Forging bonds with Veterans across the sea
by Sandra Schachter
It was early morning in Jerusalem and 20-year-old Natan Sandaka was on routine patrol with his unit when they were alerted that a terrorist was heading towards the city. A woman anxiously came up to him saying that someone dressed like an ultra-Orthodox Jew looked very suspicious. Natan walked towards him, but when asked to stop, the individual turned and ran. Natan raced after him. Then, just 5 metres between them, the man detonated 10 kilos of explosives. Nails that had been packed into the bomb lodged in Natan’s lungs and he suffered severe burns. He was hospitalized for four months and released with permanent disability. That was in 2000.
Natan’s devastating experience is just one of many coming out of Beit Halochem, Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel. It was established in 1949, following Israel’s War of Independence, to alleviate the problems faced by thousands of disabled veterans. Since then, the organization has aided 49,000.
Beit Halochem centers in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem currently foster full reintegration into society of approximately 11,000 vets by providing sports, social and creative activities. Beit Halochem Canada, founded in 1978, with headquarters in Toronto and chapters in Vancouver and Montreal, contributes by hosting war veterans every year.
The Montreal chapter recently celebrated its 20th anniversary by bringing 10 vets to the homes of 10 families for two jam-packed weeks of sights, sounds, music and dancing. An introductory city tour starts off the program, followed by visits to the Botanical Gardens and Insectarium, a day in the Laurentians, trips to Ottawa and Quebec City, and just plain fun, like an evening of bowling and prizes, or jet boating in the Lachine Rapids.
But the enduring, emotional bond forged between the veterans and their host families over the 14 days is the highlight of the program, says Rena Small, chairperson from 1995-2004 and 2005 co-chair. “Something magical happens, beginning at the airport when the group arrives”, she says. “Ten individuals meet ten families, all strangers, yet immediately there’s a feeling of warmth. By the end of the visit, when everyone is saying good-bye, the attachments are so strong there are tears all around.”
Years later, the closeness continues through phone calls, e-mails and visits. And the bond isn’t lost once the vets are back in Israel. All of them still feel the need and desire to keep in touch, Rena says.
Natan was brought to Israel from Ethiopia when he was 10, joining thousands of Ethiopian Jews in beginning a new life. After intercepting the bomb, Natan was called a hero. But that’s not how he sees it. Shy, unassuming and soft-spoken, he simply did what he had to do, he says. The two weeks in Montreal with Julius and Terry Suss and their four children have gone a long way towards his rehabilitation. “It changed my routine, it helped clear my head. But most of all, Julius and Terry really opened their home to me. They made me feel like I was one of their children.”
Listening to Natan’s comments, Terry smiles and adds, “We’re so isolated here in Montreal, but Beit Halochem has brought a little of Israel to us. It was an amazing experience. It’s as if we’ve adopted him, like we have another son.”
Bassam Sabik comes from the Druze village of Horfesh near Safed in the Galilee. One of eight children, he served in the Golani unit of the Israel Defence Forces. The Druze, who generally identify themselves as Israeli citizens, (many living in the Golan Heights consider themselves Syrian and refuse Israeli citizenship) have served voluntarily in the Israeli army since 1948, and — at the community’s request — compulsorily since 1956.
During the second Intifada in 2000, Bassam, then 25, was doing his army reserve service with the Border Police. At the entrance to the village of Jenin, he was shot by terrorists. “I couldn’t feel or move my leg,” he recalls. Multiple surgeries (involving bone extensions and the insertion of steel rods) and three torturous years later, he regained use of his leg, now 6 cm shorter.
Bassam’s Montreal hosts were Eli and Tzipi Kedem. “I enjoyed every minute,” he says. “I will never forget how warm and giving they’ve been. I’ll keep in touch with them forever.”
Originally from Israel, Eli can especially relate to Bassam for another reason. “I also got injured in the leg, during the Yom Kippur War,” he says. “So we have a lot in common. It’s such a good feeling to be involved with the veterans.”
Rena describes the two-week experience poignantly. “These veterans have given so much. They became disabled fighting for Israel while we were here in safety and comfort. This is our small way of showing our love and appreciation for their sacrifice.”
