Since the outbreak of the terrible war in Israel, there has been a marked trend of arousal in the Israeli public regarding religion, tradition and teshuva. A current study published recently by Professor Asif Efrat from the Reichman University found that 37% of the youth from the ages of 18-35 reported a strengthening of their belief in Hashem since the onset of the war, as compared to 18% of the populace aged 56 and up. The study shows that it is the youth in particular that experiences aroused closeness to Jewish tradition and identification.
Prof. Efrat summed up the findings in incisive words: "The war has transformed Israelis into more religious people."
Not only is the public drawing closer to religion, but this movement is accelerating with the progress of the war. This trend has been evident even before — young people have begun defining themselves as religious, more and more. But the war served as a driving force which has morphed into a mighty wave of religious arousal and reinforcement.
Many attribute this rise to the facts of the Simchas Torah massacre which showed up that the most sophisticated and mighty army in the world failed to envision the attack or deal with it.
On the other hand, the chain of the wondrous miracles which accompanied the progress of the war, especially so the attack on Iran, revealed in full glory the Hand of Providence as being the only force protecting Israel. The results of this realization are being felt very palpably on the scene.
The Fund for Transportation to Torah Institutions from the periphery experiences this new trend very significantly through the demand from parents in outlying areas, many of them secular or semi-traditional - seeking en masse to send their children to chadorim. Many of these families attribute it to the overall atmosphere in the public of general extant consternation as what drove them to seek a Torah education for their children.
"We are aware of the revolution," reports one of the heads of the Transportation Fund. "Jews from a totally secular background, who, in the past, would not have dreamed of sending their children to a school of Torah — are now seeking to change their entire lifestyle. They are seeking Judaic roots and a spiritual sense of security, and wish to convey this to their children."
Even so, despite the overall excitement, and the supreme effort not to leave any child behind, the heavy costs of opening new routes or expanding the present ones, including vehicles and drivers, fuel, insurance - is transforming each application to a heavy financial burden, all boiling down to the basic question of how to mobilize the necessary funds.
