Today marks three years since the Simchat Torah massacre. On that day Hamas murdered about 1,200 people, 778 civilians and some 380 soldiers and police officers, and took 251 hostages. It was the darkest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
That day, in Israel, we were about to finish reading the Torah and start again with Bereshit. This Shabbat we read Bereshit again. We start over from the beginning.
Our monstrous enemies murdered many of our brothers. But we did not give up. We held on, we fought, we beat them, and we grew. And B”H the Israel of today is a different country: better, stronger and safer than three years ago.
ISRAEL’S ENEMIES, THREE YEARS LATER
Hamas. Its leaders are dead: Mohammed Deif; Ismail Haniyeh, killed in Tehran; Yahya Sinwar, the architect of October 7; and his brother Mohammed Sinwar. Its military power is a fraction of what it was.
Hezbollah. It joined the war on October 8, 2023. In September 2024 its pagers blew up. Ten days later Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah. Today Hezbollah is much weaker than it was before October 7: militarily, economically and politically.
Syria. In December 2024 the Assad regime, Iran’s ally, fell. That same month the Israeli army climbed to the top of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side. And stayed there.
The Houthis. They stopped attacking Israel. Now they are at war with Saudi Arabia.
Iran. In June 2025 Israel struck Iran for twelve days, and the United States bombed the nuclear plant at Fordow. In 2026 Israel and the United States struck together again. The Iranian “octopus” lost its tentacles and took very hard blows to the head.
FROM DEFENDING AT HOME TO FIGHTING ON ENEMY GROUND
These blows are no accident. They are the result of a change in strategy.
Before October 7, Israel defended itself inside its own territory. It waited for the attack, stopped it at the fence, and went back to waiting. October 7 showed the price of that policy: the terrorists got into the kibbutzim and the border towns.
Israel learned the lesson. Today it no longer waits for the enemy. It strikes before the enemy strikes, and on the enemy’s ground.
This is not a small change. Today, in October 2026, Israel holds about 1,220 square kilometers of security zones beyond the borders it had in October 2023. That is about 5% of Israel’s territory, roughly the size of all of Gush Dan.
- Lebanon: about 600 km², up to 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory.
- Syria: about 400 km², up to 15 kilometers deep. Israeli troops are 25 kilometers from Damascus.
- Gaza: close to 60% of the Strip.
In June of this year, Defense Minister Israel Katz put it this way: “The Israeli army will stay in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, with no time limit.”
Three years ago the terrorists were right up against the Gaza fence and the northern border. Today Israeli soldiers are on their land.
THE ECONOMY: OCTOBER 2023 VS. OCTOBER 2026
A three-year war on seven fronts should have sunk the economy of any country. That is what happened to Ukraine. In October 2023 a dollar cost 36.6 hryvnias. Today it costs almost 45. Its production is in crisis, and much of its infrastructure has been destroyed.
Israel is different. Just compare the numbers.
The shekel. In October 2023 a dollar cost more than 4 shekels. Today it costs about 3. The shekel is at its highest value in 30 years.
Reserves. The Bank of Israel held $198.6 billion. Today it holds $241.6 billion. They have never been higher.
The stock market. In October 2023 the Tel Aviv index (TA-35) stood at 1,830 points. Today it is at 4,290. It is worth more than twice what it was before the war.
The defense industry. In 2025, defense exports made up 29% of all Israel’s exports. The world buys what Israel tested in combat and proved works.
Three years ago, on Simchat Torah, they tried to make us forget the joy of celebrating our Torah. This Shabbat we open the Torah again, from the first page: Bereshit. We start over. With joy. Grateful to God. And stronger than ever.
