100-Day Deadline: Families Urge New Government to Fix National Cohesion

Moshe Shapiro, Hoda Daxa, and Shai Zohar gave the incoming Israeli government a specific deadline: produce a national framework for social cohesion within 100 days of taking office.

The group, Hamechane, argues that internal division poses a greater threat to the state than external enemies. They are asking elected leaders to treat unity as a legal and educational mandate, not just a political goal.

Shapiro lost his son, Aner, on October 7, 2023, when the Nova music festival was attacked. Daxa lost her husband, Col. Ehsan Daxa, in northern Gaza in October 2024. Zohar is the uncle of Capt. Omer Neutra, a New York soldier killed on October 7 whose body was returned from Gaza in November 2025.

Zohar called polarization the country's greatest existential threat. He stated that Israel has already paid an immense price for its divisions and warned that the nation cannot slip backward. He described unity as an operating system rather than a temporary political fix.

Daxa, a Druze, cited the 2018 Nation-State Law as a source of tension. The law defines Hebrew as the state language and grants Arabic special status, but Druze critics argue it excludes their community. Daxa recalled feeling discomfort from passengers when she spoke Arabic on a train, illustrating that belonging is tested in everyday interactions.

The group aims to replicate the success of the wildflower protection campaign of the 1960s, which paired legal safeguards with public education. Shapiro said he wants respect for others to become as ingrained as the habit of protecting wildflowers. The group has not decided on the specific structure of the proposed body, leaving that decision to the new government and professionals.

Members of Hamechane represent various sectors of Israeli society, including religious and secular Jews, Haredim, Druze, and people from both the Right and the Left. Shapiro noted that the group built a shared vision over a year without requiring members to hide their views. The group will push for school curricula that teach listening and handling disagreement, as well as measures against online hatred.