A boy blows the shofar in the Mea She’arim neighborhood of Jerusalem, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, on Sept. 17, 2025. Photo courtesy of Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.
JNS
I always begin my annual column in which I ask readers to play along with me and predict the events of the coming Jewish year by reminding them that, as bad as things seem to be now, they can still get worse. That’s been especially true the last two years since the Hamas-led Palestinian attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The atrocities of Oct. 7 are a trauma from which the Jewish world is still reeling. But it’s been compounded by the way Israel’s just war of self-defense to eradicate Hamas has been falsely labeled as a “genocide.” The mainstream media’s acceptance of Hamas propaganda has led to Israel’s isolation, as well as an unprecedented surge of anti-Semitism across the globe.
Not All Bad News
The mainstreaming of these blood libels has only worsened in the last year with fashionable left-wing opinion now openly siding with Hamas. Israelis are bitterly divided over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s continued tenure in office and whether to prioritize defeating Hamas or ransoming the remaining living hostages, even if that would mean allowing the terrorists to win the war they started.
Still, the last year has not been all bad news. Israel’s victory over Hezbollah in Lebanon significantly weakened that threat to its north and led to the collapse of the brutal Assad regime in Syria. Even more to cheer was Israel’s long-awaited and successful campaign to take out Iran’s nuclear program, in which the United States also took part.
Here in the United States, the decision of the Trump administration to go after elite universities that had tolerated and encouraged hatred, bigotry and even violence on their campuses has also done much to help Jewish students. Even if many liberal Jews don’t support this effort or the necessary threats to defund these schools, it would appear that woke anti-Semitism is in retreat throughout American society
But no matter how you feel about any of this or the outcome of last year’s election, it’s still incumbent on us not to lose what is left of our sense of humor, even as we try to account for our misdeeds.
But before the Almighty writes down just how much worse (or better) it will be for us in the proverbial Book of Life, I present (with apologies, as always, to the late New York Times columnist William Safire) the latest edition of my annual Jewish Pundit Quiz. So, guess (or should I say prognosticate?) along with me about the coming year.
Right Or Wrong?
For the third year in a row, I had slightly more correct answers about the future than wrong ones in last year’s quiz, though I got some big ones dead wrong.
I was right about Trump winning the presidential election but wrong to predict that there would be riots in response to the outcome. I was also right about the Republicans winning control of both the Houses of Congress.
With respect to Israel, I correctly predicted that Netanyahu would still be prime minister by this Rosh Hashanah but wrong to think that there would have been a new Israeli election during the course of the year. I was right about the war in Gaza against Hamas not ending, but wrong to think the same was true with respect to the conflict in Lebanon. Though Hezbollah hasn’t surrendered or disappeared, it has effectively been neutered. I was also wrong to think that nothing would change on the Iranian front as the Israeli and U.S. strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities have put off that threat to the distant future, if not eliminating it.
Another question I got wrong was my prediction that Trump would be able to broker a peace between Ukraine and Russia. But I was correct to say that Trump would begin the process of rolling back the grip of toxic left-wing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies throughout American society.
Save My Answers
My answers to this year’s quiz are located at the bottom of the article. Save it until next year to see which of us was right this time.
Remember, if you are worried about the outcome, teshuvah (“repentance”), tefillah (“prayer”) and tzedakah (“acts of justice and charity”) may avert the severe decree.
- By Rosh Hashanah 5787, the prime minister of Israel will be:
A: Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be preparing to run for re-election later in the fall of 2026.
B: Naftali Bennett, who will lead a center-left coalition to victory over the Likud in the first post-Oct. 7 Knesset election.
C: Israel Katz, who will succeed Netanyahu, who retires after declaring victory in Gaza.
D: Gideon Sa’ar, who will succeed Netanyahu, who will retire for health reasons.
E: Ron Dermer, who will have been anointed as his successor by the prime minister.
- By Rosh Hashanah 5787, the war in Gaza will:
A: Still be dragging on with Hamas guerrilla forces continuing to fight.
B: Have concluded with the complete eradication of Hamas and Israeli military rule having been implemented in the Strip.
C: Be about to start up again after a U.S. and international effort to replace Hamas with a Palestinian Authority-type entity after an Israeli victory allows the revival of Hamas.
D: Have concluded after Palestinians who want peace rebelled against Hamas.
- By Rosh Hashanah 5787, a Palestinian state will:
A: Still not exist.
B: Still not exist but will still have been recognized by all but the United States and a handful of allies, including Hungary and the Czech Republic.
C: Exist in all but name in Gaza under Hamas rule after Israel signs a ceasefire accord that brings the release of all of the hostages.
D: Be recognized by the U.N. Security Council after a break between the Trump administration and Israel.
- By Rosh Hashanah 5787, the Abraham Accords will:
A: Have been abandoned by its original Arab signatories because of their outrage over the war in Gaza.
B: Be expanded to include Syria and Saudi Arabia.
C: Be expanded to include all Arab states except Qatar, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
D: Remain as it was a year earlier, with no states added or subtracted.
- By the start of the 2026-27 academic year, anti-Semitism on U.S. college campuses will:
A: Be a dead issue as Trump administration threats will have forced all schools to abandon DEI and to discipline and/or expel pro-Hamas mobs.
B: Intensify as general acceptance of Hamas blood libels about Israeli “genocide” causes successive waves of encampments and violent demonstrations at many schools.
C: Continue to be a problem after Trump abandons efforts to stop it following losses in court cases.
D: Have resulted in an exodus of Jewish students from Ivy League schools to those in the Southeastern Conference of college football.
- At the 2026 Oscars ceremony, how many winners will declare their support for a “Free Palestine?”
A: Zero after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences strictly enforces a rule against political speeches.
B: All of them, after the Academy requires all nominees to pledge to boycott Israel.
C: None except for those Jews who win awards.
D: At least six, including two of the major acting categories.
- How many acts of political violence will occur in the United States in 5786?
A: At least 50 as the nation goes to the brink of civil war.
B: None as worries about the issue fade.
C: Between five and 10, as civil strife continues with more assassination attempts against both Republicans and Democrats.
D: Less than five.
- The winner of the 2025 New York mayoral election will be:
A: Eric Adams
B: Andrew Cuomo
C: Zohran Mamdani
D: Curtis Sliwa
- By Rosh Hashanah 5787, will there be any more late-night comedy show hosts who are anti-Trump?
A: All of them, except for Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld, will continue to provide daily in-kind contributions to the Democrats.
B: Only Jon Stewart on Comedy Central will still be anti-Trump.
C: None as Trump quashes freedom of speech.
D: The shows on ABC and NBC will continue to be anti-Trump, while CBS hires Ben Shapiro to give nightly lectures about conservatism in their late-night spot.
- The following event will not happen in 5786:
A: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will already have become the frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
B: Netflix will drop the upcoming season of “Fauda” from its platform because of the pressure to boycott Israel.
C: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be convicted on corruption charges.
D: Illegal immigration will continue to decline as Trump’s closure of the border and mass deportations are sustained by the courts.
E: Support for Israel in the United States will continue to decline.
Tobin answers: 1. A; 2. B; 3. B; 4. D; 5. B; 6. D; 7. D; 8. C; 9. A; 10. C
Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS (Jewish News Syndicate). Follow him: @jonathans_tobin.
