The Economy of Resilience |
It’s day one million of the war, or at least that is how many Israelis feel.
For many of us, simply getting through the day has become exhausting. Some mornings, it feels hard to breathe. Getting out of bed can feel like preparing for a marathon: long, relentless, and draining.
This is our second Aliyah. My husband and I first moved to Israel from Australia in 2007 as a young married couple. After several years in Australia, we returned to Israel in 2022 with our two children.
We knew Israel had never been free of tension, conflict, or security threats. Since independence in 1948, the country has rarely seen a genuine pause in regional conflict. Yet this period feels different. The war feels heavier, longer, and more emotionally draining than anything many of us have experienced.
And yet, despite all of it, I would not want to live anywhere else.
From the outside, Israel’s reality should not make economic sense. A country facing prolonged war, political polarization, reserve-duty mobilization, and constant security threats should, in theory, struggle. Yet Israel remains remarkably resilient.
Even during wartime, the shekel has remained relatively strong, and the high-tech sector continues to attract investment. In 2025, Google announced its $32 billion acquisition of Wiz, an Israeli-founded cybersecurity company — the largest in Google’s history. Global markets continue to value Israeli innovation.
Part of the answer........