I was born in Haifa, Israel, but when I was eight years old my parents moved to New Jersey. I knew then that I would come back to serve in the IDF. Indeed, when I was 17, I left home to join a Hesder Yeshiva in Maale Adumim. For a year and a half, we learned Torah, following which my buddies were about to join the IDF, and I wanted to go with them. We served in the Paratroopers brigade in south Lebanon and I was even injured by a Hezbollah roadside bomb. Baruch Hashem, I survived and served for many years in the IDF reserves.
To fight in the IDF, the first Jewish fighting force in 2,000 years, is an amazing honor and is a life-changing experience.
But now we are ALL called to be in the IDF – in our own ways. The attack on our peoplehood takes on many forms and we can all take part in the fight wherever we are. This war is no joke and no, it will not end soon. This will not be a year of peace and calm, but rather of conflict and battle. We must bless each other with victory and all find a way to give a hand. In the end we will be proud of what we did, and this war will result in a stronger Israel and a higher consciousness of Hashem.
