Day 96 – A Soldiers’s Wife’s Tears
My conversation with a soldier’s wife and mother that I had yesterday will blow you away. Her name is Merav, and I’ve told you about her husband, Dovev. He serves as the commander of an elite unit of 100 soldiers fighting against Hezbollah in the north. Hezbollah is far more trained than Hamas. They have 100,000 to 200,000 missiles aimed at Israel. You have purchased many potentially life-saving items for this unit, and I can tell you that they are incredibly grateful.
Through tears, Merav told Elana and me last night, “Dovev never asks anyone for help. But he told me, ‘I don’t know why, but I feel like I can ask Ron for anything. Who are these people?’” Before I go on, I need you to know that I do not think of myself as some great humanitarian. The truth is, I’m a communicator more than I am somebody who works in humanitarian aid. I just happened to be living 10 minutes from the frontlines in the south, and we found ourselves surrounded by needs. I communicate those needs to you, and you are the heroes.
Merav told us that Dovev doesn’t keep anything for himself but gives everything to his soldiers. This is the Israeli way in the army. Last night, I was watching a chilling video that Hamas themselves recorded. The commander sent his soldiers into an army base to kill Israelis. An expert in Israeli warfare is watching the video. He says, “An Israeli commander would never send his troops in and stay behind.” The famous ethos of Israeli army commanders is “acharii” (follow me). Commanders lead the way into battle.
There’s a famous story from a battle during the War of Independence. Several soldiers were about to be slaughtered when reinforcements showed up. The order came out: “Privates retreat, commanders, cover them.” The award-winning author Yoram Kaniuk was one of those privates who survived to tell the story. Only one commander survived.
So when I hear that Dovev is deeply concerned about his soldiers, I believe him.
“I haven’t seen my husband in three months,” she tells us. “He has not seen his wife or kids in three months.” The last time she saw him was the night I met them. We sat in the courtyard of their small home in their moshav (a farming neighborhood). They grow lemons, avocados, and oranges. They also cultivate pomelos—something I bet you’ve never heard of. It is a citrus fruit that grows in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, larger than a grapefruit. There, he asked if we could help his unit.
“I cry every night,” Merav laments. “I have dreams that a military commander comes to my house to tell me that he’s been killed in battle.”
She explains how it is so much more dangerous in the north. Hezbollah can actually see them. When they move, they must zigzag so that a sniper cannot zone in on them. One of the things that you purchased for his unit is a high-tech surveillance system. Nine days after the war began, Hezbollah was able to destroy their perimeter protection systems along the border. It took a team of 10 scientists, engineers, and technical officers to create a replacement, as they worked around the clock. Thanks to you, Dovev and his team have this new surveillance system.
Please pray for his protection and that he will soon be reunited with his wife and children. Understand, Dovev is not a career military man. He’s in the reserve army like most of our soldiers. They have other jobs but train once a year, so they will be ready if there is war. That is our army. The people are our army.
Merav continued to thank us profusely. We explained to her, as we do to everyone, that it is our donors around the world who are behind this great effort.
Please consider a gift so we can continue to help Israeli soldiers and those affected by this war.
Beloved Singer and Actor Seriously Wounded
If you are familiar with the hit Israeli TV show Fauda, then you probably know who Idan Amedi is, at least by his face.
— Fauda Official (@FaudaOfficial) October 12, 2023
In addition to his role on Fauda, he is a well-known singer and songwriter. He underwent surgery yesterday after being airlifted to an Israel hospital, where they removed shrapnel from his body. Other soldiers were killed in the explosion, and several more were wounded.
One of his most famous songs, which he performed on the Israeli version of American Idol back in 2010, is called “The Pain of Warriors.” The song is about a soldier explaining to his girlfriend, the PTSD he suffers after seeing bloodshed in battle.
And you don't know how much
I tried to hide from you
all the nightmares at night
Screams and blood on the uniform
You don't understand why anymore
I am no longer me
Running pictures from that night
Tears, pain of warriors
Hamas Releases Video of Girls They Kidnapped
Four girls, all under the age of 20, appeared in a video released by Hamas. The video was taken not long after they were kidnapped, and they appeared to be broken. There are dozens of eyewitness reports as well as video proof of sexual assaults by these devout Muslims. Amazing that they were not allowed to drink alcohol, but they were allowed to take Captagon (a drug that acts like cocaine) and commit gang rape. Nice religion.
We must continue to pray for the release of the more than 100 Israeli still in captivity.
