After two complex years of war, Israel has begun rebuilding itself and repairing the destruction that remains. Against the backdrop of efforts to restart the economy and piece together the social mosaic that defines Israeli society, the Israel Builds Resilience conference takes place today (Monday) in Jerusalem.
The conference examines a wide range of issues currently dominating public debate in Israel. High on the agenda is the need to formulate a new national security concept for Israel. Professional panels will be held alongside a series of political, diplomatic, economic, health and social interviews.
The editor-in-chief of Israel Hayom, Omer Lachmanovitch, said at the opening of the conference: "For more than two years, the people of Israel have been put to the test. The war of October 7 was not only an attack on the Jewish people and on the country's borders, but a threat to our very belief in ourselves – to the Israeli spirit. Seven fronts, close to 2,000 fallen and killed, tens of thousands wounded in body and mind, and reservists who have paid extremely heavy prices over the past two years – all of these were a challenge the State of Israel had never known."
"In Israel Hayom – our responsibility and our mission are first and foremost to rebuild trust: between the different parts of Israeli society and between the public and us as a media outlet. We strive for a society that does not fear disagreements but knows how to contain them. A society that seeks to believe in itself again and not tear itself apart."
President Isaac Herzog opened by saying: "In the past two years, since October 7, the greatest disaster we have faced since our founding, Israel again finds itself in a difficult and highly challenging period that has lasted a long time. It includes profound harm. But just as then, we cannot leave tomorrow to chance. We must continue to advance initiatives in every field."
The president added: "This conference of Israel Hayom is being held under the name Israel Builds Resilience. This is not just a slogan. It is a foundational infrastructure on which Israeli success rests. Resilience and belief in ourselves, as one people and one state, and the choice not to despair when things are hardest. To push forward with determination. I am certain that the ideas presented at this conference will be meaningful and will help make Israel a better place."
Not giving up
When asked "what do participants who come here during a war experience?" Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark answered: "We were very worried, because many of these participants had never even heard the word shelter, had never heard a siren. But from the very first groups, many more began arriving, because Birthright grows through word of mouth. We feel that the numbers are increasing. We work on campuses; in the first months people were flipping our tables, and now we feel that more and more are not giving up."
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said: "Approving a non-state commission of inquiry is an attempt to cover things up. In the end, there is one proper tool, called a state commission of inquiry. In serious affairs, the state must investigate. Not for pleasure and not to assign blame, but to ensure it doesn't happen again. There is something almost crude in this attempt at a cover-up, in which it's so obvious they're afraid that if anyone investigates seriously, they'll try to create a blockage. It won't work for them."
"We're not allowing ourselves to heal"
The wife of released hostage Omri Miran, Lishay Miran-Lavi, said: "I look at resilience, and we really do need to build it. Maybe because Omri is here and this is the first time, live. It's truly moving. And I'll say that in another hour, Meni Godard will finally be laid to rest here in Israel. So that's everything. It really is everything. And it's a journey. We still have a very long journey ahead of us, personally and as a couple, but also as a country and as a society."
"Now I'm starting to understand, starting to dig, allowing myself. And I think that if I move from the personal to the general, our entire country needs healing. We're not allowing ourselves to heal. We're not allowing ourselves to recover. We're caught up in so much noise. So much. And we forget that in the end we're all human and we all have feelings. Many of us are missing truth. It's still missing. If we started with my personal story, that I need to dig and understand, I won't be able to do that until there is a state commission of inquiry that investigates everything that happened on October 7."
The conference is attended by President Isaac Herzog; Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion; State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman; Justice Minister Yariv Levin; Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich; Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar; National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir; Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth; Opposition Leader Yair Lapid; Yashar! party leader Gadi Eisenkot; Democrats party leader Yair Golan; Israel Aerospace Industries CEO Boaz Levy; Hashomer Hachadash CEO and founder Yoel Zilberman; Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark; and Haim Taib, president and founder of the Menomadin Foundation and the Mitrelli Group.
Also participating are former hostage Segev Kalfon; Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of former hostage Omri Miran; social activists Itzik Saidian and Ronen Shilo, who advocate for Israelis suffering from psychological trauma; and Rif Peretz, chair of the Nova Tribe community association.
The event is hosted by commentator and journalist Yoav Limor, joined by Israel Hayom reporters and analysts Amit Segal, Nadav Haetzni, Shirit Avitan Cohen, Danny Zaken, Lilach Shoval, Bini Ashkenazi, Elinor Sharkani-Kaufman, Adi Rubinstein, Eli Zilberberg and Nitzan Cohen.
