That morning started like any other holiday preparation day. My kids were in the car, and we were heading to meet friends from Boca in the Gush. The plan was simple: a tour, some chessed work, and a BBQ on base. Quality time with good people.
At 10:30, my phone buzzed. Message from my commander. Zoom call. Immediately.
The update came fast: Cancel everything. Be prepared to report to base with full gear within three hours of a phone call. This alert status would hold for the next five days. Intelligence indicated a high likelihood of activity before the ceasefire implementation. With missions running constantly in Gaza and throughout the region, they needed every available body.
Several of us received orders to report immediately for an unspecified duration.
The Quick Goodbye
With my kids still buckled in their seats, we pulled over where the group had gathered. Thirty seconds to say hello. Thirty seconds to explain. Then we turned the car around and drove home.
I packed my bag. Grabbed my gear. Threw the chicken on the grill for Shabbat lunch because we were hosting 23 people in our succah, and someone needed to feed them. That familiar feeling settled in my chest, the one that tells you the next call is coming.
It came.
35 Families, One Unexpected Call-Up
Within hours, 35 fathers from my unit were on base. Thirty-five men who thought they’d be home building their succah, playing with their kids, helping their wives prepare for the holiday. Thirty-five families adjusting to sudden absence.
The vacation plans they made? Cancelled. The shopping lists they were working through? Incomplete. The cooking schedules carefully planned for hosting? Scrambled.
Most of these families had young children. Some babies were just weeks old. Others were toddlers who didn’t understand why Abba wasn’t coming home for Shabbat.
Responding in Real Time
We mobilized immediately. Within hours, we sent gift cards to as many families as we could for Shabbat and Simchat Torah. These weren’t luxury items. They were lifelines. A way for a suddenly solo parent to order what was needed without the added stress of budget concerns. A tangible reminder that their community stood with them.
The responses we received were humbling. Mothers who had been silently panicking about how to manage suddenly had one less burden. Children got the treats that made the holiday feel special even without their father home.
Help Us Be Ready for the Next Call
This situation caught everyone off guard. But the reality is, it will happen again. Emergency call-ups don’t follow a schedule. Families don’t get advance warning. And when these moments strike, immediate support makes all the difference.
Your donation today helps us maintain the resources to respond instantly when situations like this arise. When a unit gets called up unexpectedly, when families face sudden disruption, when children need reassurance that someone cares, we want to be ready.
We can’t prevent these call-ups. But we can ensure that no family faces them alone.
Help us build the fund that allows us to act immediately, every single time.
