When we consider the happiest places on Earth, Israel might not be the first country that springs to mind. Yet, according to the World Happiness Report, it consistently ranks among the top five happiest countries despite its ongoing challenges. This article explores the factors contributing to Israel's unique happiness, focusing on social cohesion, purpose, community engagement, and an enduring spirit of resilience.

Israel is often painted as a conflict-ridden nation grappling with significant challenges and threats. However, this backdrop contrasts sharply with the happiness levels reported among its citizens. The World Happiness Report assesses factors like life expectancy, economic health, and social support, revealing that Israel's happiness stems from a rich tapestry of social connections and community support.

Social capital: The backbone of happiness

One of the standout features of Israeli society is its strong sense of social capital. In a country smaller than New Jersey, familial bonds extend deeply, with many Israelis living within walking distance of their relatives. This proximity fosters a supportive environment where families are heavily involved in each other's lives.

Israeli families are larger than average, with the country boasting the highest birth rate in the developed world, with approximately 2.89 births per woman in 2022. The presence of grandparents and extended family members plays a vital role in raising children, creating a nurturing atmosphere that promotes happiness. This interconnectedness is not just a cultural norm but a scientifically supported factor in enhancing individual well-being.

Community: A source of strength

Beyond the family unit, Israeli society thrives on strong community ties. Israelis are known for their tight-knit neighborhoods where everyone knows each other. This collective identity fosters a sense of belonging and support, countering the loneliness epidemic that plagues many societies.

In Israel, major life events, like childbirth and funerals, are communal affairs. Neighbors often rally together to provide meals and support, reinforcing the idea that no one is alone in their struggles. This culture of caring creates an environment where people feel valued and connected, contributing to overall happiness.

The role of purpose in happiness

Finding purpose is another critical element influencing happiness in Israel. From a young age, Israeli children are encouraged to engage in community activities and social groups. These experiences foster a sense of belonging and help children develop a strong identity.

Israeli youth groups, whether secular or religious, emphasize community service and social responsibility. Programs like Sahi, initiated by teens in underdeveloped neighborhoods, encourage young people to identify community needs and respond with acts of kindness. These experiences build character and instill a sense of purpose and belonging.

By participating in these initiatives, young Israelis learn the importance of giving back, which in turn enhances their own happiness. The act of helping others creates a feedback loop of positivity, reinforcing their sense of community and personal fulfillment.

Random acts of kindness are another essential aspect of Israeli life that contributes to happiness. Whether volunteering during crises or simply helping a neighbor, these actions foster a sense of connection and community spirit.

After the tragic events of October 7, when Israel faced unprecedented attacks, the community response was immediate and overwhelming. Whether it was advocating for families of the hostages, taking in evacuees from northern and southern Israel, tying tzitzit and packing meals for soldiers, or visiting the injured in hospitals, thousands of volunteers came together to support those in need, showcasing the collective resilience and solidarity of the nation. This spirit of giving and supporting one another during difficult times is a testament to the strength of Israeli society.

Freedom: A unique landscape

Despite its challenges, Israel is characterized by freedoms that many societies strive to achieve. The country offers opportunities for various communities, including marginalized groups, to thrive and contribute to society. This inclusivity fosters a sense of belonging and purpose among its citizens.

Over the years, Israel has made significant strides in improving the lives of various groups. Arab citizens, women, and people of faith have experienced advancements in education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. These developments reflect a commitment to shared citizenship and societal progress.

For example, Arab citizens now hold key positions in hospitals, banks, and universities, contributing to the nation's growth and diversity. This progress is a source of pride for many Israelis, reinforcing the idea that everyone has a role in building a better society.

Resilience: The heart of Israeli happiness

At the core of Israel's happiness lies a profound sense of resilience. The Jewish nation has faced numerous existential threats throughout history, yet its citizens continue to choose hope and determination. This resilience is deeply embedded in the Israeli psyche, shaping their outlook on life. Even in the face of tragedy, Israelis find ways to celebrate life, whether through cultural events or communal gatherings.

In summary, Israel's position as one of the happiest countries in the world is a complex interplay of social cohesion, purpose, community engagement, and resilience. The nation's ability to maintain a positive outlook, even in challenging times, stems from its strong familial and communal bonds. These connections foster a sense of belonging and support, which are crucial for individual happiness.

Israelis have learned to embrace life, choosing joy and connection over despair. Their collective resilience and commitment to one another serve as a powerful reminder that happiness is not merely a product of external circumstances but a mindset rooted in community, purpose, and hope.

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During the stormy nights of winter 2024, when wind howled outside and lightning lit up the skies, Maayan Rabinovitch would wake up startled, get up, peek through the door's peephole, and return to her bed. "For three months, I laid in bed with my ears straining for any sound at the door" she described. "I would get up five times a night because I heard the wind and thunder and thought they were knocks. And then I'd feel stupid because everything was fine, so why am I being hysterical?"

In a pleasant apartment in central Tel Aviv, I meet the Rabinovitch family: Maayan (38), Elishav (37), and their five cheerful daughters – Ori (17), Hallel (15), Raz (12), Shiri (9.5), and Tenne (6). Maayan is a social activist and manages a fellowship program for new immigrants at the Nevo organization, while Elishav works in financial consulting, though in the past year, he has primarily served as a medic in the evacuation and supply platoon of Battalion 460. He has completed two rotations in Gaza, and the third has already begun.

I asked the girls how they experienced their father's prolonged absence from home. "For me, it was actually difficult when dad came back," Hallel confessed. "We got used to a certain system at home, specific duties, and dad wasn't necessarily aware of the patterns. It was also hard to adjust to a routine with him when we knew he'd be leaving again soon."

Ori said: "We've always known our parents to have such a warm and beautiful relationship, and when dad wasn't here, we saw how much it affected mom. It was hard and sad for me to see her missing him, dealing with all the fears while worrying about us all."

Q: And were you afraid or worried about dad?

"Yes, very," Tenne said. 

Hallel added:  "At first, he didn't tell us much about what was happening. We were sure he was taking ice baths at some base."

Raz: "Only later did we find out he was entering Gaza. I wanted to know everything on the one hand, but on the other hand, just knowing about it weighed heavily on my mind and that was hard too. People around us didn't really understand the confusion we were experiencing. Sometimes I felt they saw us as pitiful, and that was burdensome too."

Elishav admitted that military service has less glamorous sides, accompanied by psychological difficulties. "To be honest, there's dead time when we're just a bunch of guys playing backgammon and waiting for a call. We're on standby for that one-in-a-hundred case when someone is wounded and needs evacuation, and when it happens, we really enter the eye of the storm. But there are hours when we're just waiting, and I know that meanwhile, Maayan is working very hard at home. Questions arise – does what I'm doing now justify Maayan working so hard and me not being there for my daughters? Sometimes I work much less hard than she does, and I'm also in a safer place. Tel Aviv is more dangerous today."

Q: Is that difficult for you?

"Sometimes. You know, soldiers in regular service don't ask themselves "is what I'm doing worth the time." But when you have a family and know they need you at home, and you understand what your time is worth in the job market, it raises questions. The IDF might be the most inefficient organization out there, but with hundreds of thousands of people involved, you can't really point fingers." 

While Elishav serves in the south and Gaza, Maayan is left to run the household under challenging conditions. "For three months, we lived with constant rocket sirens," she described. "Each time I had to pull someone out of the bath with a towel and run to a shelter because we don't have a safe room. I had to plan every shower around the possibility of a siren. Suddenly I realized that I'm going through the most challenging period of my life without the person I've lived alongside for 18 years."

Q: How did you handle the burden of responsibilities?

"We found suitable mechanisms. For example, we used taxis because I realized I couldn't juggle all the girls' rides to activities. We started ordering from Wolt [food delivery app] occasionally. There are also many things I never thought I'd do that I've now learned to do. I bought a car by myself after ours broke down. I learned to set the Shabbat timer. And suddenly Elishav came back and discovered a home with different habits. And he was like 'Wait, what happened here while I was gone?' And I was in such a survival mindset that every question felt like criticism of my management. It triggered me, even though it wasn't criticism."

When I asked if they had help, the girls described a train of cakes and treats that flowed into the house. "It was fun when dad was in reserves because we got ice cream," Tenne smiled.

Hallel: "At first, when we thought dad wasn't in a dangerous place, we didn't understand why people were pampering us so much. Only later did it sink in."

"We're very embraced," Maayan confirmed. "My parents helped a lot, and friends brought meals for a long time. But I see a big difference between the reserve rotations. In the first rotation, there was high awareness and we received a lot of help; in the second rotation, fewer offers came, and it flew more under the radar; and now in the third rotation, there's again a general war atmosphere, so there's more support. I remind myself that it's okay to accept help and that being in reserves affects many, not just us. I don't want to feel dependent, but on the other hand, there's a need for help, and it's a bit of a tangle. It's a very vulnerable time, and even small things can throw you off balance. Some people ignored us, and there were good intentions that actually made things harder, like when a friend offered to bring dinner and forgot. I'm sitting at home with the girls, waiting for food to come – I won't start cooking and then have her come in with a pot and feel redundant – but she doesn't arrive.

"Beyond that, there are tasks that are just ours as parents, with no room for outside help. Like listening to the girls, being there for them, hearing about their day and about their friends. And it's really draining to handle that alone. It was very hard to contain my daughters' war upheavals by myself. What they've been through this year is too much for even two parents to handle, let alone for a mother who's barely coping herself. I went through a crazy period of raising five daughters alone, during times of constant rocket sirens, without a safe room, when each of them was experiencing the war in her own way. The reality of reserve service infiltrates every corner of our home life – bedtime stories, making lunch for school, everything. Having their father away serving is a constant reminder that there are still enemies we need to fight."

She drew strength and encouragement from helping others. "There were days when I didn't get out of bed. I wasn't really functioning at work. What helped me was, for example, going to visit Noa Argamani's [former Gaza hostage] family. I managed to peel myself out of bed for them. Or for organizing a bar mitzvah for an evacuated family from Sderot who was here. Or starting a project to help families from Kiryat Shmona [an evacuated northern city]. In general, I try not to complain. Instead, I focus on how I can help others."

According to Maayan, people's responses weren't always as understanding or supportive as you'd expect. "There are frustrating moments. When I told a friend that Elishav was about to return for yet another rotation in Gaza, she asked: 'What, there are still soldiers there?' I was shocked. I realized she was completely oblivious to what families of reservists go through. What really gets to me is when people say things like, 'Oh, you poor thing. I would never let my husband go. He has five children, how can they keep calling him up?' They think they're being sympathetic, but comments like these just tear you down. If you want to show real empathy, say something like 'We really appreciate what your family is sacrificing.' We're facing a brutal enemy, and someone has to step up. I feel both a duty and an honor to be part of this fight, to be part of making history. I wouldn't have it any other way – I couldn't live with myself if we weren't doing our part.

Q: What about WhatsApp groups for wives of reservists? 

"The WhatsApp groups have plenty of supportive women sharing their struggles, including stories about marriages falling apart. I try to stay away from these groups though – they're meant to be supportive, but I find them draining. I understand the hardships, but I don't see myself as a victim. Knowing that what Elishav does is crucial keeps me going. Some women say things like 'I can't handle this anymore, I'm going to tell him to come home.' That thought never even crossed my mind."

She finds her outlet on Facebook, which has become her wartime journal this past year. She shares deeply personal reflections, sometimes in poetry. In one post she wrote: "I write these words with trepidation. We all have these gut feelings, but they're not prophecies. Hundreds of thousands of women, mothers, and fathers are dreading that knock on the door. After a tragedy, families often say they knew – they felt it was the last conversation, sensed what was coming. Many of us carry that feeling now. But having these fears doesn't mean they'll come true. These awful premonitions are part of war – they're normal, expected, but they're not prophecies."

In another piece she wrote: "What becomes of our 'almosts'? Those moments that almost were. Each close call leaves its mark – another wrinkle, another pound gained, as we slowly build up our armor. These 'almosts' circle like vultures, taunting us, playing their cruel games, spreading fear before they vanish."

"You learn to protect your heart," she explained. "You build up these defenses. But then when he visits or after he leaves, it's so hard because you have to break through all those walls you've built – walls between yourself and the world, between yourself and Elishav. I retreated into my shell because I was just so scared."

Elishav spoke about his struggles returning home. "The first time, it took me about 10 days to recover. I just couldn't function mentally."

"People would ask us 'So, does he have PTSD?'" Maayan added. "It became gossip. I think it's like postpartum depression – you have a small number of mothers with clinical depression, and many more with the baby blues. It's similar here. These feelings are real, even if they don't meet the clinical definition of trauma. They still disrupt your daily life."

Q: How did it affect your relationship?

"Ironically, the actual reserve duty was easier on our relationship than the week or two after he came home. The second time was even harder. It's like having a second baby – with your first, everything's new and overwhelming. You're learning about parenthood, dealing with sleep deprivation, everything's chaos. But then with the second baby, you think 'I've been through this before, so why am I still so overwhelmed? Haven't I learned anything?'"

Q: When was it hardest?

"When I realized I'd lost control of my life and couldn't plan anything. Elishav might suddenly get 24 hours of leave, and I wanted to be free to spend that time with him. When he does come home, I don't want to be stuck in meetings, so I cancel everything and rearrange my schedule. Thank God my work is flexible enough for that. But it means I can never plan anything because he might come home at any time. And it gets even more complicated because Elishav tells me not to change my plans, he says 'Just go about your day as usual, if we don't get to spend time together, that's fine.' It leaves me constantly uncertain. And I haven't even mentioned how the military keeps changing the times he can come home. Even when one rotation ends, you know there'll be another and another. You can't plan anything. This shadow hangs over everything. 

"Before our wedding, Rabbi Dov Singer told us: 'Whenever you come home, assume your spouse had a harder day than you did.' I tried to follow this during the war too, but after 100 days, 150, then almost 200 – it became impossible. I needed support too. We were both going through incredibly difficult times in very different ways and sometimes we just couldn't be there for each other the way we wanted."

Elishav mentioned, "I know three guys who got divorced during this period, but they all had relationship problems before."

"Even strong relationships can be damaged by war," Maayan added. "There are couples who could have had a good life together if not for all this."

Q: Do you feel you get enough support from the military?

"There's more awareness now, and they do offer mental health support sessions," Elishav saןג, "but they're not always appropriate. My brother's unit cleared Nir Oz [a Kibbutz attacked on Oct. 7, 2023], and they treated their session like it was after a routine West Bank duty. These soldiers had to deal with horrific scenes, but didn't get the serious support they needed afterward."

Maayan responded: "There's so much room for improvement. I wish someone from the military would keep in touch with families, and keep us updated regularly. But with everything the country is dealing with right now, I don't think our needs should be the top priority. There are more urgent issues.

"I'm grateful for those who helped us. But the state? That's complicated. Government systems usually don't work well, but I realized that focusing my energy on complaints wouldn't help me get through this. Besides, others have paid much higher prices than us and that keeps me humble. We have friends who were wounded, disabled, or lost loved ones. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a lot."

Elishav concluded: "War comes with extraordinary costs. People die, and people are wounded and disabled for life. People's savings get depleted, relationships are strained, and children miss school, and develop anxiety. These are the costs of war, but they shouldn't be headline news.

"Everyone talks about how we were abandoned on Oct. 7 –  but who did the abandoning? Who is this military that didn't show up? It's us – you, me, all of us. We let ourselves down. So now we have to see this through to the end and make it right, no matter how difficult it is."

The post 'I'm going through the most challenging period of my life without the person I've lived with for 18 years' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

SodaStream has teamed up with hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg in its biggest advertising campaign to date – a special 2020 holiday message about "enjoying the small meaningful things."

The campaign, directed by Jake Szymanski and unveiled on Thursday, features Snoop Dogg encouraging people to take joy in the small but important things in a holiday season beset with unprecedented challenges.

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As always, SodaStream's environmental message is on point: Snoop Doog is joined by an animated sea turtle in a call for people to make small changes that have a big impact. The company reports that switching to one reusable SodaStream bottle can save up to thousands of single use plastic bottles.

Another scene features Snoop's entire family sitting at the holiday dinner table, struggling to stay off screens. Snoop's face is superimposed on all of them, from the children to the dog.

"At SodaStream we always encourage people to make a positive change. This year we really went all in to deliver a campaign everyone can relate to, a campaign on what's important," commented SodaStream Global CMO Karin Schifter Maor.

"SodaStream is the ultimate small change to reduce single-use plastic waste, and Snoop Dogg is a great partner to help widely spread this message in a fun way."

Snoop Dogg says he is an enthusiastic SodaStream user: "I love my SodaStream, so it was natural for me to partner up with them for this campaign. They make a great product and a big difference in the world. I am happy to help spread the love!"

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Hazut was laid to rest in Beersheba Wednesday evening. Thousands attended his funeral.

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Bezalel Hazut, Asher's brother, said, "He was a good Torah scholar and I hope things will be good for him in Heaven."

Asher's sister-in-law Efrat, 30, was also injured in the lightning strike on Tuesday and is still hospitalized in serious condition, also at Barzilai Medical Center. Three other family members were injured to various degrees.

On Wednesday, messages exchanged by family members who were not with Asher and the others at the beach were made public. The first message includes a link to a news item about the lightning strike. One member of the messaging group asks, "Who is critically injured???"

The messages continue to try and clarify who had been injured, if at all. One reads, "Mom and Dad aren't answering, call Elazar [Asher's brother, who sustained moderate injuries from the lightning]."

Itamar Hazut, whose brother and sister-in-law were among the injured, recalled the events and his injured brother's heroic actions immediately after the strike: "My brother was resuscitating his wife, and tried to take care of the other three brothers, all while his hand and leg were paralyzed. They were about to head home when the lightning bolt struck them all."

Itamar, who was not with them at the beach, said, "They were walking in a line, and then everyone was thrown. My older brother Elazar was resuscitating his wife, Efrat, and saw that she was unconscious. While he was resuscitating her, he went back to our younger brothers to help them. He was calling for help, people called an ambulance, and somehow he managed to help the injured with a paralyzed arm, a paralyzed leg, and in a weakened state."

Asher's mother said her children enjoy spending time at the beach.

"They went out to have a beach day, have fun, calm down. When the rain started, they decided to go home, and then the deadly lighting struck," she said.

The bereaved mother said that her family is observant and both she and her husband are teachers in the religious school system.

"As people of faith, it's clear that this could not have been foreseen. Weather can be deadly. We are praying and we welcome the help from the people of Israel, and ask that they keep praying for our children's safety," she said.

On Wednesday, Zikim Beach was empty.

"People are afraid to come, they think the beach is cursed," members of a nearby kibbutz said.

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Pashwazman was one of five Israelis killed in the last serious spike in violence between Israel and Hamas, which saw hundreds of rockets fired at southern Israel and beyond. On May 5, a double volley of dozens of rockets was aimed at Ashdod. Two rockets were not intercepted and landed in the area. Pashwazman was seeking shelter but was not able to find cover in time, suffered a direct hit, and died.

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He was survived by his pregnant widow and toddler son.

Pashwazman was the son of Rabbi Chaim Dov Pashwazman, an important member of the Ger hassidic sect in Beit Shemesh. One of his uncles, Mordechai Yehuda Friedman, was killed in a suicide bus bombing in 2002.

Haredi news outlets reported that the baby's circumcision ceremony will likely be held at the Ger yeshiva in Jerusalem, and the Gerrer rebbe, Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, will be named godfather.

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