With antisemitism surging on both the left and the right, the future remains uncertain. But the Trump-Netanyahu meeting is a reminder that the Jewish state is winning—and not alone.
Optimism about Jewish life is in short supply these days. All over the globe, antisemitism is surging. In the United States, the political left has largely been captured by anti-Zionist and antisemitic ideologues. On the right, where support for Israel had seemed to be nearly unanimous not long ago, Jew-hatred and hostility to the Jewish state are also rising. And in Israel itself, the list of problems afflicting the country is long, with no solutions in sight.
After the last two millennia of persecution and suffering, pessimism regarding the present and future is second-nature to most Jews. And if you’re looking for reasons to feel down about the state of the world and that of the Jewish people, there’s no shortage of grounds for arguments about the prospects of a catastrophe in the long or even short term.
Amid the doom and gloom of Jewish commentary at the end of 2025, however, it’s important to place all that in perspective. The meetings held in Florida this week between U.S. President Donald Trump and other members of his administration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are a reminder that not only is the world not about to end, but that there is reason for optimism.