Former Winnipegger's Stephen and Colleen Cohen Reich, whose son Matan is attending Reichman University in Herzlia, Israel have shared their thoughts with the Winnipeg Jewish Review of what it is like to have a child in Israel during Israel's war with Iran. Stephen wrote, "I am so proud of my son choosing to make his life in Israel, despite the country being under fire. While I do worry about his safety a little bit, I know that the chances of him being hurt are much greater just stepping out into traffic during peace time. So that reassures me. As our son says, he's made his choice to be among family, and he feels completely taken care of by the family provided by the Jewish state. He's a bit tired, having to wake up multiple times at night to run to the shelter, but he says that his destiny is with Israel and that there's no where else he'd rather be."
Colleen, who noted that Matan had worked after high school at an NGO in Israel, added "We have been in regular contact with Matan during this turbulent time and he says that he feels safe and well cared for by both the University and our family of friends. The best way to describe how he is feeling is during one of our conversations I asked if he wanted to come home he replied with “I am home."
Parents of a Winnipegger who has served in the IDF who wish to be anonymous wrote to the Winnipeg Jewish Review, "We have been sitting around the kitchen table, glued to i24 Israeli news and seeing missiles being aimed at Israel from Iran. Being here, in Winnipeg, and seeing your child’s location, town, being told to enter the safe rooms immediately, is surreal and mind blowing! We are in awe and proud of our daughter and son in law for their strength, sense of humor, bravery and resilience. We sit here concerned and afraid but we are strengthened by their positive attitudes and how they handle the situation. We are managing this like other parents who have children there. We are worried and frightened and glued to the news but we take our lead from them, who are managing somehow."
A parent of a ‘lone soldier’, who also wished to be anonymous writes of his experience, "One becomes connected to a variety of online communities. Each one differs slightly, offering support ranging from practical to emotional or spiritual. Depending on the day, I might benefit from one more than another.
One chat group I never miss, focuses on sharing general updates about our son’s unit and their activities. Messages have ranged from the mundane about personnel updates, to the impenetrable (modern Hebrew slang) and comical when Google Translate fails to convey anything other than a juxtaposition of unrelated words. An example of the latter was when the commander was attempting to discuss supplies in the unit, but Google Translate conveyed that as an unusual presence of dark panties among the troops.
B”H during our membership in this group, we have only received one of the frightening messages about an injury and the subsequent call for families to unite in supporting another lone soldier who continues to recover. He was the lucky one – two other young men from another brigade who had been right next to him did not survive.
Last week there was a different kind of announcement. These incredibly brave young men would finally be released for a Shabbat at home – 48 hours in their own beds after almost 80 days of active service. The message offered families the usual reminders; focus on helping them get plenty of rest (no driving until they got some sleep); spoil them with lots of good home cooked food. It ended with some wisdom that still moves me to tears every time I read it. The significance isn’t only in the words shared, but also in the unspoken reminder of what is being risked. This is what it said:
“Cherish the small moments, accumulate empowering and good experiences together, breathe every hug into your lungs, photograph every laugh…
(During hard times) … this is where the strength to continue comes from…”
In every way, these heroes, our 'gibborim', and their families, continue to inspire, hopefully rousing us to find our own strength to support Israel, each other, and if we work hard and are lucky enough, to course correct here in Canada. "
