One day last month, my son came home with a long face. Like most of his peers, he had just attended his high school’s Remembrance Day ceremony. He was devastated. Every year, the names of graduates killed in service are read aloud. His school is a young one, such that before October 7, 2023, there were “only” two names on the list. This time, there were eight, one of them from just weeks earlier. My son knew him and some of the others, including one good friend. My son, my wife, and I took another minute of silence, not knowing what more to say.
He told us he met a good number of his classmates there. I immediately thought of a get-together about two weeks ago. Twenty or so of his high school friends spontaneously came over Friday night because they had all been home for the Seder. Most are out of the army, but some are still serving as officers. Nearly all have served extended periods in reserves over the past 2.5 years, and a few were in the thick of the latest rounds in Lebanon.
These kids are emblematic of their generation, and the one immediately before them, our Gen Zers and millennials, and I am in awe of them. While they would dismiss you with a wave if you said it to them directly, they are heroes. We owe them our survival, and it is fitting to begin by remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. May their memory forever be a blessing.
Answering the call, without question
On October 7, 2023, the bottom fell out of our world, leaving us reeling in shock, grief, and rage. But then something extraordinary happened. On October 8, in direct contrast to the horrors of the previous day, Israel’s young adult generations stepped up in ways no one had imagined.
Soldiers who had just completed their mandatory service, whether traveling or working abroad, dropped everything to come home, no matter how remote their location. Israeli airlines were fully booked, with additional flights added to meet demand. At the same time, reservists reported for duty post-haste, often without an official call-up. Millennials, many with young children and demanding careers, bid their spouses farewell, not fully knowing what lay ahead.
None hesitated. They understood that Israel’s survival was at stake. Politics no longer mattered. The deep division of previous months vanished. They came together, forming a unified, unstoppable force. And from that day on, often for long stretches of time, they have given more than anyone could have asked, protecting, fighting, and sacrificing for the sake of their loved ones, for the nation, for all of us.
History repeated, morality inverted
American history remembers the young men and women who fought in World War II as “the Greatest Generation.” They came of age during the Great Depression, stormed the beaches of Normandy, liberated concentration camps, and rebuilt a shattered world. They were lauded for their courage, selflessness, and quiet resolve. With similar strength of character, our sons, daughters, and spouses who rose on October 8 have proven themselves to be of the same ilk, giving everything up to confront the greatest threat our people have known since the Holocaust.
There is something different about this war, however. During World War II, American soldiers fought with the backing of most of the world and returned home to gratitude. In contrast, while Israel’s young soldiers have been showered with love and support at home, they have fought even as much of the world has turned against them. Even as they risked their lives to dismantle Hamas, bring home the hostages, push back the threat from the north, and confront Iran, members of their own generations abroad took to the streets in protest. They did not call out the slaughter of innocents, the use of civilians as human shields, or one of history’s most contemptible terrorist regimes, but rather Israel’s right to defend itself.
This divide has been starkest on university campuses. Across the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia, students and faculty rallied in celebration of the perpetrators of the October 7 atrocities and worked hand in hand with pro-Hamas, pro-Iran, pro-terrorist organizations to spread propaganda and incitement. The world’s most prestigious universities became breeding grounds for moral collapse. At Harvard, student groups rushed to blame Israel. At Columbia, Jewish students hid in libraries as mobs chanted outside. At Cooper Union, students chased Jewish classmates into buildings, pounding on doors and shouting profanities, chillingly reminiscent of 1930s Europe.
In the time since, universities have faced mounting scrutiny and public backlash, forced to confront the consequences of a profound moral failure, not only in failing to protect Jewish students, but in legitimizing narratives that embolden those who celebrate violence and terror. Yet the inversion and perversion continue, with institutions appointing professors who praised the October 7 attacks and students supporting Iran.
Common sense, uncommon responsibility
This underscores why Israel’s younger generations stand apart. They were raised in the same era and immersed in the same global culture as their Western peers. They grew up with smartphones, social media, and the same access to information. Yet, while their peers descended into mob-think and willful ignorance, like all preceding Israeli generations, our young men and women remained grounded. Putting aside often deep political differences, they recognized the evil they faced, understood the existential consequences of failure, and did what they must.
And something else must be said in light of the tsunami of hate that has swept the world. These are not faceless soldiers. They are our children, our spouses, our friends. They are us, and we value life above all. I have heard story after story, not of recklessness, but of hesitation, of soldiers who held fire because civilians were present, some paying with their lives. The accusations leveled against them from afar are maliciously false and detached from reality.
This is also a time to recognize Jewish Gen Zers and millennials outside of Israel. For older generations, support for Israel is reflexive, but for many younger Jews, it is not a foregone conclusion. Yet, by and large, they rose to the occasion, showing exceptional solidarity with Israel, despite often facing harassment and attacks. Their voices mirror the commitment of their Israeli counterparts and reflect the unbreakable bond of the global Jewish community.
Time for the home front to step up
It is easy to speak of war in the abstract. But for those who have seen it up close, the depth of our younger generations’ actions is nothing short of extraordinary. These young Israelis have spent months in combat, away from their families, fighting enemies that are their exact opposites, enemies that worship death while they cherish life. They have risked everything to protect Israel and ensure that October 7 never happens again.
Some gave their lives. Others lost limbs, lost friends, lost the futures they once imagined. And yet not one turned away. Not one said, “This is too much.” Instead, they return home for brief respites, hold their children, hug their parents, sit at Shabbat tables, and then go back when called.
Unlike many of their peers in the West, they do not complain about being “exhausted” by war or demand “safe spaces.” But they are not untouched. The toll is immense. Businesses destroyed, families upended, thousands suffering from PTSD. Some will never fully recover. Others will carry their wounds for life.
Hence, the responsibility shifts to us. Just as they have given everything to protect us, we must ensure they are not abandoned. They have saved us from annihilation, and it is up to us, Israelis, Jews, and anyone who values decency and humanity, to help them rebuild. They have fought for us. Now it is our turn to fight for them.
The writer is an author and consultant. After more than two decades in senior roles within the software industry, he now advises technology start-ups and crafts business and marketing content for clients around the world. Since October 7, he has been channeling his expertise into pro-Israel advocacy, a mission inspired by his late father, a lifelong Israeli diplomat and former ambassador to Turkey.
Source:
www.jpost.com
