Since the acceptance of a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2025 life in Israel has gradually returned to normal. Israelis, for the most part, no longer go to sleep thinking about their Maimad (safe room). Students have returned to their classrooms, and the Universities are functioning with mostly full classes. Demonstrations advocating the return of the hostages stopped when the body of Ran Gvili (זצל) was returned and buried in his birth land.  Despite the drop in tourism and the cost  of the war, the economy remains strong, and the shekel is at a 30-year high. Indeed, this is the land of miracles.

Lurking in the background are the age-old tensions between various stakeholders in Israeli society. The other night I was traveling with two cousins on the way to a family gathering. Somehow the show  Shtisl arose in the discussion. Quickly, the discussion deteriorated into a tirade against the secular media’s portrayal of the Chareidi (ultra-orthodox) community. “The secular medium never misses an opportunity to make the Chareidim look bad”. “When I walked into a supermarket during COVID I was treated as if I were infected”.  “I could feel the hatred that the chilonim (secular Israelis) had for me”.

I was shocked by the outburst and by the deep-seated emotion and passion of my cousin. It gave me cause for reflection and ultimately led to this OpEd.

My family is Dati Leumi (National Religious); having come from America, one would categorize us as “Modern Orthodox”. Our children and grandchildren either serve in the IDF or  do national service (Sherut Leumi). While we are anxious when they are in Gaza or Yehuda and Shomron, we are proud of them and their willingness to serve their country. We are very close to our chareidi brother and sister-in-law, our nieces and nephews and cousins, both in Israel and America. They are family and we love them. Therefore, it disturbs me that these wonderful human beings feel hated when they pass by secular Israelis in the street or bump elbows in a supermarket.

When I tried to reason with my........

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