October 7 shattered many illusions. We believed we had constructed an impenetrable defense, fortified by sophisticated technology and capable of shielding our citizens from Arab brutality. This conception proved to be false. Conversely, our enemies assumed we were too fractured to rally to defend our land. Fortunately, our enemies were also wrong.
In addition to these false conceptions, another devastating illusion was shattered. Those who believed that antisemitism and hatred toward Jews had been eradicated were tragically also proven wrong.
In particular, many residents of communities near Gaza, who were profoundly committed to peaceful coexistence with their Arab neighbors, saw their dreams of harmony go up in flames. They had dedicated themselves to peace initiatives, fostering a vision of mutual respect and understanding. But on Oct.7, their communities were rampaged and burned.
One of the most poignant examples is that of Vivian Silver, a peace activist from Kibbutz Beeri, who had selflessly driven Palestinians from Gaza to receive medical treatment in Israeli hospitals. On that fateful day she was abducted and, after weeks of uncertainty, it was confirmed that she was killed. Countless others across Israel who had devoted themselves to building bridges with the Palestinians, both in Gaza and in surrounding areas, came to the bitter realization of how deeply they hated us.
But it wasn’t just the illusions of Israeli Jews that were shattered on October 7. Many Jews around the world built their Jewish identity on the mission of creating a more just and perfect society: the central tenet of tikkun olam.
Especially for those who found traditional rituals less compelling, the pursuit of social justice became the centerpiece of their Jewish identity. As they marched alongside other minority groups in the battle against discrimination, they assumed that Jews had been embraced by modern society as equal partners in the fight for social justice.
In the aftermath of Oct. 7, many of the minority groups whose rights they had championed turned their backs on them. Those with whom they had previously stood shoulder to shoulder with in the noble struggle for equality betrayed them while unleashing torrents of venomous antisemitism. The halls of academia, once viewed as bastions of enlightenment against racism and antisemitism, became hotbeds of hatred and violence.
The world they thought they knew, and the society they believed was civil and enlightened, revealed darker realities. Their vision of an enlightened world, one striving for a society free of racism and hatred, was shattered.
In both Israel and the broader Jewish world, deeply held beliefs were shattered. We realized the poison of antisemitism was always lurking beneath the surface, ready to erupt at any moment. Opportunistic antisemites will always align themselves with whatever political movement advances their agenda of hate and bigotry. Many mistakenly believed that the trauma of the Holocaust had etched a permanent revulsion to antisemitism in the collective human conscience.
Yet eighty years later, antisemitism still rages. On Oct. 7, our naïve conceptions of a modern, enlightened world, whether in Gaza, the halls of academia, or the boulevards of Europe, came crashing down.
A Biblical World
October 7 caused an even more profound and sweeping transformation of Jewish identity. It didn’t just showcase the enduring malignancy of antisemitism but also provided a vivid reminder of our place in biblical history. That fateful day and its harrowing aftermath revived the ancient echoes of the Torah and its prophecies, reminding us that we are part of a timeless narrative. It reaffirmed with striking clarity the profound connection between our people, our history, and the Land of Israel.
Often, the discourse in Israel revolves around the divide between religious and secular Jews, between those who adhere to a halachic lifestyle and those who do not. Yet, a more profound divide exists: between those whose lives are shaped by a Biblical narrative and those whose experiences are detached from the Torah. This division is not merely about religious observance, but about how we perceive the relevance of Torah in our modern, technologically-driven world.
For many, the Bible has become a historical document that offers only moral guidance and a record of our national past. They see it as a relic from an ancient world, disconnected from our current, technologically-advanced reality. In this view, history has moved beyond the pages of the Torah.
Yet others perceive the Torah and its profound teachings as the foundation of their identity and existence. They see their lives and the Jewish mission as intricately woven into the promises and prophecies of the Torah. Even those who do not follow a halachic lifestyle still view their lives and our national struggle through the lens of Biblical narratives. Our ongoing effort to settle the land and confront international hostility is viewed as a chapter from a sacred book that is just as compelling now as it was thousands of years ago.
Israeli society may not be growing more religious, but it is undeniably embracing a more Biblical-centered essence
This was not always the case. Zionism began as a secular nationalistic movement, largely detached from the Torah’s narratives. The early Zionist leaders, including Herzl, envisioned the State of Israel not as a continuation of ancient prophecies, but as a means to combat the age-old hatred of antisemitism. They believed that the creation of a Jewish homeland could overcome the prejudices rooted in Jewish exile and the experiences of living among foreign nations. In its early years, the State of Israel was more shaped by Marx than by Moses.
Over the past 75 years, the character of the State of Israel has undergone a profound transformation. Secular Israeli society today is imbued with far more Biblical influence than the secular culture of its early years. This shift is partly due to the influx and growing impact of Jews from Sephardic lands.
Sephardic Jews, even those not classically observant, bring a more traditional perspective compared to their Ashkenazi counterparts. The secularizing movements that shaped European Jewry in the 19th and 20th centuries largely bypassed Jews of Sephardic origin. Additionally, the rise of religious society in Israel, including a robust national-religious sector, has influenced Israeli public life, particularly within the military and political spheres.
The ongoing struggle over our land has powerfully transformed Israeli secular society into a more Biblical one. The relentless hostility towards our presence here, the disproportionate judgment and double standards imposed on the State of Israel, and the sheer ferocity of the October 7 violence all defy a purely geopolitical explanation. The intensity of the hatred we face suggests a conflict that transcends mere territorial disputes. It is embedded in a Biblical narrative that is entwined with profound, ancient themes about the people of Hashem and the land He promised them. This story reaches beyond mere human dimensions.
Oct. 7 not only reshaped Jewish identity worldwide, it has profoundly impacted broader Israeli society, reinforcing the notion that the Bible is not merely an ancient document but a living text, reflecting the modern chapters of an enduring story about Hashem’s people. n
Rabbi Moshe Taragin is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion/Gush, a hesder yeshiva. He has semicha and a BA in computer science from Yeshiva University, as well as a master’s degree in English literature from the City University of New York.
