"What would Ben-Gurion Say? October 7th - Looking Back, Searching for Answers"

In challenging times, it can be eye-opening to surmise how leaders of the past might advise in contemporary situations. Panelists Avi Bareli (Tel Aviv University), Adi Sherzer (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), and Paula Kabalo(Ben Gurion University of the Negev) did just that, speculating on what Israel’s first prime minister David Ben Gurion, would say.

A uniting feature of the three speakers was the leader’s signature ability to perceive opportunity in the midst of calamity. Whether it was dealing with the ever-changing minds of the British mandate, or the pervasive threats of violence from hostile neighbors, Ben Gurion used them as stepping stones for change. Rather than wallowing in despair, challenges merely strengthened his resolve for Israel’s independence.

And for that, he needed a united and resilient society.  

Sherzer noted that when faced with the Hebron riots of 1929^[1], Ben Gurion made a speech that would resonate with many now. “The [attacks] did not break the Yishuv^[2],” he thundered. “On the contrary, [it] forged its will and united its members…with loyalty and heroism…the disaster that befell us renewed and sanctified the alliance between the people of Israel and the Land of Israel.”

Even when Europe was disintegrating into chaos in 1944, Kabalo reflected on Ben Gurion’s seemingly indomitable nature. “As we stand now on the brink of war,” he wrote, “we must make clear to ourselves the path we will take and the goal we will strive for.” In seeing the accelerated attacks against the Jewish communities, he continued, “The world war in 1914-18 brought us the Balfour Declaration- this time, we must bring about a Jewish state.”

Sherzer focused on the politician’s inexhaustible fervor for action. In a speech following the 1948 War of Independence, he proclaimed, “From the abyss of darkness that has developed in this time of emergency, a ray of light is emerging.”

Ben Gurion’s ambitions for the country’s development would be met by strongly divergent opinions and perspectives; much like in contemporary Israel. “We are a diversified people,” observed Bareli; “a divided people striving to be united.”

Throughout his career, Bareli continued, Ben Gurion was committed to “try to unify and concentrate this divided group of people around [the] one political [idea of Israel],” as stated in his iconic 1944 speech, ‘The Imperative of the Jewish Revolution’.

Israel’s characteristically independent-minded population, does not imply that the Israeli society is a weak and fragmented one however. Contrary to what Israel’s enemies might think (or wish to believe), it is this very passion and energy that strengthens it from within. In fact, Israelis are “much more united today than we ever were in the history of Zionism,” commented Bareli; a message that will empower and provide hope in these challenging times.  

^[1] A massacre where almost a hundred Jews were killed in raids, homes pillaged and synagogues ransacked.

^[2] The pre-state community.