In a little more than a month, Israel will mark the first anniversary for the Oct. 7 attack and massacre. This will be a sad, sober, day. Especially so, because many of the hostages are still in captivity. Especially so, because the war isn鈥檛 over, and there鈥檚 no end to it in sight. Especially so, because Israelis are politically and socially divided. Case in point: the first anniversary. They can鈥檛 even agree on how to mark this date. They can鈥檛 even agree to share in their grief on this date.

The date itself is a challenge. Israel is a place in which events are marked on their Hebrew date. Yitzhak Rabin was murdered on Nov. 4, and for many Israelis that鈥檚 the proper time for remembering him and the tragedy of his assassination. But the official date of remembrance is the Hebrew date of Cheshvan 12. Israel was born on May 14, but Independence Day is on Iyar 5.听

The October 2023 massacre was carried out on a holiday 鈥� Simchat Torah. A country can鈥檛 turn a holiday into a day of remembrance. So, the date of the national memorial day was set to Tishrei 24, after the holidays (25, if it falls on Shabbat). And yet, it was clear to everyone involved that the public isn鈥檛 going to celebrate the holidays as usual and patiently wait for the official day 鈥� this year, Oct. 27, 20 days after the actual date most of us have in mind. The result is a decision to have two days of remembrance in the first anniversary. One on Oct. 7, the other one on Tishrei 25. That鈥檚 already somewhat awkward, as it鈥檚 not clear what the country is going to do with the second date, when the earlier one will clearly be the more dominant.听

And as if this isn鈥檛 difficult enough, the government decided to manage this most sensitive event in the least considerate way possible, thus making it a cause for another social rift. The task of organizing the event was given, almost off-handedly, to one of Israel鈥檚 most controversial Likud ministers, Miri Regev. Last year, Regev oversaw the official Independence Day event and the result was miserable. More than once it became quite clear that her main concern is to have PM Netanyahu as the focus of every ceremony she鈥檚 managing. More than once it became quite clear that her other main concern is to make sure that these events will serve as opportunity to boost her 鈥� and her party鈥檚 鈥� political interests. Surely, she isn鈥檛 the first politician to utilize national events for political purposes. But she managed to do it with little finesse and very little sophistication.

Regev decided to have a filmed ceremony for Oct. 7 with no crowd. Why? Because a crowd could be a risk.听 What if someone in the crowd booed the PM? What if a speaker makes a comment 鈥� live! 鈥� that she can鈥檛 control? She did not consult with the communities that were attacked on Oct. 7, did not form a committee with which to try and navigate this sensitive matter of how to remember a war that is still ongoing. In short, neither she nor the government made any effort 鈥� not even a fake effort 鈥� to form a consensus on how to mark Oct. 7.

Regev decided to have a filmed ceremony for Oct. 7 with no crowd. Why? Because a crowd could be a risk.听 What if someone in the crowd booed the PM? What if a speaker makes a comment 鈥� live! 鈥� that she can鈥檛 control?

I don鈥檛 know what our leaders were thinking. Maybe they weren鈥檛 thinking. Maybe they just don鈥檛 care. But the result of their action is depressing. There is something that the government will be doing. There is something else 鈥� an alternative ceremony – that was initiated by families of the Oct. 7 victims. A remembrance day of the coalition 鈥� and a remembrance day of all those who do not agree with the way the coalition handles this matter. Some might consider it a left eye tear and a right eye tear. There are many such people, including some who don鈥檛 usually join divisive initiatives, and don鈥檛 usually oppose what the government does.听

When it became clear that some Israeli communities, including most of the kibbutzim that were attacked near Gaza, refuse to cooperate with the government鈥檚 production, Minister Regev made things worse by holding a press conference. When Regev holds a press conference, no matter the topic, one can be certain that things will get worse. And indeed, she spoke derogatively about her opponents, and called the opposition 鈥渏ust noise.鈥�听

The response was quick and decisive. A highly popular commentator and activist announced that he will be the facilitator of the alternative event. Another popular actor and model joined him. The Israeli musician 鈥� and war hero 鈥� Idan Amedi criticized Regev. This isn鈥檛 鈥渘oise,鈥� he wrote, 鈥渢hese are our brothers and sisters.鈥� The next day the President offered his services: Let鈥檚 have a small ceremony at the President鈥檚 House, he wrote. Amedi pushed Regev to accept the offer. 鈥淲e need compromise,鈥� he wrote.听

Regev rejected the offer. One hopes that this wasn鈥檛 her last word. The President handed the government a ladder. It should grab it and 鈥� as Amedi wrote 鈥� let us 鈥渃ry together鈥� as brothers and sisters.

Something I wrote in Hebrew

Here鈥檚 a paragraph I wrote about the Pew report on global immigration:

Three million 51视频 immigrants live in the world today. About a fifth of us. It is the result of tragedies and successes. On the one hand, Jews were forced to leave, flee, escape, from places where it was impossible, or very difficult, to live. On the other hand, Jews were welcomed in many places, primarily the young and developing Israel, but also in other countries in the West. Of the 10 routes that Jews took from their birthplace to their current destination, where they live today, eight lead to Israel: from Ukraine, Morocco, Russia, Romania, USA, Ethiopia, Iraq, Poland. Two of the 10 main routes lead to the USA – from Israel and Russia. But look at the difference: 50,000 Jews born in Russia live in the US. One-hundred-fifty thousand in Israel.听

A week鈥檚 numbers

Israelis gradually come to realize that their only choice in southern Lebanon is a war with Hezbollah. Support for such war rises with time.听

A reader鈥檚 response:

Judy Levitan asks: Are Israelis worried about a Kamala Harris administration? Answer: Some worry, some aren鈥檛. Their list of worries is long, and Harris does not top it.听

Shmuel Rosner is senior political editor. For more analysis of Israeli and international politics, visit Rosner鈥檚 Domain at jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain.