Dear Friends,
It was a tense week in Israel, and all of us at BFL were on edge. As many of you know, there is an area in Jenin, known as the Jenin refugee camp that has for decades been a center for terrorism, where Hamas and Islamic Jihad rule the streets. Over the past six months, these groups have launched dozens of terror attacks from Jenin, and this week, the IDF launched a special mission led by several special units, including my unit, Duvdevan, to uncover and destroy weapons stockpiles and arrest wanted terrorists. Reservist experts were called in due to the complexity of the mission, and 13 of our BFL members changed out of their civilian clothing and left their families and children to take part in this mission.
Whenever a large mission or war happens in Israel, we have several protocols which are immediately set into motion: Our hospital teams prepare to deploy our newly injured soldiers, and our internal staff begins to asses what immediate material or emotional support the families of our members may need.
Thankfully, there were few injuries, though our BFL member Omri was injured this week for the second time by shrapnel. He underwent an operation and demanded to return to finish the mission with his team. On the last day of the mission, Israel lost a precious soldier, David Yitzchak, 23 years old, from the elite Egoz unit. I can only say that it’s crushing, and everyone is mourning his death.
One of our original BFL members, Avraham, was called to serve this week. Avraham, who works as an engineer, told his boss he wasn’t coming to work, kissed his wife Ofra and their baby, and ran to his unit. I had the privilege of serving together with Avraham in Duvdevan, and I remember the day almost 17 years ago when he was shot through the arm at close range. Since his recovery, he has volunteered every year to serve in the Duvdevan reserves.
During the mission, we sent Ofra as well as thirteen other of our BFL families care packages with the following note:
Dear Ofra
At this tense time, we wanted to send something small to express our appreciation to you. To Avraham, who is protecting Israel, and to you, Ofra, who is protecting Avraham.
Always there for you.
We Love you,
Your Mishpacha at BFL
I will close this Biweekly with the words of Isaiah. We will never let go of this dream.
“And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation—neither shall they learn war anymore.”
Amen. Shabbat Shalom from Israel,Yaniv
ps. Over the past few weeks, we have the merit to welcome 15 new BFL members to our family. I can’t wait for them to meet you on a delegation to one of your cities.