Israel Is a Land of Heroes

Yael Eckstein  |  December 14, 2023

Writing at the Christian Post, Yael reflects on the tragedy of October 7, and says that after witnessing how the people of Israel responded to Hamas with such bravery—both the young and the old—she’s hopeful for Israel’s future:

Yet on the other hand, we have all wondered if this next generation — who hasn’t experienced any wars which threatened Israel’s existence — would be able to drop their smart phones, high-tech jobs, and comfortable lives, to crawl in the mud and defend this homeland, if they needed to.

If this horrendous war has taught me one thing, it’s that we have sinned, by being so naïve and blind to the heroism that surrounds us at every coffee shop, in every synagogue, in the cafeteria of every high-tech hub, and in the spirit of every single person — both young and old — in this beloved country.

This past Shabbat, as I read the biblical story of Joseph who heroically saved the people of Egypt from famine thousands of years ago, I looked at my 17-year-old daughter who very soon will be an Israeli soldier, and reminded her that the heroes of this land are not just people of the past. Rather, they are people in the present, who are acting heroically.

Heroes like Keith Isaacson, a South African immigrant to Israel, and the Chief Security Officer for the Eshkol Regional Council, who I visited in the burnt ashes of Be’eri, just a few days ago.

On October 7, Keith was riding in the bulletproof, shrapnel-proof truck that The Fellowship donated to him a few months ago, when he realized that Israel was under terrorist attack…