For most of its history, Israel has understood how to respond to crisis. We’re used to this, and the resilience of our people carries us through. The real challenge has always come in the aftermath, in the prolonged period when urgency fades but consequences accumulate.

That is where the country finds itself now.

It is important to note that despite the current ceasefire, the war continues and economic strain has become a daily reality rather than an emergency. Families are navigating extended uncertainty. Small businesses are operating without reliable horizons. Local authorities in the north and south are weighing not only how to recover, but whether recovery is feasible at all. These pressures rarely command attention, yet they shape social stability more decisively than any single event.

Ogen was founded 35 years ago on a simple premise: that access to fair credit could improve lives and strengthen communities. What began as an idea in a small Jerusalem apartment grew into a national social-lending framework serving Jewish and Arab communities........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)