Israel

Arevut hadadit

ערבות הדדית

mutual responsibility; an obligation towards one another

Resilience Mechanism

When another person’s wellbeing is recognised as a shared responsibility, their need becomes a reason for others to act. Mutual obligations distribute the burden of crisis between the individual and the community and turn support from a voluntary gesture into an established norm.

What It Means

In this context, Arevut hadadit means mutual responsibility or mutual guarantee. It is based on the understanding that people exist within networks of interdependence and that their safety and wellbeing are connected with the wellbeing of others.

It is more than empathy or solidarity as a feeling. Responsibility takes practical form: being present, sharing burdens, providing assistance and acting for another person’s physical, social and psychological wellbeing.

How It Works in a Crisis

During a sudden shock, existing horizontal relationships can rapidly become practical infrastructure.

People may organise local aid centres, temporary accommodation, distribution of supplies, psychosocial support and connections with formal services. The mechanism depends on trust, local knowledge and willingness to carry part of a shared burden. Civic networks can provide speed and flexibility, but their role is to complement rather than replace public and professional systems.

What happens

A sudden shock creates local needs
What we focus on

Existing horizontal ties and trust
How we act

Self-organised assistance and coordination
What it gives

Rapid support linked with public services

A Lesson for Other Countries

Resilience is strengthened when vertical state capacity is combined with horizontal networks of mutual responsibility.

These relationships need to be developed in ordinary times rather than improvised after a crisis begins. The lesson is to turn concern for others into a durable practice: build trust, local networks, mutual-aid skills and clear interfaces with public services.

Responsibility for another person should become an ordinary social norm rather than an exceptional act of heroism.

Responsibility for another person should become an ordinary social norm rather than an exceptional act of heroism.

Where It Comes From

The concept is rooted in Jewish legal and ethical tradition, including the formula Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh — “all Jews are responsible for one another.” In contemporary Israel, Arevut hadadit also functions as a civic language for shared responsibility.

It carries obligations in two directions: individuals are accountable to the community, while communities and public institutions have responsibilities for the safety and wellbeing of their members.

What It Looks Like Today

The concept appears through local mutual-aid groups, civilian coordination centres, cross-sector initiatives, volunteering and psychosocial support. These networks often rely on relationships built before an emergency.

Their role is complementary rather than substitutive: decentralised civic capacity provides speed, flexibility and relational trust, while public systems provide legal authority, scale, professional standards and continuity.

Limits of the Concept

The concept does not imply unanimity and does not reflect the experience of all people and groups in Israel in the same way.

It should not be used as evidence of unconditional “national unity” or as a way to conceal social, political and cultural differences. Mutual responsibility also cannot be confined to close or familiar circles: what matters is whether it crosses social, cultural, political and economic divides. Civic mobilisation does not release the state from responsibility for security, social protection and continuity of assistance to the population. The resilience of the system requires clear roles and coordination between public institutions and autonomous community networks.

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