Ofir, Hashem Yikom Damo

A true gut punch this morning, when it was announced that my friend Ofir was killed in captivity by Hamas. Ofir and I were on the 834 Dvora boat together during my army service. I will remember him as a funny, kind, smiley, brave, energetic team-player, who loved to mess and joke around. I imagined the end of his story in Gaza being one where he told us all about how he played backgammon with the terrorists and won most of the games.

He went to the party to celebrate his 27th birthday with his girlfriend, and heroically let others (including her) escape in the car before him.

I hope you find peace wherever you are, and that you can always watch the sun setting into the sea like we loved.

ה יקום דמו, יהי זכרו ברוך.

Just a Drill!

As I was working in my office alone, I suddenly heard noise in our building and outside. I jogged to the kids' room, and I see soldiers running up the street with their guns pointed out, ducking, hiding, etc. My heart fell into my butt for half a second until it triggered the memory of the message we had gotten the day before about a drill.

Once I realized, I calmed down and went downstairs to see. I went to the head, and asked if I could join the force, even with my being in the navy - she said she is all full at the moment. I did invite her to use our apartment as part of the drill if they wanted, which they loved the idea. She just asked me first "are your parents home?" which made me smile and say they don't live there but my wife and kids aren't home either. 

As the drill continued, one of the officers came in and used the kids room to "shoot" down at the soldiers on the street. I asked if he wanted anything to drink, and gave him a can of coke. 

Then the soldiers came up the building, when he "shot" most of them coming to the door. Finally, he decided that one of them had shot him well enough, and he laid down on the floor. All in all, an entertaining few minutes. 

HOWEVER - our neighbors across the hall, who are refugees from the north, did not have any inkling of what was going on. A few minutes after this, I got a call from Shifra who after finding out that I was alive, said the neighbors are hysterical right now, with all the noise and two armed men running into our apartment. 

I walked over there and told them it was a drill. They were still half crying, and they had gotten kitchen knives out. I stayed with them for about 10 minutes calming them down, and explaining all the things the soldiers were practicing. I gave them Chizzuk, saying that now we now that Chas VeShalom in a real event, they acted in the way they should and didn't freeze up. The sheer relief all over their face said it all - we are living in truly crazy times right now, and I don't blame them for being terrified. An eventful day.

Charlie, step on down

 Charlie has been called up to serve in the defense forces, in this holy war. Wishing him to go in peace, come back in peace, and to make them regret October 7th

Broken

 After much debate, I decided to join a contact flag football team this season. It felt inapprpriate at first, but I decided we need to live life, and I need to get off my butt and be active. I joined a team different than my one from the previous season, because most of those guys are protecting us. Our second game was last week, and we had been obliterated the week before. 

Early in the game, I tried to make an end zone catch, but the defender and I both landed on the ground, with him landing on my arm. It hurt a little, but certainly not enough to come out. I stayed in, and made 2 touchdown catches in the game after the injury - with one being a contsted catch over my head. We won 13-7 (I also had a TD taken off the board because of a badly blown whistle).

I got home and it started to hurt. I shook it off, took Hila and Hadar shopping, and when we got back it really hurt. I was pretty sure I sprained it. Shifra sent me to terem for xrays, and they put a cast on. On Sunday, the orthopedist confirmed that I broke my scaphoid. Suprisingly, it as my first ever break. I am now in a cast for about 8 weeks. 

It stopped hurting a few days later luckily, but I am very limited. I unfortunately cannot wash dishes, change diapers, or do much around the house. 

I can no longer say I have never broken anything. And I can certainly say that if this was it for my season, I am happy I stayed in and went out like that. Eitan asked me if I was going to play football again when I can. I told him, I certainly am. We don't stop doing things we love because we are scared about the what if.

Nachal Oz Refugees

Last night, as part of Grilling For IDF's first major BBQ for refugees, I found myself in a Kibbutz up north, grilling hamburgers and steaks for 400 men, women, toddlers, and grandparents from the southern Kibbutz of Nachal Oz. 

I could tell you about Yuval and Eden, the couple who had finally put the finishing touches on their dream house they had built (but not yet garden), and now have no idea when they will be able (or even willing) to move back to the home, now with bullet holes decorating some of the walls.

I could tell you about watching a 9 year old girl putting ketchup on her hamburger, and thinking about how devastating it is that her father will never be able to help her with ketchup or anything else again.

I could tell you about Gad, who wanted a steak right off the grill I was cooking from, who told me that everyone in the kibbutz basically knows each other, and he knows them all because he worked at the Makolet (small convenience store).

I could tell you about the panic that Dovi and Shirel felt when they went outside after the red siren alerts which are unfortunately "normal" and then saw the pickup trucks driving right outside the kibbutz fence.

I could tell you about Michael, a 3 year old who saved his family by putting down the hard shades outside the glass door the afternoon before so he could watch TV.  

I could tell you about Shira, a young mother with a 4 year old who is so pure she told our volunteers giving out candy that she had already gotten a bag, and a 10 month old who did not give away their position in the sealed room. They had just moved to Nachal Oz 2 months prior.

I could tell you about 2 girls who were kidnapped, who lived with their father until he was murdered on the 7th, and now it is unclear about who they will live with after the hostage deal. The entire Kibbutz is waiting for them. I could tell you about the 5 other hostages the Kibbutz is thinking about, who have a much murkier path of returning.

I could tell you about Shimon, who had Gazan employees work for him (enabling them to make 10X what they would have made in Gaza), side by side, and never had any fear. He says he still doesn't have any fear, but he no longer has trust in them.

I could tell you about the hidden miracles (or coincidences if you prefer) that went on in the Kibbutz, like the fact that soldiers from an elite unit happened to sleep in the Kibbutz the night of October 6th after a late night mission they had to do in the area, and prevented the 300+ terrorists from murdering to the extent that they did in Beeri and Kfar Aza, or the fact that when the terrorists tried to break into Yuval's house, they shot at the lock, jamming it completely.

I could tell you about the love from Israeli citizens and Jews worldwide that the Kibbutz members feel, while simultaneously feeling abandoned by our leadership, who have not given them any plans for living, financial grants, or even visited or spoken to members of the Kibbutz.

But mostly what I want to tell you is that I fell in love with a Kibbutz I have never been to. And each story is more how-can-this-be-real-life than the next. They are strong, warm, and determined people. I cannot wait to see the way their lives are rebuilt once this is over, and hopefully help them do it. I pray that each one of these people can go home soon, and rebuild the life that was destroyed. 

(All names are not real to protect their privacy.)

How can this be?

What does a daddy tell his 4 year old when he hears the terrorists break into the house, while they are hiding in the sealed room? Does he tell him that his promise that he will always keep his little boy safe is no longer valid? Does he tell him how much he loves him? Does he talk about the fun times they had? Does he give him instructions on what to do if he is shot or captured, who to go to, how to use a phone?

How does he deal with entertaining an excitable 2.5 year old, stuck in a room for 30 hours?

And what about the 4 month old, the pure face that may never grow up and crawl, walk, and talk. What if she starts crying, and gives away their position?

These used to be questions that I would ask myself at random moments, thinking about the unimaginable times in Poland, Hungary, Ukraine in the 1940s. Somehow, I am asking myself the same questions about Kibbutzes, located a 40 minute drive from my house, here in 2023. 

Hadar is in a click

 Hadar's ganenet asked her to clean something up. She said no. The gananet said to pick it up again. She looked at her, and turned to her friends, Sara and Liora. They whispered together and must have decided not to do it, because Hadari looked straight at her ganenet and said "Lo!".

She ended up cleaning it up, but I can't believe my baby girl is in a click. She's so cute. Can't believe she is about to be 3 - I need to get going on her video. 

The ups and downs - KY8

 On Saturday night of October 7th, I looked at my Google Calendar to figure out what would obviously not be happening. There was a Lions Panthers game which all of a sudden seemed pretty unimportant (I still watched, but by myself and not focused). There were work meetings that would obviously not be happening, because the people with whom I was supposed to meet were called up (S/O Maor and Shiran). And there was a wedding I had been extremely excited for, Ezra's (my younger Chavruta in KY8).

When they annoucned they'd be pushing it off, I got it. Its so hard, plus their brothers would not have been able to attend. 

When the day finally came (unfortunately on a Sunday night - come on man), I was very excited. The Chuppa was beautiful, with special prayers for the state and soldiers, and everyone singing together. His wife also stopped the whole show to speak for a few minutes, in one of the best speeches I have ever heard. So so happy for them. 

It was crazy to see guys from yeshiva who had literally been in Gaza that morning, and hear their stories. It was great to hug Rav Yishay who has been up north on a base. He literally officiated the wedding and then switched to Madim to go back. We went home, and watched the Lions unlikely comeback on the Bears, which was certainly fun (Shifra was even up for the last few minutes at 1 AM).

And then, the next morning, a message from Yeshiva. We are sorry to inform of the falling of our student, Eitan D. I never met him that I can recall, but he seems like a very special person, and it always hurts more when you can visualize their life while alive. 

The ups and downs...