Vision to Reality: The Reut Blog

A statement by a former department head of the IDF Home Front Command Yechiel Kofer, relates to a ‘Culture of Preparedness.’ This concept should be integrated into Israel’s conduct on its Home Front. Speaking at an INSS conference on the Home Front’s preparedness for war, Kofer stated that “Sitting passively in shelters for long periods of time is not the right way to deal with Hamas rockets, since it causes lack of routine and thus harms national resilience.”

Ingraining a Culture of Preparedness into civil society can result in civilians being more active and ready to deal with emergencies. As an example, a culture that trains citizens for the role of the first responders during emergencies can ultimately strengthen national resilience.

The Reut Institute has recently been developing knowledge on the role of Israeli society in times of emergency such as wars, terror attacks and natural disasters. Within the framework of this project, we recommend integrating a ‘Culture of Preparedness’ into the conduct of Israel’s Home Front.