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 Soldiers in My Unit Are Quietly Going Broke
A soldier in my unit spent all of Shabbat sitting with something he did not know how to solve. When Shabbat ended, he messaged me. He asked me to keep it between us. His bank account had been frozen over a credit card debt he had been trying to outrun. He was down to nothing. […]
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.
Our Eliyahu Hanavi
The soldiers who gave up their seders so the rest of us could have ours. You stand. The kids watch the wine to see if the level drops. It’s a tradition built on hope, on the idea that redemption is close enough to knock. This year, Eliyahu didn’t come to the door. He was already […]
Two Minutes to Say Chag Sameach
My Seder was peaceful. Hers was a phone call from the border. Our Seder the other night was beautiful. The table was set. The kids were dressed up. The matzah was covered, the wine was poured, the Haggadot were stacked in a pile by the salt water. My youngest stood on her chair and sang […]
A Lot of Good Men
The IDF succeeds because of its soldiers. Often despite the army itself. The biggest thing I learned in three months of service is something most Israelis already know but rarely say out loud: the IDF works because of the people inside it, not because of the institution around them. The Gap Between the System and […]