Let 2024 be a year of renewal - opinion

As we approach the end of 2023 and look to 2024, we are all finding it challenging to be optimistic about the future. Regardless of how we felt about 2023 on October 6, everything was turned on its head by the events of October 7 and the almost twelve weeks of war that followed. Yet, out of every tragedy, there are lessons we can learn and significant new opportunities that open up for us. Acknowledging both gives us hope for the future and permits us to look forward with anticipation to the new year.

What did we learn? 

We learned that we can not be complacent. There is nothing we have today – no joy or comfort that we experience – that cannot be taken from us in an instant, just as it was that fateful Shabbat.

As a nation, we cannot afford internal dissension, as it both tears us apart as a people and projects weakness to our enemies. A nation this small simply cannot risk divisiveness ever again.

It is important to listen and take seriously every action that signals a possible threat, even if doing so goes against all logic. The risk is too great not to take each threat as if it has “doomsday” written all over it in big, red letters.

Our people are much more resilient and patriotic than we led ourselves to believe. The overnight switch from a divided and antagonistic society to one fully united in battling the enemy, was nothing short of miraculous. It spoke to the essence of our being and generated the envy of the rest of the world as well.

Sadly, we now know – if we didn’t already – that anti-Zionism is indeed equivalent to antisemitism, a hatred that will be with us forever, no matter what we do to combat it.

On the positive side, significant new opportunities have developed that we should be leveraging for future growth.

Israel may be on the cusp of a surge in aliyah from the West because of rising antisemitism. Note that nearly half of British Jews are now considering emigrating, while between 25 and 40% of American Jews are doing the same, the variation in numbers reflecting the level of personal Jewish observance. We need to prepare for that and capitalize on it.

The level of achdut (unity) that has developed in Israel since October 7 is a national asset that needs to be built upon so it can form the foundation for a new social contract between the government and the people, one based on mutual trust and cooperation. We dare not let that dissipate.

Time to leverage this strengthened bond between Israel and the Diaspora

AS WE emerge from a war footing with our economy more or less intact, the world will be interested once again in tapping into the technical genius of the country. We should mount a major advertising campaign indicating we are open for business and welcoming new investment. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encourage a significant bump in economic growth.

Both here and in the Diaspora, there has been an awakening of the personal connection to Judaism. This represents the possibility of forging a new bond between the two communities by coupling the incredible level of teaching that exists in Israel with the increased levels of Diaspora interest in Judaism. Leveraging that to increase the bond between Israel and the Diaspora is a national imperative.

More than likely, there will be new elections in 2024, with the possibility of a change in government. New, younger leaders should be put in place who know how to manage large organizations and build economies. It’s time for those who manage some of Israel’s largest companies and institutions to give four years of their lives to helping Israel achieve its post-war potential. 

2024 will not be an easy year. There will be challenges on every front. Nevertheless, Israel, which for 75 years has defied all the naysayers and has achieved what no other 75-year-old country on the face of the earth can claim, is definitely up to the task.

Theodor Herzl said it best when he commented: “Our opponents maintain that we are confronted with insurmountable political obstacles, but that may be said of the smallest obstacle if one has no desire to surmount it.” 

We as a nation have surmounted the insurmountable, and we will continue to do so because, as Gold Meir said, “We have nowhere else to go.” 

There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations, much is given. Of other generations, much is expected. This generation of Israelis has had a rendezvous with destiny and 2024 will be a year where we will meet our destiny head-on and reign it in. Let us hope that we are up to the task.

The writer is CEO of Atid EDI Ltd., a Jerusalem-based international business development consultancy. He is also the founder and chair of the American State Offices Association, former national president of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, and a past chairperson of the board of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.