MIDTERM ELECTIONS IN THE UNITED SATES OF AMERICA

Historically the midterm elections result in a loss of seats by the ruling party in the House of Representatives and a small change in the makeup of the Senate.

By Neville Berman

The United States President is elected for a four-year term of office. Half way through this 4-year period, an election takes place that is known as the midterm elections. The next midterm elections are due to take place on November 3, 2026. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and 1/3 of the Senate seats are up for re-election.

The United States Congress is the legislative body of the federal government of the United States. It is made up of an upper body known as the Senate, and a lower body known as the House of Representatives. Members of the House of Representatives are elected for 2-year terms and members of the Senate are elected for 6-year terms. There are 100 members of the Senate, with each of the 50 States electing 2 senators irrespective of the population or size of each state. In the event of a tie in a Senate vote, the vice president has an additional vote in the Senate There are 435 members of Congress elected by electoral districts in each state.

The US House of Representatives is the body that proposes federal laws. The Senate then needs to approve the laws passed by the House. Finally, the President needs to sign the bill before the bill becomes federal law. If the President chooses to veto the bill, in most cases Congress can then vote to override the veto and the bill then becomes federal law.

There have been 20 US midterm elections since the end of the Second World War. In 10 of these elections, the President was a Democrat, and in an equal number the President was a Republican. Let us look back at what happened in the first of these 20 midterm elections and see if there is any resemblance to the next midterm election.

In November 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected for an unprecedented fourth term of office as President. His vice president was Harry S Truman. They were sworn into office in January 1945. Eighty-two days after the inauguration, President Roosevelt died and Truman was sworn in as the 37^th President of the United States. He was the 7^th Vice President to become President due to the death of the President while in office. Truman was a poor farmer from Missouri, who never went to university, and never ran a successful business. He was now the President of the most powerful country in the world. On his desk, he placed a sign that read “The buck stops here”. Truman took this to heart. He took decisions that changed the world.

**Recalibration in the Capitol**. Riding widespread discontent with the postwar economic policies of the Harry Truman administration, Republicans in 1946, running on the slogan, “Had Enough”, recaptured majority control of the House from Democrats for the first time in 15 years. The GOP gained 55 seats for a 246 to 188 advantage.

Less than one month after Truman became President, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally. However, the War in the Pacific was far from over. In order to shorten the war and save American lives, Truman signed an order authorizing the use of atomic bombs in the war against Japan.

On August 6, 1945 the first atomic bomb named Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later the second atomic bomb, named Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki. Between 150,000 and 246,000 people were killed, almost all of whom were civilians.

Six days later, Emperor Hirohito addressed the nation on radio. He could not bring himself to use the word ‘surrender’. Instead, he said that Japan had agreed to an American proposal. Everyone understood that Japan had surrendered.

On September 2, 1945 the formal signing of Japanese unconditional surrender took place aboard the USS Missouri. The Second World War was finally over.

Having won the war, one would imagine that Americans would overwhelmingly vote to support the ruling Democratic Party in the midterm elections the following year. So, what happened?

During the war wages in America were frozen and price controls were instituted. With the war over, all the big military contracts were cancelled, and at the same time the labour unions were demanding a 30% increase in salaries. Millions of workers were laid off. The steelworkers’ union went on strike. Hundreds of factories including General Motors were closed due to labour strikes. At the same time millions of soldiers were returning and could not find jobs. Three weeks before the 1946 midterm elections the meat workers went on strike. People were despondent and fed up with the government. In the 1946 midterm elections the Republican party ran on the slogan “Had enough”.” The slogan resonated with the electorate. The Republicans won in a landslide and gained control of both the Senate and the House. The Democrats lost 45 seats in the House and 12 seats in the Senate.

At present, the Republicans have 218 seats in the House and the Democrats have 215 seats. The Republicans thus have a slender 3 seat majority in the House. Two members of the House resigned in April and their seats are presently vacant.

**Bush ‘on the Ball’**. To buck historical trends, presidents and parties go all out for the midterms. Seen here is President Bush holding a jersey from a local high school football team during a rally in LeMars, Iowa days before the 2006 midterm election. (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

In 80% of the last 20 midterm elections the ruling party has lost control of the House of Representatives. The average number of seats in the House lost when Democrats were in power in the last 20 midterm elections is 27. In the case where the Republicans were in power, the average number of seats lost in the House over the last 20 midterm elections is 22. If this trend continues, the Republicans will lose control of the House in the next midterm elections.

**Democrats Rebound**. Popular U.S. President Ronald Reagan campaigns for the GOP in the 1986 midterms, but voters choose Democrats. (Photo: Douglas C. Pizac/AP)

In the Senate, the Republicans presently have a 53 to 47 advantage. Included in the 47 are 2 independents who caucus with the Democrats. In 60% of the midterm elections since 1946, the ruling party has retained control of the Senate with a reduced majority, and in 40% of the elections, the ruling party lost control of the Senate. Republicans under Eisenhower, Ford and Reagan all lost control of the Senate in the midterm elections. Based on the data of the past 20 midterm elections, there is a statistical likelihood that the electorate will again demonstrate that they have had enough and want change. If the past is any indication of what will happen, the Republican Party will in all likelihood lose their majority in the House. and will either have a reduced majority in the Senate, or will lose control of the Senate in the next midterm elections.

**Tea Party Turnaround**. 2010 was President Barack Obama’s first midterm test and the newly prominent Tea Party and a GOP pushback resulted in a change of course by voters. Republican gains were huge and Democrats lost the House

In 1947, the 22nd Amendment of the American Constitution was passed. The amendment limited the Presidency to a maximum of two terms of four years each. As President Trump is now in his second term in office, he cannot stand again in the next Presidential election due to take place in November 2028.

Trump on Trending. Historically, the party in control of the White House loses seats in the House during the midterm elections.

No matter what the actual outcome of the next midterm election will be, Trump will remain President until 2028 unless he is impeached. He will probably govern by signing more Presidential Decrees. America is indispensable in its role as a superpower and any weakening of American resolve will have a devastating effect on what happens in the future. The coming midterm elections will provide the first clue as to what can be expected after Trump leaves office. The situation does not augur well for a peaceful and prosperous future for the Middle East or for anywhere else.

*Feature photo: Capitol Hill. The western front of the United States Capitol, Washington DC. (Phoyo: Public Domain)

About the writer:

Accountant Neville Berman had an illustrious sporting career in South Africa, being twice awarded the South African State Presidents Award for Sport and was a three times winner of the South African Maccabi Sportsman of the Year Award. In 1978 he immigrated to the USA to coach the United States men’s field hockey team, whereafter, in 1981 he immigrated to Israel where he practiced as an accountant and then for 20 years was the Admin Manager at the American International School in Even Yehuda, Israel. He is married with two children and one granddaughter.

While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

JEWS IN EVERDAY LIFE – WHEN VISIBILITY IS A RISK

How do you raise a child to feel proud, rooted, and secure in their Jewish identity while knowing that visibility can sometimes bring risk – an empathetic look at today’s mental health toll caused by antisemitism.

By Bev Moss-Reilly

Antisemitism is often spoken about through headlines, attacks, protests, security alerts, and rising statistics. All of those matters, and all of it is real – but there is another side to it that is quieter and often far less visible.

It is the emotional toll carried long after the headline fades.

It is the exhaustion of always being alert.

It is the hesitation before entering shul, the pause before sending a child to school, the decision about whether to wear a Magen David openly, and the internal calculation of what feels safe today.

For many Jewish people, the strain is no longer limited to one place. It is not only about Israel. It is not only about a synagogue in one city or a violent outburst in another. It is global, personal, and cumulative.

An attack in Sydney can shake a family in Johannesburg. Gunfire at a synagogue in Toronto can unsettle a Jewish teacher in London.

Hostility in Belgium, harassment in Massachusetts, online hatred, campus intimidation, graffiti, threats, and the growing normalisation of anti-Jewish rhetoric all contribute to the same emotional reality. Safety begins to feel fragile, and daily life becomes heavier than it should be.

This is where the mental health burden deepens.

Antisemitism does not only wound in dramatic moments. It settles into the nervous system. It can leave people hypervigilant, anxious, emotionally drained, angry, grief stricken, numb, or unable to relax fully even in ordinary settings. Some struggle with sleep. Some become more withdrawn. Some avoid public Jewish spaces. Others push themselves to keep functioning while carrying an invisible level of tension that slowly chips away at wellbeing.

For parents, the burden can be especially painful. They are not only managing their own fear, but also trying to protect their children from it without pretending the danger does not exist. That balancing act is exhausting. How much do you say. How much do you shield. How do you raise a child to feel proud, rooted, and secure in their Jewish identity while knowing that visibility can sometimes bring risk. Even when parents say very little, children often sense the unease. They hear changes in tone. They notice extra security. They pick up snippets of conversation, phone calls, headlines, and the tension in adults around them. Children do not need every detail to feel that something is wrong.

Teachers and school staff carry another layer. A Jewish educator is not simply doing a job in an emotionally neutral environment. They may be teaching children while processing their own distress, concern for family members, or anxiety about the wider climate. They may be expected to create calm, safety, and continuity for learners while silently holding their own fear and fatigue. The same is true for rabbis, communal leaders, volunteers, and those who work in Jewish organisations. So many become emotional anchors for others while rarely being asked how they themselves are coping.

There is also a uniquely Jewish depth to this pain. Current antisemitism does not enter an empty room. It lands in a people with memory. For many Jewish individuals and families, today’s hostility can stir inherited grief, historical awareness, and intergenerational trauma. Even those who did not personally live through earlier atrocities may carry the emotional residue of stories, silences, losses, and collective memory. That does not mean Jewish life is defined only by suffering. Far from it. Jewish life is rich with faith, humour, continuity, learning, family, and resilience – but it does mean that present threats can reverberate more deeply because they touch old wounds as well as new ones.

**Germany… Again!** As Jews and Israelis face a relentlessly hostile climate in Germany, the Jewish community in Potsdam, a city just outside Berlin, fears it may not be safe to open a new Jewish daycare center amid growing security concerns. Seen here, on May 9, 2026, anti-Israel protests in Berlin. (Photo by Erbil Basay/Anadolu via Getty Images)

One of the hardest parts of this experience is minimisation. Many Jewish people are not only distressed by the hostility itself, but by the way it is sometimes dismissed, rationalised, or explained away. When fear is minimised, the psychological impact often worsens. People may begin to feel isolated, unseen, or reluctant to speak honestly about what they are carrying. Validation matters. Being taken seriously matters. Emotional safety is not created only by guards, gates, and cameras. It is also created by being believed.

So how can we assist.

We can begin by recognising that this is a genuine mental health issue, not only a political or social one. Chronic vigilance, fear, and exposure to hatred take a toll. Jewish individuals and families need support that is culturally aware, compassionate, and free of judgement. They need spaces where they do not have to explain why they feel shaken by events happening far away, because those events do not feel far away emotionally.

Children need calm and honest conversations, not silence and not overwhelming detail. Parents need support in helping children feel safe without denying reality. Schools need trauma aware approaches that make room for emotion, routine, reassurance, and mental health care. Teachers need support too. So do rabbis, youth leaders, and all those expected to hold communities together.

Communities can also help by creating spaces of warmth and grounding. Prayer, music, movement, ritual, learning, shared meals, support groups, counselling, and simply being together all matter. These do not erase the reality of antisemitism, but they strengthen emotional resilience without demanding emotional suppression. There is a difference between resilience and pretending not to hurt. Real resilience allows room for fear, sadness, anger, and weariness while still making healing possible.

Professional mental health support should also be normalised. There should be no shame in saying that the strain has become too much, that sleep is suffering, that panic is increasing, that children are struggling, or that one feels constantly on edge. Trauma does not always announce itself dramatically. Sometimes it shows up in irritability, withdrawal, tears, overthinking, headaches, digestive upset, exhaustion, or a quiet sense of dread that never fully switches off. These responses are human, and they deserve care.

**Calling in the Marines!** Briton’s ‘The Mirror’, shared how Jewish pupils had been learning a “Sleeping Lions” game in which they sought safety in classrooms and toilets in preparation for a potential terror attack.

Jewish communities have always understood the power of showing up for one another. That matters now more than ever. In a world where hostility can flare in multiple countries and where fear travels instantly across borders, one of the most important things we can do is protect emotional wellbeing with as much seriousness as we protect physical safety.

Because when fear settles into everyday Jewish life, the answer cannot be silence. It must be compassion, awareness, support, and the steady reminder that no one should have to carry this weight alone.

**School for Scandal**. A Brooklyn high school became a haven for Hitler-loving hooligans who terrorized Jewish teachers and classmates. On Oct. 26, 2024, 40 to 50 teens marched through Origins HS in Sheepshead Bay chanting “Death to Israel!” and “Kill the Jews!” staffers said. “I live in fear of going to work every day,” said global history teacher Danielle Kaminsky. Students ripped down the Israel flag from her international display, missing above, and told her it was burned.

About the writer:

Bev Moss-Reilly is a Jewish freelance content writer living in South Africa with a deep and heartfelt focus on mental health, emotional wellbeing, trauma, grief, and the unseen struggles people carry every day. Through her writing and her Mental Health Packs, she aims to bring comfort, awareness, compassion, and practical support to individuals, families, workplaces, and communities. Her work is rooted in empathy, dignity, and the belief that nobody should feel alone in their pain, especially in times of crisis.

DOWNTURN IN DUBAI

As regional tensions escalated into direct confrontation with Iran, the impact on Dubai’s tourism sector, so beloved by Israeli travelers, was almost immediate.

By MOTTI VERSES

(Courtesy of The Jerusalem Post were article first appeared)

I met Suri, the no-longer-young Indonesian, yet intelligent and well-educated, about two years ago over breakfast at a hotel in the United Arab Emirates, where he worked as a dedicated and enthusiastic waiter.

He had migrated far from home, leaving behind his family and children, sending them money each month.

We kept in occasional contact, but when the war with Iran erupted, he wrote to me saying he had lost his job and asked if I could help. At that moment, it became strikingly clear just how fragile the position of foreign workers in the Gulf truly is.

**Far from Home**. With the world’s largest skyscraper – the Burj Khalifa – in the background, Pakistani workers clean a road in the Business Bay area of Dubai. (Photo: Jonas Bendikson/Magnum Photos)

Now, with a ceasefire in place, early signs of recovery are beginning to emerge, but for workers like Suri, the damage has already been done.

As regional tensions escalated into direct confrontation with Iran, the impact on Dubai’s tourism sector, so beloved by Israeli travelers, was almost immediate. It came, ironically, on the heels of a record-breaking year.

In 2025, the city welcomed 19.59 million international visitors, operated 154,264 hotel rooms across 827 properties, and achieved an average occupancy rate of 80.7%.

**By Contrast**. Despite war, as of early 2026, roughly 1,000 to 2,500 Jordanian citizens commute daily from Aqaba to Israel’s southern resort city Eilat, working primarily in hotels. They are protected by Israeli labor law and receive many of the same social benefits as Israeli workers.

Within the first weeks of the conflict, sharp signs of slowdown appeared. More than 80,000 short-term rental bookings were canceled. An early indicator of collapsing demand.

Hotels experienced an even more dramatic shift: according to CoStar, occupancy rates dropped sharply to just 20%-30%, with some properties falling as low as 5%, levels not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic.

SURVIVING IN A DOWNTURN

The human impact was immediate and widespread. As of April 2026, industry estimates indicate that tens of thousands of foreign hospitality workers have been placed on standby without active employment.

Across many hotels, including five-star luxury properties, large portions of staff have been sent on indefinite unpaid leave, often without a clear return date. In some cases, only 3-4 employees remain active out of an original team of 30.

For those still formally employed, the situation is no less precarious.

Many remain housed in staff accommodations, yet must cover their own food expenses despite having no income. Others continue to work on reduced schedules, facing salary cuts of 20% to 50% as hotels struggle to survive the downturn.

Rather than implementing mass layoffs, many hotels have chosen to keep workers in a suspended “standby” status, preserving a labor pool for the eventual recovery.

It is a strategy driven by operational logic: rehiring and retraining an entirely new workforce would take time and resources. Yet for employees, this limbo creates deep uncertainty.

With the ceasefire now in effect, new bookings are reappearing across reservation platforms. Airlines are gradually restoring routes, and some hotels report a cautious uptick in demand, primarily from regional and European markets.

**Calm before the Storm**. It is mid-day and before the war, “Pool Ambassador” Alex from Ghana, dressed in a smoking jacket and top hat serves juices at the Ritz Carlton in Dubai. (Photo: Jonas Bendikson/Magnum Photos)

TOURISM INDUSTRY MAY TAKE TIME TO RECOVER

However, industry insiders stress that a full recovery of international tourism is expected to take time, particularly given the erosion of traveler confidence. Bookings may be reappearing, but confidence has not fully followed, leaving Dubai’s recovery uneven, driven more by proximity than by trust.

At the peak of tensions, industry estimates suggested that the cost to the Middle East tourism sector could reach approximately $600 million per day, highlighting the scale of the shock even for a powerhouse destination like Dubai.

In response, the Dubai government announced a relief package of around AED 1 billion (approximately $272 million), including deferred fees and payments for hotels, in an effort to stabilize the sector.

Despite this support, foreign workers remain the most vulnerable group, with many fearing permanent job loss or even deportation if the crisis extends into the summer season.

Yet beyond the numbers lies a deeper story – the story of the workforce. Unlike most destinations worldwide, Dubai’s hospitality industry is built almost entirely on foreign labor.

Workers from India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and beyond form the backbone of the system, from housekeeping and kitchens to front-of-house service.

**Time Out**. Where are these south Asian workers today seen here on their ‘off day’ playing cricket outside their lodgings in Dubai? (Photo: Jonas Bendikson/Magnum Photos)

The hotel sector alone employs approximately 240,000 foreigners, as part of a broader tourism workforce of around 800,000. In luxury hotels, 95% of those who provide service are not locals.

In the early weeks of the crisis, field reports revealed empty restaurants, silent entertainment districts, and taxi drivers reporting steep declines in income, often the first visible signal of collapsing demand.

For many of these workers, employment is not just a job – it is their entire living framework. Housing, meals, health insurance, and transportation are typically provided by the employer.

This model enables high efficiency and operational flexibility, but it also creates near-total dependency. When employment disappears, so too do housing, healthcare, and the ability to remain in the country.

In Dubai’s employment model, workforce reductions rarely take the form of public layoffs. Instead, they unfold quietly: shifts are reduced, bonuses disappear, and employees are placed on unpaid leave or left waiting for contracts that may never be renewed.

At the same time, a process of departure begins. Workers without permanent status or social safety nets are often forced to leave within a short period if they cannot secure alternative employment.

The countries of origin for many of these employees had to rise to the challenge during the war. The Philippines stood out, repatriating roughly 1,500-2,000 nationals from Dubai as part of a broader effort that evacuated more than 6,700 citizens across the region.

Most other governments, however, limited their response to advisories, leaving tens of thousands facing uncertainty.

Now, as stabilization begins, a more complex picture is emerging. Some hotels are cautiously considering rehiring or bringing back former staff, yet industry voices warn that workers who have already left the country may not return quickly.

The implication is striking: if demand rebounds faster than expected, Dubai may face a labor shortage, the opposite scenario of the initial crisis.

**Dubai Delights**. The Dubai Miracle Garden – the world’s largest natural flower garden. (Photo: Motti Verses)

A comparison with Israel highlights the structural differences.

In Israel, even when hotels emptied of tourists or were repurposed to house evacuees, workers did not simply disappear. Many were placed on unpaid leave, received government unemployment benefits, or remained employed through adjusted frameworks in an industry where the vast majority are local workers.

The state played a central role in maintaining employment continuity. In Dubai, by contrast, responsibility rests almost entirely with the employer.

When work disappears, that responsibility dissolves just as quickly. Workers do not transition into unemployment; they enter a state of immediate and near-total dependency.

A particularly telling example of Israel can be found in Eilat, where 1,500 hotel employees commute daily from neighboring Jordan.

**Dubai’s beach Deserted**. Most tourists have abandoned Dubai since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images).

Despite not being Israeli citizens, these workers are employed under Israeli labor law and are entitled to full social benefits, including pension contributions, paid vacation, and health-related rights.

Even during periods of crisis, their employment status is not immediately severed, reflecting a system that, while not without complexity, offers a level of protection and continuity largely absent in more employer-dependent models.

Dubai’s employment framework was designed to be efficient, flexible, and highly responsive. Yet that same flexibility is also its core vulnerability.

The recent crisis demonstrated just how quickly the system can contract. But with the ceasefire now in place, a new question emerges:

How quickly can it rebuild?

With the summer off-season approaching and the hope for relative calm with Iran, Dubai’s extreme heat, which naturally suppresses international demand, may temporarily ease pressure on the sector.

Israeli travelers, typically undeterred by 40-45° temperatures, are likely to take advantage of the increasingly attractive rates on offer in this less demanding period in the Emirate.

Suri, the Indonesian worker, still hopes to return to his job.

But the larger question is no longer just what happens when demand disappears; it is whether the workforce the system has lost will still be there when the world returns next winter.

Feature Photo: Huge tourist attraction, the writer visiting Dubai’s iconic Museum of the Future. How will the Iran war affect Dubai’s future?

About the writer:

The author is a seasoned hotel expert, traveler, writer, and videographer, and formerly served as Head of Public Relations for Hilton Hotels & Resorts in Israel. Today, as a travel writer and hospitality trends analyst, his insights and experiences are regularly featured in leading Israeli media outlets.

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter – 11 May 2026

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond.

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THE ISRAEL BRIEF –04-07 May 2026
(Click on the blue title)

Lay of the Land’s Photo Pick of the Week

HARDLY ‘STRAIT’FORWARD

Photo captures the complex standoff between Iran and the US at the Strait of Hormuz

Not Going Anywhere! Vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, 2026 off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (Photo: Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA / AFP)

ARTICLES

Please note there is a facility to comment beneath each article should you wish to express an opinion on the subject addressed.

(1)

STAGGERING STATS

How do young Brits who display poor understanding of their own history, emerge so ‘knowledgeable’ about Jews – enough to hate them?
By David E. Kaplan

**Up the ‘Poll’**. “*Red Poppy Day*,” responded a Gen Z in a national poll asking “*What VE Day represents*?”
While a UK poll show too few young adult Brits are familiar with their own history, other polls
reveal the toxic character of British society today in their attitudes to Jews!

STAGGERING STATS
(Click on the blue title)

(2)

SACRED GROUND, SACRED SAFETY – HOLY SEPHULCHRE NEEDS A SHELTER NOW

The Church should be a protected sanctuary rather than a site for political standoffs- sanctity of life over frictions of the past.
By David Nekrutman and Jonathan Feldstein

**Resurrection to Rectification.** While Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre may be the holiest site
in all Christendom, it is not immune from Iranian ballistic missiles. It is also not immune from internal
interfaith bureaucracy that has failed to provide a necessary bomb shelter.

SACRED GROUND, SACRED SAFETY – HOLY SEPHULCHRE NEEDS A SHELTER NOW
(Click on the blue title)

(3)

THE OLDEST HATRED IS BACK, AND I AM ABSOLUTELY DONE WITH THIS SHIT, GET ANGRY AND THEN GET ANGRIER

If the West cannot stand with its Jews when they are threatened, blamed and smeared with recycled blood libels, then we are dead as societies.
By Andrew Fox

**How the West was Lost**. A visibly identifiable Jew walking down any street in the UK today is a target for
attack. It is no safer in Europe or the Americas. What does this say about Western society today
and what needs to be done?

THE OLDEST HATRED IS BACK, AND I AM ABSOLUTELY DONE WITH THIS SHIT, GET ANGRY AND THEN GET ANGRIER
(Click on the blue title)

LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche

To unsubscribe, please reply to layotland@gmail.com

STAGGERING STATS

How do young Brits who display poor understanding of their own history, emerge so ‘knowledgeable’ about Jews – enough to hate them?

By David E. Kaplan

I was stunned! Why?

VE (Victory in Europe) Day falls Friday, 8 May 2026. It commemorates the end of WWII in Europe in 1945, and is marked by community commemorations and events that traditionally include a parade starting at Parliament Square around 12:00 PM and a fly-past over Buckingham Palace at 1:45 PM.

So, on the Tuesday preceding this proud national celebration of the downfall of Nazism in Europe, while watching the British news channels, I sat in disbelief as one young adult after another – the so-called Gen Z – was randomly asked in a national poll in cities across the UK the question:

“What does VE Day represent?”

Most were clueless!

While all polled were well-spoken and seemingly well “educated”, it was nevertheless a question that had most of them stumped.

Many guessed and most wrongly. One confused Gen Z Londoner claimed it was “basically the red poppy day.”

**The Day Young Brits Forgot**. GB News interviewing Gen-Z Britons on whether they knew what VE Day is.

Even more telling was the way they treated the question as having little to no meaningful relevance in their lives. The sacrifice made by their grandparent’s generation hardly resonated.

Back in the studio, the two news co-anchors at GB News as well as those they had on as panelists – albeit of an older generation than those polled – sat distressed and asked themselves:

“How has our education system failed us?”

Britain’s “Greatest Generation” seemed forgotten by today’s generation.

All this follows a 2026 poll conducted by the Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE) and Opinium, revealing a significant portion of younger generations unaware of what ‘VE Day’ represents. The survey foundthat:

“…two-thirds (66%) of Gen Z adults in the UK do not know that VE Day marks the end of the Second World War in Europe.”

**Sad Situation**. A survey by the Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE) found that while 63% of UK adults know VE Day marks the end of the Second World War, only 34% of Gen Z do. The poll also showed that although 80% consider VE Day important to British identity, fewer than a quarter believe younger generations truly grasp veterans’ experiences. (Photo: The Independent)

I though as I sat and processed this ignorance, never mind 26-year-old Brits but 6-year-old Israelis know of Yom HaZicharon (Day of Remembrance) commemorating all those killed in defense of the State of Israel or were killed in acts of terror as well as Yom HaShoah, (Holocaust Remembrance Day) commemorating the murder of 6 million Jews during the Nazi Holocaust. Israelis of all ages know their history. They cannot afford the luxury of not knowing.

**Cultural Amnesia**. After this Gen Z interviewee was corrected thinking VE Day is “an anniversary of the First World War?” she then argued: “I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily the most important lost knowledge, but in terms of being aware of past conflicts in order to prevent future ones is probably a good thing. But how is it celebrated; I don’t know…”

All this begs the question:

With a shallow understanding of their OWN history as revealed in the recent poll, how is it that Britain’s Gen Z seem to feel sufficiently informed on the history of the Middle East to take to the street with such collective aggression against the Jewish state?

Is it feasible to believe that those who are ignorant of what VE Day stands for truly understand the meaning and implications of the banners they hold up, such as “Globalize the Intifada”, “Zionism is Racism”, “Death to the IDF” and “From the River to the sea”.

Other statistics are no less disturbing. This past May, a poll conducted by ‘More in Common’ for the Jewish News found that 40% of British voters surveyed agreed that Britain would be “neither better nor worse off” if Jews left the country.

**Clueless**. “I don’t know what it is and I’m Gen Z. What is it?” replied this young woman to the question ‘What is VE Day?’

Released in the wake of a string of violent antisemitic attacks, the polling found that only 32% of those surveyed believed Britain would be “much worse off” if Jews left. This concerning metric on the state of antisemitism in the UK should come as no surprise following a March poll conducted by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) that revealed that one in five (20%) university students in the UK would be reluctant to, or would never, share a house with a Jewish student. The survey, published on March 16, 2026, and conducted by JL Partners, surveyed 1,000 students across 170 institutions between late January and early February 2026 and painted a picture of “normalized” antisemitism on UK campuses.

**Revolting Reversal**. While their grandparents and great-grandparents might have fought against those that mass murdered Jews, these youngsters today support those who massacre Jews. Protesters outside King’s College London in London on October 7, 2025, the second anniversary of the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel. (Photo: Justin Tallis/ AFP)

The survey further revealed that nearly one in four respondents (23%) have seen behavior that targets Jewish students for their religion or ethnicity, while almost four in 10 (39%) who “witness regular Israel-Palestine protests” have seen frequent harassment of Jewish students.

In addition, close to half polled heard chants or slogans “glorifying Hamas, Hezbollah or other proscribed groups on campus” (49%) or seen justification of the October 7, 2023, massive massacre of Jews orchestrated by Hamas (47%).

With attack on Jews and their property in the UK reaching “unprecedented” levels, Prime Minister Starmer said in a televised address to the nation:

“People are scared, scared to show who they are in their community, scared to go to synagogue and practice their religion, scared to go to university as a Jew, to send their children to school as a Jew, to tell their colleagues that they are Jewish, even to use our NHS. Nobody should live like that in Britain, but Jews do.”

Is it any wonder in a survey conducted by Campaign Against Antisemitism in late 2025 found that a majority of British Jews (61%) had considered leaving the UK over the previous two years due to rising antisemitism.

**Jews in the UK – An Endangered Species**. People attend a rally organized by Campaign Against Antisemitism opposite Downing Street in central London on April 30, 2026. (Photo: Carlos Jasso—Getty Images)

As I write, news comes through of a “Stamford hill Antisemitic Incident” where a male suspect onboard a London bus threatened Jewish passengers, shouting “Shame Hitler didn’t kill you” and “You should all go in the gas chambers”, while making threats to kill Jewish children and claiming to have a knife.

As this May 8 on VE Day when millions of Britons will commemorate those who identified and stood against the forces of evil, one wonders what the people of that generation would think of today’s generation when Jews today are still not safe – not from Nazis but from residents of Britain!

THE ISRAEL BRIEF – 04-07 May 2026

04 May 2026 – Who is taking Qatar to the International Criminal Court, the latest updates on the condom flotilla and more in The Israel Brief.

05 May 2026 – Are we headed back to another round of war? The answer to this and more in The Israel Brief.

06 May 2026 – Are we closer to the end of the war? Expose on the anti-Israel Hague Group and more on The Israel Brief.

07 May 2026 – Ceasefire whiplash and a very British mensches and morons on The Israel Brief.

SACRED GROUND, SACRED SAFETY – HOLY SEPHULCHRE NEEDS A SHELTER NOW

The Church should be a protected sanctuary rather than a site for political standoffs- sanctity of life over frictions of the past.

By David Nekrutman and Jonathan Feldstein

The images from last month’s Iranian missile barrage remain seared into our collective memory, specifically the sight of ballistic streaks over Jerusalem’s Old City. Amidst this high-stakes war, a localized controversy erupted that touched the very heart of the faith communities with whom we spend our time building bridges. During Holy Week, Israeli police barred Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a private, livestreamed Palm Sunday service.

**Cardinal Issue**. Need to provide a bomb shelter following the issue with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem who is seen here holding a prayer service to mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026. (Photo: Ammar Awad/Pool Photo via AP)

Predictably, the incident became a Rorschach test for the region’s geopolitics. Critics of Israel seized upon it as evidence of anti-Christian bias, while defenders pointed to the genuine threat of falling shrapnel, noting that religious gatherings for Jews and Muslims were also restricted. The fallout was significant enough that Israeli government leaders, including the Prime Minister himself, condemned the police decision and intervened to ensure a solution was found for future services.

**Targeting Jerusalem**. Israel intercepts an Iranian missile above Jerusalem’s Old City on March 1, 2026. (Photo: AP/Mahmoud Illean)

While high-level political fixes can salvage a holiday, they do not address the underlying infrastructure failure. As leaders of The Isaiah Projects and the Genesis 123 Foundation, we believe the time has come to ask a glaring, practical question:

Why does one of the most significant religious sites on Earth, in a place that has been targeted by terrorist missiles, lack a bomb shelter?

STREAMLINING SECURITY FOR THE CLERGY

The absence of a shelter doesn’t just impact pilgrims; it hamstrings the ability of Israel’s Home Front Command to make nuanced security calls. When the sirens wail and the threat level is raised, as we experienced during last month’s state of war, the military’s default position must be the total shutdown of unprotected spaces.

**Under Fire**. Smoke in the Old City shows where fragments from an Iranian missile fell near the holy sites of all the three major religions. (Photo: IDF)

If the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had an on-site shelter, the logistical calculus would change overnight. It would provide the Home Front Command with the safety “cushion” needed to allow the Cardinal and his clergy into the building even during high-alert periods. While a shelter might not allow for full congregational attendance, it would alleviate some of the safety concerns that currently lead to total bans on public holy sites. A shelter turns a high-risk security gamble into a manageable situation, ensuring the liturgy does not have to go dark while protecting lives — a value central to both Judaism and Christianity.

A COALTION OF WILLING NEIGHBORS

Recognizing this gap between spiritual necessity and physical safety, our organizations have publicly offered to donate and install a bomb shelter within or adjacent to the church premises. We would be working in tandem with Operation Lifeshield, an Israeli organization with decades of specialized experience installing shelters for both Jewish and non-Jewish communities across Israel.

To date, however, the Church has yet to accept our offer. We understand the complexity of the “Status Quo” — the centuries-old web of agreements between different denominations that govern the Holy Sites. Historically, even moving a ladder can trigger an internal Christian crisis. Yet, as the region prepares for a potential “Phase 3” escalation with Iran and the lack of a long-term solution becomes glaring, the absence of modern safety infrastructure is a liability that prayer alone may not solve.

BEYOND THE STATUS QUO

The threats last month in Jerusalem and across Israel were real. While any physical change requires a delicate consensus among the various Christian denominations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, “bureaucracy as usual” is a luxury we can no longer afford when the stakes are human lives.

**Nowhere is Safe**. Following an Iranian missile exploding over Jerusalem’s Old City, its fragments fell on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Armenian Patriarchate, the Jewish Quarter and on the Temple Mount near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Iranian regime is firing missiles toward Jerusalem’s holy sites, endangering Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. Israel, meanwhile, acts to protect worshippers of all faiths in its capital city.

Moving beyond these administrative hurdles would signal a profound shift in interfaith relations, especially as an initiative of two Jewish-led organizations supported by both Jews and Christians. We are currently sixty years post-Nostra Aetate, the landmark declaration that reshaped the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people. We speak often of “rapprochement”, but it is often confined to high-level summits and theological papers.

We believe a bomb shelter for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, facilitated by Jewish neighbors with a proven track record of protecting all citizens, would be the ultimate modern manifestation of that vision. It would be a tangible, “concrete” sign of a brotherhood that prioritizes the sanctity of life over the friction of the past.

**Holy Sepulchre in the ‘Cross’hairs**. Missile debris from an Iranian attack landed just feet from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem – one of the most sacred sites in Christianity, believed to be the place of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.

LOOKING AHEAD TO PHASE III

As tensions with Iran threaten to escalate into a “Phase III” conflict, the issue of shutdowns in public and even sacred spaces will only intensify. Israel has recently appointed a new Christian envoy; while he is still getting his feet wet in this complex space, he cannot carry the burden of the Church’s safety alone.

The Church leadership must step up. It is easy to blame security forces for restrictions, but it is much harder to justify the lack of basic safety infrastructure in a high-profile target area frequently caught in the crosshairs of regional conflict.

Our offer stands. We are ready to work with the Church to navigate the technical and diplomatic hurdles. Accepting this shelter would ensure that when the next barrage of missiles from Iran, Hezbollah, or the Houthis comes, the Church remains a protected sanctuary rather than a site for political standoffs. Let us work together to ensure that the prayers at the Holy Sepulchre never have to be silenced by the sound of sirens.

To learn more about this initiative, please visit Shelters for Christian Holy Sites.

About the writers:

David Nekrutman is the Executive Director of The Isaiah Projects.

Jonathan Feldstein is the President of the Genesis 123 Foundation.

THE OLDEST HATRED IS BACK, AND I AM ABSOLUTELY DONE WITH THIS SHIT, GET ANGRY AND THEN GET ANGRIER

If the West cannot stand with its Jews when they are threatened, blamed and smeared with recycled blood libels, then we are dead as societies.

By Andrew Fox

I am done pulling punches. This will not be an easy read. Do not look away.

Fuck this. I am furious at the antisemitism pouring through the West, confident and shameless, and at those who know it is wrong, yet sit by and let it happen and say or do absolutely nothing.

View at burnt Ambulances in a car park at Golders Green in London, Monday, March 23, 2026, after an apparent arson attack on four vehicles belonging to a Jewish ambulance service, Hatzola Northwest, in London. (Photo: *Alberto Pezzali/AP)*

In Britain, we have already had Jews and their security guards stabbed to death. Jewish ambulances were set on fire. Now we have had multiple synagogue fire bombings in London. I woke this morning to a WhatsApp message from a Jewish friend I treasure, telling me about the latest atrocity against British Jews. I am sick of this. I am sickened by it, and I do not understand how anyone with any decency is not sickened too. Why are we not angrier?

Jewish people are being forced to answer, again, for every accusation, every fantasy, every blood libel hurled at the State of Israel. A Jewish student in London, Paris, New York or Melbourne is treated as if they sat in the Israeli war cabinet. A synagogue is treated as if it were a military installation. A kosher restaurant becomes a proxy battlefield. A Jewish child in a school uniform is expected to carry the moral weight of a war they did not start, a government they did not elect, and a region most of their accusers could not find on a map without help. It is grotesque. It is ancient hatred with new slogans. I am angry, and you should be too. If you are reading this, why the fuck are you not angrier?

A 45-year-old Muslim man goes on a rampage in Golders Green looking for Jews to stab. Antisemitism is being ‘normalised’ and not taken seriously enough, chief rabbi tells BBC. (Photo: Screen shot from BBC)

Holocaust survivors have told me in person that the atmosphere in Britain today is like 1930s Germany. Why will our leaders, our government, our legal system not listen to them? The Holocaust did not arrive fully formed. It started with demonisation, isolation and undeserved blame.

Wake. The. Fuck. Up.

The blood libels are back. They have just been laundered through the language of activism, human rights and moral urgency. Jews are again cast as uniquely cruel, uniquely conspiratorial, uniquely bloodthirsty. Israel is accused not merely of error, not merely of brutality, not merely of war, but of metaphysical evil. Every casualty is flattened into proof of Jewish depravity. Every complexity is erased. Every Hamas or Hezbollah or Iranian atrocity is contextualised into mist. Jewish grief is interrogated. Jewish fear is mocked. Jewish self-defence is treated as criminal.

The most sickening expression of this is the obscene inversion of the Holocaust in Gaza. Gaza is not the Holocaust. Gaza is not Auschwitz. Gaza is not Treblinka. Gaza is not the industrialised, continent-wide mechanical attempt to exterminate an entire people. Gaza is not the murder of six million people because they were Jews. Gaza is not children selected for gas chambers, families shot into pits, communities erased from Europe, nor names turned to ash. To compare the war in Gaza to the attempted extermination of the Jewish race is an obscene desecration. There is no parallel. None whatsoever.

April 14, 1945 – Pile of ashes and bones found by U.S. soldiers at Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany (Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library)

Civilian suffering in Gaza or Lebanon is simply a feature of war. It can be real without turning Jews into Nazis. War can be horrific without becoming the Shoah. Palestinians can be mourned without stealing the language of Jewish annihilation and weaponising it against Jews. The Holocaust is not a metaphor for anyone’s rhetorical convenience. It was a specific crime, committed against a specific people, at a specific scale, with a specific ideological purpose: the eradication of Jews from the earth. To invert it against Jews now is morally obscene.

Everyone in the West should stand with their Jewish neighbours. They should stand with Jews because Jews are being threatened, harassed, isolated and collectively blamed for the actions of a state. They should stand with Jews because history has already shown us where this road leads when decent people find a thousand elegant reasons to look away.

April 12, 1945 – Bodies of prisoners of Ohrdruf concentration camp stacked like cordwood (Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library)

Silence is permission. When Jewish schools need guards, when students hide Stars of David, when families wonder whether it is safe to walk to synagogue, and when mobs chant slogans that make Jews feel hunted in the cities they call home, when Jewish ambulances and places of worship are being firebombed, the moral test is not complicated. Stand with Jews, or admit that your principles are worth piss in the wind.

The absence of solidarity is a stain. The refusal to name antisemitism because it wears a fashionable political mask is a stain. The cowardice of institutions, politicians, universities and cultural figures who can identify every hatred except this one is a stain.

What the shuddering fuck are we doing, Britain? Why are we not angrier? Why are we not forming human shields around our Jewish community? Our grandparents fought a global war so that this could never happen again. It is literally happening again, and we are standing by and doing absolutely fucking nothing.

I am angry because Jews should not have to beg for support. Jews should not feel they have to thank someone merely for showing solidarity with them. I am raging because “Never Again” has become a slogan people applaud, yet it fails when courage is demanded. I am angry because standing by Jews is the only right option, and too many otherwise good, decent people are choosing silence, disregard or antipathy.

Look: I cannot say this anymore simply. Once they are done with the Jews, they are coming for you, too. Get fucking angry before it is too late, if not for the Jews, then for yourselves and your children.

About the writer:

A veteran of three grueling tours of Afghanistan, Major Andrew Fox holds a Batchelor’s degree in Law & Politics, a Master’s in Military History & War Studies, Msc in Psychology and is currently studying for a PhD in History.

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 03 May 2026

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond.

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THE ISRAEL BRIEF –27-30 April 2026
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Lay of the Land’s Photo Pick of the Week

THE CONDOM CRUISE

Is this the vital “humanitarian Aid” the people of Gaza were waiting for – Condoms and Cocaine!
This taken ‘on board’ photo reveals the true nature of the “Condom Flotilla” as a PR stunt.