Before October 7th, the people in Israel were in crisis. How deep are those divisions really?
I drove down south on the first Sunday and Monday of the war, and to a nearby army staging area right after Shabbat on the very first day of the war. What I saw was not a divided Israel. Not a defeated Israel but a very determined Israel. Tens and tens and thousands of young people dropping everything to prepare to fight. Thousands of cars parked on the shoulders of the highways as young men arrived at their emergency bases to get outfitted. A car abandoned in the left turn lane all decked out with ribbons (how the bride and groom decorate their car to drive after a wedding).
Young men with tzizit fringes and young men with pony tails all getting ready together. So, I don’t know how this will play out but we will prevail.
This picture was taken on the second day of the war near a staging area in the South. The soldiers came in t-shirts and sandals, with some units seeing a 150% or 200% response to the call-up (in other words, many people who aged out of the system or have six kids or some other factor just showed up without being called).
Katriel Reichman
Working hard to match clients and therapists (therapyeverywhere.com, psychologyeverywhere.com), and enthusiastic advocate for nuanced thinking.
