Fog of war, lack of clarity

It can be difficult for Americans, even American Jews, to figure out what’s going on in Israel. The term fog of war might be a cliché, but that’s because it’s true. The news coming out of Gaza and Lebanon often is hard to decipher, particularly for most of us here, who are far removed from the conflict.

Last Sunday night, Neil Lazarus, a British-born Israeli who specializes in Israeli politics, offered insights into the situation for a seminar, “Behind the Headlines,” sponsored by the men’s club, women’s club, and adult education committee at Temple Beth Rishon of Wyckoff. Using slides, videos, posters, and anecdotes, Mr. Lazarus helped the audience understand the reality that Israelis now experience.

Mr. Lazarus was born in London in 1967 and earned a bachelor’s degree in politics and Russian studies at the University of Wales. “I was a lone voice in college,” Mr. Lazarus said. “There was no alternative voice. I broke the assumption that antisemitism was acceptable.

“There were just three of us Jews at Uni,” he added, so that tiny group banded together and declared themselves a Hillel chapter.

Get New Jersey Jewish News's Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

In 1988, Mr. Lazarus made aliyah and completed a master’s degree in political science at the Hebrew University. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have twin daughters, Noa and Meital.

Overall, Mr. Lazarus is optimistic. “In 1948, who would have figured that Germany would have been an important ally to Israel and Europe, that by 1967 Israel would be victorious in six days, that in 1973 Anwar Sadat would make peace with Israel?” he said. “History shows us that the future can be better.”

When he speaks, Mr. Lazarus’s goal is to provide his audience with enough information to challenge the way they think. “I am offering complexity and choices,” he said.

At Beth Rishon, Mr. Lazarus detailed the ways in which Israelis view the events of October 7, their reactions to the hostages who remain in captivity, and what they expect and hope the war’s outcome will be. “Opinion polls show that the majority of Israelis want to stop the war to get the hostages home,” he said. “The government sees victory as eradicating Hamas, but many Israeli citizens see a win as seeing all hostages, both in Gaza and in the north, alive or dead, released.”

What might follow a win, no matter how it is defined, is unclear. “The government fails to have a strategy,” Mr. Lazarus said. “Who will run Gaza? Who will oversee the people? Who will clear the debris, clear the sewage, and resurrect the infrastructure?” There is not a clearcut answer as to what the future looks like.

“Since the six hostages were brutally murdered, it’s very possible that the Army may have a different opinion about next steps in the war than the Israeli government,” he said. “It’s extremely complex.”

Many of us “apply a Western moral thought process to Islamic fundamentalists,” he added. “That’s a mistake. That’s not how they think. They are suicidal.”

Mr. Lazarus asked the audience why Israel is important to them. Responses ranged from Israel’s historical connection to the idea of safety and security for the future of the Jewish people. “Israel is a sacred space for Jews,” he said. “It’s our ancestral homeland. It’s a place where Jewish people can feel free to be Jewish without feeling like a minority.

Neil Lazarus

“But since October 7, all of that is in question.”

Mr. Lazarus reviewed the details of October 7. He talked about how Hamas had taken years to plan it. He cited the attack’s timing, on Shabbat and Simchat Torah, when many soldiers were off duty. He noted that IDF troops had been moved to the north, away from Gaza, because the government overseeing this work thought that the conflict would be there. He described how Hamas militants came over the border at key junctions. “Their points of entry, the scale of the murders, the rapes, the kidnappings, the vicious savagery — what went wrong?” he asked. “What happened?

“Israel had a dated picture of Hamas and its capabilities; we doubted them and the system collapsed,” he continued. “While Hamas was preparing its attack on Israel for years, there was a failure to understand that the intelligence we had was actually happening. We were tricked by Hamas’s denial and deception and improved operational security.

“It was a complete breakdown of what was happening on the ground and a lack of understanding of what could happen. We expected an invasion in the north on October 7, which was why we missed the surprise attack. Israel was looking in the wrong direction.

“We don’t have Israel because of the Holocaust, we had the Holocaust because there was no Israel,” Mr. Lazarus said. “The concept of Israel was that Israel could protect Jews around the world.

“But on October 7, it failed to protect its citizens.”

And the future is not clear. The rise of violence in the West Bank and the threat of a war with Hezbollah in the north means that the situation today — which changes by the day — can’t be compared to anything that’s come before. “Hezbollah’s potent military force makes Hamas’s savagery look like child’s play,” he said.

Mr. Lazarus compared the response of Israelis to October 7 to that of American Jews. It’s different, he said, but there are some universals. “I’ve seen Americans agree and disagree with Israel. But as Jews, we all have a collective memory,” he said. “We all want peace.”

“I don’t think Israeli citizens understand the impressions of Jews in the diaspora,” he continued. “They are somewhat surprised by the reactions of Americans — they are two groups separately affected by one date on the calendar. I think Israelis saw October 7 as an Israeli event, not one that would affect American Jewry so drastically.”

Temple Beth Rishon’s Rabbi Joshua Waxman agreed. “Not only do American Jews fail to fully understand the impact of October 7 on Israeli Jews, but Israelis also don’t fully appreciate what October 7 has meant for Jews in America,” he said.

“October 7 has on one level united people and strengthened family bonds between Israel and the diaspora,” Mr. Lazarus said. “Jews in Israel are painfully struggling. They are grieving the loss of loved ones. They are desperately waiting for release of family members in captivity. They are angry about their government’s lack of response before, during, and since the Hamas attack. They are uncertain as to when, if at all, there will be a ceasefire, so that somehow and in some way, they can rebuild their shattered lives.

“Americans are experiencing being Jewish in the United States in ways they’d never thought possible,” he continued. “Defending who they are and what they believe in response to a rise in antisemitism. They are barraged by threats on college campuses, on social media, or even in an Uber ride, from people who are questioning not only who they are as Jews, but who want their homeland and all those of Jewish faith wiped off the map. Relationships with friends and even family members have been severed, dividing pro-Israel Jews and pro-Palestine Jews into two factions.”

Rabbi Waxman appreciated a point that Mr. Lazarus made about how people are influenced by the history that was made when they were young. “There is such a different starting point for people’s realities, depending on at what point they became aware of political developments around them,” he said. “We obviously are aware of this in terms of a younger generation in America, which has only ever viewed Israel as a dominant military force, but it was instructive and important to realize how on October 7, Israel could not protect itself. The same phenomenon shapes Israelis, Palestinians, and everyone else struggling to make sense of a horrific and brutal situation.”

Mr. Lazarus cited the parallels in intelligence failure between the Yom Kippur War and Hamas’s invasion of Israel on October 7. “But in 1973, there were no hostages,” he said.

“In Israel, we never predict the future until a few days ahead. In Israel, 24 hours is a long time in politics. We have to think short term.”

Mr. Lazarus also talked about how this is the first war that Israel has fought on social media. “When Hamas came over the border with Gaza, their fighters had cameras and they livestreamed it,” he said. “The government and the military were gathering up-to-the-minute news about the invasion from the media. The press was essentially telling the military what to do.

“October 7 was not about just brutality and atrocity, but also about heroism,” he said. “Phone lines to the police and local emergency services were cut off. No one knew the extent of what was going on around them. Where was the IDF? Local off-duty law enforcement, medics, and brave civilian friends and neighbors were saving lives.”

While security is on maximum alert in preparation for the High Holidays, and there is still the potential of a greater war in the north, Mr. Lazarus noted that “Israel continues as abnormally as normal. Local shops owned by Palestinians are selling us fruit, providing us with the palm fronds, bamboo, evergreen stalks to build our sukkahs,” he said.

“Are there Palestinians who want to live peaceably in Israel?” he asked. “It’s hard to find out what people really think. Polling can’t be realistic because, sadly, everyone’s looking over their shoulder.”

“Our speaker has given us an awful lot to think about,” Rabbi Waxman said. “And an awful lot to worry about. Our daily news reports lead to a far more worrisome stage of this conflict.” He ended the presentation with a prayer of solidarity with Israel: Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael.

“Israel is a different country,” Mr. Lazarus said. “But the people do not want to call October 7, 2024, a memorial. It’s an anniversary. People are still alive.”

Families of hostages, bereaved families, and the communities that are in pain will join in Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv for an evening of hope and remembrance — an alternative to the official event being organized by the Israeli government, he said. “People in Israel have multifaceted views of how to observe and commemorate the day.”

Neil Lazarus’s website, www.awesomeseminars.com, includes resources to help understand Israel today, as well as information on how to book him for speaking engagements.