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It was a self-image born of lethal force.
And it was a self-image that died of it.
Well fight the battle, the stubborn Meir says in her Yiddish-inflected Hebrew, and win again.
But entropy is typically the true winner after moments of foolish pride.
So when Egyptian and Syrian forces launch a surprise attack, everyones on their back foot.
The conceptzia is shattered beyond repair, never to fully return.
As such, its hard to overstate the wars impact on the country.
Everything changed at one point in 1973.
It was a different country.
And when it ended, it was the most awful trauma.
He pauses for a beat, then adds, An unnecessary trauma.
But Israels filmmakers have produced precious little work about it.
It shows you that its very hard for people to touch the story.
We wanted Israelis to ask themselves at the end of the show, did they become better?
Did events change us for the better?
Are we better people after this war?
And what of the audience in the U.S.?
If they play their cards right, they hope, Americans will gain a new perspective on that clash.
We dont want to say, Okay, this is a history lesson, says Cohen.
I really hope that [Americans] will watch it the same way asGomorrahorBabylon Berlin.
One can make a pretty compelling argument for Syrian revanchism, butValley of Tearsdoesnt seem interested in exploring it.
These Israeli shows are coming from very particular places that dont accurately reflect realities on the ground.
They dont interpret the conflict in a way that centers the biggest victims of the entire place.
These Sephardic characters find themselves caught between their dueling instincts to defend their country and to burn it down.
Dealing with the Black Panthers was a way to show how the war changed Israel, says Cohen.
And that change was not necessarily for the better, in the creators eyes.
So, what is that second Israel that the war birthed?
The Yom Kippur War fractured the Israeli society, says Cohen.
You call it being selfish, perhaps, but its about looking at yourself first and not your country.
Will there be greater equality and cohesion?
Or will the cynicism and division generate something even more awful than what we see today?
Its not a historical piece, he says.
This is something that is relevant for now.
And even for next year.
Correction: an earlier version of this article misstated the percentage of the Israeli casualties in relation to population.
It has been updated.
