On to the real mission – visiting the wounded soldiers: VIDEO & PHOTO LINKS BELOW:
Emotions run high in the hallways of Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, as soldiers, friends, and family members are moving about, some saying tehillim, others nervously speaking on their cellular telephones and some just staring, perhaps waiting for a miracle, a kind word, and encouraging report from a member of a medical team or a friendly touch on the shoulder perhaps.
Our first stop is a critically wounded soldier, Li’el Hoshea [ben Miriam] Cohen, a Golani Brigade combatant who sustained a life-threatening head injury in one of last week’s mistaken fire incidents. Li’el, 22, is married to Chagit for the past 16 months, and they live in Kibbutz Masu’ot Yitzchak in the southern region. Chagit bravely forces a smile to welcome the well-intentioned visitors, obviously preoccupied with the condition of her gravely-wounded husband.
Meeting us was Effie, his father, who exhibited a light, a gentle yet powerful sparkle emerged from his eyes, eyes that were obviously tired from shedding many a tear during recent days, but eyes filled with hope and prayer, expressing much emotion even before he began speaking with us. Sporting a facial stubble that testified to his round-the-clock vigil at Li’el’s side, Effie’s words spoke volumes regarding his faith in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, far exceeding the obvious statement made by his kippa. For Effie and his wife Miriam, the message was simple but potent, “please, get everyone to recite tehillim and daven for our son. We need Am Yisroel’s tefillos so he can heal.”
They are quite realistic as to the seriousness of his condition, but equally as serious and realistic regarding their realization of the power of prayer. While [for technical reasons] we were unable to transfer a short video clip from Li’el’s phone to share with readers, seeing it left me speechless, as the soldiers, kibbutznikim and religious, with yarmulkes (kippot) and without, new immigrants and veteran Israelis, from all walks of life, danced with a fervor as they prepared for their mission in Gaza, singing “Anachnu Ma’aminim bnei Ma’aminim”. Effie continues to watch the brief clip taken shortly before Li’el and his buddies entered Gaza, perhaps drawing strength from its message during these difficult hours and days, waiting in the hospital for a good word, a sign of encouragement, a sign that Li’el will get out of bed one day and dance again.
Li’el was attending 12th grade in his native Tirat HaCarmel when he met Chagit, a sheirut leumi volunteer, and the rest is history. Effie explained that after graduating high school, Li’el would not enter into Golani directly, explaining that he must first strengthen himself spiritually, attending the Ateret Kohanim Yeshiva IDF preparatory program, and after a year of torah study, only then declaring himself “suitable” for the mission of entering the army and serving Am Yisrael.
“The gemara (Talmud) teaches us that the parents are the tree and the children are the fruit of the tree. In this case, the fruit is much better than the tree,” explained Effie in a statement from the heart, incapable of expressing his boundless love and respect for his son.
The family also requests that everyone daven for a dear friend of Li’el’s, also in Soroka, in a different unit, Neriya ben Rivka, who they explain is also in need of tefillos as a result of his injuries sustained in Gaza.
Kfir Brigade soldier Ohr Elgozi ben Rachel [Biderman] Baruch Hashem was in much better condition, alert and oriented and anxious to speak to the YWN camera. His parents were genuinely touched when they realized the visitors traveled from the United States to be at his bedside, realizing the importance of showing solidarity at this critical time. Like his colleagues on the various military bases and installations visited by the HEART Team, Ohr thanked us for coming, praised us for giving support, not exactly certain what all the fuss was about, for as you see, from his perspective, he and his buddies are only doing their jobs.
NOTE: Communication devices supplied for YWN for use on this mission by http://www.travelcell.com/tcap.asp?ag=YWN
YWN VIDEO LINK: Click HERE for video & click HERE for photos.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
On Tuesday I met Mr. Effi Cohen, a remarkable man, remarkable family. We went down south give chizuk to the soldiers in the hospital and the people of Sderot. Instead we found strong people who gave us the chuizuk. Mr. Cohen with the most unbelievable sense of emunah in hakodes braruche, not even an ounce of anger all he had was hacarat hatov. The soldiers we met wanted to go back to the font lines to be with there comrades and protect Am Yesroel , weather they sit in Sderot ,Beer sheva, Yerushalim, Beni Bark, Tel Aviv or lihavdel New York. They understood the mesirat nefesh and what they were fighting for. Hakadush brachu gives all off us a task in life, not only to Frum people. Sometimes the one act the person who is not frum yet does he can get olam haba and we can spend a whole life and not achieve that one act.
I once heard in the name of Rav Chaim Shimulevitz, he told his students that anyone who take a pitur from the army to learn Torah, every minuet that they mivatel torah, they are like a rodef. Every time a soldier or any Jew is hurt or rchamna that is killed, we should walk over to the mirror and say what did I do or not do that allow this kadosh person to receive such pain and not question what they did or someone else did.
Remember a few things that when we see soldiers to thank them even hug them, frum or not yet, because they are giving of them selves to protect am yesroel. We need Tazdikim in the army. Jews are not our enemy. I saw a tephilah on Yom kipper asking that the rishim do teshuva. What saves the Jews is achdut yesroel, even such time of Melech Menasha which was a bad time, what saved the Jews Acdut Yesroel.
The last important thing to remember is we visit the sick go down south for the day. The people like Mr. Effi Cohen, Ahron Krovo’s wife of 2 weeks and family and many others will be living with this for the reset of there lives. What we did maybe nice but we should not feel good about our selves.
Hashem has a plan and the plan is Good, we should all be able to reach a madragar that no more should be injured or killed and that our enemies should be wiped out, and those who we have failed should have a full Refua and those families who rachmana litzlan lost some one find their nachama.