Throughout its history, Israel has fought wars against vastly superior armies, survived waves of terror, and repeatedly defended itself against external enemies. But today, many Israelis are preoccupied with a different concern: not Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran, but the growing division within its own people. While fighting rages on the borders, a more dangerous front line runs right through the heart of Israeli society – between right and left, religious and secular, government and opposition. Between siblings. The rhetoric is becoming harsher, the lines are hardening. Debates are becoming more heated, compromises less frequent, and many people are increasingly defining themselves by their political or social affiliation. Almost everyone blames the other for the crisis. Government and opposition accuse each other of jeopardizing Israel’s democracy or even the security of the state. Reconciliation, on the other hand, is hardly ever discussed anymore. Thus, the brother becomes the enemy.
The tensions between religious and secular Israelis are no less profound. The dispute over the military service of ultra-Orthodox Jews, the public nature of Shabbat, and the influence...
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