Up until three months ago, Israel was in the midst of the most toxic and divisive period it had known since its establishment. The protests against Israel’s judicial reforms caused a rift between the liberal and conservative camps.
On the eve of Tisha B’av, the day on which the Jewish people commemorate the destruction of the first and second holy temples, both sides of the political map, as well as almost every single subgroup, felt as if their country was about to explode.
Whether or not that situation contributed to Hamas’s ability to carry out the October 7 massacre, our country essentially experienced a devastating trauma. More than 1,200 people were murdered and approximately 240 were kidnapped and taken to Gaza; some of the hostages, but not all of them, have since been released.
"Given the striking parallels between Israel’s current internal rift and the infighting that destroyed the Second Temple 2,000 years ago, why would the Israeli government proceed with its judicial reform bill on the eve of Tisha B’Av? Very bad timing," David Friedman, former US Ambassador to Israel, tweeted in August.
Five months later, we may be suffering as a country and as a nation, but the unity in Israel as well as among Jewish communities across the world has been overwhelmingly positive. In addition, mainstream groups and sectors of Israeli society have seen a change in their views towards internal Israeli issues as well as towards Jewish tradition and unity.
What has changed?
The haredim (ultra-orthodox) have become more connected to their Israeli identity. Thousands have volunteered to join the IDF, even though not all of their rabbis support this dramatic move.
The haredi community has seen immense internal changes since the massacre occurred. According to the Tatia think tank, in July 2023, 72% of haredim in Israel said it was very important to them to have Israeli citizenship, but in November 2023, a month after the October 7 massacre, that response grew to 85%. Conversely, in July, 17% of haredim said it was not important to them to have Israeli citizenship, compared to only 8% who answered the same way in November.
Furthermore, in July, only 77% of haredim said it was important for them that the State of Israel exists, while post-October 7, a staggering 91% recognized the importance of the Jewish state. The survey also noted changes in how that sector views the importance of speaking Hebrew, with an increase of 8% from 80-88%.
Also, since the war began, the number of people volunteering throughout the country, haredim and non-haredim, has skyrocketed.
MANY ASSUMED that Arab-Israeli communities in mixed cities would begin an uprising against Jewish Israelis, as happened in previous rounds of fighting, most notably during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021.
Generally speaking, however, the situation is far more calm and stable. In a November survey, the Israeli Democracy Institute (IDI) found that 70% of Arab Israelis expressed a sense of belonging to the State of Israel and concern for its problems. This marked the highest level of identification with the Jewish state since the institute began tracking this question in 2003, and it was a significant increase compared to June 2023, when it was at 48%.
On the political front, at least 20% of Israelis have moved from the right and the left to support ideologically center-based parties and leaders. The Likud, which currently holds 32 Knesset seats, is predicted to receive only half of this support if elections were to take place today. Benny Gantz and his National Unity party have received more than 40 seats in recent polls, as many Israelis are looking for compromise.
The group that has probably been the most ideologically influenced by the war is the left-wing Israeli Jews, and for several reasons. The initial attack was on secular, socialist-driven kibbutzim near the border with Gaza. In addition, the Nova rave party was one of the main places where young Israelis were killed and kidnapped.
A large percentage of those who attended were the children of successful and wealthy secular Israelis. The Kibbutz movement consists of an ideologically driven group of individuals who have seen themselves as the backbone of Israeli society for decades. Many were hardcore peace activists who had volunteered to assist in taking families from Gaza to Israeli hospitals for treatment.
A friend of mine, a member of this idealistic movement for peace, recently shared that although he sees himself as a humanist, he no longer has empathy toward the Palestinian people, although he still believes that a diplomatic peace agreement is the only way to get out of this Middle Eastern mess. “We have to reassess what it means to be a liberal in Israel after October 7, and that is something I don’t think we have yet been able to start processing,” he shared.
Though left-wing Israelis would usually be sympathetic toward the Palestinians, a “Ma'agar Mohot” survey in November showed that 86% of left-wing Israeli Jews do not want the IDF to stop its activity in Gaza until Hamas is defeated.
During a broadcast on national television several weeks ago, members of Kibbutz Be’eri, where more than 130 people were killed on October 7, were singing Jewish songs such as Am Israel Chai (The Nation of Israel Lives) and Shir La’maalot (Song of Ascents) from Psalms. Normally, these are not songs they would be singing spontaneously. Although I haven’t seen data to prove this assumption, many Israelis appear to have become somewhat more traditional than before.
CONCERNING DIASPORA Jewry, the October 7 massacre caused major shifts within local communities: In the US, many young Jews would now prefer to study at Yeshiva University rather than at Harvard or Penn.
In the UK, there has been a surge in the purchasing of jewelry and merchandise with a Star of David, while at the same time, antisemitic attacks have increased. Many Jewish communities have reported that for the first time, a significant number of Israeli expats have asked to participate in services or Jewish activities.
In the US, two very different Jewish groups have called on their constituents to participate in the pro-Israel rally in Washington, DC, at the beginning of November. Both the ultra-Orthodox Agudath Israel of America and the left-wing Americans for Peace Now invited their supporters to join the rally. The mainstream American Jewish community has broadened and united around Israel, whereas the extremes, on both the right and the left, have become almost irrelevant.
THINGS ARE changing in Israel. I would even say that our beloved country has been changing for the better. However, I am worried about the day after the war. First, as seen after COVID, most of the positive social changes did not continue after the pandemic faded: Israeli weddings are still huge, and better hygiene has not necessarily become more rooted in day-to-day life.
We need to internalize this moment of pain but also see the positive developments and consider how we can continue this trend moving forward.
Second, I’m worried that the extremes in Israeli society will try to return the discourse to where it was just a few months ago. Conservative Israelis should not say, “I told you so,” to left-wingers about the disengagement from Gush Katif; seculars should not try to force haredim to join the IDF but, rather, let this phenomenon slowly continue. The mainstream Arab-Israeli sector should ignore radical Islamists within their communities and understand that co-existence is much better than living under a Hamas regime.
Let’s keep some of this warm, positive energy and unity for at least a few years ahead. We need it.
***A week ago, I stepped up as interim editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, which I see as the most significant and influential Jewish newspaper in the world. Our devoted staff of journalists, editors, graphic artists, and general employees have been working day and night for the past 76 days of war.
In an era with huge international media conglomerates influenced or even owned by Qatar, the Post has been a clear and reliable voice, telling the real story of what Israel has been experiencing since that deadly Black Shabbat. As a Jewish newspaper, we’ve also been reporting extensively about the surge of antisemitism worldwide, a situation that we are monitoring daily.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the tens of millions of our readers worldwide who have trusted us as their news source and will continue to do so.
As editor-in-chief, I hope to learn from the founding father of our newspaper. Israel Goldstein, an American-Israel rabbi, eulogized Gershon Agron, the founder of The Jerusalem Post and its first editor-in-chief. “Wherever he came, he not only reflected the light of Zion but radiated it to Jews and non-Jews. His warm, sparkling personality captured many hearts, and his brilliant, untrammeled approach captured many minds,” Goldstein said at a tribute to Agron in 1961.
“Gershon disarmed antagonists, converted neutrals into partisans, and partisans into enthusiasts,” Goldstein concluded.
These are the core values according to which The Jerusalem Post will continue to operate during this war and for years to come.