ABOUT ODED
When Elana and I arrived in Israel on October 13, six days after the October 7 massacre, we went straight to work. From the airport, we went to a community in the south that had been turned into an army base. It was Erev Shabbat (Friday night), and they were feeding soldiers. Most of them were still reeling after the horrendous attacks a week earlier. They understood that they would be risking their lives in a few weeks.
A woman approached me, Michal, and asked if I could help her son’s unit. We made a short video, and funds began to pour in. We developed a relationship with her and her sister Limor, who was also working hard to secure protective gear for soldiers. Not long after that, we met Michal’s son Oded. He was tall and confident, and he was ready to defend Israel. But in my mind, I was thinking, “He’s so young!”
As the ground invasion started in Gaza, Elana and I worried greatly for the soldiers whom we had met and with whom we had built friendships. And then, just a few weeks later, we received a call from Limor that her nephew, Oded, had been shot by a sniper.
The bullet made its way to his spine, avoiding his bulletproof vest. He is now suffering paralysis from the waist down. We have visited him on several occasions, and through your generosity, we were able to buy him a high-end laptop so he can continue his work as an artist. He was so grateful!
Below is an appeal from his mother—she is now living every Israeli mother’s nightmare.
Oded's treatment requires specialized care, and we have identified the Giusti Center in Florence, Italy, offering intensive motor rehabilitation programs that could be a transformative change in my son's life.
We are seeking to cover Oded's medical care, rehabilitation, and overall well-being. The cost of this treatment is substantial. We need your help so Oded can continue his journey to recovery.
The required funds for Oded's treatment amount to $200,000, a sum beyond my capacity as a mother of four children who has taken time off from work to support Oded's recovery. I humbly appeal to you for help – to assist in rehabilitating my son, allowing him to lead an independent life, grow, marry, and have children.
He protected us; now, let's protect him.
Messiah’s Mandate has created The Oded Fund. Initially, we will pledge $10,000 to Oded's treatment. They still need $136,918.
However, we will use The Oded Fund to help other soldiers who have been injured and to help families whose husbands and fathers have died in battle. Next week, we will be giving $5000 to the widow of our friend, Lt. Colonel Natanel Alkouby.
