I understood that the war that began on October 7, 2023 would not be over quickly. I knew that just as the Covid 19 restrictions on tourism were becoming a distant and bad memory, our industry was about to take another major hit. What I didn’t know was what I would be doing during the war.
The war was a reminder of why I initially moved to Israel. Even before deciding to become a guide, I wanted to become an Israeli soldier, and so I did. My mandatory period of service ended in 2011, but the events of October 7th led to many retired soldiers to volunteer for reserve service.
After contacting a platoon commander who was still active, an old army buddy and I started the bureaucratic process which was a bit more tedious than expected, but ultimately resulted in us being accepted back to our reserve battalion.
What I thought would be about 1 month, turned into nearly 5 months. I had no expectations putting on the IDF uniform after over a decade, but I feel satisfied knowing that I played a role in the overall effort.
I was actually elated to be part of our army again. The brotherhood… the feeling that you are making a contribution and in a way returning to my more youthful “glory days”, but it wasn’t always easy. The army is not meant to be easy.
On leave I would get off the train in Jerusalem, make my way down to the Machaneh Yehuda market where I felt the embrace of the Israeli nation being greeted with words like “may G-d protect you”…”thank you”… “here soldier, take these vegetables”… all gave me strength.
On November 20 I turned in my rifle, other gear, and was released from reserve duty. Despite the tragic events that led to myself so many other of us older guys returning to serve, I know that I am privileged to live in era in which the Jewish people have a country and an army again. We should never take that for granted. History teaches us that we cannot afford to…
