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Tzahal Shalom Visits Northern Westchester: IDF Soldiers Share Their Stories

December 1, 2017 by Bettina Prober

The Israeli soldiers from the Tzahal Shalom program
PHOTO COURTESTY OF ROBIN GOLDSTEIN

Each October for the past 11 years, Northern Westchester has had some very special visitors, and not just those of the trick-or-treating variety. A delegation of active duty soldiers from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) arrives to share their experiences with residents in a variety of formats. The 10-day visit is sponsored by Tzahal Shalom of Northern Westchester, an organization dedicated to creating lasting bonds between many local residents and Israel.

The program, which translates literally to “Welcome IDF to our Northern Westchester community,” was founded by Armonk resident Anita Greenwald and Chappaqua resident Michele Kraushaar in 2006. Its mission is to engage citizens here in the active support of Israel. Given frequent headlines about terrorist attacks and unstable relations with their Palestinian neighbors, many people in the United States are fearful of traveling there, and may have misconceptions about what life is like in Israel. Tzahal Shalom is trying to change that.

Through an assortment of programming aimed at every sector of the community, Tzahal Shalom creates opportunities to meet, interact, and get to know the soldiers. After all, said Anita, “When you care about a person, you care about where they are from. Creating those bonds is what our program is about.”

This year, seven soldiers arrived on October 15 to share their stories and experiences with a diverse set of audiences in Chappaqua and Millwood. They spoke to more than 1,500 people of all ages and religions, as well as local politicians and clergy. The soldiers are all active duty combat officers who have served their required time in the Israeli army and have re-enlisted to further serve their country. Each soldier is recruited and interviewed by the IDF, and, because many of them have never spoken to civilian groups before, prepared for their time here. Though they are not allowed to speak about politics, they are free to speak about anything else. For security reasons, their full identities cannot be disclosed in this article.

Each soldier has a unique perspective they like to share with their audiences. Michal, 21, is an instructions officer in the IDF’s combat engineering corp. Born and raised in Holland by Israeli parents, she is a lone soldier, which means her parents are not currently living in Israel. She decided to enlist in the IDF as a way to reconnect to her Israeli roots. For her, speaking to younger generations has been very meaningful. One of her speaking engagements was at Horace Greeley High School, where she spoke to a senior class.

“[The high schoolers] are at an age where they are old enough to understand what’s going on in the world, and are still developing what they believe in, so they ask very interesting questions,” she said. “I didn’t come to change minds, just to tell my story. They learn something different about another place.”

Omer, 24, is a company lieutenant in the IDF’s reconnaissance unit. Having grandparents who are Holocaust survivors has taught him that “Israel is not something that we can take for granted, so we need to protect it physically … [and we] need support from allies around the world,” he said. “Seventy years ago [many of us] had relatives who were in concentration camps. We have to remember it so we never let that happen again.”

Captain G., a 28-year-old F-16 pilot, is one of the first openly gay pilots in the IDF. “The IDF is inclusive of all different groups of society–LGBT, women, everybody,” he said. Moreover, the IDF is not only tasked with protecting Israel. “Our job is not to make war,” he said, “but to prevent the next war and allow people to prosper.”

The soldiers also spoke of Israel’s many humanitarian missions, which they said, are just as important to the IDF as protecting the country. “People are focused on the military [aspect], but we want people to see all sides and the full complexity of what we do,” Captain G. said. For example, the IDF started a program called Good Neighborhood, which treats injured Syrian refugees. The program was started after an Israeli soldier threw his bandages over a border fence so as to help wounded refugees. The IDF soldiers ensure their safe transportation to and from Israeli hospitals. Since its inception, more than 3,000 Syrian refugees have been treated by both IDF medics and Israeli doctors.

In fact, noted the soldiers, the Israeli government has made a concerted effort to not only aid in disaster relief around the world, but also to, as Omer said, be “the first feet on the ground” after tragedies. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the IDF was able to get one of the first temporary hospitals up and running. Similarly, Israeli troops were deployed to Mexico after the earthquake there this year. “Israel stands for certain values–human rights, women’s rights, and equality,” noted Omer.

During their time here, each soldier is matched with a host family, usually with teenage children at home. During their stay, the families and the soldier often create lasting relationships. The kids in the family usually bond with the soldier like a sister or brother, and the host parents start to view them as one of their own children. It’s not uncommon for soldiers to stay in touch with their host families for years to come. Many families even end up visiting their soldier in Israel. These bonds are paramount to the program, noted co-founder Michele Kraushaar.

That sentiment is echoed by Jackie Moskow, a Millwood resident who hosted a soldier this year. “The best part of this whole experience,” she said, “is watching this relationship develop between our soldier and our kids.” The Moskows are already planning to visit the soldier and his family in Israel this year, and invite him back to the United States for their son’s bar mitzvah next year.   

The soldiers also appreciate the warmth and interest they receive from the community. Though many have been to the United States as tourists, coming as part of the Tzahal Shalom program gives them a deeper understanding of American lives and sentiments toward Israel. “The soldiers leave us with renewed pride and enthusiasm for their service due to the support they feel from us while they are here,” Michele said.

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: IDF, israel, peace, share, soldier, Tzahal Shalom of Northern Westchester

A Reflection on 9/11 and the Gratitude that Fills Me

October 22, 2017 by The Inside Press

The 9/11 ceremony at Gedney Park was well attended
PHOTO BY STACEY PFEFFER

By Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs

As I was walking up the path towards the 9/11 commemoration in Gedney Park this year, I mused to myself that this was the fourth year I was participating. I remembered the first time I arrived for the ceremony. I had been at the First Congregational Church (FCC) for about three weeks, had been asked to participate (I guess because I was “new” to the community), and when I got out of my car, not knowing anyone and not even knowing where to go, there was Robin Stout, one of my congregants and a Town Board member, seemingly waiting to greet me. He took me up the hill and introduced me to just about everyone involved. At the time, I didn’t remember their names, and had no clue that I would be getting so involved in this community. I was so grateful for Robin’s presence with me.

I had been a volunteer chaplain at Ground Zero for several months following the events of that awful morning, had spoken at several conferences in the years following about my work at Ground Zero and my time as President of the New York Disaster Interfaith Services. But I was now in a new community that, for the most part, had no idea of my history and connection to 9/11. Being asked to participate in that ceremony meant more to me than most people realized. I was so grateful to have been asked.

Local Boy Scouts salute the flag at the 9/11 ceremony
PHOTO BY STACEY PFEFFER
And, now, four years later, I am still being asked to participate.

I knew where I was going and was greeted by so many people, both first responders and members of the wider community and it filled my heart with gratitude. I remain thankful for the opportunity to pause every year to remember those who gave their lives, those who lost their lives and those who continue to struggle with health issues as a result of coming to the rescue of those who were trapped and those who died, as they sought to find the remains of those who died, so that families could have proper burials. And, I pause to remember those police and firefighters and construction workers with whom I sat and talked, and listened to, and cried with and prayed for. And I remember those with whom I walked to the cross that had been found among the rubble of the buildings, that had been placed on a piece of cement for those workers who needed to see a symbol of hope and grace amidst the immense devastation and loss of human life. At the time, there was no explanation as to what happened and why it happened. I will never forget the sounds, the smells and the sights of walking into the wreckage and seeing that metal cross, which also helped me to find the courage to be there with these brave men and women.

My life has been forever changed, forever scarred and forever filled with gratitude for those who put their own lives on the line in order to try to make a difference for those whose loved ones died on that tragic morning. It changed our lives and theirs forever.

Being a part of FCC has changed me forever as well. So has being a part of this community whether through offering prayers at community events at the pagoda, during the Memorial Day commemoration, working with the school district on ensuring the safety of our children, or talking with people at Community Day. I am filled with gratitude that God has called me to serve this community at such a time as this.

Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs is the Senior Minister at the First Congregational Church in Chappaqua.

Filed Under: Et Cetera Tagged With: 9/11, fallen firefighters, First Responders, Gratitude, remember, Rev. Dr. Martha Jacobs, soldier, soldiers

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