Acharai: The Model of Israeli Leadership

The battle cry, “Acharai!”—literally, “follow me!”—is the essence of Israeli leadership. It is exemplified by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commanders who lead their troops from the front, not directing from the back.

In Israel’s ongoing seven-front war, the spirit of Acharai was immortalized by Yamam officer Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora, of blessed memory. Zmora was killed leading from the front in one of the most daring operations in Israel’s history—a high-risk, broad-daylight raid deep in enemy territory that successfully rescued four Israeli hostages in June 2024.

Before October 7, 2023, Israel’s wars in ‘48, ‘56, ‘67, ‘73, ‘82 and ‘06 created countless heroes. In more recent years, sitting around bonfires, active-duty soldiers have listened to old-timers recount the triumphs of those wars. Many older Israelis feared that today’s youth lacked the mettle to defend their nation as they had in past wars.

They were wrong.

This war has forged a generation of lions. Unlike past conflicts that lasted 301, 9, 6, 19, 66, and 34 days respectively, this war has now been fought for over 470 days. A duration neither Israelis nor their enemies thought possible.

Decades will pass before we know the full extent of the heroism that emerged after Hamas’ barbaric October 7 attack. Many acts of bravery will never be known.

For now, let me share the stories of three friends who embodied Acharai in different ways: Yonathan Kischinovsky, Avi Cohen, and Asaf Amir.

In 2012, Yonathan and Avi, both veterans of Israel’s armored corps, co-founded Derech Eretz, Israel’s first pre-army leadership academy (mechina) dedicated to empowering youth from the country’s socioeconomic periphery. Asaf joined as CEO in 2022, bringing his leadership to an institution built on the belief that Israel’s strength lies not only in its military, but also in the resilience and unity of its people. Recognizing a gaping divide in the nation’s social fabric, they committed themselves to mending it —fortifying Israel’s foundation for generations to come.

Yonathan, having survived a terror attack after his military service, was not called up to the reserves in 2023. But he refused to remain on the sidelines.

This father of three first acted by personally delivering supplies to elderly Israelis who remained in the Gaza envelope communities. He ensured their survival in the war’s early days while it was still unclear whether terrorists were in the area.

He then led efforts to rehabilitate every single bomb shelter in northern Israel, preparing for the inevitable escalation with Hezbollah.

When he learned of the exhaustion plaguing Israel’s reserve soldiers — many of whom had been deployed for 300+ days — he fought his way through IDF bureaucracy, re-enlisted, and traded his black armored corps boots for the maroon boots of the Israeli paratroopers. Soon, he was among the first Israeli troops to enter Syria following Assad’s fall.

To describe such actions as, “leading by example,” is an understatement.

On October 7, as CEO of Nitzana, an educational village in Ramat HaNegev, Avi immediately transformed his community into a safe haven for hundreds of internally displaced Israelis.

As Israel’s security systems collapsed, only two armed civilians, Avi, and one other man, stood between their town and potential attackers.

Despite having no visibility into available resources, he did not hesitate to take responsibility for housing and caring for these refugees. And then he went further. Understanding that Israel’s strength depends on investing in all its communities, he seized the moment—in the middle of a war—to expand Israel’s only school for Bedouin youth. He recognized that the Bedouin community had also been savagely attacked on October 7, and that their full integration into Israeli society is essential to the nation’s future. His actions were not just about immediate relief; they were about building a stronger, more unified Israel for generations to come.

Last, but hardly least, is Asaf, a soft-spoken father of five, IDF reserve battalion commander, and one of Israel’s highest-ranking reservists, who was stationed on Israel’s Lebanese border from October 2023 to December 2024.

For Asaf, service in the IDF is neither an obligation nor merely a civic duty—it is a “privilege” as a member of the nation of Israel. A privilege that today, his oldest son proudly embraces as he completes his rigorous training in Sayeret Golani, the elite special operations unit of the Golani Brigade.

After nearly a year of securing and monitoring the northern border, Asaf led one of the first battalions into Lebanon when the ground war erupted. He was among the first to exchange fire with Hezbollah—and among the first to be wounded.

But when doctors cleared him to return home, declaring his army service complete, Asaf refused.

Within hours of being discharged, he returned to the battlefield, leading his men to victory. Not from the rear—but from the front.

Acharai!

It is no coincidence that these three men, embodiments of Acharai, built one of Israel’s leading mechinot. Since its founding 13 years ago, Derech Eretz has grown from one campus to seven, with a waiting list of students eager to join.

Their mission? Not only to produce leaders for the IDF and Israel at large, but to tear down the socioeconomic and religious silos that divide Israeli society, creating a microcosm of Israel’s future — united, resilient, and unwavering.

Derech Eretz is developing the leaders Israel needs today for a strong future tomorrow. Leaders who say, “Acharai.” Leaders who cherish the vibrant and diverse tapestry that makes Israel unique.

The last 17 months have been some of the darkest in Jewish history. But the Jewish nation has survived far worse. Time and again we have overcome because we do not wait for others to save us.

We lead.

In March 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched for civil rights. And by his side was Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel who, in marching, also said, “Acharai.”

Upon his return from Selma, Heschel wrote:

“For many of us, the march from Selma to Montgomery was about protest and prayer. Legs are not lips, and walking is not kneeling. And yet, our legs uttered songs. Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying.”

To lead for a just and worthy cause is not only an act of heroism, it is an act of holiness.

Now is the time for those of us in the diaspora to step up and lead. The question is not whether we can make a difference, but how.

Whether it’s Alex Karp and Bill Ackman, whose businesses have come under fire for their unwavering support of Israel and their efforts to combat antisemitism, or Ritchie Torres and Elise Stefanik, who have faced relentless political attacks for standing by those same principles—each has demonstrated commendable leadership.

Leadership that should be applauded and emulated.

Those of us in the diaspora may not have taken on the privilege of defending our people on the battlefield, but still, we are called upon to be a light unto the nations.

A light that leads. A light that fights the darkness. A light that makes the world a better place.

We must each find our own way to contribute.

Now is our time to say, “Acharai.”