Shabbat Shalom
Last night was unbelievable! Your generous donations provided $1000 worth of meat for a massive cookout for 500 soldiers and their families. The place was absolutely packed. About a third of the people there had no place to sit. But no one was complaining. As we entered, there was so much smoke from the cookout that you could barely see … but you could surely smell it!
The soldiers of Battalion 8110 have been in Gaza for four months. Now they get one week off. As we walked in, we saw children hugging their fathers, fathers with two children in their arms, and some on their shoulders.
But it wasn’t all good news. We met a man named Yosi, who had been working to feed soldiers on the border. You can see his story below, it’s only about two minutes.
He said the soldiers are so happy when they came out to see that he was cooking food for them. But there was also a sadness because one of their beloved commanders was killed in battle the day before. Major (res.) Yitzhar Hofman was a commander in the Israeli Air Force's elite Shaldag unit.
YNET wrote, “Hofman, who fought Hamas terrorists and saved many in Be'eri during the October 7 atrocities, killed in a fight against terrorists in the Shati refugee camp; Although wounded once during the war, returned to fight again.”
I’ve never been in the military. Up until a few months ago, the closest I came to experiencing a real war was going into my safe room when rockets were fired against Israel. Having spent the past four months with thousands of soldiers, I can tell you that it is an amazing thing to see the love, unity, camaraderie, and selflessness among the soldiers.
Unlike what is being reported around the world, to this day, I have never seen one soldier mention something derogatory against Arabs. We actually have Arabs in our army. Last night, during the speeches from different leaders, yes, there was talk of victory, but you never heard the word Arab or even Hamas. The soldiers wanted to defend the people of Israel against the terrorists that perpetrated October 7. They want to bring the hostages home. And then they want to get on with their lives and careers.
Over the next few weeks, more and more soldiers will be getting to come home for some relief. After last night, we were asked to provide several thousand dollars more for an upcoming gathering, and of course, we said yes. We’ll compile a video from what happened last night for next week.
We can’t do this without you, and we’re so grateful for your partnership. You were making an unbelievable difference in the lives of Israeli soldiers, and they know it. I always tell them that it is believers in the nations that are sending these donations. After I interviewed Yosi, that was the first thing I told him. He was overjoyed.
Let’s continue!
Today in Part 7 of our series, Ron interviews Aviatar, a commander who valiantly defended Kibbutz Zikim for many hours on October 7 -- a dozen or so Israelis against many, many terrorists armed with RPGs, grenades, and more.
WATCH this important interview!
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