Multi-level solidarity in crisis response: insights from Israeli kibbutz communities following 7 October 2023

Solidarity intensifies during crises, yet little is known about how it evolves and operates across multiple organisational levels in prolonged displacement contexts. This study examines solidarity manifestations in Israeli kibbutz communities following the 7 October 2023 crisis, which displaced over 143,000 individuals. Using de Beer and Koster’s (2009) multidimensional solidarity framework, we analysed newsletters, interviews (n = 46), and questionnaires from 30+ kibbutzim to document solidarity expressions across micro (interpersonal), meso (community), and macro (movementwide) levels over an 18month period. Findings reveal three key patterns: (1) solidarity evolved temporally from spontaneous/informal to institutionalised/formal across all dimensions simultaneously; (2) solidarity operated interdependently across organisational levels, with institutional infrastructure scaffolding collective action; and (3) historical communal traditions moderated both the intensity and forms of solidarity expression. These findings extend solidarity theory by demonstrating the temporal dynamics and multi-scalar integration of solidarity in crisis contexts, and by identifying ‘facilitated solidarity’, enabled by pre-existing communal infrastructure, as distinct from purely spontaneous or compulsory forms. Practical implications include the importance of preserving communal infrastructure and institutional memory for crisis preparedness in intentional communities.