Introduction: October 7th and Israel Studies

Introduction: October 7th and Israel Studies Arieh Saposnik Many of us share a sense that October 7th marked a new departure in Israeli history, and indeed in Jewish history, the history of the Middle East and beyond. The brutal terror attack that sparked the current war came, moreover, after some ten months during which Israeli society and the politics of the Israeli state had been in turmoil. Many already had a sense that the nature of the state of Israel and the achievements of the Zionist project were at stake, and in the wake of the traumatic events of the past months, it seems that an additional historic turning point has been reached. October 7th 2023 was a turning point for Israel and for the field of Israel Studies. In the wake of the massacre that took place that day, the war that ensued, and the global reverberations, it became clear to us that Israel Studies could not simply proceed to produce the regular upcoming issue that we had been working on, and that the moment demanded a special issue that would begin to explore some of the meanings and implications of the events. It is far too early, of course, to expect clarity on the nature of the changes that are likely to ensue in coming years, but there is already a profound sense that they will be sweeping, and are likely to have an impact not only on Israeli conceptions of security and military strategy, but on Israeli politics and diplomacy, Israeli culture, the social fabric of Israeli society, Israel's sense of self, its conceptualizations of its identity, and more. Even the adequacy of the language we use seems to call for evaluation. Our feelings are still raw after having witnessed the inconceivable atrocities that launched this war on October 7th, and many of us feel at an intellectual loss to begin to grasp these developments. Yet, as scholars of Israel and of Jewish history and culture, we felt that we have a keen interest in the developments unfolding before our eyes, and a responsibility to attempt at least some initial understanding. Toward this end, we invited a number of prominent scholars from various fields to participate in this End Page 1 print roundtable conversation exploring some of the dramatic changes in Israel, and to begin to ask questions regarding implications for the academic study of Israel, of Jewish history, and more. We knew that we are not yet ready to produce rigorous research into the events, but believe that the learned perspectives provided by the participants in the issue that has emerged will serve as an important initial foundation for what we are sure will be important ongoing discussions. The articles you have before you, then, reflect initial efforts to understand the events of the past months in historical, cultural, political contexts and to make an effort at some early sense of the broad implications of this historical moment. David G. Roskies opens the discussion by pointing to some of the ways in which Jews and Jewish culture have narrated and attempted to make sense of past catastrophes and assaults, and explores ways in which that past may provide insight in our efforts to make sense of where we stand today in the wake of October 7th. His broad historical and cultural perspective offers weighty insights into the longue durée of Jewish history, thought, and cultural production in the wake of catastrophe and trauma, and perhaps offers some initial direction in what can feel like a moment of searching in the darkness. He is followed by Scott Ury, who picks up on some of the same narrative focal points—Kishinev and the Yom Kippur War, albeit from a very different perspective, asking questions as to the implications of such narrative emplotment and historical associations. Ury's focus on historical narratives raises significant methodological and historiographical questions regarding the relationship between the events of the actual past we narrate and the ways in which we choose to narrate them. What constraints do the (oft-maligned) facts place on our narrative choices? Are narratives merely strategies for marking the boundaries of belonging, or do...