Heroes’ Unforgettable NY Shabbos

At a time of increasing insecurity in Israeli American relationships, this past Shabbos nearly one thousand Jews came to show support and admiration for ten Israeli soldiers who were severely wounded defending their country, most of them during operation Cast Lead in 2009. The soldiers were brought to New York for an all-expense-paid ten day trip of fun, pleasure and inspiration by the Chabad Israel Center of the Upper East side, directed by Rabbi Uriel Vigler, and in cooperation with the Chabad Terror Victims Program of Israel, directed by Rabbis Menahem Kutner and Yossi Swerdlov.

Friday night, over 300 people attended a magnificently catered Shabbat meal, and heard the heart-wrenching yet miraculous and inspiring stories of these soldiers.

Amichai, a twenty two year old Golani commander, shared how immediately after the ceasefire was declared he found himself alone with a friend in hostile territory. His friend, Oren, was standing without his helmet or bulletproof vest and Amichai commanded him to protect himself. “Who do you think you are to command me?” Oren replied yet he proceeded to follow the orders. Minutes later they were hit by a mortar and their vests were torn apart by the shrapnel, but their lives were saved. Then, a terrorist approached to ‘finish the job’ and shot Amichai in the arm from point blank range, and the aimed at his head. “My life passed before my eyes,” recounts Amichai, “I was sure I was going to die, when Oren managed to shoot the terrorist killing him instantly. I saved his life, and then he saved mine.” When asked if he would do it all over again, Amichai replied instantly, “Yes. In a second.”

Afterwards, everyone joined together for a spirited dance of ‘Am Israel chai’, and ‘Moshiach Moshiach Moshiach’.

During a packed Shabbat morning service, many of the soldiers received an aliyah and spontaneous hakafot broke out after each one.

By the Kiddush, each of the soldiers got up to speak about themselves and their injuries, and expressed thanks to the Chabad Israel center community for sponsoring this trip and the warm welcome. Aharon shared how he survived seven different terror attacks, and how he was terribly burned on a bus bomb that killed everyone on the bus except for him and his friend sitting next to him who was protected from shrapnel by Aharon’s body. “We feel like we are part of a family, and we are comfortable speaking here even in a broken English about events that we rarely talk about even in Hebrew.”

Shabbat afternoon, the soldiers were honored at Congreagation Orach Chaim in a rare event that united all major Upper East synagogues together. Rabbi Michael Schmidman of Orach Chaim, Rabbi Haskel Lookstein of Kehillat Jeshurun, and Rabbi Bentzion Krasnianski, Shliach of Chabad of the Upper East Side each spoke eloquently to a large crowd of over 200 people about the greatness and holiness of the soldiers.

Rabbi Yossi Swerdlov related how the Chabad Terror Victims Program in Israel cares for over three thousand (lo alinu) victims of terror and supplies them with much needed material and spiritual support long after their names have faded from the headlines.

The renowned Chazzan Stark sang a beautiful song to the fitting words of ‘Shomer Yisroel.’

Rabbi Vigler summed it up best when he said, “We named this project Belev Ecad because it reveals how as Jews, notwithstanding our differences, we are one people with one heart.”