Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Israeli Fortitude: The (Not So) Secret Sauce
Here’s the latest Hebrew buzzword: Khosen. It basically means personal fortitude – and Israelis have loads of it.
Despite undergoing periodic but incessant wars – especially these past two and half years – Israelis keep on plugging and living life (almost) to the full. Indeed, in the present “mini-war” with Iran and Hezbollah we were witness to something that leaves people overseas dumbfounded: when war breaks out, Israelis might be the only citizens in the world who desperately try to get back into the country instead of fleeing to avoid the mayhem. (e.g., approximately one million Russians left their country when it invaded Ukraine). What accounts for such resilience?
Sometimes the most banal statistic can tell you a lot about a society and its fundamental values. Take moving from one home to another. When an interesting U.S. statistic, was published there, I wanted to find the same stat in Israel but the country’s Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t provide it in the same fashion. So I asked Google AI (Gemini) and received this answer:
“While there is no direct “lifetime move” counter for Israel like the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimate, comparing residential data reveals that Americans move significantly more often than Israelis” (https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/heres-how-often-americans-move-and-how-much-theyre-spending – 11.7 times in the U.S. to approximately 4-6 times in Israel). True, there are several reasons for that (e.g., the U.S. has higher home affordability and also a more flexible labor market), but I think that “sociology” explains this better than any economic factor – and it has significant societal consequences as well.
To understand what’s going on, here’s a seemingly unrelated statistic from 2025: 91% of Israelis are “happy with their life” (8th place in the world)! Why the exclamation point here? Given what Israelis have gone through in the 2020s – the Covid epidemic, followed by massive protests against the Israeli government’s attempts at a judicial “Reform/Revolution” (take your pick), and then the horrendous Oct. 7 events and ensuing two years of war – one would think that Israeli “personal happiness” should be as extinct as the Dodo bird. Nor was this a one-off; Israel consistently places in the Top 10 of all countries in the world’s annual “personal happiness/satisfaction” rankings. America? It usually ranks in the mid-20s (https://data.worldhappiness.report/table?_gl=1*1itr7hd*_gcl_au*NjQzMjM2ODEuMTc3MjM4MTE3MQ).
What’s the connection? Americans are individualistic; Israelis communitarian. For the former, individual “expression” and “success” is the highest value; the latter, on the other hand, value social connection above all else. That’s not to say that Americans aren’t family or community-minded; it is to say that if the choice is professional advancement by moving to another city, or staying put where one’s friends and family are, the average American will choose the former. For Israelis, it’s family above all – and close to that also their broader social circle.
General sociological research has recently concluded that by far one of the most important elements for achieving health and happiness is the level and quality of social interaction. That’s true for young and old alike (even more critical for the elderly). The Talmudic expression “koll Yisrael arevim zeh ba’zeh” (All of Israel are responsible for one another) is not merely a legalistic aphorism but rather holds a profound sociological truth: the group is what truly supports the individual’s physical and psychological health. Speaking of which, it’s no coincidence that almost all top-10 “happiness” countries (at the very top are the Scandinavian nations) have a broad social welfare system – as does Israel.
To be sure, Israel has a few advantages in the “communitarian” sphere. First, it’s a small country geographically with most of the population living in the center of the country, a maximum hour drive/train from each other (non-rush hours). Thus, erev shabbat Friday night family meals are must-do for most Israelis – a luxury most Americans don’t have, given the country’s huge geography.
Second, among the majority Jewish population, most serve for 2-3 years in basic army service, with many continuing for a decade or two (or even three/four!) in reserve duty for a few weeks every year with the same soldiers who become a sort of “second family” for each. And if one’s close family is not around (emigrated overseas; living in the far periphery), army buddies become part of a “first family” relationship.
Third, three “minorities” are internally even more close-knit than the majority: haredi Jews, Orthodox Jews, and Israel’s Arab sector. For religio-cultural reasons, the haredim will almost invariably live only in a relatively closed, exclusively ultra-Orthodox community. Modern Orthodox Israelis have no problem living among secular or “traditional” Jews but there will always be a solid core of their own guaranteeing a minyan of worshippers during daily prayer services. This means that their local community will number at least a few dozen like-minded others; and socially – for reasons of kashrut (eating kosher) – they will intensively socialize almost exclusively with their religious compatriots.
Israel’s Arabs (similar to all Arabs) are strongly family minded. Upon marriage, many will have an extension built to their parents’ domicile – or move to a home within the same village/town. Certainly, in the Jewish State this becomes even more imperative so as to maintain their culture, if not strictly their religion.
Listening to the news on Israeli radio can be a strange experience for an American: every serious traffic accident is reported; all apartment fires receive coverage; and so on. It’s as if the State of Israel is still the Shtetl of Israel (“shtetl” being the Yiddish term for Jewish village in Eastern Europe). But what’s strange for the American (or European) mindset, is “natural” for Israelis who still feel “responsible for one another.”
Here’s one last interesting statistic. Despite Israel’s wars and numerous terror incidents, of all 232 countries for which we have exact data, Israel’s lifespan ranks 28 (82.9 years); the U.S. is in 61st place (79.6 years). That’s three more years of socializing…
So, to answer my title’s question: what’s the “secret” behind Israelis’ fortitude? Staying put is the greatest moving experience!
