Adir Glick
Rabbi
Rabbi Adir Glick began his tenure at Temple Har Zion in August, 2015.
June 24, 2025 | Current Events
Thoughts on the future of Israel, the US, and Iran
June 23, 2025
Dear Friends,
We are living in both worrying and interesting times. On Shabbat afternoon, when I heard that the U.S. launched strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, I worried about the repercussions. Would Iran retaliate and drag the US into a broader war? What else could happen?
I also had a moment of quiet celebration. My thoughts turned to the past two and a half decades of Israel living under the shadow of a nuclear Iran. I thought of the endless debates of how close was Iran to the bomb, and would Iran use a nuclear weapon? My mind turned to the growing fear in Israel as Iran’s proxy armies surrounded Israel and on October 7th finally broke through. In my heart I held the millions of Israelis who are resolved to see the end of this situation because the current reality cannot continue. I also was reminded of the Jews murdered in Buenos Aires by Iran and Hezbollah in 1994, and the American troops in Beirut in 1983. Western leaders have tried every approach with Iran and through all of it, Iran has grown in power, sometimes advancing its nuclear abilities, at other times its conventional reach through its proxies. Not only Israel, but all of the Middle East and the world has lived under the shadow of a nuclear Iran. I thought after all of these years, that threat is finally gone. Now there is a possibility – dim perhaps – of a different dynamic, and perhaps of peace.
We are living in momentous and concerning times. We pray for Sheket ve’Shalva, peace and quiet, not just a temporary peace, full of the fears of the unknown and looming conflict, but a real peace that gives everyone in the region the lives they hope and aspire to. There may be very difficult weeks ahead. We hope that the leaders of all nations involved are filled with a spirit of courage, justice, and peace.
Here are two articles that I found powerful. This one by Thomas Friedman in the NY Times and this one by Yossi Klein Halevi in the Times of Israel.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Adir Glick
