Who steps up?

Note to the reader: I don’t aim to mar the memories of our departed siblings or dilute the urgent calls to bring home our abducted kin. My intent is strategic, taking a step back to assess the bigger picture beyond our immediate grief. I apologize if my words don’t demonstrate my profound respect for the families caught in these tragedies. But we need to talk about this, with our hearts open and our minds razor-sharp. So, shall we begin?

As a manager, I’ve always held in high regard Michael Porter’s concept of “sustainable competitive advantage.” The idea isn’t just to be good but to continually excel in a way others cannot easily replicate. And if there’s one thing our current government has failed to maintain, it’s an advantage in the narrative. Do you understand? We were attacked, over 1,400 lives were unjustly and violently taken, and our leaders remained silent, allowing Hamas to hijack the story.

This void in the narrative has made life perilous for Jews worldwide. Our government, through its strategic ineptitude, is jeopardizing the lives of every Jew on the planet. Are we really just going to sit back and accept this? Our leadership, long boasting of their prowess in narrative manipulation, is now being outplayed at their own game. But this fight isn’t just about weapons and stories. We’re also fighting for the soul of our nation, for our place in the global community, for our very identity. Do you realize we’re allowing someone facing three criminal charges, flanked by far-right extremists and some Haredim, to represent us in all this?

This is the raw material that molds our national essence, the core that transcends mere strategy and seeps into every action, every decision we make. It’s the indelible signature of our collective character. And now, more than ever, it’s imperative to act— to reclaim our narrative, to assert that “sustainable competitive advantage” which extends beyond the battlefield and resonates in the global conscience. But to do so, our actions must mirror our values, bear living testament to the kind of society we aspire to be. The narrative is there, waiting to be woven, but first, we must prove ourselves worthy material for such a tapestry.

So, who steps up?