This writer had the privilege to interview a New York resident who normally visits Sderot for business. He shared his meaningful experience, which took place from Sunday, November 13, until Wednesday, November 15. In those three days, he experienced so many incredibly inspiring stories that can give all of us chizuk.
The following is told from his point of view.
“I am a supplier to a factory in Sderot, and so I went to show the people there that we care. We met with people in Kfar Saba, and they were very touched that we were there. We visited wounded soldiers in the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, and they were touched that we came. One soldier had a scribbled drawing hanging over his bed that was from a seven-year-old in New Jersey. We also visited wounded children in the hospital.
“We brought supplies like flashlights, handwarmers (for soldiers in the North), and other items for the soldiers. We made a barbecue for the soldiers in an army base, where most soldiers were mostly not religious yet. The chasidic man who ran the barbecue was from Beit Shemesh. He had a lot of volunteers spanning all different types of Jews who were inspired by his chesed and decided to help him.
“We joined a march from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim for the families of the hostages. Everyone we spoke with expressed heartfelt gratitude that we had come and that we cared.
“While we were in Central Israel, there was a missile launched from Hamas.
“We traveled near Gaza to a kibbutz that was attacked on October 7. They showed us the fence that the terrorists had shot through. They told us that the first responder to the attack there was a 70-year-old man. We visited Ofakim and met an amazing woman. She’s a widow, and on the day of the attack her son came with his family to check on her, when they kept hearing so many sirens. While they were all in the house, the house was set on fire by terrorists, and they had to escape out a window. Almost the whole family made it out and hid on their neighbor’s roof, but her son didn’t make it out in time and he was killed. She is a woman with so much emunah, it was really moving. She told me that “they can’t do anything to me that wasn’t meant to happen,” and she shared that her son had that same strong emunah. She also shared something quite eye-opening. The fire totally destroyed her home, but anything kodesh inside was not burned. Her set Shabbos table and shelf of s’farim remained untouched!
“My main take-away is that the morale in Israel is, baruch Hashem, so high, and there is so much achdus.
“We hired a driver to take us to all these places, and he confided that we were his first job since Sukkos. All his calls were cancelations. The driver raised $80,000 to purchase equipment for his son’s troop.”
This writer is grateful to the man (he asked not to print his name) who shared his incredible experiences this past week in Israel. We should hear of good news, y’shuos, and the arrival of the Mashiach!
By Susie Garber
