Where do we go from here? 7 new realities post-Oct. 7 - opinion

A friend of mine just returned from a year on a yacht after he and his wife spent many months at sea. I said, “How does it feel to be back? The country has changed so much.” He nodded in agreement. 

I was eager to hear his point of view. Had he already recognized things that changed of which I was not aware? He said he found many people depressed, saying that the war seems to have no end or that it cannot be won. 

“Did you hear anything optimistic?” I asked. “There’s a lot to be optimistic about,” he said. 

“Let’s look at the facts. At the beginning of the war, Hamas sent 1,000 rockets a day toward us, and now they can barely find five a day. [Yahya] Sinwar is hiding in disguise as a woman and running from tunnel to tunnel in fear of his life. If we keep the heat on, the war will be over soon. The US military leaders claimed we would lose at least 5,000 soldiers in battle in Gaza, but we have lost 715. The Israeli economy has been surprisingly stable during the war and even grew this year by 1.5%.

“I know this will not comfort someone who lost a child on Oct. 7 or in the battle or is displaced from the North, but as a country we are holding our ground well,” he concluded. I thanked him for his words.

I do believe the war will be over soon. I also believe that we have a turned a corner with Hezbollah and that this will end in some fashion sooner than later. I even think that victory is possible, albeit that the day-after situation needs to be thought out carefully. However, I am more concerned about us as a people. I don’t actually think that the politics has changed much, but the people have. We have grown up a bit. At least most of us.

Growing up is a sobering experience. It means also getting over our previous rosy expectations. There is no short cut to peace, no fast track for coexistence with others, and not even a clear sign that the world has finally learned to tolerate us. Are we really forced to be “a people dwelling apart, not to be counted among the nations (Numbers 23:9)? Or do we still have a chance of being a light unto the nations that Isaiah spoke of? 

In either case, I think that one thing is clear: The road back to October 6 is closed forever. Those who try to force their way over or around that roadblock will discover immense resistance. There will be those who will try, and they will fail.

So where do we go from here?

I think that to know where we are going, we need to understand what changed. Let’s begin with what is in close proximity. 

THE FIRST reality that hit hard is that our Arab neighbors living in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, who have grown up identifying themselves as Palestinians and have been taught to hate us, are not interested in peace with us. I know that this is a sobering reality for some and an obvious truism for others – and maybe one day things might even be different; but in the near future, for this generation at least, that seems to be a fact. 

The second reality that has become clear during this war is that in this conflict, as opposed to some events that happened in previous operations, such as Protective Edge (the 2014 Gaza war), the Arab citizens of the State of Israel have demonstrated that they want to live with us in some form of modus vivendi in this country. 

This is an extremely important development and should not be taken lightly by our leadership. These citizens have also seen how Hamas and Hezbollah did not distinguish between Jew and Arab in their cruelty when fighting Israel, and in contradistinction the Israeli army was there to protect both Jews and Arabs. This has driven home the obvious fact that we are bound by fate to be neighbors on this land. 

The third reality that is beginning to sink in is that the Abraham Accords have been weathering the storm and that there are Arab countries in the Middle East that really would like to align themselves with us. This must be developed further, but as having them be equal partners and not through some brokered deal via a third party who may not be doing it with our or their best interest in mind. 

The fourth reality is that antisemitism is alive and kicking, and it doesn’t seem to take much effort for it to come out of the woodwork. This, of course, needs to be combated, and the Jewish groups abroad in their various countries are doing important work in this area, even if it appears to be an uphill battle. 

However, I am optimistic in the long term and think that we do not have to fear but just to continue to believe in the righteousness of our cause. This is due to the fact of the existence of the State of Israel, in which we are able to defend ourselves based on our own moral values and goals. 

From my personal experience, for every person who hates us, there are at least three who admire us. This equation will eventually turn more and more in our favor as we learn to respect ourselves. 

THIS BRINGS me to the fifth reality: that the people of the State of Israel, despite how it may seem by watching our politicians or media, actually agree on most issues concerning Israeli society and its future. 

This has become extremely obvious when observing how the people are able to come together in times of duress. The amazing volunteerism which continues until today, helping the soldiers with food and equipment, helping those who assist in the war effort, and assisting those displaced by the war has again proven that we are, in the end, one big family (that enjoys arguing). 

There are those in Israel at the extremities of society who are enslaved to their binary thinking and can only see things as black or white. They are the ones trying to bully the rest of the people, who make up the majority, to pick sides, Right or Left, even though most people tend to be more centrist and inclusive in their thinking. 

The odd part about all this is that those on the extremes have redefined themselves at least four times over the years. Once upon a time, Left and Right in Israel meant socialist or free market. Then, after the Six Day War, it became land for peace versus the greater Land of Israel. Then, by the 1990s, it became two states versus one. And finally, by 2016, it became secular democracy versus Jewish values. 

All of these mythical rifts, however, exist only in the minds of the binary thinkers who know nothing about eclectic values and thinking out of the box. Most people in Israel believe in both Jewish values and liberal values, and have no problem at all with a democratic state. But then, why let the facts confuse things when we can create an imaginary rift in order to achieve some political gain? 

The sixth reality is that this war has demonstrated beyond a doubt that the young people, who have flocked in the hundreds of thousands to fight for this country in selfless devotion to the country and what it represents, are our real future. 

They are the ones who will be able to hopefully replace some of the morally handicapped and purblind leaders, including in the army, who brought us into this present situation. They will hopefully produce the leadership with the ability to think out of the box and present to us the multiple routes to solving our problems, solutions that do exist for anyone who can see clearly.

Israeli society emerged as a very tribal one due to the massive aliyah from countless countries and cultures. The highly politicized fledgling Israel of the 1940s, ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s just served to exacerbate the problem. We learned to argue without restraints. All was fair in the name of politics; the end justified the means. Besides, we were taught that if you are not tough enough, how will you survive here? 

But there comes a time to grow up. To realize that we need each other and that a society cannot be formed without mutual respect. We have to learn to reprimand our politicians when they degrade one another. The name calling, the cursing, the verbal fighting, and the ganging-up must stop. Since our politicians don’t seem to know how to do this, it will have to start from the ground up. 

There is a man named Hagai Luber who lost his son Yonatan in Gaza. He holds a vigil every Saturday night, calling upon people to gather together and talk; to stop allowing themselves to be pushed into social insurrection for the empty causes of political parties and NGOs, but instead to talk, to debate, and maybe even to learn to respect one another. 

This will have to start from the ground up, but it can be done. We have to learn to accept that people have different opinions. We have to understand that life is not just about political views; no matter how important they seem, people always come first.

We have to accept that life is multifaceted, and yes, someone can be both democratic and believe in Jewish values just like you can believe in Jewish sovereignty and also champion minority rights. You can be religious but respect the right of others not to observe as you do, and you can be secular and attend a synagogue on occasion. These are not contradictions; they are the human condition, which is diverse and needs freedom of expression and mutual respect. 

ANOTHER POINT, for those who are so adamant to call for elections in the middle of this war. Aside from placing the country in possible jeopardy, it seems to me that to call an election now would mean to vote for the same people who brought us to this point. Personally, I don’t want to see the same old faces. I am hoping that when the war ends – and it will – there will be new people and parties formed to bring fresh ideas into our political arena. 

I know that this will be a gradual process, but I am hoping that at least one such party will run for the Knesset without any person who sat in the Knesset on Oct. 7. Let them come from these young men and women who put their lives on the line for this country and those who have fresh ideas, who are proud of being Jewish and Israeli and proud of what we have built here. People who are non-sectarian in their thinking. Those who realize that the other is part of myself and we are dependent on each other – and that this interdependency is a blessing and not a threat. 

Finally, we need non-political leadership: rabbis, academics, writers, poets, and scientists who will lead the discussion. This will create a lobby to counter those who love to create rifts. Maybe a forum can be created that people would look up to and seek its advice on social matters. This could be even a senate whose job will not be to propose laws but just to arbitrate social issues. This social forum could be the catalyst to create a new social contract. 

Every crisis harbors new opportunities to rebuild and reroute. Let’s seize the day. 

The writer is a rabbi and a senior lecturer in Jewish thought at Bar-Ilan University.