By: Aarón Policar
Within Israeli society, we find a number of characteristics that, when viewed from a Latin American perspective, may be difficult to understand. This society is made up of multiple “ingredients” that serve as pillars of its social fabric. Many of these have emerged as natural responses to its complex reality: to move forward, grow as a country, and face the challenges it has encountered from its founding to the present day.
Among these ingredients, we can find improvisation, “organized chaos,” mandatory military service for the entire population, the absence of rigid hierarchies, and more. However, in this piece, I want to focus on two ingredients that, in my view, form the true heart of the society and the country: resilience and a sense of belonging and impact.
Resilience: The Soul of Israeli Society
In Israel, resilience is not just a concept — it is a daily attitude, a deeply rooted trait that runs through every aspect of social life. Resilience, understood as the capacity of a community to face and recover from adversity, is one of the main driving forces behind Israel’s development.
You only have to look around to find countless examples: volunteers helping others recover belongings from the rubble after a missile attack; people who, after their homes were damaged by an explosion, choose to sing with hope; a survivor of the October 7 massacre at the Nova Festival, who represents Israel in Europe’s most important music competition with a song titled “New Day Will Rise.” And the list of examples could go on endlessly.
To speak of resilience in Israel is to speak of collective drive, of deep solidarity, of Jewish values such as arvut hadadit(mutual responsibility) and the well-known phrase “Kol Israel arevim ze la’ze” (all of Israel is responsible for one another). Without these values, this country would not be able to move forward.
In the face of the most complex, alarming, and challenging situations, Israel deploys its most powerful weapon: resilience. No obstacle can defeat this society when it decides to unite, collaborate, and advance. Even in the midst of its most crucial war in recent years, even when Iran launches missiles indiscriminately at civilians, schools, and hospitals, Israeli society finds strength to resist, to sing among the rubble, to wave flags of hope, and to remind the world that when it seems to weaken, in truth, it is gathering strength to bloom with more power, more light, and more security.
Sense of Belonging and Impact: The Collective Engine
You can’t talk about resilience without mentioning the second essential ingredient: a sense of belonging and impact.
The State of Israel, unlike many others, was not born solely from a political or territorial process, but from an age-old hope: the dream of a people who, for 2,000 years, longed to return to their national home. This constant desire for return was the fuel of the Zionist movement and remains the vital force driving Israeli society today.
For Israelim, opening a business, volunteering, writing a song, representing Israel in an international forum, or simply helping others is directly tied to one great goal: the ongoing building of the Jewish national home. Being part of Israel means feeling pride in helping the world’s only Jewish state become its best version, excelling in science, technology, culture, and innovation.
For Israelis, the project called Israel is a work in progress, a shared responsibility. Representing Israel in a competition, an Olympics, a tournament, or a conference is an act of shlichut (mission). It is about carrying Israel’s message to the world, representing not just the citizens of the country but the entire Jewish people. This sense of mission inspires people to give their best, because they are not representing only themselves — they carry the honor of a country, a people, and a multigenerational legacy.
Dreaming of a strong, influential, and radiant Israel is not an individual aspiration — it is a collective commitment.
In Israeli society, being resilient is not a choice: it is an obligation. It is a social commandment that allows the continued building of the State — our shared home. The phrase “Gam ze ya’avor” (this too shall pass) is not resignation, but an invitation to turn adversity into promise and pain into momentum toward a better future.
Trying to understand these ingredients from an outside perspective can seem almost impossible. One might ask: why such determination? Why not just give up or choose the easier path? Why constantly face risk and discomfort?
And yet, there is one answer that sums it all up:
“In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.”
— David Ben-Gurion