After taking a major step forward in becoming the secure nation we strive to be, it is now time to turn our gaze inward and focus on becoming the Israeli society we once dreamed about.
For the past decade, Israeli citizens have walked a narrow path suspended between two existential threats:
On one side, there is the external security threat, which recently peaked in an unprecedented operation against the head of the Iranian “axis of evil.” This climax marked the culmination of a long campaign in which we also battled Iran’s proxy states in the region.
On the other side, there’s the internal rift. A deep social divide that is no less threatening. A fracture that, despite our brilliant minds, technological advancement, and exceptional capabilities, we have yet to truly address.
The Israel Air Force operation at the heart of Iran’s nuclear threat was not just a military feat. It was also a moral declaration: a small country reminding the world of something it would rather forget, that good and evil still exist, that we still have the power to choose sides, and that, even now, light can prevail over darkness.
However, even as we send jets into the skies, we must ask: what are we sending into ourselves? Are we building systems of protection here as well? We’re not just speaking about protection against missiles, but against erosion, ongoing fragmentation, loss of belonging, and drifting away from shared values.
Now that Israel has achieved a ceasefire, on its own terms, with exceptional outcomes, the time has come to redirect resources from artillery and air defense to the ground beneath our feet: the land and society of Israel.
This is the time to build an Iron Dome of values.
A moral defense system that will restore a sense of belonging, identity, shared purpose, and, most importantly, begin the healing of Israeli society.
It is said that in times of crisis, we must return to our foundations, and in the story of the State of Israel, nothing could be more accurate.
Returning to Herzl's founding principles
If we return to our origins, let us return to the man who began it all: Theodor Herzl.
To his vision for the Jewish state as articulated at the end of the 19th century, a vision that served not only as the cornerstone of the State of Israel but as a source of global inspiration. A vision that successfully combined security with welfare, and progress with mutual responsibility. He called it Altneuland, the Old-New Land.
Today, as the “old” is crumbling and the “new” remains undefined, the time has come to launch an updated version: Altneuland 2.0, a national-social program designed to restore trust between citizens and between society and its institutions.
The founding principles envisioned by Herzl – mutual responsibility, concern for all, and prosperity without exploitation – are exactly what Israel needs now. The next step must be a roadmap toward a just society, as Herzl imagined, one that unites all people around common ground.
A society built from simple, local agreements, forming the basis of a new national infrastructure.
That is the essence of Altneuland 2.0 – not to draft a new utopia, but to offer a realistic alternative to growing chaos.
It was born from the widening gap between our military achievements and the deep sense of losing our way at home.
And it asks a single, simple question:
If we have succeeded in defending ourselves from the outside, isn’t it finally time to build who we are on the inside?
So what must we do?
No less than military security, we need moral security:
• Education based on human dignity, mutual respect, and striving for the common good
• Systems of governance that are transparent, responsible, and worthy of trust
• Connections across communities, sectors, initiatives, and interests, united not by fear of collapse, but by a shared vision
Beyond that, this moment presents us with a significant opportunity.
Israel has reclaimed its dignity after October 7. The world is watching, listening, and beginning to better understand our role in the Middle East.
Moreover, a growing number of Israelis believe that internal division poses a greater danger to the nation than external security threats.
We must change our mindset and recognize that we are entering a period of national recovery: rebuilding the South and the North, restoring damaged infrastructure across the country, and rebuilding military capabilities. Yet equally important, we must decide that part of the national budget must go toward social reconstruction.
This understanding must come from the government as well as from my colleagues in public service, the business sector, civil society, and the education system. Will we continue investing only in iron and missiles, or will we also invest in identity, resilience, and vision?
History has given our generation a rare opportunity to write the next chapter of the Zionist dream.
Now is the time to begin.
The writer is a social entrepreneur and author. She serves as chair of ANU – the Museum of the Jewish People, president of the Nadav Foundation, and founder of IMPROVATE. Her work focuses on identity, belonging, and values-driven innovation.