The next political big bang in Israel will be its civil society - opinion

At the core of Israeli society’s crisis lies a mire of disputes over issues that generate a dichotomous polarization between political camps. The incessant altercations surrounding a limited number of divisive issues consume time and resources from all citizens – time that could be invested in constructing and renewing society, the economy, resilience, and social cohesion.

Political identification with a specific party frequently imposes the adoption of positions on a myriad of other issues as a comprehensive package deal of the camp. The spirit of Israeli politics today dictates that “if the opposing camp is in favor, we are against, and vice versa.” 

Consequently, issues that should be matters of consensus, such as the price of a deal to release hostages or the independent status of the judiciary, acquire the hue of political controversy between the government and the opposition.

This does not end with the government-opposition struggle. The Knesset is composed of parties (miflagot in Hebrew, of which the root is P.L.G., meaning to split) that fundamentally seek to differentiate themselves from one another. To this end, they amplify differences and disputes. 

Even within the parties themselves, politicians invest considerable time in distinguishing themselves from their colleagues. Thus, partisan and personal struggles inevitably come at the expense of public service – service for which Israeli society so desperately thirsts.

WITHIN THIS divisive and partisan political environment, civil society is afforded a unique opportunity for joint creation and construction, while altering the nature of discourse in Israel. 

Civic organizations and civil society

Civic organizations have the mandate to transcend political-ideological disputes to combine forces around agreed-upon objectives such as community rehabilitation, development of educational frameworks, and improvement of health services.

Civil society must and can identify and address the state’s weaknesses, which have been fully exposed since October 7. It must roll up its sleeves and engage in providing solutions to those critical needs that the state cannot or will not resolve. A strong and healthy civil society will propel the state to act in areas where it hesitates or refrains from action. 

Successful civic organizations will support national efforts while also ensuring they do not become a substitute for the state. Civic organizations reunite and reconnect the parts forcibly separated by politics. They have the power to generate a new social discourse and a big bang in Israel’s existing political structure – a big bang that can extricate us from stagnation, channel energies into action, and propel the State of Israel into a new era of prosperity and flourishing.

To create this quantum leap, social activists and civil society organizations must adopt several principles and take several actions.

• Mapping and collaboration: Just as the business world requires market research before commercial activity, so too in the civic world, it is crucial to learn who is on the ground. 

Mapping allows for identifying potential partners and learning from the mistakes of others who have already attempted to advance the same goals. Unlike the political arena where activists and parties seek to differentiate themselves, and unlike the business arena where companies aim to maximize their own profit in a limited market, in civil society, the goal is to maximize social impact. 

Impact maximization is achieved through collaboration and maximizing the resources of all organizations involved in the issue.

• Integrating partners from all sectors: Civil society has the privilege of incorporating partners from across the political spectrum into a massive public initiative. The business world has long understood the importance of diversity, leading to better strategic vision and opening up to broader audiences. In this context, action around a common goal will allow for advancing dialogue on contentious issues in the future.
• Focus on action: Disputes are irrelevant. How many times have you found yourself uncomfortably reading an inflammatory post, perhaps even responding? Isn’t it a waste of time? 

In civic organizations, the focus is on action in a specific area. Even if there is disagreement, anger, and differences of opinion among us – the partnership is built on combining forces to advance focused issues, without slipping into political arguments.

• Balancing between resurgence and remembrance of the past: The establishment and progress of the State of Israel in its early years was characterized by a forward-looking vision. 

The Jewish people, who experienced the Holocaust, pogroms, antisemitism, and racism, knew how to regulate their energy so that a large part of their time was dedicated to building and development in the fields of security, agriculture, medicine, hi-tech, and more. All this alongside remembrance and commemoration, but not in their place.

• Building local forces: Strengthening the social infrastructure and democracy begins with building local forces. This is what social justice centers do in constructing action centers that allow citizens to act close to home, with the community in their locality.
• Building networks at the national level: The impact of activists is always synergistic, greater than the sum of its parts.

The writer is a member of the steering committee of Centers for Social Justice, a former CEO of We Make Change, and a past chairman of the National Parents Leadership.