Shalom all,

The number of IDF deaths since the beginning of the ground offensive is up to 168. The total number of IDF deaths since October 7th stands at 501. 

Is it fair to single out one soldier among the many who fought and died and to write something that relates to him only? It is done all the time. Each morning since October er 7th, the news of the day begins more or less with the words, “Cleared for publication”, followed by a list of the names, ages, place of residence and military units of those who were killed in action, or who died of their wounds. I’ve written in the past about specific soldiers who fell since the beginning of the ground offensive by the IDF into the Gaza Strip.

All of the soldiers should be honored and remembered, not only by their families and friends, but by the entire nation, on whose behalf they fought and on whose behalf they died. Some were involved in combat while doing compulsory service. Others, who completed their compulsory service and were discharged, were called up to their reserve units. Still others, who didn’t have to serve, volunteered, were trained and fought alongside their brothers-in-arms against evil, hateful, murderous terrorists, who threatened and continue to threaten the very existence of the State of Israel. 

It’s been a long week and I’ve reflected much about the present state of affairs regarding the Gaza War, the hostages and their families, the alleged ongoing negotiations for another, considerably more difficult hostage/prisoner exchange, and about the many voices within the land, as well as those from abroad, who are telling Israel to admit defeat and to end the war, so that the hostages (who are still alive) can be brought home. Of course, some of those voices are more concerned about the people in Gaza than they are about the murderous onslaught that took place on October 7th by terrorists with no moral compass, who value death over life. So, I made the effort to put aside the war for a day and to share a story about one of our many heroes. We are all familiar with the expression: “All gave some. Some gave all.” The following relates to one who “gave all”. 

Captain (in the reserves) Shaul Greenglick z”l (z”l = zichrono l’vracha – May his memory be blessed) was killed in action this past Monday in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. He was 26 years old. Shortly after the Gaza War began, he appeared in the popular show, “The Next Star”, and sang “I am a Blind Bat” – a song about finding courage while living with deep pain, which includes the following words: “Give me strength to find courage within me, to see a sign, because even the child that was within me died some time ago. I am a blind bat screaming my life in the dark. I’m asleep but my heart is awake as I’m addicted to joy and write at night a song that clears me of sadness and I run out of air.” He was told by judges on the program: “You have a natural talent. You were born with an amazing voice.”  Another judge commented: “I’m happy to see you wearing a uniform, because it’s reassuring that someone like you is in uniform. I would be happy to see you representing Israel at Eurovision.”

Even though he advanced to the next level, he dropped out of the competition, putting his new dream aside to fulfill an old dream, fighting for the nation of Israel: “I imagined this year differently; a year of ambitions and fulfilling dreams. Now I am living an old dream, to fight for my country, and we are currently in the middle of the night … a new dream and another dream will have to wait a little longer. Thank you for the warm and encouraging words and for the good reviews. I hope this period passes and that it will pass quickly…I promise to continue fighting for this country that I love and for my dreams in the future. At the moment, there is only one thing on my mind, and that is to continue fighting in the darkness until we see the light.”

The Algemeiner published an Opinion piece by Ronn Torossian, in which he concludes: 

“This beautiful soul was killed because of a war started by a Palestinian society that produced and still supports Hamas — which seeks not to build and celebrate life, but to destroy it.

“He is dead because this time, the Jewish people are choosing to live.

While Shaul Greenglick is dead, we will never ever quit. We will fight, and the Jewish people will live. Hamas and our enemies will be eliminated and the Jewish people will endure. We shed tears for the dead because we value life, but we must fight on for them. We will show strength and we will win, as our people have throughout history.

“Shaul Greenglick’s father wore his son’s uniform, and saluted his fallen son at his funeral. A final salute for our fallen hero. Heartbreaking. May his memory forever be a blessing.” To these words, we give a hearty “AMEN!”

The Dry Bones Blog – 26 December, 2023

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Shabbat Shalom.

Marvin