Even on October 7, we are not united

It has been often said that the Israel was most divided was October 6, 2023 and the day Israel was most united was October 8.  

On that dark Saturday, all Israelis were under attack, children and the elderly, secular and religious, Jewish and Arab, right and left.  

It would follow that a national day of remembrance for October 7 would serve as a unifying sanctuary for all of us. Yet over the past two years, the opposite has happened, and as we approach the third anniversary next week, the divide remains stark. 

For the first anniversary in 2024, the Netanyahu government tasked Minister Miri Regev with directing an official state ceremony in Ofakim, where more than 50 people were murdered. Citing security risks, the government chose to prerecord the ceremony without a live audience. To many, this was a transparent attempt to avoid direct confrontation with grieving families and hostages' relatives, who were incensed by the government's handling of the crisis. 

In response, grassroots movement Kumu Israel ("Rise Up") founded by survivors and families of victims, organised a crowd-funded alternative ceremony at Ganei Yehoshua in Tel Aviv. This public ceremony gave the voices of hostage families centre stage and drew thousands who sought a genuine, collective space to grieve. 

At the second anniversary in 2025, Israel remained a nation in limbo, with 48 hostages still held in Gaza. The official government event, shifted to the Knesset, drew little public interest or viewership.