Hope in the Darkness

For the past 100 days, I’ve written a lot about doom and gloom. This week, I’m focused instead on the lights I see on the horizon.

The titles of my recent posts say it all: Fascism Rising. Defcon 1 for Democracy. The Fire 6000 Miles Away.

The call to the barricades is clear: All that has made the US and Israel secure and wondrous Jewish homes is at risk.

But it’s one thing to inspire people to mount a spirited defense by highlighting the danger posed by Trump/Musk/MAGA here and Bibi/Ben Gvir/Smotrich. It’s another to illuminate a path that provides hope of a better future.

This week, as I met scores of people in living room salons and other small gatherings, I kept getting the same questions: Is there any hope? Can we recover from the damage being inflicted on American greatness? Is there any chance of ending the war, getting the hostages home and actually finding a path to peace?

Time after time, I found myself highlighting three points of light I see on the horizon:

1. Change is Coming in Israel

The extreme right/religious coalition running Israel today - elected with just 48 percent of the vote – has lost roughly 15-25 percent of its support.

Don’t get me wrong. Israel remains a center-right country, still in post-October 7 trauma and deeply skeptical of peace and of the left. But 70 plus percent of the Israeli public wants Bibi Netanyahu gone, and there’s meaningful voter movement from the farther right toward the center.

At the same time, on the center-left, Yair Golan is putting together an effective campaign that, according to the latest Maariv poll, has him and his new “Democrats” party at 17 seats, ahead of center/center-right competitors, Yair Lapid, Benny Gantz and Avigdor Lieberman.

I rarely venture a prediction when it comes to reliably unpredictable Israeli politics, but glimmer of hope number one is that I see the Bibi Netanyahu era ending in 2026. (Hebrew summary of latest polling in Maariv).

2. Israel’s Historic Opportunity to End the Arab-Israeli Conflict

If you had told Israel’s founders in 1948 that the entire Arab world would one day offer Israel a comprehensive agreement recognizing it and accepting it as a full partner in the region, they would have asked what you were drinking.

Full acceptance of Israel as a normal country was, in fact, the goal of Zionism, not, as some anti-Israel activists would have it, to colonize and oppress. The nation’s founders, from right to left, wanted the country they were establishing to be a state like all other states.

For decades, that acceptance was a pipe dream. Israel got little more from its neighbors than war and a cascade of ‘noes’ – no to Israel, to peace and to negotiations.

But today, the Arab world is offering the state of the Jewish people to be a permanent part of the regional security and economic architecture – even in the wake of Gaza, perhaps even because of Gaza.

They want to partner in resolving the conflict with the Palestinians and in creating a functioning, secure state of Palestine next to Israel that is also part of that regional architecture. Such an outcome is - ironically - the ultimate defeat of Hamas.

This change is beyond historic – and glimmer number two is that the monumental opportunity to reach a “23-state solution” is there, waiting for the next Israeli leadership to make the dreams of Israel’s founders a reality.

3. American Jews Aren’t Buying what Donald Trump is Selling

Antisemitism in the US and around the world is – as it has been for thousands of years – a real and significant problem. Hate, prejudice and racism sadly permeate all human societies, and Jews are too often on the receiving end.

Fighting antisemitism – fighting bigotry of all kinds – must be a high priority for every country looking to build a more just, equitable and respectful society.

But the Trump administration in the first 100 days has used the fight against antisemitism as cover for radical attacks on immigrants, higher education, the rule of law and more.

Across the board, too many leaders and institutions are failing to take a stand against MAGA’s attack on American democracy. In Jewish America, some leading institutions are not just failing to stand up, they’re aiding and abetting the assault. (Thankfully, some courageous legacy institutions are speaking out – for instance the signatories of this important letter that J Street endorses).

Jewish Americans aren’t buying what Trump is selling. Recent polling shows that 7 in 10 Jewish Americans continue to oppose Donald Trump – roughly the same percentage that voted against him in 2016, 2020 and 2024.

Trump’s attempt to sell his nefarious agenda as a fight against antisemitism is gaining no traction, with only 31 percent of Jewish America approving his handling of the issue.

My third ray of hope is that Jewish Americans continue to stand strong, by more than two to one, against the catastrophic Trump agenda, and they aren’t buying efforts to sell it as either “pro-Israel” or fighting antisemitism.

100 days into the Trump calamity and 18 months into the horrific war and hostage crisis, I understand feeling despair, depression and anger.

But I also hope that, through the darkness, these glimmers of light breaking through at the horizon are visible.

The Netanyahu era is nearing an end. The chances of history-altering agreements between Israel and its neighbors are amazingly real. And popular opposition to Trump/Musk/MAGA is strong and growing.

The path out of this nightmare is coming into view.

Now, it’s on us to do all in our power in the months ahead to get to the light. Hope - in the end - isn’t something we’re given. It’s something we have to make.