Israel 🇮🇱 has never had the luxury and the privilege of being able to separate its very survival from everyday life. Ever. Not since it was reborn in 1948. Still to this day it is surrounded by nations and terrorists groups who wish to wipe it off the face of the Earth. The Arabs never wanted the Jewish people to rebuild and reconstitute their homeland because they have long seen the Middle East as their’s and only their’s. They see themselves as the Middle East’s rightful rulers now and forever. The Jews are dhimmis who are supposed to know their place and do as their told. The Arabs are superior to them and their masters. But the Jewish people defied Pax Arabica and revived their ancient homeland in what can only be described as a modern-day miracle. They escaped a Europe who let us remember, never accepted them as part of their national body. Brits, Frenchmen, Belgians, Dutch, Germans, Italians, Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Hungarians, and Romanians saw Jews as alien others who’d loyalty they were never fully convinced of.
Thus why Israel must exist. The extraordinary men and women of Israel must double as soldiers on a moment’s notice because there is always some outside threat to their very existence looming be it Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, the PLO, Fatah, Hamas, Hezbollah, or The Houthis. But they’ve always managed to defeat these enemies. That’s because Israel is full of heroes. They are doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, truck drivers, tech executives, musicians, artists, dancers, pilots, students, engineers, scientists, and shopkeepers. But when duty calls and their country needs to them to protect it they all of a sudden transform into super soldiers. That’s what the men and women of the IDF are, super soldiers. They aren’t just bloodthirsty killers as propaganda from Hamas and the left-wing media makes them out to be. They are for the most part, moral warriors who fight like devil to protect their country but they have a heart too. They are the most moral army in human history.
They evacuate civilians, call of air raids if they see civilians in the area especially children, treat the wounded on both sides even evil terrorists, care for Arab and Palestinian children, rescue those in danger, give food and water to civilians, do precise bombing campaigns, and protect Palestinian civilians against Jewish settler terrorists. That is who the IDF is. The men and women of the IDF, Security Services, Border Patrol, Mossad, and Shin Bet do amazing work to protect the western world. NOT just Israel and it’s people but ALL of us! On October 7th, Israel was forced into a seven front war. Yet their economy is thriving, they rank among the happiest people’s on Earth, their population is growing, their birth rate is the highest of any developed country, Israel is a high trust society with low crime and children play outside well into the evening, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are MUCH safer than New York City, London or Paris for example. This is because it’s people are responsible, brave, conscientious, patriotic, selfless, and know the meaning of the word duty.
Israelis are certainly an extraordinary people. But I can't agree the land is ordinary. Israel is a beautiful gorgeous place made more beautiful by the love and care its people take with the land.
"citizenship has traditionally carried a deeper meaning: personal responsibility for the survival of the nation"
That is the true meaning of Modern Israel: the planes full of Israelis flying *into* the country after Oct 7 to help with the defense, the entire society setting aside differences over judicial reform to stand shoulder to shoulder. The 300,000 called up to serve vs the 360,000 who showed up, because many didn't wait for their call-up notices.
Exemplified by the young couple and parents, both Border Police, that dropped everything to go into combat on Oct 7:
And Israelis also don't have the luxury of whining and behaving like spoiled brats as western youth do, nor does it have the luxury of indulging in isolationism and pacifism because the dangers to Israel are always present and right by their borders.
A beautiful essay, Joshua. I often find it challenging to explain to people what's so special about living in Israel. For me it's really not about walking in the footsteps of our ancestors. It's about having a conversation with a stranger over morning coffee and hearing about his father who was a tailor in a shtetl in Poland and whose son was just accepted to an elite border patrol squadron. There are more interesting people per square kilometer in Israel than anywhere else on earth.
Now, when people ask me what I like so much about Israel, I will just point them to your essay.
Wonderful! Unfortunately, after WWII, nationalism somehow assumed a negative meaning. It became confused with jingoism (i.e., a bellicose nationalism, like that of the Germans). Too bad, because true nationalism - i.e., love and devotion to one's homeland - is important for survival and growth. Here's hoping the US wakes up before it's too late and re-institutes the draft.
Yes, but don't underestimate the importance of this land with this people. The strength comes from this tie. Long before my DNA showed Levant, I felt this intuitively and many others have as well.
Sparta was a garbage dump of slaves everywhere and hereditary males who served in the military. Sparta was a giant police state. It created nothing.
It beat Athens in 404 BC but then the City State of Thebes crushed it. It crushed it because they were down to only 1,000 soldiers. Their women had ceased to have children and their rigid social structure fell apart. The relied on slaves for everything.
Israel is not Sparta at all. They have citzizen soldiers and that was the point of teh article.
100% correct. I served 4 years in the US Army in the 1960's and I don't think I did anything special, but today with the volunteer army, it's a different world. We have good soldiers but I wish service was mandatory. Skin in the Game is important.
True, however, the IDF is seeing a 24% increase from the same period last year, with 272 in combat roles and 96 in the Hasmonaim Brigade, a unit designed to accommodate Haredi soldiers. The army says it can absorb thousands more. Israel needs to make sure this is only the beginning.
My teacher in Hebrew School was a sabra. She didn't teach us much about Jewish theology, but I first learned to admire Israelis from my interaction with her. And my admiration grew over the years as I learned more and more about how the people made the desert bloom and succeeded in spite of unimaginable conditions and constant attacks. Thanks for the excellent article, Joshua!
Israel 🇮🇱 has never had the luxury and the privilege of being able to separate its very survival from everyday life. Ever. Not since it was reborn in 1948. Still to this day it is surrounded by nations and terrorists groups who wish to wipe it off the face of the Earth. The Arabs never wanted the Jewish people to rebuild and reconstitute their homeland because they have long seen the Middle East as their’s and only their’s. They see themselves as the Middle East’s rightful rulers now and forever. The Jews are dhimmis who are supposed to know their place and do as their told. The Arabs are superior to them and their masters. But the Jewish people defied Pax Arabica and revived their ancient homeland in what can only be described as a modern-day miracle. They escaped a Europe who let us remember, never accepted them as part of their national body. Brits, Frenchmen, Belgians, Dutch, Germans, Italians, Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Hungarians, and Romanians saw Jews as alien others who’d loyalty they were never fully convinced of.
Thus why Israel must exist. The extraordinary men and women of Israel must double as soldiers on a moment’s notice because there is always some outside threat to their very existence looming be it Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, the PLO, Fatah, Hamas, Hezbollah, or The Houthis. But they’ve always managed to defeat these enemies. That’s because Israel is full of heroes. They are doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, truck drivers, tech executives, musicians, artists, dancers, pilots, students, engineers, scientists, and shopkeepers. But when duty calls and their country needs to them to protect it they all of a sudden transform into super soldiers. That’s what the men and women of the IDF are, super soldiers. They aren’t just bloodthirsty killers as propaganda from Hamas and the left-wing media makes them out to be. They are for the most part, moral warriors who fight like devil to protect their country but they have a heart too. They are the most moral army in human history.
They evacuate civilians, call of air raids if they see civilians in the area especially children, treat the wounded on both sides even evil terrorists, care for Arab and Palestinian children, rescue those in danger, give food and water to civilians, do precise bombing campaigns, and protect Palestinian civilians against Jewish settler terrorists. That is who the IDF is. The men and women of the IDF, Security Services, Border Patrol, Mossad, and Shin Bet do amazing work to protect the western world. NOT just Israel and it’s people but ALL of us! On October 7th, Israel was forced into a seven front war. Yet their economy is thriving, they rank among the happiest people’s on Earth, their population is growing, their birth rate is the highest of any developed country, Israel is a high trust society with low crime and children play outside well into the evening, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are MUCH safer than New York City, London or Paris for example. This is because it’s people are responsible, brave, conscientious, patriotic, selfless, and know the meaning of the word duty.
Israelis are certainly an extraordinary people. But I can't agree the land is ordinary. Israel is a beautiful gorgeous place made more beautiful by the love and care its people take with the land.
"citizenship has traditionally carried a deeper meaning: personal responsibility for the survival of the nation"
That is the true meaning of Modern Israel: the planes full of Israelis flying *into* the country after Oct 7 to help with the defense, the entire society setting aside differences over judicial reform to stand shoulder to shoulder. The 300,000 called up to serve vs the 360,000 who showed up, because many didn't wait for their call-up notices.
Exemplified by the young couple and parents, both Border Police, that dropped everything to go into combat on Oct 7:
https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/rjjj8kwegl
Compare with the scum on US college campuses today...
And Israelis also don't have the luxury of whining and behaving like spoiled brats as western youth do, nor does it have the luxury of indulging in isolationism and pacifism because the dangers to Israel are always present and right by their borders.
A beautiful essay, Joshua. I often find it challenging to explain to people what's so special about living in Israel. For me it's really not about walking in the footsteps of our ancestors. It's about having a conversation with a stranger over morning coffee and hearing about his father who was a tailor in a shtetl in Poland and whose son was just accepted to an elite border patrol squadron. There are more interesting people per square kilometer in Israel than anywhere else on earth.
Now, when people ask me what I like so much about Israel, I will just point them to your essay.
Wonderful! Unfortunately, after WWII, nationalism somehow assumed a negative meaning. It became confused with jingoism (i.e., a bellicose nationalism, like that of the Germans). Too bad, because true nationalism - i.e., love and devotion to one's homeland - is important for survival and growth. Here's hoping the US wakes up before it's too late and re-institutes the draft.
"Here's hoping the US wakes up before it's too late and re-institutes the draft."
Totally agree, it's about time women served along with the men.
Yes, but don't underestimate the importance of this land with this people. The strength comes from this tie. Long before my DNA showed Levant, I felt this intuitively and many others have as well.
Excellent summary
Beautiful and true. The most extraordinary people in the world. Yes, they do have to deal with the ultra-orthodox exemption, but still…
Great analysis and description of daily life in Israel. A true miracle againstall odds.
A reincarnation of Sparta.
Sparta?
Sparta was a garbage dump of slaves everywhere and hereditary males who served in the military. Sparta was a giant police state. It created nothing.
It beat Athens in 404 BC but then the City State of Thebes crushed it. It crushed it because they were down to only 1,000 soldiers. Their women had ceased to have children and their rigid social structure fell apart. The relied on slaves for everything.
Israel is not Sparta at all. They have citzizen soldiers and that was the point of teh article.
The resemblance to Sparta is that Israel is a tiny country at war against so many enemies, much greater than her, this time fighting on 7 fronts.
Skin in the game. That makes all the difference.
100% correct. I served 4 years in the US Army in the 1960's and I don't think I did anything special, but today with the volunteer army, it's a different world. We have good soldiers but I wish service was mandatory. Skin in the Game is important.
Unfortunately this does not apply to a significant portion of the population who refuses to serve.
True, however, the IDF is seeing a 24% increase from the same period last year, with 272 in combat roles and 96 in the Hasmonaim Brigade, a unit designed to accommodate Haredi soldiers. The army says it can absorb thousands more. Israel needs to make sure this is only the beginning.
My teacher in Hebrew School was a sabra. She didn't teach us much about Jewish theology, but I first learned to admire Israelis from my interaction with her. And my admiration grew over the years as I learned more and more about how the people made the desert bloom and succeeded in spite of unimaginable conditions and constant attacks. Thanks for the excellent article, Joshua!
Our heroes! Am Yisrael Chai!