The heroism that so many individual Israelis displayed on October 7th and in the days and months afterward is truly mind-boggling. People jumped out immediately from the safety of their own homes to save the lives of countless Israelis and yes – to save the State of Israel.
Make no mistake about it – October 7th was no minor border incursion that succeeded beyond the dreams of the thousands of terrorists. It was intended to be the beginning of a major battle against the existence of the State of Israel on mulitple fronts. And the first line of Israel’s defense was largely defeated. Were it not for the bravery of many who were killed and many first-responders who got up and fought like lions, things could have been far worse. But as JP so eloquently states, they held the line.
The first responders nearly always were a small group that fought off many terrrorists. In nearly every situation, these first responders held the line or at least limited the advance of the terrorists until the reinforcements of the reserves came in. What separated these brave people from others was their willingness to sacrifice their lives for the good of the Jewish people.
This awareness is beginning to register with Israel’s enemies. Israelis are not going to sit back and get killed. The Jewish people of today in the State of Israel are ready and willing to fight and will not cower and be killed as in past generations. The new Israelis have machine guns, F-35’s, Merkava Tanks, and D-9 tractors and will use them.
And then, when things calm down, these Israelis know how to build up one of the most robust Western economies that will help pay for the weapons that Israel must manufacture or purchase. October 7th was indeed one of the darkest days in Jewish history, but the future is bright in the State of Israel – very bright.