Dear BFL Family,
This week our friends in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving. As an Israeli, I love that there is a holiday called “Thanksgiving.” In Judaism, every Bracha is a “Thank you,” and the Talmud says that each person should make 100 Brachot a day. You can’t say thank you enough, which is why I”m writing to each of you today.
Firstly, I am thankful that I had the merit to serve and protect Israel as an IDF soldier and officer. It was an honor of a lifetime. I am grateful, of course, that I survived the bullet that entered my body, and in many ways, I am thankful for my injury. Without it, I never would have known this beautiful family from around the world who come together to heal our soldiers. On behalf of our 1,300 soldiers and our families, we are thankful to know each of you, whether in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, South Africa, or Israel. You have changed our lives and taught us that we were not injured protecting just Israel but all of Am Yisrael.
Two lives that have been changed are Emanuel and Nissan. These two BFL members had their hands blown up and rendered non-functional while serving Israel. Last week, they flew to a special clinic and left with new functioning hands. This was a historic trip; marking the first time that IDF injured soldiers were treated in a UAE Clinic.
These new hands will allow Emanuel and Nissan to perform simple tasks like buttoning their shirts and writing with a pen without difficulty. Below is a one-minute clip of Emmanual writing for the first time in eight years.
His first words are the exact words written on the gate of our Beit Achim, “Choose Life. Brothers for Life.” Only then did Emanual write his own name. This act says everything, and it is humbling to witness. We are so thankful that this dream came true for Emanual and Nissan. We hope to introduce this incredible prosthetic to other populations in Israel.
We give thanks for our unbreakable connection to each other. We give thanks for our connection to you.
Happy Thanksgiving to our family in the US and Shabbat Shalom!
Yaniv