Editor's Notes: What should the new Israeli story look like?

Yoav Heller is concerned about Israel’s future. And he’s taking action to secure it.

The former CEO of the Israeli leadership network Maoz, Heller has spent the past year or so building a movement he’s called The Fourth Quarter, which seeks to fundamentally transform Israel’s political reality.

In a conversation earlier this week, Heller told me about the significance of the fourth quarter – that is, the fourth-quarter century – in Jewish history. 

Twice in the history of the Jewish people, following the reigns of King Solomon and the Hasmonean Queen Shlomzion, Jewish kingdoms have collapsed and fragmented as they reached the fourth-quarter century of their existence. In both cases, the collapses weren’t precipitated by deprivation or external threats – much to the contrary, both periods were marked by prosperity and relative quiet.

And yet, the rise of factions that believed they had been disenfranchised and written out of the kingdoms’ national narratives, coupled with a breakdown in national cohesion and a distancing from the kingdoms’ foundational values, caused both kingdoms to crumble, bringing an end to Jewish sovereignty.

The four-quarters of a nation’s first century of existence roughly correspond to four generations, Heller explained. The first generation is that of the founders, who lay the practical and ideological foundations of the national project.

The second is responsible for building the nation’s institutional and social infrastructure. The third generation solidifies the nation’s political, military and economic reality, ensuring the country’s long-term viability. It is the fourth generation that determines whether the nation will fail or thrive.

Israel’s entry into its fourth-quarter century is being accompanied by much of the same upheaval that brought previous experiments in Jewish sovereignty to an end, said Heller, who holds a PhD in Jewish history. Fragmentation, political instability, economic uncertainty, and the disintegration of public trust and mutual solidarity – all are part and parcel of the periods of crisis that plagued the Jewish kingdoms of yore in their fourth-quarter centuries, and brought about their dissolution.

“The State of Israel is in the best situation in its history,” Heller told a recent conference. “Our military and diplomatic strength, and our incredible human capital, are sources of pride and optimism. At the same time, Israel is in the most perilous situation in its history since the War of Independence.”

The significance of the fourth quarter has not been lost on Israel’s leaders. David Ben-Gurion, the country’s first prime minister, was asked in 1949 whether he was satisfied with the country’s establishment. “Talk to me in the country’s 70th year,” he is said to have responded. 

As I was thinking about Heller’s words several days ago, I was startled to hear my thoughts echoed back to me by an unexpected voice. Speaking at the festive event celebrating the 120 outstanding soldiers and officers of the Israel Defense Forces on Independence Day, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi appeared to allude directly to Heller’s insights. 

“In our 75th year,” he said, “there are those who ask whether we will surpass the years of independence of the kingdoms of David and Solomon and the Hasmonean kingdom. Some of our enemies have adopted this question, as well. I look at you, dear outstanding soldiers, and I know that you are the answer.”

HELLER BELIEVES Israeli society needs to undergo a dramatic shift and that the country’s democracy requires a total overhaul. “We need to update the Israeli story,” he said to me. “We need a new social contract.” 

He has proposed four principles that ought to define the new political reality in Israel: politics of broad agreement and innovative alliances, politics of solutions rather than victories, politics of humility, and forward-looking politics. 

“No one has all the solutions. Every segment of society has a role to play,” he said, emphasizing the importance of integrating Arab and haredi Israelis into a new Israeli story that is nevertheless rooted in the country’s Jewish and Zionist foundational values.

In order to bring about the fundamental change that he believes is necessary, Heller has spearheaded the formation of The Fourth Quarter, which has grown exponentially since its launch. His goal is to have a million Israelis on board within two years, thereby forcing political leaders to take note.

No matter what one makes of Heller’s proposed plan, we would do well to pay attention to his insights.

As Israel enters the fourth-quarter century of its existence, the time has come to ask what a new Israeli story should look like. The narrative of the country’s early days may no longer be equal to the task of defining the country – to itself and to others – in a new era.

Zionist, pluralistic, democratic

The new Israeli story must be Zionist. It must reflect Israel’s role as the center of the Jewish world and a primary pillar of modern Jewish identity, the living manifestation of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination. It must honor Jewish tradition while celebrating and facilitating diverse expressions of Jewish life, and it must include Jews living outside of Israel in the Jewish state’s narrative.

The new Israeli story must be pluralistic. It must reflect the diversity of Israel’s people – Jewish and Arab; Muslim, Christian and Druze; secular, traditional, religious and haredi; Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Mizrahi; native-born and immigrant; straight and LGBTQ – and include them all as equal partners in creating the Israel of tomorrow.

The new Israeli story must be democratic. It must reflect the principles of Israel’s Declaration of Independence: freedom, justice and peace; complete equality of social and political rights irrespective of religion, race or sex; freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture. It must uphold the integrity and independence of each branch of government and ensure that government institutions are truly fair and representative.

The new Israeli story must be competitive. It must reflect Israel’s central role in the global economy, its innovative spirit and problem-solving ethic. It must foster efficiency and productivity while maintaining high ethical and environmental standards.

The new Israeli story must be compassionate. It must reflect concern for the weakest segments of society and seek to elevate them, offering protection and equality of opportunity to all. It must extend Israel’s hand and hard-won expertise to nations in need of assistance.

The new Israeli story is the story that we will build together in Israel’s fourth-quarter century. It is up to us to ensure that this stunningly successful experiment in Jewish sovereignty stands the test of time and weathers the storms swirling around it.

As prior experience demonstrates, this is a pivotal moment that can change the course of Jewish history. Now is the time to develop the narrative that will carry Israel into the future.