These days, statistics that on the one hand, are disturbing, but on the other hand are calming and explain a lot of questions. It turns out that a foreign digital network, apparently Iranian, has been operating in the past several years to create discord and division in Israeli society.
Among other things, it is responsible for creating fake videos of rabbis allegedly inciting violence against LGBTQs; Telegram groups spreading rumors of treason within the IDF; bots that plant hateful talkbacks against the right, etc.
Beyond the interesting insight that the enemy also recognizes the heart of Israeli resilience and tries to attack it, one can also be assured that much of the hateful and divisive atmosphere is a virtual fake.
As a "field rabbi" I travel extensively and meet with different audiences across the country. In recent years, I have noticed that there is a big gap, much too large, between what is said in meetings with real people as opposed to the discourse on social media. One example among many is that in a conversation with an anti-reform pilot, I asked him about a horrific sentence he supposedly sent me in a Facebook message, and it turned out to be a fake account.
It is clear that agents of chaos attach themselves to real disagreements that exist in society, but it must be understood that beyond inventing fictions, they also create subconscious radicalization. The campaign, for example, of portraying religious Zionism and settlers as a "government of cheats" is not only evil but also foolish. You have to be delusional to run such a campaign against a population that makes up fifty percent of the fallen. However, in the end, there was the stupid politician and the evil (and real) campaigner who put him up to run, because something in his virtual environment convinced him that hate speech will work.
What can be done about it? First relax and understand that the actual situation is much better than what is seen on social networks and some of the media; second, from now on, examine any rumor that comes from an anonymous source; third, when you encounter hate speech online, you can reply with the slogan: "You hate too much – you're probably an Iranian bot".
We will win with God's help. Outside and inside.