Israeli Courage Between the Tank, the Tahini, and the Twitter

Who’s Afraid of a Lion?

“Lion cub Judah” – that’s what Jacob called his son Judah in the Book of Genesis.
Between the kilometers of the Judean Desert and his mother’s pitas, an image was born: the Jewish-Israeli, quiet but fierce, small but stubborn, smart, sensitive – and above all brave in a way that inspires wonder, and sometimes wonder that inspires worry.

Because in Israel, courage is not just a character trait.

It’s a way of living.
And also a little, how to put it gently?
Denial with a wink.

Courage of a surprising kind – between a neighborhood and a battlefield

Israeli courage is not only expressed in the fighters who charge,
but also in the driver who tries to reverse into a parking space that is clearly too small even for a Beetle.
Or a couple who orders “spicy on the max” at a Yemenite restaurant in Kerem, without realizing that the sahug there is sahug 🥵.

In other words: there is combat courage here, and existential courage.
One gets the medal of courage.
The other gets the medal of stomach gas.

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Everyday heroes – brave Israelis of all kinds

1. A mother of three who goes to the beach with everyone without a stroller, without an umbrella, and with biscuits in her bag?
Brave.

2. A taxi driver in Tel Aviv who turns on the air conditioner without asking for extra payment?
No less than a martyr.

3. A young soldier who accidentally asks a major’s wife out on a date?
Brave-stupid, but daring.

4. An Israeli who flies on a long trip without bringing snacks from home?
This is bordering on madness.

In Israel, heroism comes in all sorts of forms.
One of them involves standing in line at the National Insurance Institute for two hours without shouting.
The other? Crossing the Geha Highway on a Thursday afternoon.

Wars, Disasters, and Inherited Courage

Israel is a place that never rests for a moment.
Wars, attacks, epidemics, governments change like socks (although socks are less offended).
And yet – every time reality turns upside down, Israelis pull out their chin, their smile, and their tuna sandwich and say, “Let’s get it together.”

Ask any average citizen:

• Where were you when the Lebanon War broke out?
• How did you get through the coronavirus?
• Remember that storm in 2013?

And they will always answer with a joke, an anecdote, or an unplanned heroic story that involves a lot of mud.

Collective courage — because we are not alone

In Israel, courage never walks alone.
It comes with help.

Is there a car breakdown?

Three people are already being arrested.

A fire in the neighborhood?

Eight runners with a tank top and a bucket.

This is not the heroism of soloists – but of an entire band.
Israelis are not just brave – they are brave together.
Even if this togetherness involves friction, urgency, arguments over parking and who brought the best hummus.

And that’s the beauty: Tribalism does not contradict individuality.
It gives it reinforcement, a hug – sometimes even a gentle slap (verbal. Usually).

Courage in the face of bureaucracy — the real story

Do you think the battle at Ammunition Hill was difficult?
Try taking out Form 17 after 12 noon.

In fact, most Israeli heroism occurs in the face of officials, queues and an education system that is renewed every two years.
And the way to cope?

• Courage.
• Audacity.
• An embarrassed smile.
• Connections in the municipality.
• And in extreme cases – one’s grandmother who actually works on the committee.

The puppy that still roars

“The Lion Cub of Judah” – that’s what they called us.
And sometimes it seems like the lion is a little tired.
A little stuffy.
A little overpaying for a cottage.
But give him his moment —
And see how beneath the piles of dust, the filth and the slight despair beneath the headlines –
The roar still lives in him.

It wakes up when the first child arrives for conscription.
When the neighbor falls and the elevator doesn’t work.
When the neighbor breaks his leg going down Nahal Amud and you carry him on your back.

You don’t have to be a warrior to be a hero.
You don’t need a ceremony.
You have to be Israeli.

A brave Israeli – with a helmet, humor and a mediocre swear dictionary

So that’s right, we are a sweaty, loud, messy people.
But also a people with a heart the size of a Negev, and courage the size of an entire country.

The Lion Cub of Judah — this is not just a biblical verse.

It’s a reminder:
Even when we’re cubs, we already know how to roar 𓄂.
And sometimes all it takes is a shoulder, a nudge, and a slight push forward.

👀 לגלות עוד מהאתר אינטליגנטי is סקסי
הירשמו כדי לקבל את הפוסטים האחרונים אל המייל שלכם

שם*

מייל*

אני מסכים/ה למדיניות הפרטיות של האתר

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