The Unbreakable People
A few weeks ago, I returned from the most meaningful and inspirational trip I have ever been on. If I were to begin to tell you all the countless stories of the incredible heroes that I encountered, we could be here for hours, so I have decided to focus on one story that deeply impacted me, the story of Alon, a young soldier I met at the Tel Hashomer Rehabilitation Center.
Alon is a 27-year-old man who married his high school sweetheart, Yali, just a mere month before October 7th. They were in Greece celebrating their honeymoon when the news broke. Without hesitation, Alon jumped onto the next flight back to Israel. He drove straight down to the south and, after a few days, reunited with his unit to enter Gaza.
While in Gaza, a booby trap exploded, sending Alon flying. He regained consciousness and with sheer willpower, kept reminding himself to stay awake, as he had learnt from watching a famous American TV show Grey’s Anatomy. Despite being dropped from the stretcher on the way to the helicopter, Alon managed to hold on until he was safely on board, after which he lost consciousness.
Alon swiftly landed in Israel. I was impressed to learn how quickly these standby helicopters transport soldiers—taking just 30-45 minutes to fly back to Israel and straight to the hospital.
Alon was whisked away into an operating room, where they operated on him for 14 hours. Yes, you read right, 14 hours. He then was in a coma for 5 days. Since then, he has had another 12 operations during which the brilliant Israeli surgeons have managed to take different parts of his body and use them to repair his upper body and leg where they are needed. Don’t ask me for details; I am not a doctor, but you get the gist.
Alon is clearly physically wounded, but his spirit shows the exact opposite. He is far from being healed and has a lot more rehabilitation and procedures to go through. Yet, despite all of this he is the most warm, positive, charismatic and bubbly guy you could meet, filled with a lot of Israeli chutzpah and passion.
Alon is just one of the Tzadikim of our country—just one, but there are countless more.
When I asked Alon and all the wounded soldiers if they regretted their time in Gaza, or if given the opportunity would they return to the army and fight, all confidently and unequivocally exclaimed a loud and resounding “yes!”
They all want to bring back the hostages and defend their homeland and their people. They are truly the modern-day Maccabees.
I made sure to give a heartfelt and genuine ‘thank you’ to every single soldier I met in Israel. Some initially thought I was crazy and some even laughed. But when I explained to them that they are not only protecting Eretz Yisrael but are protecting me, here in Sydney, Australia, they truly realised what a Zchut (merit) and honour it is to protect our land and our people. Just a mere 80 years ago, this was not possible.
Last week’s Torah portion was Parshat Devarim, the final book of the Torah, where Moshe begins to review everything the Jewish people encountered, from the Exodus from Egypt to their 40 years in the desert. Moshe reminds them of their past mistakes and encourages them to observe the Torah and Mitzvot as they enter the Land of Israel. Moshe continues with an integral message for the Jewish people, “Do not fear them [your enemies], for it is the Lord your G-d who is fighting for you” (Deuteronomy 3:22). Moshe also speaks to Yehoshua, the future leader of the Jewish people who would bring them into the Holy land saying, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to them, and I will be with you…. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8).
These messages are so appropriate and by divine providence kept echoing in my mind throughout my entire trip.
Honesty, there were moments in Israel, especially at the Nova site where my tears did not stop, where I kept asking myself, G-d, where are you? G-d, how could you do this to Your people, how?!
With all the chaos and turmoil in this world—the looming threat of Iran, the holy kedoshim killed Al Kiddush Hashem, and hostages still being held captive—the world can feel pretty bleak. And just when you think the bleakness is over, it’s compounded by the indoctrination and falsehood being spewed left, right, and center, in a matter of seconds, with just one click of a button. Truth has been turned on its head. This world is filled with Sheker (falsehood).
If I wanted to, if we wanted to, we could be crying every second. Especially the people living in Israel—everyone has been impacted by the war. There is so much sadness and devastation, and yet, despite having their lives turned upside down, they were the ones who kept reminding me that there is a higher power at work, and that we are living through history.
I don’t know how this war will end, but I do know that G-d is out there, controlling every part of this world—from a leaf falling from a tree to you reading this blogpost right now. I do not understand G-d’s ways, nor will I ever. That is not my job. What I do know for certain is that my job is to spread goodness and kindness, to turn the physical into the spiritual, to bring heaven down to earth.
Whenever I am kind to another person, whenever I make a blessing on that apple, I am fulfilling G-d’s mission. We all have our mission and purpose. We all impact each other; our actions here matter and help our people in Eretz Yisrael just like they are helping and protecting us.
We need to keep strong and remember, “Beyachad Nenatzeiach,” “Together we will win,” when G-d sees His people together and unified, this brings Him the ultimate joy.
I know that we, the Jewish people, are doing our best, and now, G-d, I have a message for You: Just as Moshe said, You will defeat our enemies. Please make this a reality very soon. Amen!
