Dear Family,
As I write this, four of our BFL staff members are quarantined in Israel due to international travel restrictions. We are grateful that Israel is taking every precaution against the spread of the coronavirus and at the same time sorry that so many people have to stay in quarantine.
I served as a IDF officer from 1999 to 2006. During the last 5 years of my service we saw the worst wave of terrorism in Israel’s history. There were so many terror attacks at restaurants that every restaurant in the country had an armed guard at the entrance checking peoples bags. This was the right thing to do and it was a difficult time in Israel for everyone.
In 2004 while on an operation to catch a Hamas terrorist I was shot through the hips by the terrorist we were trying to catch. I always knew that there was a chance I could be injured or worse, but I never felt fear. It’s hard to explain, but I never thought it could actually happen to me. After my injury it was very important for me to return to my unit and continue serving, but I must say that I felt much more vulnerable. I knew the chances of being injured twice were incredibly low, but still, it was scary.
I don’t often share my personal perspective on how being injured changed me but one of the things I realized is that because I am more conscious of being physically vulnerable, I’m so much more appreciative of how precious life is. I don’t want to miss one day of the simple joy of being with my family, holding my children, or just being alive because there was a moment when I and so many of our brothers almost didn’t get to do that anymore. A near death experience changed my perspective on life.
Life remains so vulnerable. Hamas, Hizbollah, Islamic Jihad and others are always a potential threat, there is the daily vulnerability of life, and of course during these past weeks there is the specter of this coronavirus. Our message to our BFL families is to take every precaution and to follow every protocol but equally importantly, to not let this virus or anything else distract us from appreciating and loving what makes our life so precious in the first place.
Purim begins this Monday evening. May it be a time of pure joy for you and your family.
Shabbat Shalom from Israel,
Yaniv