Photo: Kesher Yehudi

October 7th was a generational moment, a line in the sand between the world before and after. Its ripple effects have spread far and wide, with such varied impacts as mass displacement of Israel citizens, a remade balance of power in the Middle East, and a culture war across American campuses. This edition of HaMizrachi will focus on a profound shift that has occurred in Israeli society – a spiritual awakening that has already taken hold, but whose story is still being told. 

This story began with anecdotal snippets in the first days of the war – accounts of soldiers on front lines asking for tzitzit, families of secular hostages gathering at the Kotel for tefillah gatherings, and non-kosher restaurants becoming kosher to provide food for the displaced. These anecdotes then became a cultural phenomenon, with a new wave of religiously inspired music sweeping across Israel. It is now also backed by data, with multiple studies showing that Israelis feel an increased sense of faith in G-d, and connection to religious practice. In framing this profound change, I think we can describe three defining features of it: 

1. This is a bottom-up movement, not top-down.

Many religious movements are led by rabbis and religious leaders. This spiritual awakening has been different – a bottom-up religious expression, without clear leaders or even having any organized nature. There has been a mass religious awakening, in a very decentralized way.

2. The awakening involves a greater connection with aspects of Judaism, but doesn’t always equal full halachic observance.

It can sometimes be confusing to outsiders to see some expressions of this awakening. A common example is the large number of Israeli men who today wear tzitzit and no kippah, something few people in the Diaspora will have encountered. In an even more striking anecdote, I heard of a young man who asked for his tattoo to be etched on one particular arm, so it shouldn’t be the same arm where he places his tefillin. There has been a massive uptick in certain halachic practices, but as a whole this spiritual awakening does not equate to a mass movement of people adopting a fully halachic lifestyle. 

3. There were roots of this awakening before October 7th.

While October 7th had a profound influence, in some ways this movement is an extension of pre-October 7th realities – in particular, the existence of the masorati, traditional public in Israel. Many English-speaking observers of Israel intuitively divide Israeli Jews into religious and secular groupings. However, many Israelis identify in a third way – masorati, traditional. In the Central Bureau of Statistics census of 2020, 22% of Israeli Jews identified as religious, 33% as traditional and 45% as secular. The traditional Jews, many of whom are of Sephardi origin, have often had a complex relationship with Judaism and halacha, mixing a deep identification, connection and respect for Judaism with varying levels of religious practice. Much, though not all, of the post-October 7th religious awakening has happened in the masorati, traditional, segment of Israeli society. 

Chazal describe that following the events described in the Megillah, on some level the Jewish people reaccepted the Torah upon themselves. Life-altering events have the ability to deeply affect our religious connection and practice. As we emerge from two years of war and explore the post-war (or maybe interwar?) reality, understanding the spiritual shift in Israeli society can help us understand a critical element in the contemporary Jewish story. 

Rabbi Aron White is Managing Editor of HaMizrachi magazine. He lives in Carmay HaNadiv, Kiryat Malachi and serves as the Rabbi of Beit Knesset Tzameret Arnona in Yershalayim.