When the War Follows Them Home
I am writing this from the Gaza border, in the middle of my own reserve duty. I know the call-up by heart now. The gear, the briefings, the weeks away from my wife and my three kids, the quiet drive back to base after a Shabbat at home. I know the men around me. Most […]
A Drone Saved a Father on Father’s Day
Today is Father’s Day in America. Back in the Five Towns, fathers are sleeping in. Kids are taping cards to the fridge. There will be barbecues, phone calls, and bad ties. Here in Israel, it is a workday. Hundreds of thousands of fathers are on base. I am on the Gaza border, doing the job […]
The Mysterious Case of the Recurring Gear Request
People keep asking why we are still raising money for helmets and vests. With 100,000 troops between the Lebanon border and the Litani River alone, the answer is simple. Gear wears out, bullets destroy integrity, and this war keeps going.
I Watch Him Check His Phone and I Already Know
He’s been home since the war started. Present and distant at the same time. Then the call-up was announced, and I watched the distance win. He’s been working from home since the war escalated. Laptop on the kitchen table. Coffee going cold next to the keyboard. The kids climbing on him between meetings. On paper, […]
11 Sirens in 24 Hours. This Was Our Shabbat.
11 sirens in 24 hours. Every two hours over Shabbat, including the middle of the night, our phones screamed and the sirens followed. We ran. We gathered. We waited. And then we went back to what we were doing. And we had an incredible Shabbat. That sentence is the story of life here right now. […]