Oct. 7 changed how some Israelis practice Judaism

In the weeks after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, religiously charged videos started circulating on social media. Dozens of young women posted videos of themselves cutting up their “immodest” clothing, jeans, crop tops, minidresses, vowing to replace them with modest skirts and head coverings.

In one viral TikTok clip, a young influencer solemnly shears her wardrobe to shreds, declaring it an offering for national deliverance. “Creator of the world, as I cut these clothes, cut away the harsh decrees against Israel,” she says, explaining that she would not even donate the garments lest she “cause someone else to stumble” by wearing them.

Other images circulated too, of tefillin pop-ups, neighborhood challah-bakes, and, on both social media and the street, a noticeable rise in religious amulets and pendants. Hamsas, Stars of David, and necklaces shaped as the map of Israel or the ancient Temple in Jerusalem appeared everywhere.

Increased religious practice remains two years later

Two years later, as the grinding war in Gaza largely wound down, those early scenes have taken on the feel of a specific moment in time. Still, the spiritual jolt of those first weeks has not fully faded, and increased religious practice has become part of the country’s daily rhythm.

A poll released in November by the Jewish People Policy Institute found that 27% of Israelis have increased their observance of religious customs since the war began. Roughly a third of Jewish Israelis say they are praying more frequently than before the war, and about 20% report reading the Tanach or psalms more often.

A rabbi mans a stand to pray with tefillin in south Tel Aviv, Oct. 8, 2023.