Israeli soldiers scan an area while sirens sound as rockets from Gaza are launched towards Israel, near Sderot, southern Israel, Oct. 9, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen

There are moments in life that change everything. October 7, 2023 – Simchat Torah 5784 – is such a moment. This day, the most joyous day in the Jewish calendar – when Hamas unleashed a brutal and merciless attack killing over 1200 innocent men, women and children – will never be forgotten.

For The Algemeiner this too is a defining moment. Founded 52 years ago by my father, Gershon, the Algemeiner mission is to serve as a courageous voice on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people; to wage war in the world of information, the battle over public opinion. Our fight today is both with our physical enemies and with our enemies called ignorance, misinformation, propaganda and outright deception. This battle is being fought on campuses, in the media, in our schools and governments – an epic struggle for control of our minds.

As such, I am proud to inform you that The Algemeiner has enlisted itself in today’s game-changing war. Side by side with the military offensives necessary to protect the security of the Jews in Israel, we at The Algemeiner have mobilized our editors and journalists and launched an aggressive and vigilant information war to accurately report on the events taking place, the issues at stake, including the atrocities and war crimes, while also exposing the disinformation and distortions being propagated by the enemy.

I firmly believe that The Algemeiner was created to fearlessly speak out in times like this. We are firmly dedicated to rise to the occasion and take the lead in demonstrating journalism at its finest – standing up boldly for the truth; for moral clarity; for the cherished values that define us as humans. What more important role does the media play than waging war against those that attack Jews simply because they are Jewish, against those that attack our very humanity? And if not now, when?

Please join us in this valiant effort. Now more than ever, we need to come together in a tremendous show of unity with Israel. We need your support. When we planned this year’s gala on October 25th (details here) we had no idea what was to come. But now, with the tragic events taking place in Israel, The Algemeiner and our upcoming gala has taken on an unprecedented urgency and focus.

Please join us in building and deploying all the necessary resources to wage this war for truth. And together let us declare for now and for generations to come, that we were not silent in the face of such atrocities. When this story is told by our children and grandchildren, we will be remembered as having done everything humanly possible to defend and protect innocent lives, emerging a much stronger people in the process, and demonstrating a shining example to the world at large what it means to be human and Jewish – how to vanquish darkness with light, evil with good and lies with truth.

The current attack on Israel may be the defining event of our lives: how we respond today will be etched into the annals of history for eternity.