On the Ground in Israel A personal view of our efforts in Israel from Amir Shacham, UJC MetroWest Director of Israel Operations December 9, 2008

Nachal Oz — Mumbai, direct

April 1956 — The security commander of Kibbutz Nachal Oz, Ro'i Rothberg (21) was riding his horse through the fields of the kibbutz to look for "infiltrators" from nearby Gaza. He was not armed, only carrying a wooden stick in his hands. A gang of Arabs kidnapped him, killed him in cold blood and tortured his body. The next day he was brought back to be buried in his kibbutz. At the funeral, the IDF chief of staff Moshe Dayan delivered a very controversial, clever, surprising and yet poetic eulogy. His words of wisdom next to Ro'i Rothberg's grave became a pillar in the "national security" philosophy of the newly born State of Israel.

Ro'i Rothberg was born and raised in Tel Aviv. Together with many other Israeli idealistic youngsters, he decided after his army service to fulfill the Zionist dream and went on Shlichut (an emissary mission) to settle the Negev. Kibbutz Nachal Oz, along with Kibbutz Erez and several others, was established only few years before in order to create a Jewish presence and a "living shield" between Israel and Egypt's Gaza strip. At that time, we didn't know that there was a Palestinian people; there was no "organized terror," not to speak of "global terrorism" or "fundamentalist Islam." The people who crossed the Gaza border in order to harm us were "only infiltrators." We were all very naäve, but not Moshe Dayan, who said in his eulogy:

"Yesterday at dawn Ro'i was murdered. The quiet of the spring morning blinded him and he didn't notice the ambush in the field... let's not accuse the murderers today... for eight years they have been sitting in their refugee camps while we build our country in front of their eyes on a land of their old villages and forefathers... a group of Jewish youngsters, sitting in Nahal Oz, are carrying on their shoulders the heavy gates of Gaza.... This is our destiny and this is our only choice of life here: to be ready, to be armed and to be tough... we have to be able to defend ourselves.... Let's face it: If the sword falls out of our fists, our lives here are cut off."

April 1956 — A Jewish youth group who came to Israel via "Youth Aliyah" from Morocco and Tunisia only two months before were having Rosh Hodesh services in their new home in Kfar Chabad, Israel. The Shaliach Tzibur, who led the service, was their Madrich and Shaliach Aliyah; his name was Simcha Zilbershtrum. At 8.00 p.m., a gang of Arab "infiltrators" (terrorists) were able to enter the Chabad village and the synagogue. The infiltrators opened fire on the youngsters while they were praying. Simcha was trying to save his kids by throwing them one by one out of the window. He saved many, but five were murdered and others were wounded. Simcha himself was shot to death. "The sword fell out of our fists" that evening.

December 2008 — 52 years have passed. The State of Israel, the Gaza strip, and the entire world have changed dramatically. Nothing around us looks the same... and yet nothing has really changed: Kibbutz Nachal Oz is still there, serving as a "living shield" from hostile Gaza. In its fields, the IDF built an army base. The young soldiers, boys and girls who are stationed there now, "carry the heavy gates of Gaza on their shoulders." They are emissaries on Shlichut. Friday night, after dinner, a barrage of mortar shells was launched on this base. Eight youngsters were wounded, three of them severely. Sergeant Noam Nakash (21) lost his leg, and the doctors are still working on saving his other one.

UJC MetroWest has developed intimate relationships with this IDF base. Many New Jersey visitors have stopped by, and the base was always happy to host us. A special PowerPoint presentation, called MetroWest, was prepared by the local commanders to educate our visitors. When a group of North American Jewish journalists toured the country to learn first hand about the security situation, we were asked to show them the Nachal Oz army base. The deal with the IDF was that they will let them in only if they are from MetroWest. Andy Silow-Carroll can testify. He was the only one that did not have to lie that morning. Our various visitors especially admired the young female soldiers who are in charge of the cameras, looking at Gaza day and night, watching the screens, watching the fence, and, practically speaking, watching all of us. Their unit's symbol is a sword.

During the years, MetroWest groups donated funds to help the soldiers have more comfortable lives there, among them: The Hebrew Academy of Morris County, the Teen Tzedakah group, the Cohen and Braunstein families, the Business Professionals Mission and more. Many MetroWest community members see this base as "Whippany's backyard." Therefore, it was amazing but so natural for our community to feel that the wounded soldiers of Nachal Oz are like our own family members and as such, mobilized for their well being. MetroWest youth groups, schools, synagogues, and Super Sunday participants are signing "get well" cards and painting t-shirts for them, and the UJC Israel and Overseas Committee stopped its serious deliberations to take a photo with a banner to be sent to these soldiers. The IOC members had another assignment to fulfill that evening: they all went to participate in the community memorial and solidarity service for the victims of the Mumbai terror attack.

December 2008 — The mega terror attack on Mumbai India. Gaza is thousands of miles away and yet a direct blood line connects the dots. A group of Islamic "militants," "infiltrators," and "gunmen" (terrorists), spread hatred and death all over the city. Nearly 200 lives were taken. One of their targets was the Chabad House. On the night of the Nachal Oz attack, they tortured and killed in cold blood Rabbi Gabi Holtzberg, his wife Rivki, and six others. Gabi was a Shaliach of Chabad. Once again, this unique Hebrew word "Shlichut" connects separate and so different generations, ideologies, geographic distances, and Jewish identities. Roi, Simcha, Gabi, and Noam are all Shlichim, and they were attacked for this very reason. Jewish History repeats itself, in a 52-year interval that connects Nachal Oz and Chabad.

Nader Ariaida is the Druze sergeant in charge of the Nachal Oz base and our main contact there. I spoke with him often during the last few days to check on the wounded soldiers and to deliver our support and solidarity. Every time we spoke, he was again amazed by our concern. He kept asking me how come we Jews are so connected and care about one another, no matter where we are. Nader speaks Hebrew well, but I had to spend some time elaborating to him the meaning of "Klal Yisrael," "Jewish Peoplehood," Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba'zeh," etc. He is going to use these phrases when he goes next to visit his wounded soldiers with our get well wishes.

Drishat Shalom

Amir

You can email Amir with your comments.

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On the Ground archive

• November 24, 2008
• November 4, 2008
• October 23, 2008
• October 6, 2008
• September 16, 2008
• September 2, 2008
• August 11, 2008
• July 28, 2008
• July 15, 2008
• July 1, 2008
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• February 13, 2008