Exactly one year has passed since October 7, 2023, a terrible day. That day changed the lives of so many Israelis and forever altered the fate of the State of Israel. It made things very difficult for Israelis, but it may well turn out to be a favor for Israel.
Over the past year there is hardly an Israeli who did not experience or is not experiencing hardship. Immense pain overwhelms the nation over every soldier and citizen killed on that ill-fated day and in the long months of fighting that followed.
While there is an ongoing agonizing concern for the fate of the Israeli hostages, still languishing in Hamas’ tunnels in Gaza, there is hope mingled with prayer for all the wounded who are undergoing grueling rehabilitation processes.
Many Israelis live in tremendous anxiety for their loved ones who are currently fighting in various combat zones.
As for the home front, many Israelis who were evacuated from their homes for their safety, are now facing uncertainty about their future. When will they be able to finally return to their communities and rebuild their life, distracted by a ghoulish enemy that wants to destroy their homeland.
Difficult For Israelis
Consequently, it is no wonder that when Israeli citizens are asked how they are doing, their initial response is: “It’s difficult. The situation is complicated. A terrible year.” Indeed, one cannot ignore the gut feelings that permeate in most people every passing moment. And mind you, such sentiments apply to many Jews around the world who strongly affiliate with the Jewish state.
Anticipating news that could strike and instantly take the nation back to that dreadful October 7th morning and the constant wail of the alarming siren’s sound jolt and fray everyone’s nerves.
For many Israelis, the emotional pain is accompanied by immense anger, directed at the country’s leadership, viewed as they have failed the people and brought about this catastrophe. These are understandable feelings. The people elected representatives whose job is to prevent such an event; the constituents believed these elected officials when they promised to protect them. Therefore, to some degree, they are responsible for the situation Israel and Israelis found themselves in on October 7th, 2023.
A Miracle?
And after stating all this, without embellishment, Israelis must also take a cold, sober look at reality and say, as difficult as it is: “A great miracle happened to us on October 7th, 2023.”
Though the price is unbearably painful and the suffering is immense, still, it should be seen as a miracle. For years Israel’s enemies tried, with much success, to lull the nation into complacency. Israelis chose to ignore and suppress the schemers’ plotted schemes beyond their country’s border. They engaged in petty internal squabbles while the enemy was planning the deadly blow they would eventually deliver onto Israel.
The foes’ plan was to wait until Iran cast its nuclear arson umbrella over the region, and then simultaneously invade the small country, Israel, from all directions: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria. They also fired salvos of missiles from distant states into Israel.
That was the plan when all these factions gathered in Tehran or Beirut, their faces full of glee as they discussed and plotted, in detail, the destruction of the state of Israel.
Some Israelis, deliberately or not, did not grasp this at all; just as they still do not grasp the danger from the Arabs living in Judea and Samaria or even from some Israeli-Arabs. However, some Israelis grasped the situation but feared initiating a preemptive war. What would the world say? Would the world “support” a preemptive strike?
And then what would the Israeli public say? And so, together, this includes everyone: from the political right and left, men and women, religious and the secular, dwellers of cities, villages, and kibbutzim, no one is blameless.
And that miracle took place when one of these conspiracy partners, Hamas, became tempted to sink its teeth into Israel earlier than planned, without coordinating the attack’s timing with the rest of the axis of evil.
Axis of Evil Did Not Cooperate
If the axis of evil alliance had acted together that day, including and now verified, Hezbollah’s large-scale raid on Israel’s north plain, Galilee, from Lebanon, the disaster would have been of immense, perhaps even of existential proportions. But thankfully that did not happen. And so Israel was saved. Israelis, licking their wounds became an iron fist that is now crushing their enemies, day in and day out, hour by hour.
Since that October 7th Day, Israelis and the world have been witnessing the Victory Generation. The soldiers and the ordinary citizens who leapt into the heart of hell in the middle of the Simchat Torah Holiday, a significant day when the Jewish people celebrate and mark, with much joy, the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle.
The military reservists, called to duty, left home and family and went out to defend their countrymen with their bodies. The volunteers, from all layers of society, have been working tirelessly, day and night, with devotion to help the residents and soldiers.
Israelis rediscovered, even if in the previous year, with the social tumult, this trait was threatened to be somewhat obscure, that their country is made of wonderful people. People imbued with deep Jewish-Israeli identity and a sense of mission. But not only in Israel. While at war and despite the circumstances, 30,000 Jews decided to make Aliyah, immigrate to Israel, and thus join in the fate of all Israelis.
We Israelis discovered they have inspiring friends around the world. Some of them are not even Jewish. Like the non-Jew British author and Journalist Douglas Murray; or the Jewish-American lawyer, columnist, and conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro. They tirelessly defend Israel on every platform that gives them the microphone. And there are many others just like them who have come to Israel’s aid.
Betrayal of The Left
Sadly, Israelis also discovered the betrayal of various progressive-Left movements that revealed their antisemitism sentiments loud and clear.
Above all, Israelis discovered the power within themselves to finally shake off the slumber and deep slump. They are now able to shrug off the noisy fringe groups, ignore defeatism and bitterness behavior, and turn around the morbid situation.
Throughout the Middle East, people now sense Israel’s might. Israel’s deterrence that on October 7th, and even before then, had dropped almost to zero, is now climbing back to levels the Jewish state has not experienced in years.
Glory attributed to Israel and its leadership resonates on Arab social networks from unexpected Arab sources.
If Israel conducts itself wisely, continuing the month of forgiveness – culminating in Yom Kippur Day of Atonement – momentum, during which it continues to crush its enemies – Hamas and Hezbollah – from the south and the north, then there is an invigorating chance that Israel is about to change the Middle East forever. It is about eliminating its existential threat from the evil terror regime in Tehran and securing its future and the future of generations to come.
And if this takes place, the pundits of history may say that this year was indeed difficult and painful for all Israelis and the Jewish people at large. However, it also turned into a wakeup call and rather a blessed and beneficial year for the State of Israel.
Amen to that and so be it.
* Dan Nachman studied at Tel Aviv University, Israel.
*Moshik Kovarsky is an Israeli entrepreneur, investor and a public opinion shaper.
Originally published in Hebrew, October 11, 2024, in “Kol Ness Ziona” a local publication of Ness Ziona, founded 1987. Hebrew story Dan Nachman* and Moshik Kovarsky*, brought to print by Nurit Greenger