By Larry Gordon
One way or another, we are all friends and fans of those who serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Who does not admire those young men and women who pass us on the street in Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv, or other parts of Israel, automatic
weapons slung over their shoulders, as they serve and are committed to defending the Jewish state?
Next week, on Wednesday, November 8, the South Shore of Long Island will pay tribute to these extraordinary young people who are modern-day shining examples of the most genuine form of dedication to the people of Israel through their service in Israel’s military.
The evening’s tribute dinner is being hosted by Friends of the IDF (FIDF) and will take place at the Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst. The event will recognize those who are commonly referred to as Israel’s lone soldiers, as well as the families of these young men and women who hail from the Five Towns—of which there are more than a few.
As in the past, several very special guests will be present at the dinner—young soldiers with an unusual and special story to tell. The program will be emceed by Benjamin Brafman, the inimitable defense attorney and lover of Israel.
For Felicia Solomon, the new executive director of Friends of the IDF, this is her first South Shore dinner event. Ms. Solomon works on behalf of the organization across Long Island but says that she already senses there is a unique relationship between the Five Towns community and the men and women of the IDF. “The community is intensely passionate about the IDF and they love the soldiers,” she said.
As for his attachment to and fondness for the IDF, Mr. Brafman said to the 5TJT earlier this week, “If they would let me, I would grab an Uzi and fight alongside the men and women of Tzahal. Since they won’t let me, at least I can help raise the money to support our soldiers. The South Shore FIDF dinner is a must-attend event.”
and Mrs. Zipporah Marans
The honorees at this year’s dinner will be the rabbi of the Sephardic Temple, Rabbi Arnold and Mrs. Zipporah Marans, and Sharron and Adam Cohen of Woodmere, who presently have two sons on active duty in the IDF.
Adam Cohen says that he can only speak to me about one son because the other is in a unit that they are simply forbidden by the rules to discuss. I recalled to Adam that a few years ago, I was sitting at Friday-night dinner at the Old City home of Pamela and Abba Claman next to a soldier in a special unit who said he could not speak with me about his role or mission in the military. All he did say—and perhaps even that was too much—was that there is not a country in the Middle East that an IDF unit has not been in.
So we limit our conversation to their 21-year-old son, whose first name we will not use. It is obvious in speaking to Adam Cohen that they are deeply proud of the decisions their boys have made, and, indeed, we are all proud of them.
Their son—the one we are talking about for the purposes of this essay—went to HAFTR Elementary School and Rambam High School here in Lawrence. About a decade ago, the Cohens, as a young family, went to live in Israel for a year. After returning to New York and going back to yeshiva here, their two boys always talked about growing up and joining the IDF to defend the State of Israel.
“Boys talk, but I thought and my wife thought that it was a phase and that they would grow up, get busy with college and careers, and this idea would pass,” Adam says. Well, it is obvious now that this was not exactly how things evolved.
His son joined the IDF, made aliyah, and joined a hesder yeshiva program in Gush Etzion. He is about to join an officers’ training course in the IDF and is currently in the Tzanchanim, a paratroopers unit. He has become the commander of the first chareidi paratroopers unit in the IDF.
We talked a bit about whether Adam and his wife, Sharron, and the other children speak on a regular basis with the boys, and Adam says that while they talk regularly with the son we are discussing here, there are places in Israel like the Negev where cellphone service is erratic and intermittent, which can make daily communication a challenge.
Adam makes reference to this week’s IDF destruction of terror tunnels near the Gaza border that also eliminated about a dozen Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists. Adam’s son was stationed down there, not too far from where the operation took place. He says that situations like that cause them concern—as they would any parent—but on Tuesday morning when we spoke he said that he knew that his son was back in yeshiva in the Gush.
When the Cohens are honored at next week’s dinner, this son will be present to honor his parents as he is honored and recognized by all who plan on attending.
In addition, other members of the IDF will be present at the event at Sephardic Temple. In July, a 19-year-old Arab terrorist burst into a home in Halamish and murdered Yosef Salomon and his daughter, Chaya, 40, and son Elad, 36. Yosef’s wife, Tova, 68, was seriously wounded in the attack. As the terrorist was committing this murderous act, the slain son’s wife managed to rush several children to a nearby room and lock the door. She called the police and screamed for help. The family had gathered for a Friday-night shalom zachor, as their younger daughter had given birth that morning. A neighbor who serves in an elite IDF unit heard the screams of the victims, ran to the window of the house, and shot and wounded the killer.
The soldier, Sgt. A, said, “I understood immediately what was happening—I saw the terrorist and shot him through the window. I understood the situation thoroughly. I shot into the house from outside. I didn’t think a lot. I acted immediately.” Sgt. A. will be present and given an award at next week’s FIDF dinner in Cedarhurst.
Israeli soldiers are heroes by virtue of the fact of their service. And when young men and women raised so much differently than the average Israeli arrange their priorities so as to dedicate themselves to defending Jews and Israel, it is extremely special. At present, five graduates of Rambam Mesivta are on active duty in the IDF. I reached out to the rosh mesivta, Rabbi Zev Friedman, to ask what it is about Rambam graduates that moves them in this direction.
“I think they come from homes which really have a true sense of commitment and dedication to Klal Yisrael,” the rabbi said. “In school, we imbue in them a sense of mission to think outside of yourself and think of what you can do to help the Jewish community at large. It is for this reason, I believe, that we have boys who serve in the army, while others become rabbanim or are involved in StandWithUs or are involved in the Hebrew Free Burial Society.”
As for Adam Cohen, he says that he and his wife are “thrilled that their sons gained the clarity, conviction, and courage to pursue their ambitions and do what they do so very well.”
Next week, there will probably be about 600–700 people present to pay tribute to these young soldiers and to the IDF. Why won’t there be double or triple that number of people present to hear these young folks tell their stories, share their experiences, and be received in a fashion commensurate with who they are and what they do for Israel and every Jew wherever we may find ourselves on the globe? It’s not too late for you to make a reservation and welcome our heroes.
Comments for Larry Gordon are welcome at editor@5tjt.com.
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