By Yossi Klein Halevi
Israeli paratroopers and national identity
Subject
Themes
In June 1967, Israeli paratroopers of the 55th Brigade reunited Jerusalem during the Six-Day War, fulfilling a two-thousand-year Jewish dream. Among these soldiers were two distinct groups: secular kibbutzniks from socialist communes and religious Zionists who saw divine purpose in Israel's founding. Both movements had built their identities around utopian visions, believing the Jewish state must achieve something world-transformative rather than merely provide refuge. The kibbutzniks sought to create a model of democratic egalitarianism, whilst religious Zionists believed Jewish sovereignty would catalyse the messianic era. The 1967 victory placed Judaism at the centre of Israeli identity and changed the country's trajectory forever.
In June 1967, Israeli paratroopers of the 55th Brigade reunited Jerusalem during the Six-Day War, fulfilling a two-thousand-year Jewish dream. Among these soldiers were two distinct groups: secular kibbutzniks from socialist communes and religious Zionists who saw divine purpose in Israel's…
Yossi Klein Halevi's Like Dreamers represents a significant contribution to understanding Israeli society through intimate biographical narratives. Published in 2013, the book appeared when Israel confronted ongoing questions about occupation, settlements, and national identity that emerged from the…
The kibbutz movement represented one of Israel's founding utopian visions, attempting to transcend human selfishness through radical egalitarianism. These agrarian communes operated without private property, with decisions voted upon by members and positions of authority rotated regularly. Children…
Religious Zionism emerged as a revolutionary movement within Jewish orthodoxy, transforming traditional passive waiting for divine redemption into active participation in establishing Jewish sovereignty. Before Zionism, most Orthodox Jews believed the Messiah would miraculously restore Jewish…
The Six-Day War of June 1967 transformed Israel from embattled refugee state into regional power, fulfilling dreams whilst creating dilemmas that would define the nation for decades. In the weeks preceding the war, Arab armies massed along Israel's borders whilst demonstrators in Cairo and Damascus…
The Yom Kippur War of October 1973 shattered the euphoria of 1967, replacing triumphalist certainty with existential vulnerability and political upheaval. On Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day when the entire nation fasted and prayed, Egypt and Syria launched coordinated surprise attacks. Israeli…
The unity that defined Israel in 1967 progressively fractured into bitter divisions that would define subsequent decades. The summer following the Six-Day War saw Israelis hugging strangers, cars stopping to offer lifts to hikers who weren't hitching, and a collective sense that the nation had…
In May 1967, Egyptian President Nasser moved troops toward Israel's border, expelled UN peacekeeping forces, and blockaded Israel's southern shipping route whilst Arab leaders promised imminent destruction. Radio Cairo and Damascus broadcast speeches threatening to annihilate the Jewish state.…
In the summer following the Six-Day War, euphoria engulfed Israel. Strangers embraced, cars offered lifts to hikers who weren't hitching, and a collective sense emerged that the nation had survived the twentieth century against impossible odds. The paratroopers became national heroes, their…
Religious Zionism transformed from marginal movement into pioneering force after 1967. The conquest of biblical heartlands appeared as unmistakable divine intervention, validating Zvi Yehudah Kook's theology that human actions could accelerate redemption. Yoel Bin-Nun and Hanan Porat led a…
On Yom Kippur 1973, Egypt and Syria launched coordinated surprise attacks whilst Israel fasted and prayed. Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal, overrunning Israeli positions in Sinai with overwhelming superiority. Syrian tanks poured onto the Golan Heights. Israeli intelligence had…
Following the Lebanon War, Israel confronted deep divisions about territorial future and national identity. Settlement construction accelerated throughout the West Bank, creating facts on the ground that constrained diplomatic options. Religious Zionism shifted from marginal movement to political…
The 1980s witnessed competing visions of Israel crystallizing into irreconcilable positions. Settlement construction accelerated dramatically under right-wing governments sympathetic to religious Zionist aims. Communities established throughout the West Bank created geographic reality that made…
The Oslo peace process of the 1990s offered hope that territorial compromise could end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin pursued agreements with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, seeking to exchange land for peace. For many Israelis, Oslo represented recognition…
The final decade covered traces how the euphoria of 1967 gave way to grim recognition that military victories provide no permanent solutions. Israeli society fragmented along multiple fault lines beyond left versus right. Secular and religious Jews battled over conversion, marriage, military…
By Yossi Klein Halevi
Subject
Themes
In June 1967, Israeli paratroopers of the 55th Brigade reunited Jerusalem during the Six-Day War, fulfilling a two-thousand-year Jewish dream. Among these soldiers were two distinct groups: secular kibbutzniks from socialist communes and religious Zionists who saw divine purpose in Israel's founding. Both movements had built their identities around utopian visions, believing the Jewish state must achieve something world-transformative rather than merely provide refuge. The kibbutzniks sought to create a model of democratic egalitarianism, whilst religious Zionists believed Jewish sovereignty would catalyse the messianic era. The 1967 victory placed Judaism at the centre of Israeli identity and changed the country's trajectory forever.