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Modern society struggles with math. Have you noticed? A quick internet search will yield a plethora of memes and GIFs centered around comical declarations, ranging from self-deprecating (“I can’t math!”) to skeptical (“The math ain’t mathin’!”). Still, our struggles with numbers don’t stop us from depending on them heavily, for everything from personal validation to political convictions. Interestingly, for all that “the numbers don’t lie,” it is clear to most of us that people do, and the choice of which numbers to share or how to present them allows us to manipulate them to fit a particular narrative or agenda.

As our Torah portion, B’midbar, leads us into the book of Numbers, I would like to share some figures gleaned from various sources online. With full acknowledgment that compiling a list of numbers is never a completely objective act, I will refrain from commentary and let the numbers speak for themselves. Also, please note that some sources have entirely different numbers for the same categories. So, perhaps we will allow the sources to speak for themselves?

602 days since Israel has been at war with Hamas (Times of Israel)

86 Shabbats since Israel has been at war with Hamas (Times of Israel)

1,706 Israelis killed since October 7, 2023 (Wikipedia)

251 hostages taken into Gaza on October 7, 2023 (AP News)

58 hostages currently held in Gaza, dead or alive (American Jewish Committee)

21 hostages thought to be alive in Gaza (ynet News)

9 months old (approx.) – age of Kfir Bibas, youngest hostage taken (BBC)

54,271 Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023 (Wikipedia)

61,709 Gazans killed since October 7, 2023 (Al Jazeera)

905 West Bank Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023 (Al Jazeera)

62,614 Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023 (Al Jazeera)

40,000 current Hamas operatives – current IDF estimate (Haaretz)

10,000+ number of antisemitic incidents reported in U.S. between October 7, 2023 and October 6, 2024 (Anti-Defamation League)

68% approval rating of Prime Minister Netanyahu in 2015 (Statista.com)

41% approval rating of Prime Minister Netanyahu in Spring 2024 (Statista.com)

70% Israelis polled who distrust current government as of March 24, 2025 (Times of Israel)

61% Israelis polled who want an immediate end to the war and a return of all hostages (Israel’s Channel 12)

25% Israelis polled who want an expansion of fighting leading to full occupation of Gaza (Israel’s Channel 12)

529,450 number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank (aka Judea and Samaria) as of February 24, 2025 (WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com)

30 years – age of Yaron Lischinsky at the time of his murder in Washington, DC last week (ABC News)

26 years – age of Sarah Milgrim at the time of her murder in Washington, DC last week (ABC News)

1 Hear O’ Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one (My Jewish Learning translation)

Shabbat Shalom,

Rebecca Abbate