Can you be happy in a war?
Although happiness is not normally associated with war time, a recent metric, which investigated World Happiness for the year 2026 ranked Israel among the top 10 countries whose people are happiest among 147 other countries polled. In fact, Israel came in at number 8.
If you think that’s amazing, what would you say to discover that leading the happiness pack are young people under the age of 25 who are presently serving in the army, either as recruits or reservists?
Shouldn’t they be amongst the most miserable and depressed? Oddly enough, they aren’t, and here’s the reason why.
These Israeli young people have been taught, since their childhood, that one day they would take their place, fighting for their country – just as their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and older siblings did.
It is part of the Israeli psyche that defending the homeland is not only expected but an honorable part of the history of modern-day Israel. That is the reason that so many strive to be accepted into elite units or choose combat positions as opposed to a less dangerous job.
The camaraderie experienced by these young people is not a temporary circumstance but one which accompanies them throughout their lives, accounting for the reason that Israeli weddings can number 500 attendees or even more.
Most importantly, mandatory military service promotes shared values, identity, patriotism and a sense of belonging to an ordained geography for which you are willing to give your all. It comes before university studies, marriage and all other life pursuits, because those things may never happen if our country ceases to exist.
But what if you don’t serve in the army? What if you are just a mom and dad, trying to raise your children during a time when it’s too dangerous to send them to school or out to play, because a rocket could be launched at any moment?
What if you’re a business owner, seeing a marked decrease in customers, knowing that you may not have enough money to pay employees or your own expenses for that matter?
What if you’re an elderly person, without a safe room, physically unable to make your way to the basement bomb shelter?
All of these scenarios would seem to point to a very unhappy population whose long days are filled with hardship. Well, you’d be surprised to hear that the doom and gloom doesn’t seem to penetrate to the core of those it effects. If anything, there is often laughter, cordial conversation and even the sharing of snacks inside of the public shelters.
A recent Instagram clip demonstrated what a normal Saturday looks like in Tel Aviv, amidst the alarms, warning that incoming rockets are on their way. Prior to the sirens, diners pack cafes, enjoying a leisurely breakfast or brunch. Rollerbladers breeze by while swimmers enjoy a day on the beach. Life is teeming with the usual bustle of a city, known for its vitality and zest for life.
The evil enemies, whose hate has propelled them to spend their every waking hour in the pursuit of Jewish annihilation, does not rattle Israelis whose almost superhuman capabilities and resilience have already decided that life is given for the purpose of living rather than hating.
They cannot be weighed down by the destruction that others have planned, because they are there to enjoy and savor every moment they’ve been allotted.
If all of this sounds unfathomable, it’s probably because it doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. The gift of life, declared at every celebration, party and toast, “L’chaim,” is a badge of honor, proudly and visibly worn, sending the message that only this matters!
Israelis know who they are, for what they were created and how to make the most of everything that can be viewed as precious. Those are the fun times with cherished friends, extended family, grandparents whose final days and wise words are mentally and emotionally stored away for future use after they are gone. Perhaps, most importantly, to take in the beauty and wonder of the amazing land bequeathed to us by our Creator.
If those are not the components of happiness, then what is? Unlike so many of today’s young people, who are often aimless, ambitionless and addicted to the “likes” which bring momentary meaning to their lives, Israelis have discovered the real source of happiness. That is why, even in the midst of an existential war on many fronts, threatening to put an end to our people, we can shed the fear, overwhelming pressure and constant interruptions, almost like a thin layer of dust so easily wiped away with a damp cloth.
For us, that cloth is our God-given resolve, acting as a repellant, rejecting the despondency and hopelessness which are normally the byproducts of having to live through war, wondering if tomorrow will provide a better alternative.
Our small country of 10 million serves as light to the nations, just from that standpoint alone. How many others could endure what we have, ever since we were established as a nation in 1948? It’s been a non-stop fight with little positive forecast of a permanent end to all conflict.
Each generation has had to pick up where the last one left off, and, if that wasn’t enough, a revival of Jew-hatred has, once again, re-emerged, reminding us that the resentment and disdain is not only directed at the Jewish homeland but now, at anyone who is ethnically connected to her people.
The problem is that for Jews who live outside of the land, there isn’t that same sense of peoplehood and belonging which characterizes those who have made their home in the 8th happiest place in the world.
Consequently, the challenges for them are far greater, knowing that they are absorbing the unjustified bigotry and prejudicial judgment of ignorant and intolerant people, whose empty lives must be filled by something – even if it is toxic and destructive to their own souls.
Perhaps, this is yet another reason to consider moving to one of the happiest places in the world, even during war time, because it could end up being the lifesaver for those who have yet to experience the true happiness which comes from being part of a unique people who never give up!
Maybe that’s why our national anthem, HaTikvah means – The Hope!
A former Jerusalem elementary and middle-school principal who made Aliyah in 1993 and became a member of Kibbutz Reim but now lives in the center of the country with her husband. She is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, based on the principles from the book of Proverbs - available on Amazon.
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