Everything changed on 7 October. As news started to trickle in regarding the Hamas attack and massacre on that terrible day, we stood awe-struck, horrified. But as a nation well-accustomed to tragedy and war, we instantly mobilised. The IDF drafted 350,000 reserve soldiers, and civilians everywhere enlisted in the effort to help wherever needed—to donate basic supplies to our drafted soldiers, to cook mounds of food for the soldiers who had been drafted before the army could organise food, to pick peppers in the fields that had been abandoned by residents of the bombarded south and evacuated to safer places. Volunteers helped young mothers whose husbands had been suddenly drafted, leaving them alone to cope with their small children, jobs and households. Everyone was there to lend a hand.
Across the oceans, thousands of young Israelis were vacationing when war broke out. Some were young men who had recently completed their compulsory military service, travelling the world before settling down to study or work. One of those Israelis was my nephew, Amichai Oster. He had finished his regular army service in November 2022 and shortly after set out for Southeast Asia. He trekked in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, enjoying the beautiful scenery and meeting new people everywhere he went. Some months into his trip, he met a friend of a friend of mine, a Jewish man from the US. They got to talking, and the American was so impressed with Amichai, with his faith, his wonderful kindness and his devotion to his people, his land and to God. I received this message via my friend to convey to the family: “Amichai is a walking Sanctification of God’s name.” We were all so proud of Amichai.
Amichai returned home for a few weeks in June and then took off again for more travels, this time to North America. Beginning in Florida, where he bought an old police cruiser, he drove the length and breadth of the US, then headed north into the Canadian Rockies. He was on his way to California, in Salt Lake City, when the war broke out. He didn’t think twice. He made his way to California but not to sight-see. He got on the first plane available, together with hundreds of other Israeli young men and women coming home to fight.
Amichai joined his reserve unit for the first time since he had only recently completed his regular army service. The young men there were all new to him, but within days, he became a vital member of the team. He was a valuable fighter, an expert in the MAG gun, and he was admired by all for his military prowess. But more than that—he was loved. With his guitar strung along his back, whenever there was a break, he pulled out his instrument, and everyone sang. He led Sabbath prayers for anyone interested, and they all joined in—the singing moved them all.
Ever since the ground incursion began some months ago, we have woken up nearly every morning to the list of soldiers who have lost their lives in battle the day before. The IDF spokesperson’s announcement always begins the same way: it is now permitted to announce the death of… Each day, we scan that list for names we know. And nearly every day, we feel a connection to someone. Israel is a small country, and there are virtually no degrees of separation between us. When we see the name of a fallen soldier, we learn of his army unit and where he lived in Israel. Ultimately, we know someone with the same family name—are they related? We know someone from the same town—are they neighbours? And sometimes we actually know the young man who has fallen or know his family well. I have friends who have lost grandchildren. I have friends who have lost neighbours and friends. I have neighbours who have lost children and husbands.
With two sons and a son-in-law and several nephews called up on active duty, including one son fighting in Gaza, we always know that there but for the grace of God. On 1 January, New Year’s Day, the angel of death knocked on my family’s door. My nephew Amichai was killed in action in Gaza as terrorists detonated an explosive device from a hidden shaft. Amichai was the only soldier killed that day, but eleven of his fellow soldiers were wounded. We are a large and cohesive family—my sisters, my brother, and I all live in the same town of Karnei Shomron, in Samaria and we raised our many children together. Amichai is my brother’s son. We are all grieving, each in our own way, but we cannot imagine the depth of the grief and sorrow that my brother and his immediate family are feeling right now. It is incomprehensible.
Amichai was buried the following day in the Karnei Shomron military cemetery, located in the beautiful Kana River Valley (Joshua 17), where Amichai so loved to hike. Thousands came to the funeral and, throughout the week of mourning, flooded my brother’s house with visits, often bearing food parcels. A couple we did not know came from the US. They had just landed in Israel to visit with family, heard about Amichai’s death and felt compelled to make a condolence call. It turns out they had met Amichai on his travels and remembered his kind face and gracious manner. Soldiers, including Amichai’s wounded friends, came to share their experiences with the family, some arriving in wheelchairs and on crutches. Major supermarket chains and banks sent boxes of food and drink as a small token of their appreciation for Amichai’s heroism and for the heroism of all our soldiers.
A number of political leaders visited as well, including Benny Gantz, a former chief of staff of the IDF and currently a senior member of the small war cabinet. A number of soldiers were present during his visit, and they echoed to him the message that had been repeated all that week by mourners and visitors alike— the war must continue. We must defeat Hamas. The deaths of these great heroes must not have been in vain. We must remove this terrible threat to Israel and to the world from our midst.
Please join me in prayer for my brother and sister-in-law and their children, that God may give them comfort in their time of grief. Please join me in prayer for my nation that we may continue to find the strength we need to keep going during these difficult hours. Please join me in prayer for the safety and security of the nation of Israel.
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