Why Israel Feels Different Today, with Micah Goodman

Added: 2026-05-05

Israeli society represents a unique hybrid that combines collectivist Jewish identity with individualistic democratic values, enabling Israelis to simultaneously possess high capability (through innovation and ambition) and high will (through collective sacrifice and unity). This hybrid nature breaks the traditional zero-sum game between capability and will that characterizes most societies, where collectivist societies typically have high will but low capability, while individualistic societies have high capability but low will. The challenge for Israeli society is maintaining this delicate balance between these seemingly opposing forces, which requires moving beyond binary thinking toward holistic understanding.