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Source: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/the-spirit-of-48
The Spirit of '48
(Tablet) Ran Baratz - On October 7 we were thrown back in time. For a few long hours, we were taken by complete surprise and transported back to 1948, with the enemy having all the advantages and we all the disadvantages. But in the depths of the abyss, when the people of Israel were unexpectedly thrust into a life-or-death struggle against armed savages, an indescribable valor arose, a tenacity that we had almost forgotten existed, a supreme courage that we had thought we would no longer need. When the moment of truth arrived, the answer emerged from the ranks. It came in the form of soldiers from the Golani, Nahal and armored brigades who took over the battle lines, fighting until the last bullet and then some. It came in the form of men and women, members of the rapid-response teams in their communities, who took up arms and engaged the enemy in pitched battles. It came in the form of reservists and police officers who, upon hearing that something terrible had happened, took up arms and rushed down south on their own accord, charging into the line of fire, risking their lives to save as many as they could. In every Jewish community, over a history spanning hundreds of years, what occurred would have been the first day of a pogrom, leaving the Jews only with a pervasive sense of helplessness, pain and despair. In Israel, just the opposite transpired. The pogrom ended with unwavering counterattacks, followed by a major counteroffensive. And instead of feeling helpless, what we now feel is rage - the diametric opposite of the fear, helplessness and despair that characterized the Jews in the diaspora. On that darkest of days, it became evident that the people of Israel is not a fragile "spider's web," and is characterized by neither coddling nor weakness. At the moment of truth, the warrior spirit within us stirred in a matter of minutes. Israel is a nation of warriors and we will not retreat in the face of adversity. In these circumstances, no enemy can defeat us.