Israeli activist Shay Kallach didn’t always imagine a life of Zionist advocacy. The founder and director of Netsach Israel, a movement focused on the restoration of Zionist values within the state of Israel, changed his course over 20 years ago while serving in the Israeli Air Force after he was inspired by his experiences protecting the Jewish nation. In a recent interview on The Jewish Link’s “Pitch Meeting” podcast, Kallach shared his journey within Zionism and what he predicts for the future of Israel.

“I grew up in a secular kibbutz as a ninth generation Israeli,” Kallach said of his roots, noting that it wasn’t until after his national service in the IDF that he became religious. “While serving in the Air Force, I had a revelation: that there was 4,000 years of Jewish history resting upon my shoulders.” He recalled a particular night, the first night of Pesach, when he was flying in an F-16 fighter jet, realizing his own privilege of protecting “the skies of Israel” on a holiday centered around Jewish freedom. “That night really changed me.”

Upon landing the F-16, Kallach had a new awareness for his Jewish heritage and felt compelled to explore what that meant to him. “I had to figure out my identity again; my roots, my heritage, my tradition. That’s when I decided to learn in yeshiva,” he shared. The young pilot then went on to Yeshivat Eli, located in the Shomron, during which he embarked on a spiritual and political journey.

Kallach attributed his lack of connection to his Judaism prior to this experience as an inherent part of Israeli culture. “In the United States, you have to work at your own connection to Judaism and your identity,” he said. “In Israel, you have the privilege of having a connection simply by residing in the land; there’s privilege to being secular without any danger of assimilation.”

He added that during his time in the Air Force, he felt that “as a kibbutznik, that Zionism was stolen from me in a way,” noting that it’s a common phenomenon in Israel for secular Israelis to feel a sense of “ownership” of the land. “Secular Jews were the role models for the country and now they feel as if religious Zionists are ‘stealing’ that position, so to speak. This is the main principle of the identity struggle in Israel.”

Kallach went on to explain how deeply this struggle runs in the state of Israel, and how left-wing groups have taken advantage of this divide. “These groups are focused on eradicating Jewish identity; they want to reeducate the leadership and general staff of the country, going as far as to learn about antisemitism from college campuses like Harvard University,” he stated. “I speak about this from a place of pain, but also from a place of hope. There are people in our nation who want to lead with values, to correct this break from our identity dating back 4,000 years.”

Kallach’s organization, Netsach Israel, is focused on bringing this hope back to the country. “The struggle we face today is between the Jewish state and the state for the Jews. We have a destiny and a mission to reestablish a sovereign nation in Zion,” he explained. “This is beyond Herzl’s vision of a ‘self shelter’ for Jews — it is our destiny as a people to be a light unto the nations.”

So how, then, will this prophecy be fulfilled? According to Kallach, Israeli society is already moving in this direction, as evidenced by the mass religious revival that has occurred in recent years. “There are so many doing teshuva; you see young IDF soldiers with their tzitzit out, even though they don’t even know what it is. This is symbolic of a greater movement that is happening right now.”

Kallach explained that after spending decades trying to justify the need for a “safe shelter,” and the Jewish presence in Zion, Israel has actually cultivated the presence of terrorism, ultimately culminating in the events of Oct. 7. “If I could sum up their perspective in one sentence, it would be, ‘From the river to the sea, we will have peace and love and be free.’ They truly believe that, and the only way to mitigate that is by regaining our tradition, regaining our roots and regaining our identity. We have to reeducate society to develop the correct mindset.”

“Netsach Israel seeks to bring dignity to our nation, to bring confidence to the people and restore freedom of speech and thought back to the citizens,” Kallach continued. “We are not a political party, rather we are an institution of the ‘third section’ of Israel society, so that we can achieve our mission and operate in reality. We are establishing a movement to bring our society back together again.”

Ultimately, Kallach’s goal for Netsach Israel — and for the entire nation — is clear: to restart the Jewish state. “We need to renew our spirit. Our mission is to save the Jewish state, not the state of the Jews, and there’s a difference. We need to change our mindset and make sure that we can never eradicate Jewish identity from the Jewish state. And we need our brothers with us.”

Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts or on The Jewish Link’s YouTube channel. More information about Netsach Israel can be found at netsach-israel.org.

Channa Fischer is digital editor of The Jewish Link and producer of The Pitch Meeting podcast. For guest bookings, email her at [email protected].