Bereaved Families Challenge New Leaders to Build National Cohesion in 100 Days

The conflict at the center of the upcoming political cycle is no longer solely about security borders but about internal division. A coalition of bereaved families, captivity survivors, and wounded veterans has issued a direct demand to the next government: create a national framework for social cohesion within the first 100 days of its term. The group, known as Hamechane, argues that the divisions present before the October 7, 2023, attack helped enable the catastrophe and that the state must now institutionalize respect as a core national value.

Shai Zohar, whose nephew Capt. Omer Neutra was killed on October 7, framed the issue as the country's most pressing existential risk. He described unity not as a temporary sentiment but as an "operating system" essential for survival. Zohar warned that Israel has already paid an immense price for its fractures and cannot afford to slip backward. He admitted that his understanding of the community's grievances was incomplete until he heard Hoda Daxa speak about the 2018 Nation-State Law, a moment that clarified for him the exclusion felt by Druze citizens who serve in the military.

Daxa, whose husband Col. Ehsan Daxa was killed leading troops in northern Gaza in October 2024, detailed how belonging is tested in daily life. She recalled a train ride where she spoke Arabic with her children and sensed the discomfort of other passengers. She argued that unity must extend beyond Jewish solidarity to include all citizens who wish to contribute, noting that group members vote for different parties but remain united by a willingness to listen. "Hatred doesn't distinguish," she said.

Shapiro, whose son Aner was killed while defending fellow music festival-goers, pointed to the 1960s wildflower protection campaign as a historical model. That initiative combined legal safeguards with public education until the cause was ingrained in the national culture. Shapiro seeks to apply that same structure to social respect, aiming for a society where individuals learn to live together with the seriousness previously reserved for environmental protection.

The group has spent a year building a shared vision among religious and secular Jews, haredim, Druze, and political allies from both the Right and Left. Shapiro noted that his grandfather, Haim-Moshe Shapiro, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, urged Prime Minister Levi Eshkol to include opposition parties before the Six-Day War. That precedent of broadening the government in 1967 serves as a historical anchor for the current push toward inclusive governance.

Members of Hamechane have not yet decided on the specific structure of the body they seek to establish, leaving that design task to elected officials and professionals. The initiative focuses on encouraging personal connections through schools, workplaces, and communities. Shapiro said he wants children to learn how to handle disagreement and for measures to be taken against online activity that inflames hatred.

The group’s members maintain that recognizing polarization as a national danger is the necessary first step. They are not asking citizens to sacrifice their identities but to make room for others and remember that disagreement does not cancel mutual obligations. The next government will face this specific deadline as it prepares to take office.

The 100-day window begins immediately upon the formation of the new cabinet, setting a clear timeline for legislative and educational reforms aimed at bridging the country's internal divides.