If we can turn October 7 not just into a day of remembrance - that will be our greatest victory | Amir Noy
Opinion column by Col. (res.) Amir Noy arguing that the main lesson from October 7 is psychological: Israel must shift from a diaspora survival mindset to a sovereign victory mindset. The article compares an ancient Jewish consciousness of fear of defeat with a Western ideology that doubts power, and argues that in the Middle East, self-criticism can be perceived as weakness. Noy calls for making October 7 a psychological turning point, not just a day of remembrance.
Opinion column by Col. (res.) Amir Noy, published in Maariv, argues that the main lesson from the October 7, 2023 attack is not military or intelligence-related, but psychological. Noy compares two worldviews: the diaspora Jewish consciousness, shaped by two thousand years of fear of pogroms and destruction, and a modern Western ideology that doubts power, hierarchy, and nationalism. According to him, this encounter creates a society that struggles to win and feel comfortable with victory. Noy claims that in the Middle East, self-criticism, perceived in the West as democratic maturity, can be interpreted as weakness. He calls for turning October 7 into a psychological turning point: a transition from a story of survival to a story of sovereignty, and from belief in diaspora fear to belief in Israel's power to win. The article concludes with a call to make the day not just a memory, but the greatest victory - over the enemy and over the fears inherited from the diaspora.