Three years after October 7, the 2026 Hebrew University-European Forum Barometer reveals a significant shift in how Israelis view themselves, their security, and their relationship with Europe. Jewish Israelis report a strengthened sense of Israeli identity, while many Israelis increasingly see the country as more Middle Eastern than European. The survey also finds that Israelis overwhelmingly view Israel as safer for Jews than Europe, even as European respondents are far more divided. At the same time, Israelis express growing skepticism toward the European Union, continue to see Germany and Hungary as among Israel’s closest friends in Europe, and identify France and Spain as the countries they perceive as most antisemitic.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can predict judicial decisions, but can it explain how they are legally jusitified, and can judges trust it? A Perspective in National Science Review argues that legal computing requires higher interpretability and reliability, and judicial values should be embedded into model and algorithm design. It outlines a value-guided framework within a “society–law–ethics–algorithms–data” system and identifies three scenario-specific applications: legislation, feedback-validated enforcement and trustworthy, human-centered adjudication. The Perspective further suggests that combining empirical learning with formal reasoning may offer a particularly promising path forward.

TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 23, 2026) —

For older adults, no disaster is simple. In the opening editorial “Complex Emergencies and the Effects on Older Populations,” published in the October 2026 special issue of the Journal of Applied Gerontology, author and special issue guest editor Lindsay Peterson, PhD, explains how hurricanes, floods, wildfires, extreme heat, and other hazards can interact with chronic health conditions, reduced mobility, diminished social supports, and repeated disaster exposure to make preparation and recovery especially difficult.