The Armed Services here in Western countries see the war to maintain Living Standards as eternal too, so in fact you are not alone, Israel. My own experience of this as a Jew in the Diaspora here in the UK has been the same. I won’t bore you with the details ( you have our reports of State-antisemitism) but these battles are fought every day. So keep on going Israel! The Western Nations and informed people within these countries are with you. Am YIsrael Chai.
Keep fighting the good fight. It is sad, but not shocking, to learn of Continuous Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, you should not feel the moral loneliness. Israelis often don’t realize the level of grassroots international support they have, because the only way it can easily be shown by the average citizen abroad is through financial donations, which aren’t always a practical option. We should find more ways for Israel’s supporters worldwide to contribute knowledge, goods, and services to support the state of Israel in its ongoing challenge to survive while surrounded by hostile forces. I will write on this topic soon on my sub: https://posocap.com
Great post today, Josh. We in the diaspora, America in particular, are heartened by your words. We pray that this is the true sentiment in Israel. We feel for our brethren in Israel, particularly the IDF which are protecting yours…our children. Please know that we are with you and support Israel unconditionally. Mischpucha.
You’re so right. The Israelis are living reality and the west is writing commentary of condemnation. Fuck them.
“They hated us for being weak. Now, they hate us for being strong. I’d rather be strong and hated”. Even the German PM said that Israel is doing the world’s dirty work. Not because we need to protect the world, but to protect ourselves… Israel.
As Golda said, “there will be peace when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us”. True dat!
Right on! And the best answer to all the shitheads in the world who cavil and snipe at the Jewish state and the Jews is total victory in Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Peace in our time, truly. I doubt the shitheads will make one move to stop it, though they will scream bloody murder. Until of course they are taken out and then they will be like Lot's wife, frozen in salt.
Israel can ask the world anything but don't expect the world to answer, please! The main job now is securing independence from the US military which has veto power over Israel's action--and could lead to the destruction of the country if Congress turns Democratic in 2026.
I absolutely agree. It grieves me to say it, but I know the day is coming, sooner or later (Israel should risk-plan for ‘sooner’), when the US will either be unable, or unwilling, to provide the support it now does.
The Bible foretells a time when Israel will stand alone amongst the nations, with only G-d to protect, guide, and preserve her. That is a frightening, even terrifying, prospect for anyone to face - until they finally learn that, one with G-d is a majority.
Until that day, use what G-d has provided; the knowledge of His Word, promises, and plans, the love and good-will support of others in the world, your brains, strength, determination, courage, and the time remaining, to prepare for the trials to come. And rejoice in the fact that you remain ‘the apple of His eye’.
My TA correspondent / friend is an Israeli woman born in the eighties....she likes my stories of Israel as it was after the Y K War, when I volunteered. Israeli was a dusty, and somewhat poor country....there was no "food culture" in TA. NO "Pride" parades. I never feared. I went on long walks ...as far as Zikim by myself. Never fearing abduction or murder. Watched TV in the bomb shelter with the kibbutzniks....all older as the ones my age were serving. My friend sent me a brief video of her neighbors in the shelter. Patient, bored, looking at devices. Not fear. Not waiting for the Germans to herd them into box cars. An independent nation and people with spirit. This is what that creep and his young acolytes will never get about Israel....the detested country. Pride parade in nYC today....do I need to see PLO banners and queer signs for "palestine"? No. so fcuk pride parades. I'm so over that. I hope I can visit....I'm not scared to go...last in Israel in '22. The country is entirely different from when I first saw Israel. And it's powerful and there is no more driving us into exile or 'camps" fcuk the celebrities and ngos and a lot of Europe and their hateful Jew Hate. The Jew Hate in Muslim lands is understood. they are a triumphalist supremacist religion. Post Christian Europe ? They should be with us...they are not. That leaves the interior of the USA and perhaps Canada ....many Christians.....still....who somehow out of empathy or religious beliefs will stand with Israel. I can't flee NYC now.....as much as I'd like to. Maybe a coalition of the working class will defeat this creep and now I've got to back Adams for mayor.
" A war against the drip-drip-drip of terror attacks from the West Bank. "
Certainly if the West Bank (OPT — Occupied Palestinian Territory) has nothing to do with Judaism, Jews, or their connection to the land, then Jews are invaders, conquerors.
Therefore, any assault against these interlopers and marauders that removes them from where they have no right to be must be A Very Good Thing.
It is merely Resistance by any Means.
"We stand largely alone, not because we’ve failed to explain ourselves, but because so much of the world has stopped trying to understand."
It is not that the world stopped trying to understand but rather that the conflict allowed latent religeo-cultural hatred to emerge safely into the light of day. It is not normalizing Juedeomesia; it is re-empowering it.
"
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more
Israelis are tired of war (but we’re not tired of fighting for peace).
Welcome to the ultimate cognitive dissonance in Israel: exhausted by war, unshaken by purpose.
Joshua Hoffman
Jun 28
READ IN APP
Future of Jewish is the ultimate newsletter by and for people passionate about Judaism and Israel. Subscribe to better understand and become smarter about the Jewish world.
Upgrade to paid
Image
Israeli soldiers at an IDF ceremony (photo: IDF/X)
Please consider supporting our mission to help everyone better understand and become smarter about the Jewish world. A gift of any amount helps keep our platform free of advertising and accessible to all.
Upgrade to paid
Give a gift subscription
Make a one-time contribution
You can also listen to the podcast version of this essay on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, YouTube, and Spotify.
Share
It’s been nearly two years since the morning of October 7, 2023.
For most of the world, it was a horrific news cycle. For Israel, it was the moment everything changed, and never un-changed.
Since that day, Israel has not known peace. Not for a week. Not even for a day.
What began as a brutal, coordinated invasion by Hamas became a prolonged war that has outlasted a news cycle, an American presidency, and even the world’s patience.
But not Israel’s.
Because this isn’t just a war against Hamas. It’s a war against Hezbollah to the north. A war against the drip-drip-drip of terror attacks from the West Bank. A war against the random long-range threats of the Houthis in Yemen. And most recently, a 12-day war with Iran itself, a red line many believed would never be crossed. Until it was.
In parts of Israel, parents still send their children to school with a change of clothes in their backpacks — in case they don’t make it home because they had to remain in the school bomb shelter. Across the country, families have been sleeping in bomb shelters for months. Homes still echo with the silence of those kidnapped or murdered. This is nowhere near normal, but it has become the “new normal” for Israelis.
Ask any Israeli how they’re doing, and they’ll tell you, “We’re tired.” But it’s not the kind of tired that fades after a weekend getaway. It’s the deep, marrow-level exhaustion that comes from living in a state of chronic trauma. Not PTSD, but CTSD: Continuous Traumatic Stress Disorder. The kind of mental weight you carry when you never leave the battlefield, when there is no “after,” only “during.”
Israel’s economy has bent under the weight of full military mobilization. Tourism has evaporated. Innovation, Israel’s pride, has slowed. Families are fractured, with one son in Gaza, another on the Lebanon border, and a third sleeping with one eye open in Jerusalem. The price of survival is steep, but the price of surrender would be annihilation.
And yet, despite it all, despite the funerals, the sirens, the shattered families and shuttered businesses, most Israelis don’t want the war to stop — at least, not before its goals are met. Not before Hamas is eradicated from Gaza. Not before Iran is punished for its rogue nuclear program. Not before Israel regains something it hasn’t had since before October 7th: the feeling of safety. True safety. Enduring safety.
This is the great paradox in Israel today: Israelis are tired of war, but we’re not tired of fighting for peace.
We want to return to our lives, of course. But we refuse to return to the illusion of peace. The pre-October 7th status quo — where Hamas was tolerated, Hezbollah was contained, and Iran was watched from afar — is no longer acceptable. Israelis know what that complacency cost us.
There’s a kind of moral loneliness Israelis feel today. We stand largely alone, not because we’ve failed to explain ourselves, but because so much of the world has stopped trying to understand. The global language of empathy has become selective. Israelis are not seen as victims, even when butchered. We are not mourned, only questioned and debated. And so, while the world grapples with us, we bury our dead and prepare for the next siren.
No other country in the world would operate with this level of precision, delay, and self-doubt while fighting for its existence. And yet, every delay to preserve civilian life in Gaza gives Hamas another chance to regroup. Every food truck let in becomes a headline: “Israel is starving Gaza” — until it isn’t, and then no one reports the correction. Restraint by Israel is not rewarded; it’s exploited by the terrorists who use it to regroup, and by the international media who use it to attack Israel’s legitimacy.
This is the paradox of modern empathy: It’s loudest when it’s least informed. It grieves for images, not intentions. It is stirred by children’s faces, but indifferent to the terror that put them there. It sees rubble, but not rocket launchers beneath it. And in much of this upside-down world, the very virtue that should unite humanity (empathy) has become another weapon used against the Jewish state.
"even as Israel fights . . . is constantly asked to show restraint. To 'feed Gaza' . . ."
See: ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFjhyAsHYFo
"This war is . . . between a state that values life and a movement that glorifies martyrdom."
There may be a reason the Judean, Samarian, and Gazan Arabs were forcefully ejected by Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. Probably because every country they have gone into in any sizable numbers destabilized the governments and societies.
"Let’s be clear: This war is not between “Israel” and “Palestine.” It’s between civilization and barbarism. " 100% -- barbarism. And let's not forget to point out that Israel is doing the world a favor as well (if it isn't too late for some, like the UK - such a shame).
"... the West's obsession with managing the optics of the war ..." -- brilliant.
Also, "the very virtue that should unite humanity (empathy) has become another weapon used against the Jewish state." I want to add that empathy in general has become bastardized by the oppressed-oppressor dualism that somehow puts Israel in the wrong category.
The Armed Services here in Western countries see the war to maintain Living Standards as eternal too, so in fact you are not alone, Israel. My own experience of this as a Jew in the Diaspora here in the UK has been the same. I won’t bore you with the details ( you have our reports of State-antisemitism) but these battles are fought every day. So keep on going Israel! The Western Nations and informed people within these countries are with you. Am YIsrael Chai.
Keep fighting the good fight. It is sad, but not shocking, to learn of Continuous Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, you should not feel the moral loneliness. Israelis often don’t realize the level of grassroots international support they have, because the only way it can easily be shown by the average citizen abroad is through financial donations, which aren’t always a practical option. We should find more ways for Israel’s supporters worldwide to contribute knowledge, goods, and services to support the state of Israel in its ongoing challenge to survive while surrounded by hostile forces. I will write on this topic soon on my sub: https://posocap.com
Great post today, Josh. We in the diaspora, America in particular, are heartened by your words. We pray that this is the true sentiment in Israel. We feel for our brethren in Israel, particularly the IDF which are protecting yours…our children. Please know that we are with you and support Israel unconditionally. Mischpucha.
You’re so right. The Israelis are living reality and the west is writing commentary of condemnation. Fuck them.
“They hated us for being weak. Now, they hate us for being strong. I’d rather be strong and hated”. Even the German PM said that Israel is doing the world’s dirty work. Not because we need to protect the world, but to protect ourselves… Israel.
As Golda said, “there will be peace when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us”. True dat!
Am Yisrael Chai!!
Right on! And the best answer to all the shitheads in the world who cavil and snipe at the Jewish state and the Jews is total victory in Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Peace in our time, truly. I doubt the shitheads will make one move to stop it, though they will scream bloody murder. Until of course they are taken out and then they will be like Lot's wife, frozen in salt.
Let 'em scream. Don't care.
Israel can ask the world anything but don't expect the world to answer, please! The main job now is securing independence from the US military which has veto power over Israel's action--and could lead to the destruction of the country if Congress turns Democratic in 2026.
I absolutely agree. It grieves me to say it, but I know the day is coming, sooner or later (Israel should risk-plan for ‘sooner’), when the US will either be unable, or unwilling, to provide the support it now does.
The Bible foretells a time when Israel will stand alone amongst the nations, with only G-d to protect, guide, and preserve her. That is a frightening, even terrifying, prospect for anyone to face - until they finally learn that, one with G-d is a majority.
Until that day, use what G-d has provided; the knowledge of His Word, promises, and plans, the love and good-will support of others in the world, your brains, strength, determination, courage, and the time remaining, to prepare for the trials to come. And rejoice in the fact that you remain ‘the apple of His eye’.
Am Israel Chai!
Amen, and may that day come soon! We pray for you every day, Israel.
My TA correspondent / friend is an Israeli woman born in the eighties....she likes my stories of Israel as it was after the Y K War, when I volunteered. Israeli was a dusty, and somewhat poor country....there was no "food culture" in TA. NO "Pride" parades. I never feared. I went on long walks ...as far as Zikim by myself. Never fearing abduction or murder. Watched TV in the bomb shelter with the kibbutzniks....all older as the ones my age were serving. My friend sent me a brief video of her neighbors in the shelter. Patient, bored, looking at devices. Not fear. Not waiting for the Germans to herd them into box cars. An independent nation and people with spirit. This is what that creep and his young acolytes will never get about Israel....the detested country. Pride parade in nYC today....do I need to see PLO banners and queer signs for "palestine"? No. so fcuk pride parades. I'm so over that. I hope I can visit....I'm not scared to go...last in Israel in '22. The country is entirely different from when I first saw Israel. And it's powerful and there is no more driving us into exile or 'camps" fcuk the celebrities and ngos and a lot of Europe and their hateful Jew Hate. The Jew Hate in Muslim lands is understood. they are a triumphalist supremacist religion. Post Christian Europe ? They should be with us...they are not. That leaves the interior of the USA and perhaps Canada ....many Christians.....still....who somehow out of empathy or religious beliefs will stand with Israel. I can't flee NYC now.....as much as I'd like to. Maybe a coalition of the working class will defeat this creep and now I've got to back Adams for mayor.
" A war against the drip-drip-drip of terror attacks from the West Bank. "
Certainly if the West Bank (OPT — Occupied Palestinian Territory) has nothing to do with Judaism, Jews, or their connection to the land, then Jews are invaders, conquerors.
Therefore, any assault against these interlopers and marauders that removes them from where they have no right to be must be A Very Good Thing.
It is merely Resistance by any Means.
"We stand largely alone, not because we’ve failed to explain ourselves, but because so much of the world has stopped trying to understand."
It is not that the world stopped trying to understand but rather that the conflict allowed latent religeo-cultural hatred to emerge safely into the light of day. It is not normalizing Juedeomesia; it is re-empowering it.
"
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more
Israelis are tired of war (but we’re not tired of fighting for peace).
Welcome to the ultimate cognitive dissonance in Israel: exhausted by war, unshaken by purpose.
Joshua Hoffman
Jun 28
READ IN APP
Future of Jewish is the ultimate newsletter by and for people passionate about Judaism and Israel. Subscribe to better understand and become smarter about the Jewish world.
Upgrade to paid
Image
Israeli soldiers at an IDF ceremony (photo: IDF/X)
Please consider supporting our mission to help everyone better understand and become smarter about the Jewish world. A gift of any amount helps keep our platform free of advertising and accessible to all.
Upgrade to paid
Give a gift subscription
Make a one-time contribution
You can also listen to the podcast version of this essay on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, YouTube, and Spotify.
Share
It’s been nearly two years since the morning of October 7, 2023.
For most of the world, it was a horrific news cycle. For Israel, it was the moment everything changed, and never un-changed.
Since that day, Israel has not known peace. Not for a week. Not even for a day.
What began as a brutal, coordinated invasion by Hamas became a prolonged war that has outlasted a news cycle, an American presidency, and even the world’s patience.
But not Israel’s.
Because this isn’t just a war against Hamas. It’s a war against Hezbollah to the north. A war against the drip-drip-drip of terror attacks from the West Bank. A war against the random long-range threats of the Houthis in Yemen. And most recently, a 12-day war with Iran itself, a red line many believed would never be crossed. Until it was.
In parts of Israel, parents still send their children to school with a change of clothes in their backpacks — in case they don’t make it home because they had to remain in the school bomb shelter. Across the country, families have been sleeping in bomb shelters for months. Homes still echo with the silence of those kidnapped or murdered. This is nowhere near normal, but it has become the “new normal” for Israelis.
Ask any Israeli how they’re doing, and they’ll tell you, “We’re tired.” But it’s not the kind of tired that fades after a weekend getaway. It’s the deep, marrow-level exhaustion that comes from living in a state of chronic trauma. Not PTSD, but CTSD: Continuous Traumatic Stress Disorder. The kind of mental weight you carry when you never leave the battlefield, when there is no “after,” only “during.”
Israel’s economy has bent under the weight of full military mobilization. Tourism has evaporated. Innovation, Israel’s pride, has slowed. Families are fractured, with one son in Gaza, another on the Lebanon border, and a third sleeping with one eye open in Jerusalem. The price of survival is steep, but the price of surrender would be annihilation.
And yet, despite it all, despite the funerals, the sirens, the shattered families and shuttered businesses, most Israelis don’t want the war to stop — at least, not before its goals are met. Not before Hamas is eradicated from Gaza. Not before Iran is punished for its rogue nuclear program. Not before Israel regains something it hasn’t had since before October 7th: the feeling of safety. True safety. Enduring safety.
This is the great paradox in Israel today: Israelis are tired of war, but we’re not tired of fighting for peace.
We want to return to our lives, of course. But we refuse to return to the illusion of peace. The pre-October 7th status quo — where Hamas was tolerated, Hezbollah was contained, and Iran was watched from afar — is no longer acceptable. Israelis know what that complacency cost us.
There’s a kind of moral loneliness Israelis feel today. We stand largely alone, not because we’ve failed to explain ourselves, but because so much of the world has stopped trying to understand. The global language of empathy has become selective. Israelis are not seen as victims, even when butchered. We are not mourned, only questioned and debated. And so, while the world grapples with us, we bury our dead and prepare for the next siren.
No other country in the world would operate with this level of precision, delay, and self-doubt while fighting for its existence. And yet, every delay to preserve civilian life in Gaza gives Hamas another chance to regroup. Every food truck let in becomes a headline: “Israel is starving Gaza” — until it isn’t, and then no one reports the correction. Restraint by Israel is not rewarded; it’s exploited by the terrorists who use it to regroup, and by the international media who use it to attack Israel’s legitimacy.
This is the paradox of modern empathy: It’s loudest when it’s least informed. It grieves for images, not intentions. It is stirred by children’s faces, but indifferent to the terror that put them there. It sees rubble, but not rocket launchers beneath it. And in much of this upside-down world, the very virtue that should unite humanity (empathy) has become another weapon used against the Jewish state.
"even as Israel fights . . . is constantly asked to show restraint. To 'feed Gaza' . . ."
See: ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFjhyAsHYFo
"This war is . . . between a state that values life and a movement that glorifies martyrdom."
There may be a reason the Judean, Samarian, and Gazan Arabs were forcefully ejected by Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. Probably because every country they have gone into in any sizable numbers destabilized the governments and societies.
Beautifully written and precisely explained.
Oh yes, one more thing: surrender must be unconditional.
"Let’s be clear: This war is not between “Israel” and “Palestine.” It’s between civilization and barbarism. " 100% -- barbarism. And let's not forget to point out that Israel is doing the world a favor as well (if it isn't too late for some, like the UK - such a shame).
Great article.
"... the West's obsession with managing the optics of the war ..." -- brilliant.
Also, "the very virtue that should unite humanity (empathy) has become another weapon used against the Jewish state." I want to add that empathy in general has become bastardized by the oppressed-oppressor dualism that somehow puts Israel in the wrong category.