I used to write these every year—but life comes at you fast. This spring I’m happy to be back with the return of this quick-hitter, broadening the scope a little to tackle four questions in the Jewish world that I’m grappling with this Passover. Spoiler alert: Some of these questions are actually six-parters. Sorry.

“Never Again”…until the next time

The Russian invasion and ongoing war crimes in Ukraine are horrifying. The heroism of Ukrainian defenders and international volunteers stands in stark contrast to the rest of the world deeming defensive weapons resupplies and financial sanctions as somehow being enough in the face of the destruction of Mariupol, mobile crematoriums and the rape and murder of civilians. At some point, watching a genocide and the destruction of major cities in real time on Twitter must trigger some kind of actual action from the free world, right?

The real questions are: What is the endgame? At what point would the world face down Russia militarily? Will Putin be content with seizing just the Donbas region and staying in Crimea? Will there be accountability for Russian war crimes? Will Zelensky survive? Will Putin?

So much uncertainty, and I’ll sit this one out as far as providing my predictions, but things are probably going to get worse before they get better. If they ever get better.

Remember COVID?

Oh, yeah. COVID. Is that still around? Is it endemic? Is anyone even testing or quarantining? Back in November, our family booked travel to Israel for August and then Omicron promptly arrived and shut down the country to international travelers again. Now, with that wave behind us, and newer variants perhaps less anxiety-inducing, a big trip abroad in a few months feels like a done deal…and I’m not usually known for my optimism. Here’s to a stress- and COVID-free summer and trip to Israel for our next child’s bat mitzvah.

So, I guess the question is: Is the pandemic…over? I think the answer is no, but that won’t matter for this summer, as the West has moved on.

We Don’t Talk About Bibi

Well, we haven’t been, but here we go again. The Bennett-Lapid coalition is on the verge of collapsing after 10 whole months, and you know what that means: snap polls showing Likud at 35 seats and the inevitable electoral deadlock that may happen if we try the whole elections thing again for the fifth time in less than four years.

To get to the heart of the matter: Is there a pathway that would return Netanyahu to the prime ministership? My answer: There is, but it won’t happen. Oh, and lest we forget, Bibi is still on trial.

But We Do Talk About “Fauda”

Finally, some good news. Season 4 of “Fauda” is going to drop on Netflix sometime this summer, perhaps. When that happens, leave me alone for a weekend while I go there. After the deep, deep disappointment that I felt after watching “The Girl From Oslo” and “Hit and Run,” I’ve never been more ready for a new season of a good Israeli show. The trailer is amazing and I’m ready right now. Lebanon, Jenin, Brussels, Ramla…Bedford. Let’s go.

But, basically, is “Fauda” the greatest show ever? Yes. Will Season 4 be the best one yet? Hope so. Should we all watch the first three seasons again to prepare ourselves? Absolutely.

Wishing you a Passover full of good food, indoor seders with friends and family, and an early-season winning streak for the Red Sox.

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