Beyond the Uniform: A Vision for Building Israel Together |
Beyond the Uniform: A Vision for Building Israel Together
Last week I found myself back in uniform. Like many reservists over the past two years, I reported for duty not entirely sure what we would be doing. Many soldiers find themselves arriving on base and then spending hours waiting—waiting for something to happen, completing a mission or shift, and then waiting for the next one. Waiting.
The fact that so many soldiers are waiting—spending days on base, coming home and then returning again—has not changed the feeling among many Israelis: a quiet sense that they are happy to be called up, summoned by the State to take action. People want the opportunity to contribute.
This past Thursday night I witnessed another example that demonstrated this desire to help. A week into the war (Lion’s Roar / Epic Fury), rocket sirens still going off day and night. A message went out: someone has gone missing, people are worried about him.
Within hours, more than a hundred volunteers responded to this WhatsApp message asking for help. In the middle of the night, people drove north and spread out through towns, forests and fields, systematically searching for any sign of the missing person. By morning, thankfully, he was found, safe.
It is a small example, but one that reflects something deeply characteristic of Israeli society. Israelis want to feel that they are part of the effort—part of something bigger than ourselves.
This instinct had a remarkable effect in the early period of the Iron Swords war. Israelis and Jews around the world rallied around the cause. When a shared purpose emerges, we are willing to put our lives on hold in order to do something for the greater good. Israel has been built around such causes.
The Army is one of the few frameworks that binds much of Israeli society together today, despite our differences. When Israelis speak about “supporting the soldiers,” it transcends political camps, sectors, and communities. It becomes a vision around which the country can rally. We felt this powerfully on October 7, and on many days that have followed. In those difficult days, everyone put differences aside. The instinct was clear: to contribute.
However, another thought comes to mind when I speak with people who want to find a role supporting the soldiers, even when those people would not have any obvious role to fill or action to take.
On October 9th, while we were still reeling in the Army, trying to figure out how to stop the flood, I sent a short video message to my colleagues back at work—those who were still at home. In the video I tried to express a simple message: they were needed right where they were.
Supporting the soldiers is critical. The Army has a vital role: stop the aggressor, stabilise the borders, push back the enemy, and rescue everyone we can. But that is also the limit of its role. The Army stops the enemy. Without security, nothing else can exist. But stopping the enemy is not the same as growth.
The Army’s mission is ultimately to defend. Its mission is defensive. It preserves what exists. It ensures that our country remains safe. For that, we owe an enormous debt to those who serve.
It also serves as a unifying cause around which the country can rally.
Yet if Israel is to continue to thrive, we must cultivate another unifying vision alongside the Army: one that keeps Israelis united while building and creating. A vision that inspires people not only to defend the country, but to make it grow.
We are in an election year—a moment when many Israelis divide into separate camps and tribes. Perhaps this is precisely the moment to ask for something different.
We need a civilian vision that can unite us in growth. We aren’t asking or expecting uniformity. Not one single program or ideology. But a shared national vision: making Israel stronger, better.
This vision won’t direct Israelis on a single path, but all paths should contribute to the vision of a greater good. One person may contribute by teaching in a classroom. Another by developing medical breakthroughs. Another by building infrastructure, founding companies, or strengthening families and communities. But always for the greater good of all.
The paths can be different. The contributions can take many forms. What matters is the shared sense that we are building something together. Instead of dividing, we should promote a vision of united growth.
To those currently serving in the Army: Thank you. You are keeping us safe.
And to those at home: Support the soldiers. Don’t forget them or belittle their sacrifice. Welcome them when they return. But don’t look only to the Army for purpose. We can each contribute by living our lives and doing what we do, but looking outwards, not inwards. Each of us in his own little corner and way.
Soldiers defend the country. Citizens build it. Let’s present a national effort of building together as a vision for us all to rally around. Not on a single path, not a single program, but a shared call to strengthen the country through growth, creativity and initiative.
Defending Israel together keeps the country alive. Building it together is what will allow Israel to flourish, and we should all have a role to play in that.