Saturday’s surprise invasion by Hamas was the single deadliest attack in Israel in half a century. Some are calling it a modern-day pogrom. There are mass casualties — so far, roughly 700 Israelis and nearly 500 Palestinians have died. Among the dead were more than 250 Israelis gunned down at an outdoor music festival.

Overnight, Israel launched a powerful wave of attacks on Gaza, as heavy rocket barrages were fired at Israeli cities. Hamas said Sunday night that it is holding 130 Israeli hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a “long and difficult war.”

To offer some clarity amid the chaos, here’s the latest to start your day…

• Pro-Palestinian demonstrators faced off with Israeli supporters on the streets of Manhattan, in Times Square and in front of the United Nations.
  
  
• Iran helped Hamas plan the attack and gave the green light at a meeting in Beirut last Monday, according to senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah. Iran denied the claim.
  
  
• The Pentagon is sending U.S. ships and aircrafts closer to Israel in a major show of force.
  
  
• Israel has called up 300,000 reservists. Thousands were traveling abroad and, with many airlines canceling flights, are now scrambling to find available flights back to Tel Aviv.
  
  
• In photos: Protests in front of the White House, Israeli flags in Ukraine and extra security at synagogues — this is how the world reacted to the weekend’s stunning violence.

President Joe Biden speaks about the attacks alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Getty)

In Washington…

Why do Republicans keep falsely claiming Biden helped fund Hamas? Former President Donald Trump and others are trying to connect the attack to a Biden administration deal last month that freed five American hostages held in Iran, in exchange for the conditional release of $6 billion of Iranian oil revenue. Secretary of State Antony Blinken refuted those claims on Sunday, noting that the funds remained in an account closely regulated by the U.S. Treasury Department, and can only be used for food, medicine and similar projects. Read the story ➤ 

Democrats and Republicans united on Israel against Hamas, but will gridlock halt progress? Unlike previous rounds of fighting with the Palestinian group, even progressive lawmakers are supporting Israel. But the caustic atmosphere in Washington following Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as House speaker could block legislation on military and diplomatic aid. Read the story ➤

Plus: Democratic members of Congress and the ADL are calling for the Senate to immediately confirm Jack Lew, President Biden’s choice to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Shuki Yosef demonstrates how he blocked a shelter door from terrorists. (Ilan Assayag/Haaretz)

Further reading…

Now cleared of terrorists, blood and shock remain: In the city of Ofakim which was invaded on Saturday, one resident kept the terrorists out of a shelter using a broken bicycle to barricade the door. Read the story ➤

Opinion | This war will unite Israelis like never before: Our columnist Dany Bahar writes that the perpetrators of the attack didn’t discriminate between right-wing and left-wing Israelis. “Even in the most polarizing moment in the political history of Israel that resulted in five elections in four years and after months of ongoing massive protests,” he writes, “the people of Israel will put our differences aside as we deal with this brutal attack.” Read his essay ➤

Opinion | The American Jewish left needs to learn the difference between  Palestinian resistance and terrorism: “It flabbergasts me that the same people who call Israel a fascist, brutal, nuclear-weaponized militaristic regime backed by the world’s great superpower find a way to justify armed conflict against it,” writes our columnist Rob Eshman. “If you think the road to Palestinian and Israeli safety and freedom lies with what Hamas just did, I suggest you keep watching the news over the next 30 days.” Read his essay ➤

An undated photo of Hersh Goldberg-Polin. (Courtesy Jon Polin)

Plus…

• Jon Polin received two text messages from his son Hersh in Israel Saturday morning. “I love you,” read the first one. “I’m sorry,” read the second. Jon hasn’t heard from him since. It’s one of the many stories of Americans missing or dead.
  
  
• Awaiting rescue, an Israeli woman stalled Hamas terrorists in her home for 20 hours by giving them cookies and Coke Zero.
  
  
• More than 5,000 young adults on gap-year programs in Israel are out of danger. And Birthright said it was not currently running any trips to the war-torn country.
  
  
• A shul in New Jersey was hosting a Shabbat sleepover for teenagers, including five from Israel. Here’s how the rabbi broke the news that war broke out.
  
  
• Was Hamas’ attack the bloodiest day for Jews since the Holocaust?

Stay informed: You can follow our partners at Haaretz for live updates throughout the day. And we’ve taken down our paywall for coverage of Israel’s war with Gaza. Read all of our stories here.

ALSO IN THE FORWARD

Rabbi Shua Brick wants to shape a new way of talking and thinking about queer Orthodox Jews. (Juliana Yamada)

Orthodox Judaism has its first openly gay congregational rabbi. This is his story. Shua Brick came out to the public in a compelling, must-read profile by our Louis Keene, who traveled to Oakland, California, to spend time with the 29-year-old rabbi. “The main reason why I’m doing this is because there are people out there who think that there are no options for them,” Shua told Louis. “There are people who are literally killing themselves over this. People who are incredibly depressed, in horrible situations, because they don’t have access to the full picture of what Judaism has to say about them. I want to get my word out to them.” Read the story ➤

Plus…

• A dispute over a presidential primary date that conflicts with Passover 2024 has led to a showdown between Republicans and Democrats in the key electoral battleground of Pennsylvania.
  
  
• The City University of New York exonerated Jeffrey Lax, a Jewish professor whom a colleague accused of discrimination — and who has himself accused the university system of fomenting antisemitism.
  
  
• Our columnist Elad Nehorai left the Hasidic world three years ago. He writes that the time from Rosh Hashanah through Sukkot is when he misses the community the most.
  
  
• The Codex Sassoon, the world’s earliest surviving copy of the Hebrew Bible which sold at auction in May for $38.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York, arrived on Thursday in Israel where it will be on permanent display.
  
  
• The Anti-Defamation League called a truce with Elon Musk, a Jewish woman is running for president of Mexico, and remembering Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Take our weekly news quiz.

Join the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies & The Naomi Foundation for the 2023 Naomi Prawer Kadar Annual Memorial Lecture with academic and cultural critic Dr. Ilan Stavans, a virtual talk titled “Yiddish and Ladino: Forking Paths.”  This event will take place at noon on Wednesday, October 25 on ZOOM.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

The Nobel Prize committee awarded its economics prize to Claudia Goldin at an event this morning in Sweden. (Getty)

?  The Nobel Prize in economics was awarded this morning to Claudia Goldin, a Jewish professor at Harvard, for her research on gender gaps in the labor market. (CNBC, JTA)

?  Hackers gained access to the 23andMe genetic testing service and leaked a list of 999,999 people who all apparently have Ashkenazi heritage. The company is investigating the incident. (NBC News, Wired)

☎️  A federal grand jury indicted a man for leaving threatening voicemail messages at Anti-Defamation League offices across the country. If convicted, he may face up to 20 years in prison. (AP)

?  A Florida school district removed a version of Anne Frank’s diary from its libraries last month. Turns out, the man behind the ban is a Jewish dad. (JTA)

?  And speaking of Anne Frank, two new off-Broadway shows offer a fresh perspective on the classic story. (NY Jewish Week)

Shiva call ➤  Henri Dauman, a Holocaust survivor and photographer who worked with Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, died at 90.

ON THE CALENDAR

Jackie Zakowski, Daniel Zakowski and their son, Gabe, 9, attend a Sunday evening vigil in support of Israel at the Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles. (Getty)

On this day in history (1870): Rome was incorporated into the newly unified nation of Italy. Jews have lived in Rome for over two millennia — thought to be their longest inhabitance of any European city — but their circumstances meaningfully changed after unification. Under the rule of King Victor Emmanuel, laws that restricted Jews to living in Rome’s Jewish ghetto were eradicated, although the ghetto itself wasn’t closed until 1885.

Jewish community vigils in support of Israel are planned for later today and tomorrow in cities across the U.S., including Atlanta, Boca Raton, and Milwaukee. Hundreds gathered Sunday night in Los Angeles. 

For Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a state legislator makes the case that Holocaust memorialization and genocide education should go hand-in-hand.

It’s John Lennon’s birthday. Read our secret Jewish history of the legendary Beatle.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

How should Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu respond to the unprecedented attack from Hamas given the number of Israeli hostages believed to be held in the Gaza Strip? What does the new war mean for Israel’s emerging peace talks with Saudi Arabia — and for the U.S. deal with Iran? Why was Israel caught so unprepared? What will happen to Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition?

These are among the questions our Jodi Rudoren posed last night during a live conversation at 92NY featuring Itamar Rabinovich, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington; Lihi Ben Shitrit, director of Israel Studies at New York University; and Richard Haass, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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Thanks to Laura E. Adkins, Lauren Markoe, Jodi Rudoren and Talya Zax for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Beth Harpaz for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at [email protected].