Despite strong political differences, Israelis know how to unite in an emergency. Immediately after October 7, the IDF called up 360,000 reservists. Israelis flew from all over the world to return to serve. In some units, many reservists reported for duty before receiving their “Tzav 8” call-up orders.
Golda Meir, who served as Israel’s prime minister from 1969 to 1974, was the third woman in history to serve her country in that role – and the first in the Middle East.
After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Muslim countries forced over 900,000 Jews from their homes, froze their bank accounts and confiscated property. Most fled to Israel; they and their descendants now make up about half its population.
During the Passover holiday, Jews worldwide recount their Biblical liberation and exodus from Egypt. Today, there is an irony that Israeli hostages are held captive in Gaza, which prior to the Six-Day War in 1967, was Egyptian territory.
