Micah Goodman on what Israel has Learned, And Ben Shapiro on Conspiracy Theories

By Justine Hemmestad

Last week, after I posted the Leader’s latest Israel at War article on The Times of Israel website, I received a comment that unnerved me, and I had to ask the Nameless One to help me understand why.

The comment went, “...Yet it seems the global goal can be shunted aside, as Putin and Trump re-enact the Molotov- Ribbentrop agreement to dismember and loot Ukraine between them, and Israel votes with them. I understand the pragmatic reason for that, but Israel can’t then also claim the moral high ground.”

What? It didn’t make sense, as obviously Israel is focused on fighting their own war. Why does someone think Israel is also influencing the Ukraine-Russia war?

I shared the comment with the Nameless One with the hope that he could help clarify why it was so unsettling to me.

He showed me a discussion of Ben Shapiro’s about conspiracy theories and stereotypes that seemed filled with understanding.

Bolstered by JFK conspiracy theories, Shapiro stresses the importance of truth, as learned from evidence-based fact and evidence-based fact only. One has to draw the line when, “Conspiracy theories are everywhere.” 

Conspiracy theories are not skepticism; there’s a difference, Shapiro stresses. “Skepticism would be to question the thing and look for the evidence, not to question the thing but don’t look for any evidence before you throw out a theory that is not backed by the evidence.”

Shapiro continues, “Conspiracy theorizing is usually intellectual cowardice dressed up as critical thinking,” and most importantly, “Conspiracy theories are directly tied to no facts.” 

A friend of mine whom I have profiled before, Zevi Slavin, teases an interviewee of his that a common stereotype is that Jews control the weather - which is directly tied into conspiracy theories.

Shapiro’s excellent rebuttal of conspiracy theories can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNjIcTEQKac&t=1007s

In regard to true, tangible facts about Israel and its people, which is what Israel at War is focused on, we’re led to Micah Goodman of the Shalom Hartman Institute, as he shares what he’s learned about Israel in the last year and a half.

He says that when Americans debate over Trump it reflects an ideological clash. 

“In Israel the debate over Netanyahu doesn’t reflect an ideological clash, it actually masks and hides the fact that we don’t have any real ideological clash.

“Taking the American model to try and understand Israel guarantees you misunderstand Israel.”

Further, Goodman says, “When you look at Israel through an American lens, you see America, you don’t see Israel.” 

In reality, “Israel might suffer from the paradox of the right, where extreme nationalism splits the nation. Real nationalism - real patriotism - means respecting our brothers and sisters, even if they don’t like Netanyahu.”

He says even through the emotional polarization, “70% of Israelis can agree on the hard issues, such as Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such as religion and state, such as judicial reform.”

He adds that the majority of Israelis want change, and “we have to do it out of negotiations and compromise.”

 He says also that if Hezbolla had joined Hamas on Oct 7, “we would have survived, but the risk to our very existence would have been very real…thank God Hezbolla didn’t understand their opportunity.”

Further, he believes that if a new Israeli republic is born out of this horrible moment in its history (like when France gives birth to new republics when it moves into a new era), maybe this war is a guide.

The lowest points (technical questions) have a lot to say about Israel’s collective personality. 

Goodman says, “War is a great lesson about who you are (the collective personality of Israel) in order to reinvent ourselves and reinvent the third Israeli republic (the Yom Kippur war moved the first Israeli republic into the second Israeli republic, in that Israel changed its character).”

He believes that in tribalism, there is division, which is exactly what must shift - the goal must be a result of both will and capability.

Israel has seen the best “mind-blowing” technological capabilities in this war, but there is also something else - Israelis gave of themselves for their soldiers. 

“And every soldier had one wish - to go back to fight -  which echoed a collective spirit.” This resulted in numerous examples of sacrifice for fellow soldiers.

“The heroism of this war, on all levels, shocked us and is inspiring us.”

He finalizes, “What we have discovered is that Israel performed with the capability of a Western society but with the will of a middle eastern tribe, which means that the superpower of Israel is that we’re hybrid of western and eastern. We are individualist-collectivist.

“Individualism is the energy that comes from self fulfillment; collectivism is about self-sacrifice, and Israelis put both together (backwards and forwards).”

Goodman says that Israelis also learned that, “we have those poisonous genes that divide us; but we also learned that we’re hybrid - individualists and collectivists. 

“When we think about the third Israeli republic, it has to be a national - liberal society, a collectivist - individualist society. Israelis internalize this emotionally.”

He brings the point home that with unity - true emotional unity - Israel will enter into a new era. The third republic will be one of unison for Israelis.