Israel just celebrated its independence, with many great accomplishments to be proud of- we are the only democracy in the Middle East, surrounded by hostile and militant neighbors, who deny our very right to exist. Not only we secured our almost indefensible borders, allocated to us by the the UN partition plan- we emerged strong and confidant, so that no one in the region can threaten our security, as Arabs did in 1948 and 1967 ( promising to throw the Jews into the ocean).
Israel of course can be proud of its more recent successes in economy and science and technology - with the highest number of start-ups in the world, low unemployment and top-notch medical services available to all it's citizens.
But as in the past, Israel is facing most difficult challenges it must overcome for its very survival.
Recent elections were mainly focused around internal issues- putting security and foreign affairs at the backstage ( possibly first time ever since the inception of the state ). This indicates, that Israel managed to assure its survival and is now facing new challenges- pretty much like in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, we are ascending from the most basic levels of survival ( this includes food, shelter and security ) to the upper strata- that of emotional and spiritual needs. Maybe this would explain current obsession with the " equal burden" demand, which brought different groups of Israeli public together- the new political forces of the recent elections, and the main winners are precisely those who articulated this demand. Bennett and Lapid are representing new face of Israeli politics that's just emerging- reaching beyond the accepted sectoral boundaries, and formulating new goals and aspirations for the country- NATIONAL UNITY. And it's precisely this that all those who're left behind ( Ultra-Orthodox, Ultra-Left etc ) fail to realize.
What is it that lies at the core of Israeli identity, what is going to unite us as a nation- is the question that emerges. And undeniably, this is the highest level on Maslow's scale- that of Self-Actualization! Here we are struggling to address it on a national level- something really breathtaking, possibly a project that was never taken before!
But following Maslow's scheme, we need to remind ourselves of a missing step- before one can address self-Actualization, says Maslow, he needs to face emotional issues- love, belonging, self-esteem. In other words, before we formulate our National Goal, we need to deal with National Reconciliation.
Israel today is torn and divided, with many different groups of society not only living very different lifestyle- but in fact, almost never coming across each other. One cannot simply ignore this- it's a painful recognition of those who not only live a different lifestyle, but in fact don't share your value system- yet share this country with you. Religious and secular, Right and Left- dare I say-
Jews and non-Jews - we ALL BELONG HERE! This process of Reconciliation would challenge us on many levels, and as a result something truly beautiful would emerge-
"They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the sea.
( Isaiah 11:9)
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