Dear families,
It’s been an amazing two weeks for BFL, and though the new COVID variant is challenging, there is no way we will let it stop us from helping our Achim.
Thankfully, we were able to send out three challenge treks, the most meaningful of which was the trip through the concentration camps in Poland, which we named, “The Roots Journey.” The photo below captures the spirit of the trek.
When we arrived at Treblinka, one of our members, Shaul Cohen, who lost his family there, read words that he wrote which left everyone stunned in silence:
“We stand here, speaking Hebrew, carrying Jewish symbols, and representing Israel, where 75 years ago they stripped us of our signs and identities. My family, led by my great grandparents Isaac and Elishiva Kantor, would not have imagined that after all of their hardships, their descendants would stand here, speaking Hebrew.
Here we wear our scars. Scars that we won for our people and the Land of Israel. In retrospect, with all the pain of our loss, the price was worth it! I want my family and all those who were murdered here to know that we, from their flesh and blood, are living in the independent State of Israel and we are here to represent those who paid the price for freedom.”
I personally visited the camps as an IDF officer. I can only say that for we who served as IDF soldiers and were injured, visiting the camps gives a completely different meaning to our service and especially to our injuries. As Shaul said, at the camps our scars felt like badges of honor.
Shabbat Shalom from Israel,
Yaniv
P.S. I also wanted to share an update about Ben Spitzer, who I wrote about two weeks ago when he had the special surgery to rebuild his hand. Incredible news – the surgery was a success! For the first time in 12 years, Ben has a working hand! This video tells it all.