, they have won because their hate triumphs in other lands. Every time a synagogue is attacked, they win.

 
So, how are we doing? Wow, it's complicated.

Recent Major Incidents

Australia Synagogue Arson: The Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne was significantly damaged in an arson attack in early December 2024, which Australian authorities have linked to foreign interference. Global Jewish leaders recently visited the site, describing the spike in Australian antisemitism as a "wake-up call".

Arrest in France: In early December 2025, two minors, one a Russian national, were detained in the Paris region on suspicion of plotting an antisemitic attack.

Attacks in Uruguay: In late November 2025, two Jewish teenagers were chased through a Montevideo neighborhood by young men who hurled antisemitic slurs and threats.

Bondi Beach Vandalism: In late November 2025, police in Sydney launched a hunt for individuals who defaced barriers and a photo exhibition at Bondi Beach with antisemitic graffiti.

Manchester Synagogue Attack: In October 2025, a man drove a car into pedestrians and carried out a stabbing attack at a Manchester, England synagogue on Yom Kippur, killing two people and injuring others.

 
Boulder, Colorado Molotov Cocktail Attack (June 2025): An 82-year-old woman died from injuries sustained after a man threw Molotov cocktails at a group of mostly Jewish people gathered for a hostage-release event. The suspect allegedly planned the attack for a year and told investigators he "wanted to kill all Zionist people".

Washington D.C. Shooting (May 2025): Two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in what the FBI is investigating as a potential act of terror. The gunman reportedly chanted "Free Palestine" during the incident.