Ira Kohler fought with the IDF in Gaza but was raised in Plainview, Long Island. He described his experiences in his book, Once a Paratrooper, and to around 60 people at Commonpoint Queens on Thursday, October 8.
Kohler was a good friend of Omer Neutra, who also grew up in Plainview. Neutra was a Tank Platoon Commander whose body was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023. It made the war “very personal” for Kohler, who did not know Neutra had been killed.
Kohler and Neutra went to the same synagogue, summer camps, youth groups, and Solomon Schechter School on Long Island. They were close while living in Israel.
Kohler earned a BA in economics from the University of Delaware before making aliyah at age 21 in the summer of 2021. He joined the IDF in January 2022 as a Lone Soldier.
A Lone Soldier is someone in the IDF who does not have parental support in Israel, like an immigrant, an orphaned Israeli, or a chareidi whose family doesn’t want him serving in the IDF.
Kohler and his paratroopers were stationed in the Judean Desert when called to respond to Gaza on October 7, 2023. The paratroopers were scheduled to practice war games that same day, so luckily, their equipment was already prepped and ready.
The soldiers didn’t know what the situation was in the south, except that Hamas was firing missiles. A Yasur helicopter is supposed to transport 25–30 soldiers. That day, more than 200 soldiers fit into four helicopters.
Their destination was Moshav Netiv HaAsara in the northern Gaza Strip, but that changed based on evolving events on the ground. Their destination changed to Kibbutz Nachal Oz; the helicopter pilot noticed “an odd circulation of people moving down below.” While Hamas was firing rockets, civilians were supposed to go into a safe room.
The pilot “sees people with weapons on the back of pickup trucks and on their motorcycles.” The pilot changed plans again, landing near Kibbutz Alumim. It was along what became known as the “Highway of Death,” Route 232. The Nova Music Festival and Kibbutz Be’eri were nearby.
A rocket-propelled grenade hit the helicopter, causing an explosion. While bullets were hitting the helicopter, the pilot ditched the fuel tanks and made a hard emergency landing. No one was hurt, and they landed at 11:40 a.m.
For the next 15-20 minutes, they were in a gunfight along Route 232 with nothing to hide behind. Several soldiers were hurt and later evacuated. “They’re all doing better,” said Kohler.
His platoon made its way to a nearby forest by Kibbutz Alumim. “We didn’t know what was happening in the region, and we’re certainly not done.” They walked in a two-line formation for three kilometers, arriving at Kibbutz Be’eri around 1 p.m. “We were the first major IDF force to arrive.”
More than 100 community members were murdered and 32 taken hostage that day in Kibbutz Be’eri. More than 400 terrorists were killed over two days of fighting. Kohler was one of the more than 100 paratroopers who entered the kibbutz. “We ended up making a huge change in fighting in these communities.”
Kohler “sees a guy wearing sweatpants, a T-shirt, and sneakers sprint outside, quickly grabbing the duffel bag, sprint back inside the building.” Kohler hesitated to shoot because he didn’t want to kill an Israeli civilian. Many of the Hamas terrorists were dressed in civilian clothes, without green headbands or anything identifying. “There is a lot of complexity in fighting.”
As the day went on, tanks and Special Forces responded to the area. “When this happened, we were told our responsibility is to be one of the teams to rescue families from their homes.” It was not easy convincing the families that it was the IDF at their doors. “The last family we took out was at 2 a.m. on October 8.” Kohler fought in Kibbutz Be’eri until October 10. The last terrorist was eliminated that morning, 48 hours after the attack began.
The soldiers didn’t have their cell phones with them, so they frequently asked residents to look up what was happening.
Several weeks later, Kohler was deployed to Gaza, searching for hostages, terrorists, and their infrastructure for more than one hundred days. “I kept a journal every single day.” Kohler finished his army service in March 2024.
Every Lone Soldier in the IDF is asked by Israelis why they enlist. There wasn’t one “Aha Moment,” said Kohler. He did it because of “how I was raised in a community.” Kohler visited Israel frequently when he was young, and Israelis visited him in Plainview. “While physically being here, my heart, and I think the heart of the community I grew up in, was always being in Israel.”
Once a Paratrooper can be bought on Amazon or on www.irakohler.com.
By David Schneier
