HAL CHEM English Edition
The Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund 2017-2018
Playing on the Court of Life Roei Ben Tolila's injury turned him from an officer in an elite unit into a disabled guy Competitive basketball changed his world and proved to him that even in a wheelchair you can remain a warrior, and win, too Pg. 10
Father and Son An interview with 81 yr. old Mike Guy, the oldest competitive wheelchair tennis player in the world today, whose son Eran is also a Zahal Disabled Veteran Pg. 16
C O N T E N T S 4-5
ARGENTINA
Friends Organizations
6-9
Amigos de la Organización de discapacitados de Tzahal en Argentina
Playing on the Court of Life
10-15
Roei Ben Tolila's injury turned him from an officer in an elite unit into a paraplegic. Competitive basketball changed his world and proved to him that even in a wheelchair you can remain a warrior, and win, too!
Father and Son
16-19
The Life Story of a Genuine Hero
20-23
A former employee for 35 yrs. of the Defense Establishment, 81, Mike Guy whose right leg is amputated up to half of his pelvis, is a very active member of Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem. His son, Eran, is also a member of the ZDVO. Rafael Kellen was born to an ultraorthodox Jewish family that immigrated to Israel from South Africa, but is himself a 'Hozer b'Sheelah' (formerly religious Jew). He enlisted with an elite IDF unit, was wounded in a secret operation and underwent a grueling rehabilitation process.
Veronica’s Game
24-27
Veronica Tsvik, a wheelchair tennis player, is gaining points on her way to the Paralympic games. With a lot of hope, hard work and faith, Tokyo 2020 awaits her.
”Other than that, I am completely healthy and fit”
28-31
Ron Halevi, formerly of the Armored Corps and from Kibbutz Gesher, lost his right leg during Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014. The injury brought him back to the sport he loved as a child - kayaking and he is waiting with anticipation for Tokyo 2020.
Two Are Better Than One
32-35
Haim Yakar was a combat soldier in the Haruv Regiment wounded from an explosive device in the Kasbah in Nablus. Ori Greenstein served in the Combat Engineering Corps’ Atomic, Biological and Chemical Warfare Regiment. They met through mutual friends at the Young Veterans Club of the ZDVO and got married.
News from the Four Beit Halochem Centers
36-39
• Editor in Chief: Avi Zur • Editor: Zur Ofer • Graphic Design: • Publishing & Productions: 'Zur-Tek Journalism Ltd.' 16 Gershon St., Tel-Aviv, Israel 67016 Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization & Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund 49 Shmuel Barcay St., Afeka, Tel-Aviv 61392 Israel Tel: +972-3-6461603 • Fax: +972-3-6420215 Email: keren@beit-halochem.org.il Website: www.zdvo.org 2 ׀HAL CHEM | 2017-2018
ZDVO - FRIENDS ORGANIZATIONS
News of the Fund
Sra. Berta Sutton, Presidenta adrian@inz.org.il
AUSTRALIA ZDVO Beit Halochem in Australia Mr. Michael Balkin, President Ms. Evie Smith, National Executive Director zdvo@zdvo.com www.zdvo.com Tel: +61-413 647 642 Mobile
CANADA Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel Beit Halochem Canada (ADVI) Mrs. Toby Feldberg, President Ms. Lisa Levy, National Executive Director info@beithalochem.ca www.beithalochem.ca Tel: +1-905-695-0611 Office
ENGLAND Beit Halochem UK Mr. Dennis Levine, Chairman Mr. Spencer Gelding, National Executive Director info@bhuk.org www.bhuk.org Tel: +44- 208 458 2455 Office
FRANCE Association des Amis de Beit Halochem en France Mr. Hubert Habib, President Habib.hubert@orange.fr Tel: +33-1-4931-0064 Office Tel: +33-6-14208-072 Mobile
NETHERLANDS Stichting Vrienden Van Beth Halochem Netherland Allain Silbernberg, National Executive Director info@bethhalochem.nl www.bethhalochem.nl Tel: +31-650288014 Mobile
SOUTH AFRICA S.A. Friends of Beit Halochem Mrs. Zipora Cohen, Chairman Zipora@worldonline.co.za Tel: +27-11-6452-553 Office Tel: +27-82-6005213 Mobile
SWITZERLAND Amis des Invalides de Tzahal Beit Halochem à Genève Mrs. Shoshi Eleini, President Ms. Eliane Meyer, National Executive Director info@aditg.org Tel: +41-79-2034192 Mobile Switzerland Tel: +972-52-8244482 Mobile Israel
YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT STRENGTHENS US Dear Friends,
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans, Beit Halochem (FIDV) Mr. Michael Leichtling, Chairman Mrs. Ella Levine, National Executive Director info@fidv.org www.fidv.org Tel: +1- 212-689-3220 Office
In a few months the State of Israel will mark its 70th anniversary. We are already feeling the waves of excitement everywhere we turn, cities are preparing events. It seems that today more than ever before, when Israel is strong, the importance of the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization and its Beit Halochem centres –becomes greater!
Want to be
Thanks to your warm embrace, your support and the steadfast way in which you stand at our side, we are able to successfully offer the Zahal Disabled Veterans more and more activities so necessary for their rehabilitation, we are renovating existing infrastructures and building new ones: Fitness Halls, Physiotherapy Centres, Hydrotherapy Pools and much more.
Kept
Soon, we will begin construction of the Fifth Beit Halochem– along the Mediterranean shores of the City of Ashdod. As one who is following this process closely, I see how they make use of all the tools we offer them, thanks to you, and coupled with their tremendous will power and perseverance, they break records in sports, the arts and culture.
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The strength of Israeli society is comprised of the steadfast resolve of its members as they face its many challenges. Zahal Disabled Veterans, who bear physical and emotional scars, are a live testament to this strength. Despite having undergone a traumatic and difficult event, they chose life. It is our role to give them the best possible, to pave the right way for them, and accompany them all along the road, even if it’s long. The Beit Halochem centres have become a second home to many of them and to some, even a first. It is no secret that the State of Israel cannot support the many needs of our society and unfortunately, a great part of our national budget is directed towards our security needs. That is why we, together with all of you, are carrying the immense moral debt, which the State of Israel has towards its wounded war veterans. We do so with great pride and out of a sense of mission and understanding that we have no other country and there is nothing more worthy than to recognize their sacrifice. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Haim Bar Chairman The Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization
Email us at:
ZDVF@INZ.ORG.IL 2017-2018 ׀HAL CHEM | 3
News of Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund
The First International Partners Networking Session For the very first time ever, the Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund hosted the Executive Directors and Chairmen of the friends organizations from 8 countries (Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom) for an international partners networking session. Between July 2-6, 2017 they attended working sessions in which the partners were briefed and updated by Brig. Gen (res.) Haim Ronen, Executive Director of the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization, by Dr. Moshe Shemma, Executive Director of the Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund, and by ZDVO senior management. They visited Beit Halochem centres, met with disabled veterans and visited the site where the new, fifth Beit Halochem is to be built in Ashdod. On their way to Ashdod they visited the border with Gaza and toured the perimeter
settlements, learning of the delicate and precarious situation which continues to exist. The guests met with Speaker of the Knesset, MK Yuli Edelstein. After a tour of the Knesset, they visited the Supreme Court and had a personal meeting with Supreme Court Justice Uri Shoham, were briefed by former Chief of Staff of the IDF, Lt. Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi, experienced playing wheelchair basketball with the members of the Karmiel Wheelchair Basketball Team and sailed with the Kishon River Sailing Team, both activities under the responsibility of Haifa’s Beit Halochem, as part of the many activities offered to the thousands of disabled veterans living in the Northern Peripheral Region of Israel. The networking session ended when all participants attended the Opening Ceremony of the Maccabean Games in Jerusalem. A similar session will be held annually from now on.
The International Partners with Lt. Gen(res.) Gabi Ashkenazi
Heroes to Heroes – A Special Partnership with US Wounded War Veterans Throughout the year the ZDVF hosts overseas donors who come to see firsthand how their donations have made a difference. In addition, delegations from all over the world come to learn about the work of the ZDVO and its Beit Halochem centres. In the past year, 5 delegations of wounded American veterans visited Beit Halochem as part of an ongoing partnership with the US Heroes to Heroes founda-
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tion. Led by Judy Schaffer, the founder and Chairman of Heroes to Heroes, the delegations of 10 severely wounded US veterans spend 10 days in Israel and are joined by 5 Zahal Disabled Veterans for the duration of the visit. They also spend an entire afternoon at Beit Halochem where they learn how disabled veterans can rehabilitate other disabled veterans.
Academic and Sports Scholarships Distributed in 2016-2017
Academic Scholarship Distribution Ceremony, December 2017 Throughout the month of December 2017, Academic Scholarship Distribution Ceremonies took place at the four Beit Halochem Centres for the academic year of 2016-2017. 460 Academic and Vocational Training Scholarships totaling $606.000 USD were distributed and 36 Artists Scholarships were distributed totaling $26,000 USD Donors, lawyers and executors of estates, family members and supporters attended the ceremonies, distributed the scholarships to the respective recipients and honored us all with their presence. Scholarships were also handed from donations received through friends organizations from around the world. Scholarships for Excelling Disabled Athletes aim to support, encourage and moti-
vate those disabled who were qualified to take part in international competitions and the Paralympic games as well as those who have shown that through continued sports activity their rehabilitation has benefitted and their physical and mental condition improved. Scholarships are awarded to outstanding disabled players in all fields of sport who have had significant achievements and major results as well as to coaches who have stood out in their dedication and training programs. Scholarships are also offered as an incentive to young disabled athletes who exhibit perseverance and seriousness, showing progress over a period of at least three consecutive years. In a moving ceremony at Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem on April 5, 2017, 88 Scholarships
totaling $145,000 USD (NIS 536,500) were distributed to excelling athletes and coaches for their athletic achievements in the year 2016, in the following categories: Paralympic Team members (a 100% Scholarship) Athletes in non-Paralympic sports branches for achievements in World/European Championships (a 50% Scholarship) Young Athletes showing potential (a 50% Scholarship) Scholarships Distributed by each respective Beit Halochem Centre (a 50% Scholarship) Beit Halochem Scholarships for Athletes from the Periphery Scholarships to Coaches for Special Achievements
The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Corner
We are grateful to these wonderful girls and boys, who have selflessly decided, each in his or own special way, to support Beit Halochem as their charity of choice in the run up to their Bar/Bat Mitzvah whether through fundraising initiatives or through donating a proportion of their Bar/Bat Mitzvah gifts.
UK Zac Mendelsohn Mia Gelding Liora Bloom Tehila Rome Rachel Bezalel Canada Misha Pesin
Australia Ryan Pillemer Damon Basserabie Teya Bierenkrant Liron Leibovich Adiel Savitz Tayla Sher Sam Fuchs
Yona Franks Zak Bierenkrant Zac Maidenberg Eitan Potash Ellie Davis Ilan Davis Josh Kallenbach
Haim Bar, Chairman of ZDVO giving Tayla Sher a Certificate
Long time supporter and true friend of Zahal Disabled Veterans Mrs. Helen Cytryn, recently visited Tel Aviv's Beit Halochem From left to right: Helen Cytryn, Dr. Moshe Shemma, Jane Cytryn, Helen's daughter.
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FRIENDS ORGANIZATIONS
FRIENDS OF ISRAEL DISABLED VETERANS BEIT HALOCHEM USA
FIDV Young Leaders at Winter Gala 2017 - photo by Hallie Geller
2017 NYC Triathlon: Many exciting things have been happening for Friends of Israel Disabled veterans-Beit Halochem in the USA. Most recently, in July 2017, for the first time FIDV had athletes in the 2017 New York City Triathlon. David Fogel, an FIDV Board member, Gabriel Siegal, Dov Zamore and Seth Matarasso completed the 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike ride, and 10-kilometer run that make up the triathlon, while raising critically needed funds for Beit Halochem in Israel. FIDV plans to field a team again for the 2018 NYC Triathlon. The FIDV Young Leaders Board: Co-Chaired by Michael Shmuely and Jacob Kent, and Outreach Chair Jake Pereg, the Young Leaders Board is planning a full year of activities for 2017-2018. The season will begin with the Annual Fall Kickoff evening (September 14, 2017). The Young Leaders Board has a goal of drawing more than 300 people, since the Fall Kickoff has historically been the Young Leaders’ second largest annual event. It
celebrates the heroes of Israel while also serving as a major fundraising and outreach event. Those young men and women who attend learn about FIDVBeit Halochem. In January 2018, the Young Leaders Board will follow up with a Winter Gala featuring a disabled veteran from Israel as Guest Speaker. We are also proud to announce that Michael Shmuely has joined the FIDV National Board, bringing his energy and Young Leadership experience to his new role as a Trustee. Annual 5 Towns 5K Run/Walk: As in previous years, we look forward to the 9th Annual 5 Towns 5K Run/Walk on April 29, 2018, organized and coordinated by FIDV Board member Dr. Isaac Seinuk. In the 2017 version of the race there was something for all ages. Besides the regular race with 317 finishers, there was a Fun Run for about 60 young children. Overall, participants ranged in age from senior citizens to kindergarteners, and from octogenarians to babes in arms. “It warms my heart to see this concern for Israel’s disabled heroes,” Dr. Seinuk commented. Israel at 70 Gala Dinner: On October 10, 2018 FIDV, will be holding its first annual Gala Dinner Event. Beit Halochem Ashdod Project: FIDV-Beit Halochem in the USA is also raising funds for Beit Halochem Ashdod. To this end, we secured a two-year grant of $2 million USD for “The Construction of the New Beit Halochem Rehabilitation, Sports, and Recreation Centre in Ashdod” from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. We are grateful for this support. One FIDV-Beit Halochem donor sums up her commitment this way: “You have kept Israel strong. It is my turn to help you heal.”
LES AMIS DE BEIT HALOCHEM EN FRANCE Les Amis de B.H. en France association was founded by Maurice and Bella Taieb in 1972, and in Côte d’Azur by Madame Andrée Weill. Hubert Habib serves as the President as of 2010. Our association runs a network of loyal donors and expands it each year (800 in 2005, 1500 in 2017), following various activities for the benefit of this community, which is the second largest (about 600,000 people) after the United States. As of 2009, we stopped organizing fundraising events due to the high costs incurred. Our communication strategy focuses primarily on the community media, as well as Parisian and provincial media.
Hubert Habib and wheelchair basketball player
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• Weekly press: a one-page publication, as well as an article publication in “Actualité Juive” (“Jewish News”) – 200,000 copies. June 2017 – an article on the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, including testimonies of soldiers who survived and B.H. members.
BEIT HALOCHEM CANADA, AID TO DISABLED VETERANS OF ISRAEL Beit Halochem Canada, Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel, appreciates the devotion of its 25 Board members and more than 200 volunteers for their assistance in growing the organization. Thanks to their efforts, we are active in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Hamilton, Kingston, Ottawa, and Montreal, and take pride in sending 92 cents on every dollar to Israel. The events listed below contributed to Beit Halochem Canada raising over $6,500,000 in 2016. Over 100 Canadian cyclists rode from Jerusalem to Eilat alongside 80 disabled veterans in our annual Courage in Motion bike ride. Dr. Moshe Shemma, the Executive Director of the Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund, said of the annual cycling event: “It is a wonderful initiative of Beit Halochem Canada. Their commitment and devotion of the disabled veterans moves us afresh every time.” Cyclists can choose from five fully supported routes, ranging from 50־140 kilometres each day. It is an amazing way to experience Israel and support the members of Beit Halochem. This year’s ride took place from October 22 - 26, 2017 in Northern Israel. Plan to join us for next year’s ride from October 21 - 25, 2018. Celebration of Life brings energy, enthusiasm, and excitement to the stage, showcasing Israeli musical talent and heroic stories of strength, determination, and triumph. Three sold־out concerts in Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto, had the audiences dancing in their seats and listening to the veterans’ incredible stories as they joined the musicians on stage. Dates for 2018: Calgary - June 10, Montreal - June 12, and Toronto - June 14. Annual Group Visits brought 20 gallant Beit Halochem members to Toronto and Montreal. For two weeks, they stayed in our homes, toured, met the community, and appreciated our Canadian hospitality, love for Israel and Beit Halochem. We learned about the members on individual bases and made personal connections to last a lifetime. Toronto Negev Dinner along with Toby Feldberg (President) honoured Beit Halochem Canada Life Member Alex Eisen, who requested that all funds raised be directed to Beit Halochem Ashdod. Over $2,500,000 was raised by the 1,500 gala dinner guests. We are grateful that Alex chose Beit Halochem as the dinner’s beneficiary. Courage on Canvas and A Celebration of Courage are two new events appealing to the Young Leadership and Contemporary groups. Each featured live art, music, silent and live auctions plus the guest appearance of one of our disabled veterans who shared her incredible story.
• An interview with Ruthy Benitah by Michael Bar-Zvi, published in “HAMEVASSER” magazine of the Israeli Liberal Union of France. • Four Jewish radio stations, interviews and live broadcasts in collaboration with the Tel Aviv headquarters. • Sending 4 emails a year to potential and existing donors on the following dates: on Passover (Liberation), Independence Day (Sovereignty), Tishrei (Introspection) and Hanukkah (Miracle and Military Victory). • Arranging conference across the country aimed for Community Centres and B’nai B’rith Lodges, including screening of testimonial documentaries. • Identifying reputable representatives in major cities of France: Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Avignon, and Tours. • Hosting basketball teams at Meaux, Toulouse, and Grenoble for
2017 Courage in Motion Bike Ride - photo by Idan Peled
The Yom Ha’atzmaut Annual Mission to Israel was once again a great success, bringing new people to visit and explore Beit Halochem. Join us April 15 - 25, 2018 as we celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday and participate in the world’s most prestigious Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations at Mount Herzl. We will have VIP briefings and discussions with Israeli dignitaries and military elite, as well as exclusive visits to army bases. Tour the country from the Golan Heights down to Eilat. This is a trip that you will never forget. This year’s 20th Annual Golf Tournament saw our golfers enjoy a funfilled day and, during dinner, hear the story of one of our brave veterans. Forty-eight Bar and Bat mitzvah aged children of severely disabled Israeli veterans embarked on an incredible journey to Toronto. They spent one week touring and three weeks at four Ontario camps as part of our Kids of Courage program. During their time at camp, the Israeli children bond with the Canadian campers, providing an invaluable experience for all. The peaceful yet vibrant camp environment allows the Israeli children to relax away from the pressures of their home lives while the Canadian children learn first־hand about life in Israel. This camp experience also provides the opportunity to develop connections with similarly־aged Israeli children. To find out more about Beit Halochem Canada, Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel, please visit www.beithalochem.ca
the European Handisport Championship, climbing the creeks of Marseilles and cycling in Lyon. There are many warm relationships with the district communities, who are happy to come and cheer the Israelis. Future projects: • International golf tournament in the Paris region, to be organized by our friend and financier Marc Harari and designed specifically for B.H. • Further development of investments in our media by designing a coherent long-term media plan. In addition, we constantly maintain excellent relationships with: - The Embassy of Israel in France, which supports us on a regular basis, and particularly supports the services of the military attaché, as well as bequest and succession services. - The traditional community institutions, such as the Consistoire, French United Jewish Appeal, United Israel Appeal, etc.
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FRIENDS ORGANIZATIONS
NEWS FROM BEIT HALOCHEM UK
BHUK Trustees at the May 2017 Annual Gala
This past year has been a phenomenally successful and busy year for Beit Halochem UK most recently with our annual fundraising dinner at London’s Dorchester Hotel raising in excess of £1,000,000. We are incredibly lucky to have a very supportive community in the UK, Beit Halochem UK has now established a strong connection with many communities, schools and individuals across the United Kingdom. We have recently been chosen as the charity of choice for two very large London synagogues, including Mill Hill Synagogue who are channelling their Kol Nidrei appeal to Beit Halochem this year. Last year, we raised a total of £2.9 Million, the most we have ever raised in a year since we established the UK office in 2012. To give you a flavour of what’s been happening in the UK this year, we will start with our most eminent event in our calendar year - our annual fundraising dinner. 450 guests attended our dinner where guests heard from three incredibly brave individuals connected to Beit Halochem. Matan Berman, a third generation wounded IDF veteran and Roei ben Tolila, also an IDF wounded veteran spoke movingly about their injuries, their rehabilitation and how
Beit Halochem has helped to transform their lives. Guests also heard the story of Mrs Diana Alankri - the mother of a wounded veteran who spoke about her son Shimon who was wounded whilst patrolling the Gaza border. Hanoch Budin, Gold Medalist Paralympic swimming champion and Beit Halochem Veteran, featured in our appeal video at the end of the evening and also greeted the audience following the appeal where he gave his heartfelt thanks and expressed his pride at being amongst a community that cares so deeply for the welfare of Israeli wounded veterans. The previous month, the annual BHUK Golf Day took place at Hartsbourne Golf & Country Club. It was attended by a special guest, Yoram Kuchel, who was wounded in 1974 whilst out on a mission as a reservist. The event, which included a breakfast, buffet lunch, a fabulous raffle and presentation by Yoram who described Beit Halochem as ‘his family", raised funds for the Rehabilitation Centres. Earlier this summer, Beit Halochem UK joined forces with Maccabi GB and organised the first ever Maccabiah Beit Halochem Tour with great assistance from Ora Seidner, based at Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem. This enabled over 250 people, from the Junior and Senior Teams, to experience a specially organised tour of the Centres (Seniors to Beit Halochem Haifa and Juniors to Beit Halochem Tel Aviv) to highlight how sport can be used as one of the most powerful rehabilitative tools for people who have experienced trauma of any kind. Not only did they tour the Centres alongside veterans, but they were also given the opportunity to take part in some of the sporting activities alongside veterans including wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball and table tennis. They also heard the stories of various Beit Halochem veterans including from Noam Gershony, war veteran turned Israeli national hero, who is rated second in the world in the highest rank of disability in wheelchair tennis.
FRIENDS OF THE ZDVO IN ISRAEL
After the Army Trip to India 2017
The “After the Army Trip” Project led by the Friends of the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization in Israel with El Al Airlines, for the third consecutive year has become one of the most attractive and significant projects for the rehabilitation of disabled IDF veterans. Several weeks ago, another group of IDF veterans returned from a trip to India together with the Director, Vered Roth, Board Member Adi Strauss and his wife, Dr. Tzipi Strauss, who served as the delegation’s physician. This year, the group was joined by a team from the “Yedioth
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Ahronoth” newspaper – reporter Itai Ilanai and photographer Amit Shabo. “Henry has only one leg, Assi does not see, Sosna is covered with scars and Dean’s brain is engraved with horrors of the Shuja’iyya battle, but the grueling climb in the Himalayas during the ”After the Army Trip” for the disabled IDF veterans allowed them to leave behind all their pain and fear. They were freed from the burden of memories and marched forward in the snowy mountains and along the flowing rivers, discovering that diving into the abyss of the soul could actually make it easier to climb to the top”, as stated in the beginning of their moving article. They were injured in the Second Lebanon War, during Operation Protective Edge, in the stabbing and vehicle-ramming attacks, in military training and in traffic accidents. During the journey it became clear that the physical challenge is only a small and secondary part of the story, while the major part is diving into the depths of the soul and not climbing to the top of the mountain,” Later, he said: “All injuries and all rehabilitation processes are different. Each injured person carries his own burden. Full article and video of the “Yedioth Ahronoth” team is available at http://www.yediot.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4992174,00.html
AUSTRALIA FLYING THE FLAG FOR ZDVO BEIT HALOCHEM
Michael Balkin President of ZDVO Australia with Dan Meir and Amit Shahar 2017 has proven to be a very busy year for ZDVO Beit Halochem Australia with some interesting and exciting developments taking place. With its head office in Sydney and existing activity in Sydney and Melbourne, ZDVO has now expanded into Perth, Western Australia. In February 2017, Executive Director Evie Smith accompanied special guest from Israel, Dan Layani and his daughter Noi, to Perth for its very first ZDVO campaign. The purpose of the visit was to introduce the organisation to the Western Australian Jewish community and create awareness for Israel’s disabled veterans and Beit Halochem. The visit was hugely successful resulting in the establishment of the Western Australian ZDVO Volunteer committee. ZDVO Beit Halochem Australia holds its main fundraising campaign in February and its awareness campaign in August each year. In addition to hosting blind disabled veteran, Dan Layani, we also hosted ZDVO advocate and Paralympic champion, Moran Samuel. Both Dan and Moran met with hundreds of members of the Australian Jewish community, receiving much positive feedback. Dan and Moran shared their personal stories at the Jewish day schools, synagogues, young adult events, dinner parties and cocktail parties. The impact of their visit resulted in an increase in donations as well as exposing ZDVO to many people for the first time. In addition, ZDVO held movie premiere evenings in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth that attracted hundreds of patrons including
scores of new supporters. There has also been an increase in requests from members of the Australian community who wish to visit the Beit Halochem centres in Israel. These visits continually yield positive results including an increase in donations and a willingness to volunteer for ZDVO. In recent years, it has become more common for Year 10 high school students to travel to Israel as part of their curriculum. In this regard, we work closely with the schools to ensure that a visit to Beit Halochem is included in the itinerary providing students with a greater understanding of the organisation and a first hand view of the amazing facilities and activities at Beit Halochem. One of the most exciting changes that happened in 2017 was that ZDVO received its tax deductibility status making all donations over AU$2 tax deductible. President, Michael Balkin, is thrilled with the outcome. “This is a massive game changer for the organisation and will hopefully have a flow on effect and incentivise donors to give more to this very worthy cause”, Balkin said in a recent interview. Executive Director, Evie Smith, attended the inaugural ZDVO International Partners Conference held in Israel in July 2017. The purpose of the conference was for Executive Directors and Honorary Presidents of the international friends’ organisations to come together, share ideas, visit the centres and meet the disabled veterans. During August and September, victim of terror and active member of Beit Halochem Tel Aviv, Dan Meir and his wife Yael, visited Sydney and Melbourne to share his incredible story of resilience and survival with the community. Dan spoke to hundreds of people in the Sydney and Melbourne Jewish and wider communities creating greater awareness for ZDVO and Beit Halochem. As in recent years, a Rosh Hashanah appeal in honour of ZDVO took place in various synagogues in Melbourne, an initiative established by Vice President, Jeff Lipshatz. The annual appeal continues to be successful and has allowed us to engage with new donors. We are very fortunate to have two established and passionate volunteer committees in Sydney and Melbourne and now in Perth, who are dedicated to doing all they can to raise awareness for Israel’s brave heroes. The committee members go above and beyond to help raise awareness and funds for ZDVO and we are very grateful for their efforts and assistance.
NEW PRESIDENT TO FRIENDS OF ZDVO IN ARGENTINA Mrs. Berta Sutton, President of the newly formed Amigos de la Organización de Discapacitados de Tzahal en Argentina, visited Jerusalem’s Beit Halochem for the first time. Together with her husband David, the couple were hosted by the centre’s Managing Director Herzl Morad and his staff, Chairman of the Board Dr. Alon Dahan and Adrian Teper, Director for Latin America at the ZDVF. During the very moving 4 hour visit, the couple had random encounters with members of the centre throughout their tour culminating in a luncheon joined by a group of young disabled veterans, recently wounded, where a lively and open discussion was held. Mrs. Sutton was excited and pleased to take upon herself this task. In an initial meeting which took place in Argentina this past November, the formation of a Board of Directors was discussed and candidates were suggested and financial goals were set. In addition, it was agreed that Mrs. Suton would host an event in Buenos Aires (tentatively at the beginning of May right after Independence Day) in recognition and honor of Zahal Disabled Veterans. The ZDVF will continue to develop and expand its work in Argentina with the generous help of Mrs. Sutton and her connections.
Berta and David Sutton with veterans
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Playing on the Court of Life By Dudu Levy Reich Photos Ariel Besor
Roei Ben Tolila's injury turned him from an officer in an elite unit into a disabled guy. Competitive basketball changed his world and proved to him that even in a wheelchair you can remain a warrior, and win, too
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O
nce every few weeks, a group of IDF officers comes to visit Beit Halochem (a rehabilitation, sports and recreation center for disabled veterans) in Jerusalem - regiment commanders, base commanders, squadron commanders, etc. - for a day of introduction. During the course of the visit, the guests take off their military uniforms, put on sports clothes, sit in wheelchairs in the gym and, for the first time in their lives, begin practicing basketball from wheelchair height, usually against a team of disabled players. “Here, I invite the commanders to move from their comfort zone of authority to a zone of disability,” explains Roei Ben Tolila, a player on the Israeli national wheelchair basketball team for the last 11 years, and the project's creator. “Every such simulation, which takes about an hour and a half, completely changes their conception of disabled people and the difficulties and constraints that we have to contend with. I think that today there isn't a single IDF regiment commander who hasn’t sat, even for just one hour, in a wheelchair. Today it’s a mandatory step for all officers. The very fact that these officers see the world for the first time from our height, will in my opinion turn them into better commanders in the future.” Why? “Because in order to win at sports, just like winning in battle or in business, you must have teamwork, to know how to cooperate with the other players on the team – to defend your basket together, to pass the ball on the offense. Alone you’ll never succeed. Wheelchair basketball is a game where if you try to be the star and dribble alone time after time, you’ll lose.” Meaning? “You need the ball to pass from player to player, with all of the players on the team playing the same melody in harmony. That’s the key to success. You ask what turns a regular team into a
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Playing on the Court of Life
"In the special forces unit Maglan, we talk in the language of winning – how to win together. That’s the driving force. When I started playing basketball, I realized that you can speak the same language even when you're sitting in a wheelchair. At basketball I met the most effective support group I could hope for.” winning team, and you get the answer in wheelchair basketball. Precisely because the player in a wheelchair is limited, he needs to constantly raise his head and look around for resources, in this case other players on his team, who can help him and move him forward, just like in life. This great understanding is also the metaphoric axis in the workshops I conduct as part of the business I established called “Roiem“, to develop leadership for commanders and managers. The understanding that the winners are the ones who work together.” This understanding is correct for sports, for the army, and also for many other areas of life.
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“True. Groups come from overseas to visit us here, specifically to experience this thing called wheelchair basketball. I often ask these visitors what led them to visit Beit Halochem, and their answers move me. They say, ‘We’ve already been to Israel and visited Massada and the Western Wall, and every place we went, there was a guide who told us the story of that place. But here, at Beit Halochem, you don’t need to tell us the story because you are the story. Each and every one of you is the story of the State of Israel.'”
Coping with disability
Ben Tolila was born 36 years ago in
Kvutsat Yavne, a religious kibbutz, the fourth of five siblings. In 2000, he enlisted in the Maglan special forces unit, and underwent a grueling combat training course lasting twenty months. Even at that point he was identified by the unit’s commanders as having great promise, and after completing the course he was sent to an officers’ course. Afterwards, he returned to his unit, at first as a team commander and later as a deputy company commander. “We’re the generation of Second Intifada soldiers,” Ben Tolila recalls the stormiest period of his life. “Our goal was to catch the terrorists in their homes, long before they came to carry out
attacks on our streets. Most of our operations then were arrests. Almost every night we would go out quietly, in the dark, sometimes on foot and sometimes in vehicles, and do the job.” Ben Tolila was injured in an operation he led in 2004, in the refugee camp on the outskirts of Jenin, when he was already a career officer. The force had surrounded the home of the target, when a soldier in a parallel force opened fire and hit Ben Tolila accidentally. The bullet entered his body through the right arm, hit his spine and caused paralysis. Ben Tolila was evacuated by helicopter in serious condition to the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, where he underwent surgery and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit, sedated and on a respirator. When he recovered, he was sent to Tel Hashomer for rehabilitation, for six months. During that entire period, Maya was at his side – his thengirlfriend, who later became his wife and his partner in life. “Maya went through all that with me and she is a very significant part of my rehabilitation,” Ben Tolila explains. “I want to emphasize the fact that the concept of rehabilitation refers not only to the physical aspect, but also to your relationships with many people who knew you before the injury as a heroic commander who knows how to solve problems, and suddenly have to deal with a guy who is disabled and limited.” And Maya accepted you just as you are? “At the beginning, I suggested that she leave me. I told her, ‘You decided to date an officer in an elite unit, not a disabled guy in a wheelchair.’ But she insisted on staying. Happily for me, I was lucky enough to find a woman who even back then saw my true qualities, far beyond what I saw, and chose to live her life and raise a family with me.” Entrepreneurship, studies and business Five years ago, Roei and Maya finished building their home in Mevo Beitar in the Jerusalem hills, where they are raising their four children. The Ministry of Defense assisted in financing the land purchase and construction work.
of the elite unit to realize their personal dreams. Each year, they connect 12 unit alumni studying for an undergraduate degree to 12 successful leaders in various fields – business leaders, company directors, hospital unit directors, etc. The mentor-leaders guide the former soldiers throughout the period, and help them to develop any wish or idea they have in mind. “The subject of entrepreneurship is very popular for Maglan alumni,” Ben Tolila reveals. “There is a unique atmosphere in the unit of creativity, competitiveness, aspiration and ambitiousness.” And how is this manifested in practice? “The basis of our approach is that if you have an idea, it would be a shame to ignore it. So why not? For one person it could be an innovative product that he wants to develop, and another could have a vision of being CEO of his own company. In each group, there are 12 alumni who have 12 meetings each with the 12 mentors who guide them. We recently completed the third successful program, and the fourth will soon begin.”
Basketball changed his world
“When we were just starting out, there were those who warned us against the whole turmoil, but in the end we enjoyed all of the stages, from the planning to the actual construction. It’s exciting to build a house from the foundations.” In the 13 years that have passed since his injury, Ben Tolila has completed a bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Bar Ilan University, and a master’s degree in organizational consulting at the College of Management in Rishon LeZion. In between degrees, he also established his personal business, Roiem, through which he facilitates workshop groups in leadership, including business leadership, with a program he developed himself. At the same time, Ben Tolila has been serving for the past few years as the professional director of Amutat Maglan’s mentoring program, which helps alumni
Just a few days after our meeting at the beginning of summer, Ben Tolila set out with the Israeli national wheelchair basketball team to the European championship tournament on the Spanish island Tenerife. During this championship, as in the prior one two years ago, the Israeli team reached a respectable eighth place, again establishing its status among the best European teams. For Ben Tolila, one of the team’s guards, the encounter with this demanding sport in his early 20s was a significant turning point in his struggle with the concept of disability. “At the start of my rehabilitation period I was very sad,” he remembers. “Being an officer in Maglan is a powerful emotional experience. You feel that you are invincible, that you are above life itself, and then you get this slap in the face. I met with a lot of psychologists and social workers after my injury, but they didn’t know how to help me. Until one day I chanced upon the basketball court at the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem, and what I saw there changed my entire world.”
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Playing on the Court of Life
"Precisely because the player in a wheelchair is limited, he needs to constantly raise his head and look around for resources, in this case other players on his team, who can help him and move him forward, just like in life. This great understanding is also the metaphoric axis in the workshops I conduct."
What did you see there? “Disabled people like me, even amputees, who go to the basketball court after work, change out of their buttondown shirts into sports clothes. Magic. I understood then, for that first time, that you can do both. Some of the players weren’t even disabled, but they came to play because their father is disabled and they wanted to play with him. For me, a former soldier in an elite unit, it was the closest thing to the camaraderie of a team of soldiers, but playing on the court of life.” Did comparisons to Maglan also come up on the court? “In the special forces unit Maglan, we talk in the language of winning – how to win together. That’s the driving force. When I started playing basketball, I realized that you can speak the same language even when you're sitting in a wheelchair. Look, psychologists recommend that disabled IDF veterans join support groups, but it’s not so simple.
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For tough soldiers, it’s hard to talk about their pain and expose their difficulties. At basketball I met the most effective support group I could hope for. Here, you don’t need to talk about where you were injured and what your problems are, but just to deal with how we can win together. Without words.” In 2009, after playing for a few years on the team at the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem, Ben Tolila embarked on another exciting adventure – establishing a competitive wheelchair basketball team at the Jerusalem Beit Halochem, which he calls his second home. Along with his good friend David Deri, a disabled veteran from Jerusalem, the two began to recruit players for the new team. “The Tel Aviv team members are very important to me, but I felt that the people in Jerusalem deserved a team of their own,” says Ben Tolila. “It’s hard to travel three or four times a week from the Jerusalem hills to the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem, and the family pays the price.
Today, I live a 20-minute drive from the Jerusalem Beit Halochem, and I am involved in every little thing connected to the team. It was clear to us that this was something beyond just basketball, a kind of community, from the very beginning.” Do you like to play basketball? “After being injured, you discover that the range of sports available to you as a disabled person has decreased significantly, and basketball seemed like the option that most suited me. It’s a gift for me. I never would have gotten to play in five European championships in an Israeli national team uniform if I had not been injured. We are about to go to a two-week tournament in Tenerife and I am just as excited as the first time.” Why? “Because at these championships you take your body – or what’s left of it – to the limit of its ability. In order to be part of a winning team, a lot of things need to come together, in particular
team and interpersonal harmony. At the previous championship, we were defeated in one of the evening games against the strong team from Holland. At ten o’clock the very next morning we had to gather ourselves and find the strength to go out on the court and play our most important game, against the Swedish team. In the end, we beat the Swedish team by two points and felt like we were on a rollercoaster. It was an amazing experience.”
"I think that today there isn't a single IDF regiment commander who hasn’t sat, even for just one hour, in a wheelchair. Today it’s a mandatory step for all officers. The very fact that these officers see the world for the first time from our height will, in my opinion, turn them into better commanders in the future."
A supportive Jerusalem crowd
An amazing and unusual experience awaits the visiting teams that come to play against the wheelchair basketball team at the Jerusalem Beit Halochem, both at its home court and at the big and important games that are held sometimes on the court of a huge arena. The team encounters the noisy and supportive Jerusalem crowd, in extreme contrast to the quiet and polite audience of most of the other teams in the premier league. “The first game we invited an audience to was a very strange experience for us,” Ben Tolila recalls. “We came with the energy of an American ice hockey team, and we met a Philharmonic audience. We were in shock. At the end of the game, I went up to one of my fan friends who is known to be a noisy guy. I asked him, ‘What’s this silence?’ and he said, ‘Listen, I don’t feel comfortable being against them. They’re also disabled. How can I boo a disabled player standing on the penalty line before his throws?” Good question. How did you answer him? “I told him that they are players and people just like me and him, who are very happy that for the first time in their lives someone is booing them. I really believe that when someone boos you, it defines you and increases your desire to prove that you are good at what you do. When you don’t annoy anyone, you don’t exist. I explained to him that booing the opposing team is what every audience of every quality sport in the whole world does, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. After that, we took on
Roei during his military sevice
another project – before every home game, we host a team to play us on wheelchairs – youth, soldiers, students, new immigrants, and others. We saw that after they also sat on wheelchairs and played the game from our point of view, something changed in them in terms of their attitude to the game as fans. In that respect, when they come today to cheer us on during a game, they don’t see disabled people, they just see people – and that’s a huge change in perception.” The players on the other teams don't suffer from it? “Players from all of the league teams love to play at the Jerusalem volcano, because there is no such atmosphere at any other court in the league. How many times in their lives do they have the opportunity to play against so many
spectators who know the game and are so involved in it? Today, our whole team is made up of players from Jerusalem and the surrounding area. We don't bring players from outside. We may have gone down a little in quality, but that’s not so bad. We know that we're building something for the long term, and that's what drives us, both in losses and in wins. During the first year of the teams existence, and against all odds we made it to the State Cup Finals. 3,000 spectators came to the game.” And who won? “We lost on the scoreboard but that evening, at that game, I learned that winning is not about the final score, but what happens along the way. That game redefined for me my entire perception on winning. I was given a new upgraded version to the term victory.”
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Father and Son Mike Guy, whose right leg is amputated up to half of his pelvis, is a competitive wheelchair tennis player, an artist, takes part in off־the-beaten path jeep tours, studies Arabic at Beit Halochem, conducts voluntary activities for the benefit of soldiers in a military prison, acts as a representative of The Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund as well as other activities. Mike, who is going on 81, is a retired employee of the Defense Establishment where he worked for 35 years. He, together with his family, devotes much time to his second son Eran who suffered a a severe head injury in car accident whilst serving with the elite Egoz commando unit of the Golani Brigade. But Mike looks at things positively and says "my injury opened up a new and vibrant chapter in my life" By Dudu Levy Reich Photos Ariel Besor 16 ׀HAL CHEM | 2017-2018
A
On the tennis court at Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem
bout a year ago and a little before his 80th birthday, Mike decided that it was about time that he got a new tennis wheelchair custom-built for him - light and strong, which would answer his needs as a competitive player. "Although I have been playing wheelchair tennis for some 20 years, I never had a chair specifically built for me", explains Mike with a smile: "I played with a second-hand chair which wasn't built specifically for my needs and physical build. I didn't have enough speed and mobility and I was sure that a custom-built chair would be highly beneficial to me. ”So I went to Mickey Uzai, the Director of the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem Sports Section, and explained my problem. He approved my request and the chair was built recently for me by Doron Shaziri, the Paralympic Shooting Champion who is a one-legged Zahal disabled veteran. Doron owns a workshop where he builds sports wheelchairs. I am now running it in and it's great, and I have hopes for forthcoming tournaments!” At 81 are you really a worthy opponent for players who are more than fifty years younger than yourself? ”Sure. I give a lot of them a good run for their money. I am considered to be one of the leading second level players and even in Open Doubles I am considered to be a pretty capable player especially as I play an aggressive netgame. In the Israel Wheelchair Tennis Championships a couple of years ago I won the Second Row title against a player who was 25-years old and last year I won the second row Doubles title with my partner. I also play regularly at least twice a week and all the players are much younger than me – the nextoldest is in his fifties! My trainer Nimrod Bichler said that I am probably the oldest competing wheelchair player in the world - and certainly in Israel.” Mike, who is amputated up to half his pelvis (right leg) due to a rare cancer which occurred when he was an active member of the defense and security services, comes to Beit Halochem in Tel Aviv several times a week but does not confine himself only
to the tennis courts. Because of his knowledge of languages and broad life experience, he acts as a devoted Ambassador of the Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund and acts energetically to further the aims and objectives of the Fund. He is frequently asked to accompany groups of overseas donors and their families when they visit Israel. He also does terrain jeep tours almost every month with a group of friends. "I drive using my left leg only and we drive all over the country off the beaten track." He has also had several art exhibitions at Beit Halochem (and elsewhere as well as having his paintings reproduced in the Annual Israel Art Calendar) .Recently, he started studying Arabic in a course at Beit Halochem. Mike enjoys going to Beit Halochem with his grandchildren."The swimming pool and all the other special facilities are what make makes Beit Halochem so special", he explains. "When you are amputated and missing one leg there's an immense difference in taking the grandchildren to a pool in a country club used by everybody where I can't use some of the facilities and am also different physically from the rest of the people there or taking them them to the pool at Beit Halochem. Bet Halochem is so convenient as it is fully accessible. I am just one more handicapped person amongst a lot of others. ”When my grandson's sports teacher asked him to write about a famous sportsman he said he wanted to write about his Grandfather - me .The teacher's curiosity was aroused and he invited me to come and meet the class, talk to them about playing wheelchair tennis and I gave them a demonstration on the wheelchair without a prosthesis and wearing a ZDVO track suit. The kids lined up and I hit a few balls with each one. It was a very exciting and moving event and the kids came away with a completely new attitude towards disabled people.”
From London to Israel
Much of Mike's life remains untold. He was born in 1936 in Belgium to an orthodox and Zionist family of diamond merchants. When he was four years old and on the day that the German Army
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Father and Son
invaded Belgium, France and Holland in May 1940, the family embarked on a two-month long escape from Antwerp via France and Portugal to England, surviving bombing and machine-gun attacks by German fighter bombers. ”Luckily, we were granted entry to England through the help of my mother's family and due to the fact that my father, who was a diamond merchant, had an office in London from before the war. Due to German bomb attacks on London (two bombs fell near the house but we survived) the family moved to the country till the end of the war and then back to London.” Mike was much influenced by the War of Independence, the new Jewish State and the fighting spirit of the Israelis, and knew from an early age that he would make Aliya. In 1956 he studied Economics and International Relations for one year at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, went back to London to study for his BSc degree in the same fields at University College. He became a member of the Israeli Students Association in London and also worked from time to time at the Israeli Embassy during the holidays. On completing his studies he made aliya to Israel. Shortly after his arrival he joined the army within the framework of Mahal (foreign volunteers) in the Nahal Corps and then went on to serve in the Paratroopers Brigade. Following his military service Mike went down to Yeruham, an early development township in the Negev Desert and worked in the phosphate company for a few months. On a visit to Jerusalem he met a friend who worked in the Foreign Office who told him about an interesting government job which he thought he was suited for with his background - especially knowledge of languages including English, French and German. He applied and this was the beginning of 35 years of fascinating work in the Defense Establishment.
Injury and rehabilitation
With all this, Mike took part in the Six Day War in the West Bank and on the Golan Heights with the Reserve Paratroopers Brigade. In the Yom Kippur War he was active on the Southern Front
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Mike Guy
Eran Guy
"You suddenly find yourself using a prosthesis and you aren't a young soldier doing his national service who has to cope with this injury but you are in your mid־fifties with a family, children' and work ." - a very unusual situation" along the Suez Canal and beyond in ”Africa” (Egypt, west of the Canal). Mike married his wife Rachel shortly before the Yom Kippur War. Rachel, 13 years younger than Mike, had served in the Air Force. Her father, Dr. Yehuda Eisenman, was the leading Rehabilitation doctor in Israel building prosthesis for soldiers from the War of Independence and until after the Yom Kippur War. They went to live in Givataim where they raised their three sons – Shahar (43), served in the Paratroopers Brigade, Eran (38), and Eyal (35) both of whom served in Egoz. When Mike was 56, and just returned from abroad and about to start a new job in his organization, he got some bad news. His right leg broke in a training accident and it turned out that this was due to a severe and rare cancer which eventually affected his pelvis. "I finally flew to the United States where there were experts in my type of cancer and they advised me that if I wanted to live a long life, the leg should be amputated as high as possible. So I said - ok, take
it off as high as necessary. I underwent a 13-hour operation in which my leg was removed up to half the pelvis. I was later fitted with a somewhat difficult prosthesis which permits me to walk. The doctors who treated me - at least those who are still alive - are amazed time and again that I survived and that I manage to walk with this special prosthesis and can use it during a whole day's activities. I am considered somewhat of a rehabilitation phenomenon.” Did the amputation change your career in public service? ”To some extent, but I was already near retirement age and nearing the end of my career and was supposed to start a new position for a couple of years before retiring. However I did go back to work for another four active years but couldn't do what I had wanted to do prior to my injury. In some ways it was disappointing as I had always been very fit - doing a lot of sport and training. Suddenly you find yourself in the unusual situation of being in your fifties - not a young-soldier who has been injured, but - with a wife
"When you only have one leg it makes an immense difference to take your grandchildren to a public swimming pool where I can't use some of the facilities and I also look different from the rest of the people there, or on the other hand to go with them to the pool at Bet Halochem where I am just another person with a physical handicap ……" cancelled. Eran and his friends organized some cars and left the base for an evening's leave to visit a friend nearby. An irresponsible woman driver coming from the opposite direction lost control of her car and smashed into them - two of his friends were killed and Eran was terribly injured.” and children and work, and having to use a prosthesis. However, the injury opened up a whole new and amazing life for me - including entering the world of Beit Halochem and the ZDVO.” In the year 2000, on the eve of Hanukka, the Guy family suffered a severe blow when their middle son, Eran, who was doing his national service as a soldier in the elite Egoz unit, was terribly injured in a car accident when he and other soldiers in his unit were given a short leave - two of his friends were killed and Eran suffered very bad head injuries. ”Eran is a very ideological person”, says his mother Rachel. "He served in the army within the framework of combined Yeshiva - Army, he was an outstanding soldier who was appointed as a "young" section commander (before actually doing a Section commander's course) in the 12th Golani Regiment and then was sent to Platoon Commander Course following, which he went back to the Maaleh Gilboa Yeshiva for a year. He then decided he wanted to serve in Egoz having managed to persuade his regimental commander to release him (which he was reluctant to do as Eran was an outstanding soldier ”hayal miztayen”). ”The accident happened on a winter's evening three months after Eran started serving in Egoz”, adds his father Mike. ”They were on parachute course and due to the bad weather training was
Coping bravely with the situation
Eran suffered grave head injuries, one eye was totally destroyed and the other has some impairment to his vision. He hovered between life and death for a long period of time. After several operations and treatment in the Neurosurgical Department of Tel Hashomer Hospital, he was transferred to Bet Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital where he stayed for about two years. After being released he came home and went daily for further rehabilitation (mainly cognitive) to the Feuerstein Centre in Jerusalem. Currently he goes four times a week to the Marguza Zahal Rehabilitation Centre for head-injured soldiers in Jaffa, being taken there (in rotation) by his three very devoted attendants - and this is perhaps an appropriate moment to say a big " thank you" to them who are caring for him 24 hours a day, seven days a week year in and year out and on whom Eran and we are dependent - and thereby making his and our lives bearable. Despite his situation Eran participates regularly in activities with the young disabled members of ZDVO in Tel Aviv. ”He also participates in special jeep trips run by Yoav Levite in conjunction with Beit Halochem", explains Rachel. "Eran continues doing occupational therapy, therapeutic horse riding, he also enjoys rifle-shooting and table tennis at Beit Halochem. Although Eran suffers from speech difficulties, he does understand
everything - an interesting conversation or lecture can enthrall him.” With all this Mike finds time to follow a wide range of voluntary activities, some of which he initiated and leads. For example, he volunteered some twenty years ago to work in the Hagana Museum archives mainly on documents of the British CID from the time of the British Mandate and up to the establishment of the State of Israel, which were left behind when the British left the country. He is also a member of the Association for the Preservation of the Heritage of the First World War in Palestine in particular, and the Middle East, in general. The highlight of Mike's voluntary activities in the last eight years is the project he runs to be ”a listening ear” to soldiers in ”Military Prison 4”. "We are a team of some eight pensioners, 'ex-colleagues of mine, who come to the prison every week to listen to the problems of the prisoners as well as running workshops for them (and suitable workshops for some of the staff), Our main aim is to return the prisoners to their unit so that they can complete their military service in a positive way. We also help some to organize themselves in civilian life once they have left the army.” And what is your role in this group? ”I initiated the whole project. I direct the activities of the volunteers and also run art workshops for the prisoners almost every week. One can feel the very positive influences of our activities with the soldiers. We bring them to open up and talk about themselves and their problems. Our greatest satisfaction was when we were told that thanks to our activities there was a significant decrease in the number of soldiers who returned to the prison for a second time - that's in fact our main objective.”
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The Life Story of a Genuine Hero
Rafael Kellen was born to an ultraorthodox Jewish family that immigrated to Israel from South Africa, but is himself a 'Hozer b'Sheelah' (formerly religious Jew). He enlisted with an elite IDF unit, was wounded in a secret operation and underwent a grueling rehabilitation process, including overcoming an addiction to pain killers. In all, Rafael is just 25 years old but with the life story of a genuine hero By Dudu Levy Reich Photos Ariel Bsor
W
hen Rafael Kellen talks about his childhood, one understands that it was not an easy time. He was born 25 years ago in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa to an ultraorthodox Jewish family. When he was one yr. old, his family made Aliya to Israel and settled in Kiryat Ye'arim (also called Telz-Stone), an ultraorthodox settlement in the Jerusalem Corridor populated by religious-ultraorthodox Jews. He never felt connected to the ultraorthodox education system, with its Talmud Torah schools and yeshiva high schools that he was sent to as a youth. While his peers were following the well-known Torah studies track of the ultraorthodox community, Rafael removed the yarmulke from his head, left home, and rented an apartment in Ashkelon with a childhood friend with whom he’s in touch until this very today. When at the age of 18 he decided he wanted to enlist in the IDF, he knew beforehand that his parents would have a hard time coming to CHEM | 2017-2018 20 ׀HAL הלוחם | 2017
terms with such an extraordinary move. ”My big brother who's six years older than I took off his yarmulke at the age of 16, enlisted as a combat soldier with the Engineering Corps, took an officers' course and a company commanders' course, and served for ten years as a career officer,” recalls Kellen. "I knew our parents had a hard time accepting that. They didn't show up to any of his graduation ceremonies - or to mine - during our military service. But with the passing of years, they softened a bit; and when my sister graduated from an officer's course they did show up to the ceremony. It was I, by the way, who hooked my sister up with the Oketz Unit (canine special forces) and today she is a career officer.” Kellen enlisted with the Kfir Brigade (counter-terrorist urban warfare) and later decided to try getting into the Oketz Unit, the IDF's special canine forces. He passed the grueling one and a half year training course with distinction. Immediately after that he was sent to take a squad commanders' course. "My military service suited me perfectly and fit me like
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The Life Story of a Genuine Hero
a glove. I proved that I was really good at what I did and my commanders were very satisfied with me. Being in the army was never difficult for me. Maybe because by nature, I'm a survivor who's been forced to survive all his life. Because I came from a background that was not easy.” After a period of time in which he participated in a few missions with his unit, Kellen began preparing for the officers' course. It was during this time that he was injured in a sports accident while participating in his unit's special Sports Day forcing him to postpone his participation in the prestigious course by several months. ”I was already close to finishing my regular army service as a drill sergeant at Infantry School 450, when I was offered to sign up as a career officer," Kellen recalls describing the operational period of his life. "It was decided that by that time I would receive my own dog and participate with him in specific missions. I was given Tito who in my opinion was the best dog in the unit. He received and carried out orders including via walkie-talkie. This was a topquality dog. I was able to control him with the slightest of signals. He was a joy and he took part in a few very special operations. On his last mission Tito performed admirably and was decorated for saving the lives of many combatants. Unfortunately, he never got to actually receive the decoration because he was killed in the clash in which I was wounded.”
Injury and addiction
Even today very little can be told of the event in which Kellen was wounded and his companion Tito killed. It was an operation which took place in an enemy country under difficult conditions at night. Ultimately, the operation was crowned a success and it brought great satisfaction to the IDF and Israel's defense system in general. For Kellen, however, the mission ended badly when, on the way back to Israeli territory, his unit was the target of a powerful explosive device that severely injured his legs causing burns and wounds to his entire body, and severely injuring his hearing. ”Suddenly, I realized that not only was I lying injured in a dark place, but gunfire was coming at me from all directions as I heard screams in Arabic all around me. I
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"Suddenly it dawned on me that not only was I lying injured in a dark place, but gunfire was coming at me from all directions as I heard screams in Arabic all around me. I quickly realized two things – that Tito was killed from the blast, and that we were trapped in a battlefield of dangerous and tricky explosive devices." quickly understood two things – that Tito was killed from the blast, and that we were trapped in a battlefield of dangerous and tricky explosive devices.” The evacuation of the injured Kellen to Israeli territory on a stretcher lasted several long hours, which seemed like an eternity to him. The fractures, the burns
and the shrapnel in his body were causing him excruciating pain. He nearly lost his left leg due to the gangrene that had set in. He was rushed to hospital in Nahariya where he underwent a series of life-saving operations. From there he was transferred for continued treatment at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center followed by an
arduous period of rehabilitation at Sheba Medical Center - Tel Hashomer. After being discharged and returning home, he was now under the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense and no longer that of the IDF. Kellen's most difficult ordeal lay ahead. On the face of it in his physical condition, Kellen had a quick recovery and succeeded in moving from being bed ridden to a wheelchair and from there to walking. But psychologically, his situation deteriorated. ”I didn't understand what was happening to me," he recalls. "I began exhibiting signs of post-trauma. I'd look at bushes and was certain there were armed men hiding inside them. That's what they call 'psychologically injured'. I tried to hide the signs with the help of morphine, but by that time I was already struggling to function without my daily fix,” he admits. Kellen underwent treatment with a psychologist who helped him deal with the memories of the deadly clash and his injury, yet he continued taking the pills and repressing his memories. "At a certain stage I even opened a kennel with my friend," he recounts. "I moved to Neve Ilan and later to Givat Zeev, but I was still taking pills all the time. I was so angry with myself. Ultimately, I understood that if I wanted to get over this nightmare, I needed to check into a rehab center.”
Kicking the habit and rehabilitation When he was just 23, more than two years after being severely wounded in battle and after a complex process of physical recovery and rehabilitation, Rafael Kellen made a difficult and fateful decision: he admitted himself into a drug rehabilitation center. One can only imagine what went through this outstanding combatant's mind when he found himself in a closed institution, surrounded by drug addicts dealing with withdrawal symptoms and crises. What made you decide to go to rehab? ”It took me some time as well as maturity to comprehend, and admit, that I was addicted to pain killers, mainly morphine and that this was part of the post-traumatic reaction to my injury. I realized that I was continuing to take morphine, Percocet, and medical marijuana non-stop, whether
I was in pain or not. The pills helped me escape reality without the need to come to terms with it. I did my daily physiotherapy and continued consuming morphine daily. I tried my best to hide what I was going through and drugs help you do that. It's hard to admit that you're not that strong, and that you have a psychological problem connected with the injury. At a certain stage, when I saw that I wasn't able to function without the pills, I said to myself that if I'm addicted, I need to treat it no matter how difficult it might be.” The rehabilitation process at the “Bereshit” Institute in Beer Sheva included, amongst others, dealing with prolonged and difficult withdrawal symptoms, and Kellen paid for his rehabilitation out of his own pocket. It wasn't cheap, but he has no regrets about the expense he incurred. "I arrived there weak and falling apart, and emerged a new person," he says with a smile. "It's a place that teaches you to accept yourself as you are. Up until then I behaved like a robot. On the outside I maintained a façade of normalcy, but on the inside I was crushed.” Which important tools did you receive from the rehabilitation process? ”First of all reconnecting with myself, which is the basis for a successful treatment. You come to a rehab center where they teach you, for the first time, to be able to talk and expose your feelings, your weaknesses, and admit that you're not a James Bond type of hero, nor do you need to be one. All of the counselors at the center are themselves former addicts, with experience in rehab and a special sort of life wisdom that's irreplaceable. The experience was amazing. There, I received lots of love and, for the first time since my injury, I felt at home. The fact that I'm now in a serious relationship with my life partner Ziv and that I have big plans for the future is thanks largely to the process I went through in rehab. The therapists helped me address things that had been closed up and sealed since my childhood.”
Looking forward
After his brief and effective period of rehabilitation, Kellen returned to his apartment and into the arms of Ziv, his girlfriend of three years and a psychology student.
The two met while serving in the same canine unit. In the year and a half since then he's begun visiting Beit Halochem in Jerusalem to receive physiotherapy treatments, exercise in the fitness room, and play wheelchair basketball. At the same time he and Ziv have been volunteering at ”Beit HaTzayar” in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem, at an educational-therapy institute for at-risk youths aged 12–21. What brings a young guy like you from an ultraorthodox background to want to help kids in distress? ”I personally identify with them. I understood that with my experience in therapy I definitely can help these kids emerge from their crises successfully. I've received this kind of help from the counselors at the rehab center and I thought that I ought to 'pay it forward' and help these young people for whom life has not been kind. That's also the reason I decided to study Social Work. Ziv and I still visit “Beit HaTzayar” from time to time and keep in touch with the young people there.” Today Rafael lives in the city of Ariel and is concluding his pre-academic course at the local university. Starting next year, he will be pursuing his bachelor's degree in Social Work. There's a fitness room across the street from where he lives and he goes there almost every day. "Right now this is the best period of my entire life," he exults. "I also participate in activities of the Young Veterans Club of the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization at Beit Halochem there, I'm in touch with Revital, an amazing instructor and the amazing staff that accompanies me closely.” And what are your plans for the future? To be a social worker in a disadvantaged neighborhood? ”My dream goes further than that. It's to establish a boarding school for atrisk children and youth. I want to give these children a warm place, even without a proper family, so that they'll have fond memories of their childhood rather than trauma. I have a very special and strong relationship with such children and youths and I want to capitalize on that in order to bring them to even better places. Following the process of rehabilitation I underwent, my heart is now open for me and for them too.”
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Veronica’s
Game Veronica Tsvik, a wheelchair tennis player, is gaining points on her way to the Paralympic games. With a lot of hope, hard work and faith, Tokyo 2020 awaits her By Dudu Levy Reich Photos Ariel Bsor
I
f you ask Veronica Tsvik and her coach Nimrod Bichler to point to a defining moment in her tennis career, they will both recall the semi-finals of the prestigious Wrexham tournament in Britain in October last year. In retrospect, that moment was a turning point, not only in Veronica’s attitude to the sport, but to her life in general. It was only four months earlier that she had returned to playing wheelchair tennis after a two year break that she had taken. The tournament at the indoor Wrexham stadium was one of her first serious international tests on the way to the goal she set with her coach, to represent Israel in the women’s Paralympics tennis tournament in Tokyo in 2020. “I played, I made an effort, I hit the ball, but nothing was working for me,” Tsvik recalls. “At some point my opponent asked for a time out to relieve herself, and I remember myself frustrated in the wheelchair, with tears
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in my eyes. I looked around and saw the audience looking at me with expectation, and Nimrod, my coach, glued to the glass partition, making gestures of encouragement and support. And then suddenly, all at once, I understood that other than myself, everyone believes in me and my abilities - and the problem was with me.” What was the problem? “I always had explanations and excuses ready in advance for everything that happened to me. I always preferred to hide, not to stand up front. Maybe that was the way I chose to deal with the difficult life that I have had, both in my childhood and following my injury. At a young age I set out to help support my family and I had to grapple with things a normal child never has to deal with. On the other hand, I got values and warmth from my mother, which money can’t buy. Today I know that tennis helps me deal with my greatest fears.” How does tennis help you?
“I’m no longer embarrassed to say, ‘I can,’ ‘I’m just as good,’ ‘I’m talented,’ and even brag a little and say, ‘Look what I learned.’ Finally I know what I want from myself, and I have a goal. I understood that my greatest love, tennis, can lead me to my greatest dream - to raise the banner of female Israeli disabled athletes on the map at the 2020 Tokyo Games.” At that same fateful match in Wrexham, when Veronica’s opponent returned from her break, she found a different Veronica on the court - a calmer and more focused Veronica. Tsvik won the match in three sets and went on to the finals, which she quickly won in two smooth sets. She returned to Israel with a trophy and a medal, and with the knowledge that the goal she had set for herself - to get on the list of the 24 best wheelchair tennis players in the world who will play in the Tokyo Paralympic games, and play for a medal was definitely within her reach.
Breaking and rebuilding
Tsvik was born in the Ukraine 31 years ago and made Aliya in 1990, at the age of three and a half, with the large wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union. She is an only child of a single mother, grew up in Kiryat Ono and remembers herself as a strong, alert and athletic girl who quickly integrated into her Israeli-born peer group. At the age of 16, Tsvik discovered Boxing after visiting the well-known ”Miron Gym” in Kiryat Ono, and like everything in her life, took Boxing quite seriously. She practiced with boys, competed against girls and even won the Israeli youth championship in the featherweight category - up to 48 kilograms. Boxing also took her to an interesting place when she enlisted in the IDF - she became a hand-tohand fighting instructor at the Ramon base in the Negev, as part of the Air Force’s sports department. “I wanted to enlist in a combat unit, but as an only daughter I needed to receive my
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Veronica’s Game
Veronica on the tennis courts and skiing on the slopes
Veronica Tsvik: “I came from boxing, and my hands didn’t have the delicate quality that you need for tennis. At first, the balls flew in all directions, but in time it all began to flow, and I got better each practice.” mother’s permission, and she refused to sign,” she tells us. “I stayed angry at her for a long time.” Tsvik was injured during Basic Training, when she jumped down hitting both her knees on a concrete surface. She tried not to make a big deal of it, and ignored the injury for a long time, but her condition got worse. “I continued coaching and practicing, but the pain in my knees became unbearable. I was literally dragging myself around. I didn’t complain, because I was always taught that if something hurts, you need to bite your lip and not cry.” In the end, the excruciating pain forced Tsvik to report her injury to her commanders. The medical examination revealed that she had serious injuries to her pelvis, thighs and both legs, including neural palsy and blood circulation problems. “When we went to the surgeon,” she recalls, “he said he
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needed to break everything and rebuild.” Tsvik underwent a complex operation to straighten and repair both her legs, and afterwards was sent for a rehabilitation period of two months at Tel Hashomer. It then became clear that the physical damage was irrevocable. She was having a hard time walking and standing for long periods, and got around sometimes on crutches and sometimes with a wheelchair. At the conclusion of the rehabilitation period, she was declared temporarily 20% disabled and she had a lot of questions about what kind of future she could expect for herself. “I had two options. Either I fall all the way back down, or I bite my lip and continue life at full pace. I chose the second option, and I saved my life.” Love at the sight of tennis Tsvik came to tennis at age 24, completely by chance, in 2010, after
a conversation at Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem with Sari Nachtailer, who worked in the sports department there. “I asked Sari if she had a recommendation for me of a sport that you can play while sitting, without straining the legs, and she immediately said, ‘There’s a Tennis Group, maybe try it?’ I went and met Nimrod for the first time. He was the in-house tennis coach.” How was the first meeting with him? “Between Nimrod and I there was chemistry, somewhat less between Tennis and me. I came from Boxing, and I still didn’t have the delicate quality in my hands that you need for tennis. At first, the balls flew in all directions, but in time it all began to flow, and I got with better each practice.” In July of 2014, when she was 28 and had been declared officially as having a 36% permanent disability, Tsvik decided to leave tennis and search for her future in other places. “I sat and thought about what I wanted to do with myself in terms of work, where to live, and my personal life. I was confused and wanted to put some order into my life. It took time, and I really missed my friends from Tennis. Exactly two years later, in July of 2016, just before my 30th birthday, I called Nimrod and asked him if I could come to
a practice, which I realized later was the greatest gift I could have given myself.” And he said yes? “Yes, because Nimrod is first of all a friend, who cared for me then and cares for me now even in things not directly connected to sports. We’re like a married couple, but with no possibility of divorce. Like a family. So I went to my first practice after two years, and I haven’t left since.” At this point, Tsvik and Bichler decided to concentrate their efforts towards one goal - qualifying for the tennis tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. She trains 4-5 times a week, generally in the early morning, including intensive work at the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem gym. At the same time, she continues working full time at the Ministry of Interior’s Population and Immigration Authority at the Government Complex in Tel Aviv, going home each evening to her apartment on Moshav Ginaton in the Ben Shemen area, both exhausted and happy. “I want to take the opportunity to thank my manager at the Authority, who allows me to train at odd hours and fly abroad for tournaments,” Tsvik emphasizes. “Even though she sometimes says, ‘Either come back with a trophy or find yourself
another place to work.” “In Israel, there are no other wheelchair tennis players at Veronica’s level,” Bichler explains. “And therefore she needs to participate in as many tournaments abroad as possible. For the first three tournaments, she paid for everything, because she didn’t yet have an international ranking and because she wasn’t part of Beit Halochem’s work programs. But after her successes at the tournaments in Britain, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, she received the necessary recognition.” The Paralympic games are in three years. What is your work plan? Bichler: “Today, Veronica is ranked 45th in the world out of the 200 ranked players. In order to go to Tokyo, by May 2020 - a few months before the games - she needs to be amongst the top 24. We think that it’s not just possible, but that she has the potential to reach an even higher ranking, and that’s where we’re aiming.” Can we call her Israel’s Olympic hope?
Tsvik: “I wouldn’t rush to make declarations. I’m giving 100 percent, but I don’t have a crazy obsession for a medal. I think the journey is important.” Bichler: “There aren’t a lot of women athletes in Israel, and even less women athletes with disabilities. Veronica is one, and I think that her success can only support lots of women - disabled and not - who want to be athletes but something stands in their way.” Tsvik: “It’s well known that women have more difficulty with their disability, both in sports as well as in personal matters. Questions constantly come up like, ‘Will they accept me?’ or ‘Maybe I’m not good enough.’ More than once, I made a good impression on someone, but as soon as I got up and started walking with crutches, his facial expression changed all at once when he saw my limp. Today, I am deleting people like that from my life, people who judge you because of your physical disability.”
Veronica Tsvik: “I had two options. Either I fall all the way back down, or I bite my lip and continue life at full pace. I chose the second option, and I saved my life.” 2017-2018 ׀HAL CHEM | 27
“Other than that, I am completely healthy and fit” Ron Halevi, formerly of the Armored Corps and from Kibbutz Gesher, lost his right leg during Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014. The injury brought him back to the sport he loved as a child - kayaking - and two years after his injury he already reached seventh place in the European championships. He is waiting with anticipation for Tokyo 2020 By Dudu Levy Reich Photos Gil Eliyahu / JINI 28 ׀HAL CHEM | 2017-2018
A
waterproof prosthesis is all that Ron Halevi needed in order to start a new life after his period of recovery and rehabilitation. And indeed, he finally got such a prosthesis about three years ago, which allowed him to return to the kayaking he loved in high school before he enlisted in the army. Halevi, now 23 years old, a disabled IDF veteran amputee who lost his leg in Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, has turned this love of kayaking into the center of his life, and is already considered one of Israel’s great hopes for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. “When the prosthesis arrived, I simply drove here, got into the kayak, and started to tread water,” tells us Halevi, who trains in the Jordan Valley Regional Council marina on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. “Pretty quickly we started to understand - me and those around me - that my achievements in training were especially good and indicated that I have the potential to make real athletic achievements in the sport. At that point, I decided to start taking the whole topic of kayaking professionally, and my achievements today allow me to go to competitions and championships in Europe and throughout the world, and to gain experience and try to establish myself amongst the best in the world.” In the summer of 2016, only two years after his injury, Halevi participated in the European Championship and reached seventh place in the 200 meter kayak race, at the lowest level of disability. He and his coach at the marina, Roi Lev, who has known him since high school, believe that his achievement moved him to the 15th place in the world. “Ron has an advantage because he kayaked even before he was injured,” explains Lev, the coach. “Most of the best disabled kayakers have already been kayaking since they were young, not only after an injury. When you grow up in a certain sport and continue with it, it’s something else entirely. The practices are the same practices and the techniques are the same techniques. Now, all that Ron needs is a more significant sports scholarship, which would allow him to focus only on kayaking and fulfill his enormous potential.”
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“Other than that, I am completely healthy and fit”
“A huge piece of metal that had fallen off an armored personnel carrier hit my right leg and severed it below the knee. I looked at my leg and saw that it was still hanging on by a few tendons. Luckily, there were a few medics there who weren’t injured in the blast, and they treated me and the rest of the casualties.” A barrage of shrapnel and metal Halevi grew up on Kibbutz Gesher in the Jordan Valley. At age 18 he enlisted in the 188th Brigade of the Armored Corps. After finishing Tank Commanders’ Course, he was selected to be among a small group establishing the battalion's new auxiliary company. He was re-trained for infantry and stationed as a commander in the company’s reconnaissance team. When Operation Protective Edge broke out in the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2014, he and his unit members were at the Lebanese border in the the Galilee Panhandle. ”We reorganized quickly and went south towards the staging grounds on the Gaza perimeter,” Halevi recalls. ”We waited there for a week and then began
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operating in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood in the outskirts of Gaza City. The mission went smoothly. We went in and out of the Strip without casualties. We continued waiting for additional missions, and in the interim conducted exercises at the Tze’elim base.” On the morning of July 31, 2014, Halevi and his comrades set out on an additional mission as part of Protective Edge, this time to identify terror tunnels in Deir El-Balah in the heart of the refugee camps area in the center of the Gaza Strip. “We entered the Gaza Strip on foot and joined a reconnaissance force from 605th Regiment of the Combat Engineering Corps. Everything was going smoothly, and after the tunnel was located, we received authorization
to return to Israel. Right on the border fence, just before sundown, armored personnel carriers from the battalion’s wounded collecting station were waiting to take us back to the staging grounds. Suddenly, we heard a shell falling, fired by Hamas not far from us. We understood right away that we were in a cross fire and quickly began to pack up and leave the place.” But it was already too late. Even before Halevi and his comrades were able to distance themselves from the firing zone, an additional mortar landed directly on one of the force’s armored personnel carriers. Those who weren’t hit by the blast’s shrapnel were injured by the metal parts of the armored personnel carrier which were dispersed everywhere.
Five of the force’s men were killed in the incident, one of the most difficult of Operation Protective Edge: Captain Omri Tal (Halevi’s Platoon Commander) Captain Liran Edry (the wounded collecting station’s reserves officer), and the medics Shai Kushnir, Noam Rosenthal and Daniel Marsh. Eight soldiers were moderately to severely injured, including Halevi. ”A huge piece of metal that had snapped off an armored personal carrier hit my right leg and severed it below the knee,” he recalls. “I looked at my leg and saw that it was still hanging on by a few tendons. Luckily, there were a few medics there who weren’t injured in the blast, and they treated me and the rest of the wounded soldiers.”
I was given a 55% disability because of the amputation under the knee, but other than that I am completely healthy and fit.” A few months after he was released from the hospital, Levi received his waterproof prosthesis and returned to the marina on the Sea of Galilee, which had been a kind of second home to him during his high school years. The marina is one of the most serious places in the country for kayakers. Michael Kalganov, Israel’s only Olympic medalist thus far in the sport, is only one of the worldclass champions who emerged out of this unique marina. ”Even before enlistment I really loved
Shrapnel in the neck
Halevi was evacuated in an armored personnel carrier to nearby Kibbutz Kissufim, and from there flown by helicopter to Tel Hashomer Hospital. Examinations revealed that aside from the severe injury to the leg, he also had a tear in his right eardrum, a piece of shrapnel in his right eye, and an additional piece of shrapnel in the neck, millimeters away from his thyroid. He was quickly operated on, and after a few days in the recovery ward, he was transferred to the medical center’s rehabilitation center, where he stayed for three weeks. Afterwards, he was sent home for a month of physiotherapy, and returned to the hospital in order to practice walking with a prosthesis. During this period, the coordinators of Young Veterans Activities at the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization - Revital Ozeri and Noel Regev - reached out to him, and he began participating in events and meetings which they organized with the young veterans in the organization. What’s your physical condition today? ”Aside from my leg, the rest of my injuries have healed. My eardrum was stitched and my hearing restored, and the injury to my eye was less severe than we had thought. However, I do still have a piece of shrapnel stuck in my neck that the doctors say is too dangerous to touch.
Ron during his army days
kayaking and there was a time when I even trained twice a day once in the morning before school and once in the afternoon after school,” Halevi recalls. ”For me, it was an amazing framework which surrounded me from an educational, moral and athletic perspective. I may have been considered even then a promising kayaker, but I didn’t see it then as a competitive sport one in which I can succeed and excel.”
Seeing the world
In the summer of 2015, only one year after the injury, Halevi began trav-
elling to competitions and championships throughout the world, through the Israel Sports Association for the Disabled. A year later, in the summer of 2016, he reached seventh place in the European championship for the disabled. In the interim, he works part time at a ”Ricochet” store at Tzemach junction, and participates regularly in delegations of IDF disabled veterans to Jewish communities abroad. Last year, he joined Minister of Education Naftali Bennet on a visit to the US marking the National Recognition Day for IDF Disabled Veterans and Victims of Terror, through a project led by the ZEHUT organization, and is planning on flying to the US again soon for a similar project. What are your plans for the future, both athletic and personal? ”First of all, I want to pass the college entrance exams. I am debating between two tracks - Mechanical Engineering or Construction Engineering. I haven’t decided. At the same time, I continue to train on the Sea of Galilee almost every day, with an aim to move forward and improve.” ”For Ron to get to the top of the world he needs a lot of support”, explains his coach, Lev. “What disappointed us the most was the fact that he finished in seventh place in the European championships instead of sixth place, which would have granted him a higher stipend. A matter of a few hundredths of a second, that’s all. I think that someone with Ron’s potential needs to be nurtured. He’s only 23 years old and athletes in this sport reach their peak around ages 26-30. Meaning, with proper preparation he could definitely travel to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games as a potential Paralympic medalist.” ”Right now I train three hours each day, though it’s clear that that’s not enough, and in order to reach worldclass achievements I need to move to six-seven hours of training a day,” Levi concludes. “I need more serious support, which would allow me to practice and compete with peace of mind. We believe that by next summer, I’ll make another leap forward in terms of my level and the times that I achieve.”
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Two Are Better Than One He was a combat soldier in the Haruv Regiment wounded from an explosive device in the Kasbah in Nablus. She was a combat soldier in the Combat Engineering Corps’ Atomic, Biological and Chemical Warfare Regiment who developed an illness of the joints. They met one another through mutual friends at the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization’s Young Veterans Club, and got married in a moving ceremony in 2016. Haim Yakar and Ori Greenstein are a special couple who understand the difficulties of injury, rehabilitation and a return to regular life
By Dudu Levy Reich Photos Bernie Ardov 32 ׀HAL CHEM | 2017-2018
T
Ori and Haim
wo months after Haim Yakar returned from a two week “After the Army” trip to India, organized by the Friends in Israel of the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization with 20 participants in the spring of 2015, he got down on one knee and proposed to his life partner Ori Greenstein. “It wasn’t that unusual,” Haim explains with a smile. “There were other guys who went on the trip and proposed a short time after they came back to Israel. One of the participants even proposed to his girlfriend at Ben Gurion Airport as soon as we landed.” What happened on this trip to India that had such an impact on its participants? ”On the one hand it was a challenging journey, not easy, but on the other hand, people went through an intense psychological process, very positive and unique. There was a psychologist with us who did wonderful work. You can also see it in the documentary made about the trip which was broadcast last year on Channel 10. There were hardly any participants who didn’t undergo a major change in their life following the trip. People suddenly began to study, something that they hadn’t done for years. People found jobs. In retrospect, the trip to India was a serious bit of psychological rehabilitation.” In this context, 31-year old Haim couldn’t have found a wife more understanding and supportive. His wife Ori, 28 years old, is also a disabled veteran and also knows a thing or two about physical and psychological rehabilitation. She said yes to his proposal, and the two married in the winter of 2016. The money for the wedding dress about $2,000 USD - was raised by the Coordinators of the Young Veterans Activities at the organization, led by Noel Regev, the Coordinator for Haifa and the north, who played a meaningful and decisive role in Haim and Ori’s meeting one another. She dreamed of being a combat soldier Ori dreamed of being an IDF combat soldier during her childhood in the
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Two Are Better Than One
At their wedding
Haim: “Even today it’s not clear if the explosive device was placed on the wall of one of the buildings in the old city, or thrown at us from somewhere. In any case, when seven kgs. of explosives blow up inside a crowded alley less than two meters wide, a serious blast injury occurs” Ahuza neighborhood in Haifa. Prior to her enlistment, when she was still a student at the Reali High School in Haifa, she worked out to improve her physical fitness, which helped her pass the selection process for the Combat Engineering Corps’ Atomic, Biological and Chemical Regiment. Because she was an only daughter, her mother was required to give her approval. After Basic Training and Advanced Training at Combat Engineering School, she was sent with the rest of the company to what was called “protecting peaceful borders” various ongoing security missions along the Jordanian border as well as a sensitive security facility in the Negev desert. ”Already at an early stage of my service I began having pain and pins and needles in my lower limbs,” Ori tells us, “and they only got worse.” After an
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extensive medical exam, it became clear that the pins and needles in her lower limbs were a result of fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disease which causes muscle pain throughout the body, especially in the limbs, as well as chronic fatigue. Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness that primarily affects women. ”Later it became clear that the disease can break out following serious psychological stress, for example caused by difficult service conditions,” Ori explains. ”I had already been on sick leave for almost a year, and after being released from the army I received a temporary disability designation and began being treated at Haifa’s Beit Halochem. At the same time, the District Office established the Young Veterans Club and I started actively participating in its activities. Later, I was designated as having
a 28% permanent disability, based on orthopedics and rheumatology.”
An explosion in the Kasbah of Nablus Haim grew up not far from Ori in Kiryat Atta in the Haifa Bay. He enlisted in the Navy in 2004 as a missile and torpedo operator. He spent about a year in Basic Training and training, but deep down hoped to transfer to a combat infantry unit. After a difficult struggle with his former commanders in the Navy, Haim succeeded in being transferred to the Haruv Regiment, which is part of the Kfir Brigade, operating primarily in the West Bank. He again attended Basic Training this time for combat soldiers - and at the end of Advanced Training was sent to the Brigade’s long-standing combat company operating in the Nablus area. There, in
July of 2006, when the country’s focus was on the Second Lebanon War and the rockets fired at northern Israel, Haim and his comrades set out on a mission which encountered difficulties the arrest of a Palestinian suspect hiding in the Kasbah of Nablus one of the most densely crowded and dangerous places in the Palestinian Authority. ”We traveled in an armored vehicle to the closest spot we could to the suspect’s house, from there we got out and continued on foot to the destination which was in the heart of the Kasbah”, recalls Haim the night when he was wounded, “After a short delay, we broke into the house but didn’t find the suspect. The sun was about to rise and it was clear to us that we had to move out quickly in order to search for him elsewhere in the area, but then one of the muezzins began to call out to signal the morning prayer and we all understood that our situation was complicated.” Moving through narrow and unfamiliar alleys, the soldiers managed to reach their getaway vehicle nearby. Haim and his comrades stopped for a brief moment to make sure nobody had been left behind, and just as they were about to mount the vehicle, there was an explosion. “Even today it’s not clear if the explosive device was placed on the wall of one of the buildings in the Kasbah, or if it was thrown at us from somewhere,” Haim explains. “In any case, when seven kgs. of explosives blow up inside a crowded alley less than two meters wide, a serious blast injury occurs.” Four members of the force’s reconnaissance team were wounded by the explosion. Osher Damari z”l was killed on site. Itamar Salomon was very seriously wounded, and commander Eldad Levin was hit by shrapnel all over his body, one penetrating his eye. Haim’s right ankle was broken and he was hit by dozens of pieces of shrapnel, especially on his left side. One piece of shrapnel entered his eye, and luckily exited it immediately. Later it became clear that he also suffered internal injuries from the blast. ”At this point they started shooting at us, at the rescue team and at the casualty collection station and the medical evacu-
ation team, direct fire from several directions,” Haim continues. “There was pressure and confusion, and at some point, they even thought it was me who was killed. In the end, we managed to be rescued from there without additional casualties, and I was evacuated by helicopter directly to Tel Hashomer Hospital.” After a recovery period at Tel Hashomer, Haim was transferred for continued hospitalization and rehabilitation at “Hospital 10” in Haifa. After a few months, he was released from service and was declared disabled with a 23% permanent disability caused by the injuries to his leg and eye, and also Post-Trauma. He tried to live a normal life, but without too much success. At some point he even left his family’s home in Kiryat Atta to live on a kibbutz in the Western Galilee, but he didn’t find himself there either. About six years after the injury, and only after meeting Ori through mutual friends and the warm encouragement of the Young Veterans Coordinator, did Haim begin taking a more active role at Beit Halochem. ”In retrospect, it became clear to both Ori and me, after we happened to participate together a few times in activities of the Young Veterans Club,” he reveals. “Since I met Ori I can say that my entire life has changed. I began studying Practical Electrical Engineering at the Technion, I finally learned what benefits I’m entitled to as a disabled veteran, and I started participating more meaningfully
Haim: “Since I met Ori I can say that my entire life has changed. I began studying practical electrical engineering at the Technion, I finally learned what benefits I’m entitled to as a disabled veteran, and I started participating more meaningfully in activities at Haifa’s Beit Halochem”
in activities at Haifa’s Beit Halochem.”
Kayaks, treatments and horses, too For the last year and a half, Haim has been working as a Practical Electrical Engineer at the technology company Mellanox, which specializes in developing and manufacturing electronic parts for communications systems. Ori is studying for a graduate degree in Psychology at Haifa University specializing in brain research, and is also working in high-tech. Before getting married, they moved in together in a rented apartment in the Druze community of Daliat al-Carmel, but because of their intensive work hours they mostly get to spend time together only on the weekends. Every Friday morning, Haim and Ori go together to Hadera’s Maritime Club, to join the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization’s Kayaking Club, which they don’t miss even in bad weather. This is not the only thing they do together. They also go together as a couple to Physiotherapy at Beit Halochem, and are impatiently waiting for the opening of the Horseback Riding Club which their friends at the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization are opening. In between, they participate regularly in the activities for Young Veterans in Haifa and the north, including vacation trips throughout the country. They also have both gone abroad with the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization. Ori visited a Jewish community in New Jersey, and her hosts even came to Israel to visit her this year and attend her wedding to Haim. Last summer, she made a bit of history when she became the first woman since the 1970s to head a delegation abroad of the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization, this time to Chicago. Haim, as previously mentioned, went to India last year with the organization. ”Haim and I experienced both injury and rehabilitation,” Ori explains, “and it unites us. It’s true that the organizations we’re in touch with don’t always know what to do with the situation in which both partners have disabilities, but the fact that we are two helps us deal with these kinds of difficulties along the way.”
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Beit Halochem Tel Aviv
BEIT HALOCHEM CENTERS - ISRAEL
The past year brought many new achievements and activities to Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem.
The women's Goal Ball Team
Vital Zinger and the Drama Club
Dog Training Course
The Young Veterans Club offered a Dog Training Introductory Course. The course was offered by a company called “Talk to Dogs” and enjoyed the collaboration and assistance of Ben Baker Morag, a disabled veteran wounded in Operation Protective Edge who had served in the “Oketz” Special Forces Canine Unit. The course had several objectives: emphasis was placed on motor skills, knowledge in the field of dog training, behavioral codes such as correct and accepted communication, attentiveness, deferred gratification, patience, openness and mutual responsibility. Working with dogs also provides a sense of control and security. It allows to establish a relationship based on trust and loyalty, as well as to acquire tools that help handle difficulties and frustration. Above all, the course provided social skills, developing teamwork skills, encouraging social involvement, tolerance and acceptance of the other. 10 participants enjoyed 12 sessions. In the Sports division there were several exciting achievements. Amongst these a Bronze Medal in the European
Championship for the Women’s Goal Ball Team which took place in Finland. Sixteen teams nationwide participated in the 2017 Annual Billiard Sports Event, the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem team won the third place and Ro’i Basson came in first place amongst the singles (78 participants). Moran Samuel, Paralympic Bronze Medalist in Rowing, won the Silver Medal (2km.) in the World Rowing Championship which took place in Florida, USA. Four other rowers who train with Tel Aviv’s team came in Fifth place. These include: Barak Hazor, Achiya Klein, Shai-li Mizrahi and Leah Sass. The Drama Club won prizes in two theatre festivals with its production of the play “Hamugbalim” (The Disabled), a play by Gur Koren. At the “Kol Ha’aretz Bama” Festival, Vital Zinger won the “Best Actress Award” for her performance in the play and at the “Autumn Theatre Festival” the play won a special commendation as well as Best Actors Award which went to Vital Zinger, Tamir Vazif and Mira Lapidoth.
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By Gabriel Confino
The 2017 End of the Year Arts and Crafts Exhibit I visited Beit Halochem twice in my life. The first time was about 30 years ago, when I lived “next door” and saw it rise and grow under the leadership and planning of the winning bidder, Architect David Yanai. The second time was this Wednesday, when Batsheva Or, a goldsmithing instructor, whom I have known for many years, personally invited me to the exhibition set up and opening. Beit Halochem is a rehabilitation and sports centre that also conducts social activities for disabled IDF veterans and their families, and is operated by the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization in an exemplary manner. Beit Halochem in Haifa includes multiple facilities, including a gym, sports halls, playrooms, reading club, culture centre and a large indoor swimming pool. In addition, various classes are conducted throughout the year. The unique visual appearance of Beit Halochem in Haifa is complemented by well-kept gardens, ornamental gardens and colorful flowers. Beit Halochem excels in its aesthetics and cleanliness, and it is a pleasure to walk around and explore it. I visited on Wednesday, when the Goldsmithing exhibition was being set up. I was impressed by the creative processes and the creators themselves, and met Albert (Beber) Bukhbut, who has been in charge of maintenance for over 27 years full of dedication and perseverance. He was the one who established the Goldsmithing Department and a workshop that used to be a carpentry shop. Uri Lev, who was wounded in Suez on the last day of the Yom Kippur War, told me excitedly how he had arrived at the Goldsmithing workshop: “I had a close friend how worked at the Israel Electric Corporation – a man of many talents. He was engaged in sculpting, painting and jewelry, and unsuccessfully tried to get me interested in Goldsmithing. One day, he suddenly passed away and then, to “fulfill his will”, I decided to join the Goldsmithing class and continue from there”. Avraham Yanai is another man I met during the exhibition establishment. Yanai is an experienced combatant, who fought in several wars, and is one of the founders of the IDF Submarine Flotilla. I interviewed him in a side hall and he was very open for conversation. Following is the interview with Avraham, who sounds very natural and humane. I met Rachel Shukrun, who tastefully wears jewelry on her hands and neck, and the teacher, Batsheva, who has been doing this for over 20 years with devotion and dedi-
cation. Rachel Shukrun Afterwards, I met Limor, the Culture Director at Beit Halochem. She took me down the stairs to her office and despite her tight schedule, Limor gave me a short interview with a broad smile and warmth. I received new and up-to-date information, and following is the interview, as heard directly from her, in her unique style. I bid farewell to Batsheva and friends, and returned on Thursday for the exciting exhibition opening. At the entrance on the lower floor, there are three different rooms that are an integral part of the exhibition. In the large hall at the entrance, a harpist was playing a quiet and pleasant classical music. Various exhibits were on display in the centre of the hall and the walls were covered with paintings created by the disabled veterans. The first room on the right displayed statues made of wood and other materials. I was amazed by the level of sculpting and creativity of the participants. The middle room displayed ceramic art by various artists. At this point, I med Uri Dov, who arrived at the exhibition early. Uri served as C4I officer during the Six-Day War in Sinai and was injured in Sharm el Sheikh. He was smiling and welcoming, and gave me explanations as we walked from one sculpture to another. In another room, I was exposed to oil paintings and sketches of various exhibition participants. While I was walking from one painting to another, the visitors began to arrive. Afterwards, I went to the second floor to attend the goldsmithing exhibition. Locked glass cases displayed the work of various goldsmiths, some of whom I already know and welcome with joy. Another corner presented cloth and stained glass works, and I could not believe that everything was created by handicapped artists, and not by someone who studied at an art school and acquired vocational training. At 6 pm, everybody attended the hall of ceremonies, where the harpist and a young singer were performing. The ceremony began with greetings and opening words of the Culture Director, Limor, followed by the Director, Shai Dobrin, and the Chairman of Beit Halochem, Eli Ben Natan. Afterwards, the teachers of various classes went up to the stage along with the outstanding students, who received certificates of excellence for their participation and performance. Both the teachers and students received a round of applause from the families in attendance. The ceremony has ended, and we cannot wait for the next exhibition.
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End of Year Exhibition at Beit Halochem Haifa - Impressions of a Visitor
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Beit Halochem Jerusalem
BEIT HALOCHEM CENTERS - ISRAEL
Beit Halochem Jerusalem conducts a wide variety of cultural and sporting activities
Beit Halochem members on an outing with the "Masa Israeli" Project The Culture Department is attended by dozens of members, who take part in various classes and workshops for the severely disabled, including children and youth. For the last 20 years, the Culture Department has been running a choir composed of 40 male and female members. This year, a concert was held to mark the choir’s 20th anniversary. The event was held in cooperation with the Municipality of Jerusalem, as part of “Tzamid” festival for special populations. The event took place in Mishkenot Sha’ananim and was covered by the local press. This year, we held an organizational event at “Hatahana” complex, with performances of wheelchair dance and singing troupes from all Beit Halochem branches. Performers received rounds of applause from Beit Halochem members and Jerusalem audience. “Masa Israeli” (“Israeli Journey”) Project was also held this
year. It is a collaboration between a business company and disabled IDF veterans. Disabled IDF veterans took a twoday trip with the employees of the First International Bank of Israel. Members attended various workshops and lectures on Israeli society. Sports Department operates popular sports classes attended by more than 1000 participants. More than 45 sports teams - 22 amateur and 25 professional teams. This year, Beit Halochem athletes took part in the Maccabiah games in the following fields: archery, swimming, tennis, running, triathlon and wheelchair basketball. In the above fields, athletes from Beit Halochem Jerusalem took the first places. The Premier League wheelchair basketball team even qualified for the finals and won an Olympic medal. These athletes brought great honor to the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization and the State of Israel.
An Art Exhibit with works of Zahal Disabled Vetearns was held at the Jerusalem Theatre. Wheelchair Dancers performed at the opening ceremony
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Beersheva's Wheelchair Dancers
Cycling Event Since the establishment of Beit Halochem in Beersheva, 2,000 households have joined our ranks - over 5,500 people who enjoy our services. Beit Halochem has the most advanced equipment and offers its members, who visit it daily, a wide range of rehabilitation, culture, sports and leisure activities. Rehabilitative physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, the various services are provided by a professional and multi-disciplinary team. Culture Department - we offer a wide range of family activities and events, performances by the best Israeli artists and high quality classes that allow every member to realize his abilities and talents. One of the most prominent events that take place every year at Beit Halochem Beersheva is the “Wheelchair Dancing” event - a fascinating and exciting conference, at which we host all the wheelchair dance troupes from all 4 Beit Halochem centres and ILAN (Israel Foundation for Handicapped Children). The artistic collaboration between the disabled dancers and their partners who dance next to them excites the entire audience every time. The Young Disabled IDF Veterans’ Forum has been active for the last 6 years. It aims to bring the disabled IDF veterans closer to Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization in general and to Beit Halochem in particular. The forum
conducts a wide range of activities and events for the young veterans, which are tailored to their needs and desires. We established the “Young Veterans Club”, which is a warm and luxurious place for them to spend time at. The room is equipped with Xbox games, coffee corner, television and even a learning workstation with a computer for students among them. The coordinator constantly monitors the activities and is attentive to the ideas and suggestions of the forum members. The Sports Department conducts a variety of activities full of accomplishments that the disabled IDF veterans achieved with a great deal of will, dedication, competitiveness and cooperation, which led to multiple wins in different fields. We established a Pilates training room, which became very popular and the demand keeps growing. The field of bicycling continues to expand, as does the hand cycling team. This year, we have held the International Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in Beersheva for the fourth time. The tournament has been very successful, attended by many participants from Israel and abroad. This tournament has already become a tradition in Beersheva. We are proud that many foreign tennis players attend the tournament and are joined by the best Israeli players. In our opinion, besides the personal and collective ability test, this encounter conveys a social message that sport is able to transcend borders, opinions, religions and continents, and allows to establish collaborations, which play a major role in our wellbeing and existence as a civilized society in a volatile world. Cyclists Saluting the Wounded and Disabled IDF Veterans - another significant event that we organize every year and involve the community. This is a tradition of saluting the disabled IDF veterans, who pay with their bodies and souls for their contribution to the security of the State of Israel. The event is attended by cyclists from across the country - regular cyclists, hand cyclists and families with children, creating a unique atmosphere.
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Beit Halochem Beersheva
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S U Y B STAND Dear Friends, The Zahal Disabled Veterans were wounded while serving in defence of the State of Israel and of all those who cherish it the world over. The State of Israel belongs to all of the Jews around the world and consequently every Jew has a right over Eretz Yisrael. Having said that, we must add that this right and privilege carry with them a duty and a deep sense of responsibility for the wellbeing of Israel. It is thus the moral obligation of each and every one of us to give to those who paid the heavy price of Israel’s existence with their bodies and their souls. Mutual Responsibility is a very important term in Judaism. It doesn’t mean there should be uniformity amongst us, but it certainly means that there should be unity. All of us in Israel and in the Diaspora - secular, religious, from all streams of Judaism and from every political affiliation, should rally round the rehabilitation of Zahal Disabled Veterans. This is a cause which transcends all division and is above all dispute. It is consensual. Amongst our supporters there are non-Jews, too. They do this out of a love for Israel and a recognition of the right of the Jewish People to live in peace and security in their land. A special thanks and sincere appreciation is extended to them. Generosity manifests itself in many ways. In my opinion, any kind of support for Zahal Disabled Veterans, whether through a financial donation, joining the Board of a friends’ organization, volunteering to host overseas delegations of disabled veterans from Israel, written and verbal support for the work of the Fund – all these are expressions of generosity. At the end of the day, it is all of these which bring donations. A Zahal Disabled Veteran who won a Paralympic Medal started off as an Air Force pilot who was wounded in combat. A young female victim of terror who was decorated for the important work she does as a volunteer, had been a young soldier when the bus she was in blown up by a suicide bomber, another disabled veteran came in first place at a Triathlon and had started his way as an officer who lost his eyesight when leading his men to blow up a terrorist tunnel. It is important that we remember that all the Zahal Disabled Veterans whom we strive to support and help in their rehabilitation, move on to become contributing members of society. To all our friends around the world who give of their time, their money, their thoughts and their good advice, they serve as the voice of the Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund; the voice and not the echo. By supporting Zahal Disabled Veterans, you encourage them, love them and contribute towards their wellbeing. You are giving them hope and that is the true realization and meaning of Mutual Responsibility. We should always remember that it is a privilege to serve the Zahal Disabled Veterans. With much appreciation for your work,
Dr. Moshe Shemma, Col. (res.) Executive Director, Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund
Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund
WWW.ZDVO.ORG