Perhaps you heard about the terror attack at a bus stop last Friday?
Or maybe, if you live outside Israel, you did not even hear about this attack. So much horror and terror happen in the world daily, especially in the
Middle East, that not all stories are reported.
During this attack, two soldiers were lightly wounded. We
breathed a sigh of relief on hearing this news. And then the phone rang; these wounded soldiers
are my daughter’s chanichim, part of the Garin Tzabar group that she was
leading.
One is Daniel and the other is Jake and they are lone
soldiers. They do not have parents here and their Hebrew is not fluent. They arrived in Israel in July, committed to serving in the IDF and they were
just inducted into the army. They turned up at base a few days before, received
an IDF uniform and were then allowed to leave for Shabbat.
Four of these new soldiers were standing at a bus stop
waiting to go home to their kibbutz. They were waiting inside the concrete
barrier designed to protect civilians from car rammings. They had just visited
a friend in Ma’ale Adumim. It was a warm, sunny morning and they were looking
forward to being reunited with their garin tzabar friends over Shabbat and
sharing their new experiences. They saw the bus nearing.
The next moment, a car came speeding towards them, knocking
two of them over. It screeched to a stop, the wheels wedging one of them
underneath the car. The driver jumped out holding a knife and started to chase a
soldier who had just been hit by the car. With a broken leg, the soldier had
the wits and strength to jump over the barrier and run.
A second later, a car pulled up, an Israeli jumped out and
shot the terrorist. The ambulance was
there within minutes and the two were taken to hospital in
Jerusalem with light injuries. This is the reported story.
And here is the back story. Daniel is a new immigrant from a
rural town in Germany who did not grow up with a Jewish affiliation. One summer, he met a group of Israelis at camp and felt
an instant bond. He had never felt so connected to people and so he decided to take a
trip to Israel.
He eagerly came to Israel and never returned to Germany. He spent time touring, learning in yeshiva and became a religious practicing Jew. He enrolled in the Garin Tzabar program and
officially made aliyah in July.
Daniel is a runner and spent these last three months
training for the army. He would wake up every morning and run. It did not matter
that his kibbutz was perched on a mountaintop; this made his workout even more
challenging and rewarding.
When the time came to go into the army, he tried out for an
elite unit and was accepted into Maglan, the elite paratroopers unit. His dream
had finally come true. And so, last Thursday, he went into the army as a proud
new Israeli soldier.
And now, two days later, he is lying in a hospital bed. He
had complicated surgery on Friday afternoon and was under anaesthesia. His leg
and foot had been fractured, his body cut and bruised. There will be a long
road of rehab and physio during the six-month recovery period.
In the short film made for the garin that I posted on this
blog, Daniel was the one running to the theme of "Chariots of Fire." His running shoes now sit idly beside his
bed.
When Aviva found out the news of the terror attack last
Friday afternoon, her face was ashen and she burst into tears. She grabbed the
car keys and wanted to drive straight to the hospital. It was 3:00 and Shabbat
was to come in at 4:15. We hugged her
and told her there was no time. She would have to wait. Although he is older
than her, Daniel is like a son to Aviva. And he is alone.
As soon as Shabbat was out Saturday night, Aviva, Amir and I
went to visit Daniel at the hospital.
We had to sit outside in the waiting room as the man who
shot the terrorist and saved Daniel’s life was visiting. They needed privacy.
Apparently this man cannot be identified as his life could be in danger of
retaliatory attack.
We sat and were joined by a crowd of other garin tzabar
kids, Daniel’s new family. One friend even slept in the hospital with him so he
would not be alone. This tribute to Daniel was written by a friend who also visited him Saturday night.
We were soon joined by two guys who are volunteers for lonesoldier center. They had never met Daniel before and were here
to give support.
Other volunteers walked in. This time it was a wandering
minstrel. A group of young kids came in with bongos, guitars, a flute
and lots of ruach. They played Idan Raichel and soon, a group of hospital
visitors gathered and started to dance. Two young Arabs en route to the vending
machine walked in, garbed in their hospital smocks, casts on their arms.
The minstrels accompanied us down the hall to Daniel’s room.
He lay there looking confused, overwhelmed. He could not remember the events of
the attack too well and we did not want to press him, so we sat beside him
while the minstrels sang and the garin danced. Aviva hugged him and we held his
hand. He did not want to let go.
This is lightly injured.
Meet Jake. He is from Florida and has always dreamed of
joining the IDF. His parents told him to first finish high school before going to
Israel. He did.
They insisted he then do a one-year Israel program. He did.
And as soon as he was finished this, he joined Garin Tzabar. He too wanted an
elite position. Aviva worked hard to help get him a good combat job and in he joined the Golani brigade last Sunday. He was proudly wearing his uniform when they dislodged the car
that ran him over and crushed him as he witnessed the knife attack.
He was discharged from the hospital Friday and sent to his
aunt and uncle’s house to recover.
We went over there last Saturday night. “It was a Chanukah
miracle,” his aunt told us. “If he had not been pinned under the car, the
terrorist would have seen him and killed him.”
Jake’s whole body was black and blue. His leg was in a cast
and his two arms were in bandages. He had scrapes all over and he looked dazed.
Jake will be in therapy for six months as well. He will not be able to join
his unit and continue to fulfill his dream. Not yet.
This is lightly injured.
Imagine the parent’s stress being so far away from their
son. Imagine the fear Jake and Daniel felt. Imagine the nightmares they may
have. And imagine the strength it will take to recover and to move on.
And this is lightly injured.
Daniel and Jake are young and they are lucky to be alive.
We in Israel are privileged to have them living here.
We wish them refuah shlemiah, a complete and speedy recovery
and the ability to fulfill their dreams.
Here is a postscript to the story. Jake's mom came from Florida to be by her son's side. When the two were recently interviewed by Haaretz, Jake was asked if he would soon be returning to the US. He looked astonished and replied 'no' explaining, "If I leave the country, the terrorists win."
Here is a postscript to the story. Jake's mom came from Florida to be by her son's side. When the two were recently interviewed by Haaretz, Jake was asked if he would soon be returning to the US. He looked astonished and replied 'no' explaining, "If I leave the country, the terrorists win."
