This is Not Normal: Five Reflections for North American Reform Jews in a Time of War

Friday, March 6, 2026 – י״ז אֲדָר תשפ”ו

In this week’s episode of The Pluralist Podcast, my friend, colleague, and co-host, Orly Erez Likhovski, starts out by stating what should be obvious, but often is not: This. Is. Not. Normal.  The now seemingly routine act of running back and forth to shelters, sleeping in public shelters – in parking garages and train stations – is not normal. It is not normal to live under constant threat, under sporadic volleys of missiles.  As today is Day 7 of this military engagement, I would like to offer five reflections to help understand and think about this moment:

Five Reflections for North American Reform Jews in a Time of War

At this fraught and uncertain moment, as the United States and Israel are engaged in open conflict with Iran, American Reform Jews—like Jews everywhere—are experiencing a swirl of emotions: fear for loved ones, concern for the future of Israel and the region, and deep questions about what lies ahead. Jewish tradition does not ask us to suspend our moral reasoning in moments of crisis, but it does teach us to begin with solidarity and responsibility. Our response must therefore hold together two commitments: standing with Israel and with those in harm’s way, while also asking the serious questions that this moment demands.

Below are five reflections that may help frame how we approach this moment as American Reform Jews.

1. Solidarity

Our first instinct in a moment of war must be solidarity with those whose lives are immediately at risk. Israelis across the country are once again living under the shadow of missile fire and uncertainty. American service members have also been placed in harm’s way, deployed far from home into a dangerous and volatile conflict.

For Diaspora Jews, Israel should not be an abstraction. It is family. It is friends, colleagues, and loved ones. When Israel is under threat, we feel that vulnerability personally. Our tradition commands us not to stand idly by when lives are endangered, and so we begin by standing with the Israeli people, with American troops, and with allies and innocent civilians throughout the region who face the terrifying consequences of war.

Solidarity, however, does not mean silence or uncritical acceptance of every policy decision. It means recognizing that before political analysis comes human concern: prayers for safety, support for those defending their countries, and compassion for all civilians whose lives are disrupted and endangered by violence.

2. The Iranian Regime Bears Profound Responsibility for Regional Violence

It is essential to remember the long history that has brought the region to this point. For more than four decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been one of the world’s primary state sponsors of terrorism. Under the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the regime has financed, armed, and directed militant proxies across the Middle East and beyond.

Groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and other militias operating throughout the region have received Iranian support, contributing to instability and violence that has claimed countless lives—Israeli, Arab, American, and others. The regime’s ideological commitment to Israel’s destruction and its repeated calls for the elimination of the Jewish State have not been rhetorical flourishes; they have been paired with concrete efforts to surround Israel with armed proxies and increasingly sophisticated weaponry. They are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Sunni Muslims in Syria, and pose a threat to regional stability.

The death of Khamenei in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes marks a dramatic turning point in this long confrontation. For many people, both inside Israel and among the Iranian Diaspora, his removal represents the end of a decades-long era of repression and militant expansionism.

And it is important to acknowledge that within our own community, people are responding to this moment in very different ways. Some feel a sense of relief or even hope that a leader responsible for decades of violence and repression is no longer in power. Some feel pride in Israel’s extraordinary military capabilities. Others feel deep solidarity with the courageous Iranian women, protestors, and university students who have risked their lives for freedom over the past several years. Still others feel gratitude toward the American administration for standing firmly with Israel in a moment of grave danger.

Those emotions are real and legitimate. They reflect the deep moral stakes of this moment.

None of this absolves any other actor of responsibility for the suffering in the region. But it does place the current conflict within a broader context: a decades-long campaign by the Iranian regime to project power through militancy and terror. Any honest conversation about the present war must acknowledge this reality.

3. Serious Questions About Timing and Strategy Remain

Even while acknowledging the malign role of the Iranian regime, it is reasonable—and necessary—for responsible citizens and members of the Jewish community to ask difficult questions.

Why now? What new intelligence or strategic calculation led to this escalation at this particular moment? How imminent was the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program or other military activities (such as intercontinental ballistic missiles and the activation of regional proxies)? Were all diplomatic avenues exhausted? Were there alternative strategies that might have reduced the likelihood of a full-scale regional conflict?

Jewish tradition values questioning not as an act of faithlessness or betrayal, or even a minimalization of perceived threat, but as an expression of responsibility. The same community that stands firmly with Israel’s security and with the safety of American service members must also insist on clarity and accountability from American and Israeli leaders who make decisions that place millions of lives at risk.

These questions are not asked in order to weaken resolve, but to strengthen it. Democracies rely on thoughtful citizens who are willing to examine both the necessity and the consequences of war.

4. What Comes Next?

Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of this moment and the most troubling question is the apparent absence of a clear and credible plan for what comes after the initial military confrontation.

Military action, even when justified, is rarely a strategy in itself. Wars must ultimately serve a political objective: greater stability, a safer region, and a pathway toward a more sustainable future. At present, however, it remains unclear what such an outcome would look like for Iran.

The Trump administration has not been consistent in articulating the goals of the war. Is the goal to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions temporarily? To weaken the regime’s regional influence? To encourage internal political/regime change within Iran? Each of these objectives would require very different strategies and carry very different risks.

Many fear that the Iranians will do their best to pull Israel and the U.S. into a long, drawn-out war reminiscent of Iraq/Afghanistan for Americans and Lebanon (the first) for Israel. This would likely have a detrimental political outcome for President Trump, while the current engagement feels like an essential political shot-in-the-arm for Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Without a coherent plan for the day after, even a successful military campaign can lead to prolonged instability, unintended escalation, and new cycles of violence. The North American Jewish community, which cares deeply about both Israel’s security and the long-term stability of the region, must therefore press policymakers to articulate not only how this war is being fought, but what future it is meant to create.

5. A Dangerous Narrative at Home

At the outset, many were legitimately troubled that the President went to war without consultation or approval from Congress, which, under Article 1 of the Constitution, is responsible for war declarations, not the Executive Branch on its own. As the conflict unfolds abroad, it is already reverberating within the United States in troubling ways. Both the far Left and the far Right, are expressing and echoing familiar and deeply harmful narratives are resurfacing—claims that the United States has been dragged into war “for Israel” or “on behalf of the Jews.” Such accusations echo a long history of antisemitic conspiracy theories that portray Jews as secretly manipulating governments and wars for their own purposes.

These claims are not only false; they are dangerous. Decisions about war and peace are made by elected leaders of the United States based on their own assessments of national interest and security. Suggesting that American Jews somehow control those decisions or bear responsibility for them places Jewish communities at risk and fuels hostility against Jews at precisely the moment when tensions are already high. There is extensive discussion of the pressure that PM Netanyahu exerted on President Trump during their last dyad in the Oval Office, including his persuasive power.

However, American Jews must reject these narratives clearly and confidently. We are citizens of this country who care deeply about both the United States and Israel. Our support for Israel’s security does not make us responsible for American foreign policy, nor does it diminish our commitment to the well-being and democratic values of the United States.

Holding Complexity in a Time of Crisis

Moments of war often pressure communities to collapse complexity into slogans or absolutes. Jewish tradition calls us to something more demanding. We can stand firmly with Israel and with American service members while also acknowledging the suffering of innocent civilians across the region. We can recognize the destructive role of the Iranian regime while still asking hard questions about strategy and timing. We can pray for victory over those who threaten destruction while also yearning for a day when war is no longer necessary.

For American Reform Jews, this moment calls for moral clarity combined with moral humility. We pray for the safety of all those in harm’s way. We pray for wisdom among leaders making grave decisions. And we continue to work toward a future in which the people of Israel, the people of Iran, and all the peoples of the Middle East might one day live in dignity, security, and peace.

In the meantime, our task is to remain engaged, thoughtful, and faithful to the Jewish values that guide us—even, and especially, in times of war.

Shabbat Shalom.