On the 7th of October, everything changed. The shock of such a brutal attack against innocent civilians, the savagery of the attack, the sheer numbers of terrorists who crossed into Israel that morning, left us all reeling. The truth is, most of us were not surprised that our enemies could be so evil. But we were shocked that they succeeded in perpetrating their demonic intentions. For years, we heard their vile, hateful messages. We knew that the anti-Semitic trope “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” are best-sellers throughout the Midde East, particularly in the Palestinian areas and in Egypt. We have repeatedly witnessed their vile acts of terror. And yet, we were totally unprepared for the 7th of October.
For years, our leaders, both political and military, assured us that our intelligence community had eyes everywhere and that an attack was not on the horizon. We were told that Hamas was deterred from opening a large-scale attack and would continue to support sporadic terrorist attacks against individuals, enough to hurt but not enough to cripple. But more importantly, no one believed that Hamas had the strategic and organizational ability to carry out a major attack with thousands of terrorists.
Today we know that there were warning signs, but they were misinterpreted or ignored. Our leaders were blinded by their own success, enamored of the amazing technology Israeli scientists had developed over the years, too arrogant to remember that wars are fought between people. And if there are bad people on the other side of the fence, they will eventually figure out a way to cross the fence and attack the good people on our side of the fence.
Since October 7th, there has been a grave crisis of confidence in our leaders. Some are calling for new elections, others for a complete change in the military echelons. But it is not at all clear that this will change anything. For it is not only the current government who failed us, but governments and Knesset members going back years. So new elections may merely shuffle the deck but not necessarily effect the profound change that is so needed to gain the nation’s confidence once more.
But if there is one thing I have learned this past year, it is that leaders aren’t everything. In fact, they can often be a poor representation of the people they supposedly lead. When I look back at this past year, a year, fraught with fear, tragedy, death, and so much loss, I remember the people who truly made a difference, the people who, often while risking their lives, reached out to help others. The people, who despite the media and political focus on what divides our nation, focused on what binds us together as a people. And there is no doubt in my mind, that the people do not hate one another. They are angry and frustrated at a terrible situation. But they look at their neighbors and embrace them as brothers. And those few who spew hatred and division – they are a vocal minority. And if not for social media, we would never even hear them.
So let me tell you about some of the real heroes of Israel.
On October 7th, as sirens rang out across southern Israel, word began to spread in other parts of Israel that there was trouble down south. Elchanan Kalmanzon was both an IDF combat officer and an intelligence officer. He lived in Otniel, a small community south of Hebron in Biblical Judea. As the attack was underway, he was not called by any of the units he was affiliated with. But a sobering look at the reality enabled him to understand that the south was in trouble and he had to help. He asked his brother to join him, and shortly afterwards, his nephew insisted on joining as well. The three drove down south, and as they passed the dead bodies strewn along the road, they understood that things were even worse than they had imagined.
The Kalmanzon brothers arrived at Kibbutz Beeri and began their own rescue mission. Grabbing an abandoned army jeep, they entered the kibbutz over and over again, fighting against terrorists, arriving at the homes of beleaguered kibbutz residents, and started to bring them to safety. They ended up saving 100 people that day. At the last house they entered, they were ambushed by terrorists. Elchanan was killed and his brothers were wounded. Elchanan gave his life to save the lives of 100 people that he had never met, who did not share his political views. He gave his life to save his people, his brothers and sisters.
Yotam Chaim was a red head who loved to play the drums. On October 7th he was in his small apartment in Kfar Aza when the sirens went off. Soon afterwards, it became clear that terrorists had infiltrated the kibbutz and were going door to door murdering and kidnapping anyone they could find. They found Yotam and kidnapped him to Gaza. He was held in terrible conditions for many weeks. And then one day in December, Yotam and two other young men who were being held with him, managed to escape. They were alone in Shuja’iya, an area of Gaza, without food or weapons for 5 days. When they finally encountered an IDF unit, they tried to communicate with them, to tell them they were Israeli hostages. But the IDF soldiers could not hear them and mistook them for terrorists. The three young hostages were killed by the IDF.
There was probably no other story throughout this terrible war that affected us so strongly. To be so close to freedom and then to be killed by friendly fire –what could be more tragic! But Yotam’s mother, Iris, emerged as one of the greatest heroes of Israel today. She spent days crying and screaming from pain and frustration. But then she realized how terrible those IDF soldiers must feel at their horrible mistake. And she sent them a message, telling them she was not angry with them, that these things happen in war. And she concluded by saying: “Don’t let this tragedy cause you to hesitate in killing a terrorist.” She invited them to visit her when they got out of Gaza for a break and they did. And she hugged each and every one of them.
Since then, Iris Chaim has been a heroic voice for clarity, unity and bravery. She has become a model for so many of us.
These are the stories of just two people who we came to know this year. But there are so many more stories. Stories of young men, like my nephew Amichai, who came back from a holiday abroad to fight in this war. Amichai fell in battle on January 1st. Others rejoined their units even though they had been retired from the reserves.
The Nation of Israel lives. Am Yisrael Chai. That is not only a popular saying – it is a profound truth. Regardless of our leaders, our people are strong, loving, and brave. They are heroes and they will carry us through.
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