At the outset of the war with Hamas in Gaza, nearly two and a half years ago many people from the diaspora were sending and personally bringing all kinds of items for the IDF soldiers. I was one of them. I brought garments of merino wool, hard to find in Israel. But others were sending ceramic vests, that were black instead of green. The IDF had a real difficult time sorting through all of that stuff.
Many people may not have known that there is an organization called Friends of the IDF which was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors, whose mission it is, to provide and augment things for the IDF that are beyond budget. We could have just funneled our contributions through them. Today, the function of FIDF has expanded from its original purpose, from support of the Netzach Yehuda Brigade, the long standing ultraorthodox brigade, to lifelong physical therapy for the wounded.
I was recently on a mission with FIDF in Israel to learn firsthand, some of the support they offer. My gratitude goes out to members of our congregation who sponsored my participation. Please follow the link below to learn more about FIDF and how you can help the cause.
For the moment I will just share one example of how they provide care for soldiers who suffer from PTSD. Our group of cross denominational rabbis and lay leaders visited an equestrian and canine training facility near Gaza. We were introduced to some of the dogs and their trainers. The cost for each therapy dog is $30,000. The dogs are selected from particular breeds, but the training is of course, is where the cost lies. One of the trainers was told to take a seat in a chair about twenty feet away from his golden retriever. When the man began to slightly bounce his leg from the foot upward, the dog immediately went to him, stood on its hind legs with its paws on his shoulders. He tried to push the dog away, again and again with all his force, but the dog did not retreat. They explained to us that a common episode of PTSD is like a seizure that begins with a tremor of the leg, and that a typical reaction is to violently reject any sort of physical comfort contact. However, the immediate intervention by the dog usually prevents the seizure from taking full force, which itself perpetuates the condition of PTSD. This training facility is one of the beneficiaries of FIDF.
When we visited an IDF base on the northern border, they had a kind of a flash dance with the soldiers, singing, among other common favorites, Od Yoter Tov, it will be even better. At that moment, the soldiers were enjoying the cease fire, and it was really good for them, especially because the sun was out that day. But the lyrics of the song refer to a time when it will be much better, the days when all the wars will end. https://www.fidf.org
The Rabbinically Speaking column is provided as a public service by the Jewish Press. Columns are assigned on a rotating basis by the Pinellas County Board of Rabbis. The views expressed in this column are those of the rabbi and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Jewish Press or the Board of Rabbis.
