If someone was silly enough to put God aside, the IDF’s victories over numerous Arab armies time and time again is something completely abnormal. When it comes to numbers, there is really not much to talk about. There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and in the tiny Jewish State there are only 6 million Jews (a little less). Egypt alone outnumbers Israel’s military 20 to 1 and when it comes to money, there is no question that the Muslim oil rich countries have an endless cash flow while Israel is still recycling bullet shells in order to save money.
The story of the IDF against Arab armies is the modern day story of David vs. Goliath. Whether it was the miraculous victory in 1948 or the ’67 war when Israel completely demolished 6 Arab military forces that attacked Israel from all sides, or the ’73 Yom Kippur war that caught Israel by surprise, Israel has always come out on top and the only question that remains is HOW?
How does a country that is smaller than NJ constantly defeat Arab armies that seek its destruction?
The truth is, I am a religious Jew and there is no doubt in my mind that what has happened in Israel over the past 66 years is nothing less than a miracle! That being said, there is something about IDF soldiers that I do not believe exists anywhere else in the world. I don’t think we are special in any inborn way but there is something about the IDF consciousness that gives us, the men and women in uniform, the strength to keep fighting and defending Israel from those who seek to destroy us.
Perhaps it is the knowledge that losing is simply not an option.
Every IDF soldier understands the reality that a lost war means Israel’s destruction and while that alone should be enough of a motivation for the IDF, there is something else that is occurring here.
“A Nation That Forgets Its Past Has No Future”
I clearly remember the day I put on my IDF uniform for the very first time. It was like going through some kind of historical shock therapy. As I put one foot into my new uniform pants, I felt the pain of the Jews who were slaughtered when the Romans ransacked Jerusalem in 70 AD. As I slid my second pants leg on, I was being kicked out of Spain during the inquisition. Then I slid my right arm into the shirt and felt the club of a pogrom and when I stuck my left arm through the sleeve I felt the wrath of 2,000 years of wandering from country to country only to be persecuted again every stop we made. With every button I closed, I felt the years go by and the pain getting worse, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 as I came to the fifth button I could almost see the smoke coming out of the crematoriums and as I closed the sixth button I could hear the screams coming from the gas chambers. As I finished buttoning my shirt, I saw the Jews of Europe stripped of their Judaism, their identity and their humanity. Then I placed my IDF beret on my head and stood up straight as if to scream from the bottom of my soul, NEVER AGAIN and AM YISRAEL CHAI! (The nation of Israel LIVES).
I remember a maneuver my unit did in 1994 and I was completely wiped out. I was exhausted, thirsty and at what I thought was my physical limit. I was about to sit down, give up and call for the stretcher when grandmother’s face flashed before my eyes. My grandmother, who survived numerous concentration camps and marched for kilometers in the freezing cold under the watchful eyes of the Nazis and their dogs and survived!
My grandmother had no stretchers or time to rest and anyone who decided to give up was shot! Within an instant my energy level was back up and my legs were stronger than ever before. It was as if my body turned to an energy source that I did not know existed. It was no longer my legs that were carrying my body but rather my heart that was carrying my legs and exhaustion was no longer an option! The IDF is all about heart and giving up or losing is simply not in our lexicon.
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IDF WINTER GEAR CAMPAIGN
The winter months are freezing up north and Standing Together with the help of sponsors from around the world have already given out thousands of winter gear packs to IDF soldiers. We have been getting emails and calls from IDF officers and units requesting specific winter gear for their soldiers.
A complete winter gear pack cost $100 and there are 100-120 soldiers in each platoon.
We still have over 2,000 soldiers who have sent us requests for these operational winter gear packs and they need your support.
Sponsor a soldier or a complete unit by clicking on the guys below or on the DONATE button.
We have received a request for 1,000 face masks that protect IDF soldiers from wind and snow.
Each mask cost only $10. You can sponsor one soldier or an entire platoon (120 guys)
Click on the soldiers below or on the DONATE button and specify how many face masks you would like to sponsor.
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