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Yeshiva of Flatbush Solidarity Mission to Israel Marked by Outpouring of Love and Concern for IDF

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Members of the YOF trip to Israel meet with IDF soldiers pictured here
Group shot of YOF solidarity mission to Israel participants.
Jack Mann, (second to right) is shown here lifting the spirits of Israeli soldiers during the YOF solidarity mission to Israel
YOF solidarity mission to Israel participants bring cheer and joy to Israeli soldiers in a festive gathering.
Murray Maleh, Yola Ashkenzie, Jessica Anteby Lilly Sutton, Joseph Maleh, Bobby Tawil, Michal Gindi, Richard offenbacher, Etty Mizrahi, Joyce Tawil, and Lynn Harary bring support and cheer to wounded IDF soldier in Soroka Hospital in Be’ersheba
Rabbi Naftali Besser (middle with white shirt and tie), along with other YOF solidarity mission participants address Israeli soldiers with words of chizuk (strength)

Enthusiasm, joy, love and the immense pleasure of giving to others are the operative words in describing the exalted emotions of 40 people who have recently returned from the Yeshivah of Flatbush solidarity mission to Israel. While other organizations and schools have organized similar trips to Israel to display support for Israel during Operation Protective Edge, the YOF trip was unique in that it “created real bonds between us and the people of Israel, especially the IDF soldiers who have fought so valiantly for their homeland,” said Rabbi Naftali Besser, Dean of Students at YOF’s Joel Braverman High School.

“We called our trip the ‘Chizuk and Achdut’ mission to Israel,” said Rabbi Besser, adding that the very name embodied the spirit and substance of the three day sojourn. With palpable emotion reverberating in his voice, Rabbi Besser said, “There is no greater sense of fulfillment than showing others that you care and that’s precisely what we did during every moment of our trip.”

Explaining that the motivation and driving force behind the solidarity mission, Rabbi Besser said that, “Israel is being thoroughly bashed in the media and we thought this is all the more reason to go. Israel, its people, its brave soldiers must feel so isolated as though they are the world’s pariah, so we decided to travel there and show them that they are supported wholeheartedly and to help in every way we could. We wanted to send a strong message from the Jewish community living outside of Israel that we are with them.”

Rabbi Besser added that a significant percentage of YOF alumni are currently serving in the IDF or have served in previous conflicts.

With 40 YOF parents, friends and administrators, the group took off on August 10th and returned on Friday morning August 15th and each moment was literally spent traveling to hospitals, army bases, military facilities such as Iron Dome sites, kibbutzim in the Negev region as well as cities and towns that are being hardest hit by Hamas rocket fire. The group visited Kibbutz Saad that is located very close to the Gaza border as well as Sderot and Ofakim to help elevate the spirits of those residing there amidst the incessant sirens heralding yet more rocket attacks.

Rabbi Besser said the group visited wounded soldiers at the Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva as well as Tel HaShomer Hospital. “Some of these soldiers were so badly wounded, yet they were so grateful that we came to visit them. They really don’t see themselves as heroes and can’t believe that we, living outside of Israel see them as such but we do, as do many other Jews in the world and we let them know that.”

Speaking of the group’s emotional trip to Jerusalem, Rabbi Besser said that one of the most profound moments was when he took 70 soldiers who had been stationed in Gaza and took them to the Kotel (Western Wall) to recite the Birkat HaGomel prayer, that expresses heartfelt gratitude to HaShem for shielding them from harm’s way and saving their lives in a potentially fatal situation.

“Many of these soldiers had lost very good friends and relatives in Operation Protective Edge and the stress of combat combined with the emotional loss they sustained made it very difficult. Just seeing their entire beings immersed in prayer and the joy they radiated created such bonds of unity and love and for that we are overjoyed,” said Rabbi Besser.

The YOF group also sponsored a “Yom Kef” ( a four hour respite) for soldiers and those living in the southern part of Israel. “Everyone enjoyed time relaxing; we had a barb-b-que as well as swimming and lots of lively music,” said Rabbi Besser.

Another YOF solidarity mission participant, Jennifer Tawil told the Jewish Voice that she visits Israel every May to connect with the soldiers and people there. “When the war this summer first began, I was worried that one of the soldiers that I had met on previous visits might be in danger during battle. It was then that I knew I wanted to go now, to show our support,” she said.

“These soldiers are very aware of world opinion against Israel. When I speak to them, they tell me that they don’t want to be at war. They feel they have to protect themselves,” she said.

She added that she tells them that “we are not safe in America if Israel is in danger. Israel protects America.”

Nothing brought more gladness to the soldiers in Israel than more than 1000 letters from young children that were posted on Instagram said Ms. Tawil. “They (the soldiers) just wouldn’t let go of the pictures and letters from these kids. It meant so very much to them and their smiles were ample evidence of that,” she added.

in a voice cracking with emotion, Ms. Tawil recalled a visit with a soldier who was a friend of 2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin, a Givati Brigade recon officer, who was killed during Operation Protective Edge when a Hamas suicide bomber emerged from a tunnel in Rafah, ran towards the squad of troops, and blew himself up. “This soldier has asked me if I knew who Hadar Goldin was and he told me had lost three close friends. It was truly heartbreaking,” she said, holding back tears.

Also visiting Iron Dome anti-missile sites throughout the Negev region, Ms. Tawil told of the group’s unique experience talking with a soldier who had the most rocket interceptions. “He explained to us how the Iron Dome calibrates and when the precise time is to launch. It was fascinating, ” she said.

At the Tel HaShomer hospital in Ramat Gan, Ms. Tawil spoke of the ‘Tikvot’ program that helps to rehabilitate soldiers following combat. “We visited with many soldiers who were experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and these programs are aimed at providing rehabilitation through sports, music, the arts and talk therapy,” she said.

“There was a woman who went from bed to bed, cheering up wounded soldiers, telling them there is life after this,’ said Ms. Tawil. She added that she met a 19-year old soldier who had his foot amputated as well seeing a boy who had to have his jaw wired shut as a result of combat injuries. “Another member of our group saw a young soldier whose face had to be entirely reconstructed,” she said.

YOF high school English teacher Shifra Hannon also spoke with enthusiasm about her participation in the school’s solidarity mission. “I must say that there was perfect timing in this trip,” said Ms. Hannon. “I have worked with Rabbi Besser for 30 years and our school has gone on other solidarity missions throughout the years, but I was never able to go because I was working. Now was my time to experience the opportunity to show support for Israel and help our soldiers,” she said.

She said that group was comprised of both younger and older people and “we brought joy to people who suffered tragedy. The gratitude of these soldiers and their families was truly incredible.”

Ms. Hannon said that the group sat with families of severely injured soldiers at Soroka Hospital and provided them with chizuk to go on. “One story that I will always remember is visiting with a soldier’s wife who had just given birth. Her husband was paralyzed from the shoulders down. We brought letters from children and he read reach and every letter and even though it was difficult for him to communicate, he motioned to us that he was enjoying each of these letters so very much,” she said.

In addition to visiting with soldiers, Ms. Hannon said, “we brought them socks, underwear, food, iPads and iPhones and all sorts of other goodies to help lift their spirits.”

As to the future, Ms. Hannon said, “As the person at YOF who works with student internships, I had the ability to connect with hospitals and other places in Israel where our students would be a wonderful asset. The more students we can send to Israel, the more we can do to strengthen the Jewish homeland, the better it is for all of us. For that, I am very grateful to have been part of this incredible mission.”

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