Seeing Evil

I saw evil. Real evil. I saw it hiding in the bushes, four pairs of eyes staring my friends and I down. Before that day, if you’d asked me what evil was, I probably would’ve laughed and said, “My childhood bully, maybe my ex?” But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Can’t get to the main point without a little story, right? Let me rewind a few hours. It was October 8th, the day before I was drafted to my reserves unit and immediately sent to the south. The day before was a blur of commotion I can barely remember. A small team—just me, three other soldiers, and a police officer—were sent to the Netivot area to shut down a main highway. Terrorists were on the loose, on foot, in stolen cars, ambulances, and their own trucks. We had to stop them. No matter the cost.

The right side of the highway was lined with thick shrubbery, backed by vast fields. On the left, the city began at the edge of the highway. We stood on that highway all night, for about 12 hours, with barely any ammo, helmets that didn’t fit properly, and vests so old my great-grandfather probably wore one in the War of Independence. The sound of automatic gunfire surrounded us, like we were trapped in a sound dome. The shots seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that just a day ago, I was living my civilian life at home—and here I am now.

As the sun started to rise, the exhaustion kicked in hard—until one of the soldiers suddenly shouted, “Faces! Faces in the bushes!” We all turned to the thick shrubbery, and sure enough, four pairs of eyes stared right at us- two faces, belonging to what seemed to be men. With a burst of adrenaline, we chased them on foot, through the shrubbery and into the fields. Those moments are a blur, because as chaotic as it was, I quietly and consciously made peace with the fact that our lives might end right there.

It was an event that probably lasted no more than two minutes, but it felt like days. Eventually, we caught them. What happened in the minutes that followed, I won’t share, but there’s little doubt they were involved in and committed crimes against humanity. Before they were taken away by the police backup that had arrived, we locked eyes for a few seconds. It was then that I understood that I am bearing witness to real evil. Evil wasn’t my childhood bully, and it wasn’t my ex. I can’t fully explain what I saw in their eyes, but my soul knew it was evil, and that my perception of life had been forever changed.

So why tell this story? Why more than a year later? Great question. After returning to my civilian life, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on those moments- witnessing evil, making peace with the possibility of death. I started to feel the need to do something with this experience—to share it and be part of the collective that bore witness to crimes against humanity. I also hope that by sharing, I can offer some healing to others who need it.

“The eyes, Chico, they never lie”.