The service, held at House of Light Church in Northridge, was one like no other. Pastor Netz Gomez took the stage in front of a crowd of more than 200 people and professed his love for Israel. “We are for Israel. God has chosen Israel. We are with you. God will save Israel and protect Israel. Israel is proof that God exists.”
The first two rows were filled with guests from Israel, wounded veterans who came to the United States and shared their stories of survival. Micah Koubi, Eden Lamb, Ohr Sheizaf, Ohr Yosef Ran and Shareef Best were warmly welcomed by the Hispanic congregation, who clapped and replied, “Amen,” as the pastor blessed Israel. Then the whole congregation rose to their feet and sang “Hatikvah,” the Israeli national anthem, accompanying the words projected on a screen.
Livital Danker, senior vice president of external and community relations for Beit HaRochem California, which arranged the soldiers’ visits, which included churches, synagogues and other venues, said the veterans were deeply moved by the shows of love and support they received.
Since October 7, more than 8,000 soldiers have been certified as disabled veterans, bringing the total number of soldiers treated at Beit Halochem, the only licensed facility supporting the rehabilitation of Israeli veterans, to 58,000. An estimated 16,000 soldiers suffer from PTSD. The centers in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beer Sheva help veterans with rehabilitation, physical therapy, hydrotherapy, creative healing and sports activities, some of which go on to participate in sports competitions, including the Paralympics.
Since the deadly terrorist attack on Israel, families of the hostages and those who lost their lives have gathered in Los Angeles to raise awareness. Less is being said about the thousands of Israeli soldiers and civilians who have had to adapt to a new way of life while dealing with severe burns, loss of limbs, blindness and PTSD.
Shareef Best, a native of Beersheba, was a platoon leader in a special police unit that was providing security for the music festival. The 30-year-old Best arrived at the festival with 20 other police officers and was shot twice in the back. After dispersing the crowd, he rushed to Ofakim after receiving word that terrorists had arrived in the town. He and three fellow officers drove 20 minutes to Ofakim, where they engaged in a gunfight with the Hamas terrorists.
“I lost a lot of blood,” he said. “I thought I was going to die. I called my parents and my wife to say goodbye. I lay on the ground, bleeding profusely. My mouth was dry so I drank my own blood. I pressed the stress relief button but no one answered.”
He and the other injured officer crawled to a neighbor’s house and had the door opened for them, so the neighbors rushed them to the hospital.
“He didn’t even have a driver’s license, but that didn’t matter,” Best said.
Doctors who operated on Best said the bullet missed his spinal cord by just millimeters. As he took to the stage on crutches, Best said he lost many friends that day and considered it a miracle he survived.
“I owe it all to God and to the Hatzalah emergency workers who helped me right away in the beginning that I’m here,” he said.
Lt. Eden Lam, 20, was woken by a missile attack at Urim base at 6:30 a.m. She grabbed her gun and ran to a bomb shelter where other soldiers were contacting their families, likely for the last time.
“One of the mothers told us that terrorists had infiltrated the Urim base,” Lam said. “We couldn’t believe it, because we were there.”
Lam knew she couldn’t stay in the open bunker where she could be trapped, so she fled to another high-security room on the base. On her way there, she was shot in the leg by a Hamas soldier. When she entered the room, it was full of other soldiers. “The terrorists were going from house to house. We heard them speaking in Arabic and we realised that in a few seconds we would all be dead.”
At that point, Nukba fighters (Hamas forces) were right behind her house, and she began recording a message to her family.
“I told them I love them and asked them to pray for me,” she said.
In her final recorded message, the sounds of bullets and grenades being thrown can be heard: “The moment Nkuba entered the room, I closed my eyes. They started shooting at us nonstop. I felt a sharp pain and wondered when the last bullet would come and kill me.”
Three IDF soldiers rushed in to help some time later, after Hamas assumed they had killed everyone in the room and left. They saw piles of bodies and utter chaos. They were sure everyone was dead, but then they heard a faint cry for help and found Eden and another soldier, who had miraculously survived. Later that day at the hospital, doctors counted 12 bullets in her body, with no major organs hit.
Ram was hospitalized for three months and received daily visits from Beit Halochem. “After I was released, I was in a wheelchair for two months and Beit Halochem supported me all the way,” she said. “They became my second family. I do pilates, physiotherapy and go to the gym and I’m not ashamed of my many scars. I feel more confident. I’m so grateful for all they did for me.”
Orr Sheizah, 35, a former combat soldier and current IDF reservist who served as a platoon sergeant and platoon leader, was in the middle of training for a marathon when the war began.
“That morning I woke up, saw the news and said to myself, ‘I’ll just spin around and come back and catch up. I’ve got time and everything’s good.’
He had no idea how big a deal this would become. After a strenuous 26km run in the desert, he returned to his room to find he had been called up into the reserves. He suited up and joined a reserve battalion.
“On October 12, we encountered a terrorist lying in wait in a house in Kibbutz Kisfim. He threw two grenades and charged at us with a knife. My teammates and I shot and killed him, but unfortunately three others were wounded.”
In early December, after completing two months of military service, it was his turn. While he was in Khan Younis, a bomb hidden in a tunnel shaft exploded. He was diagnosed with fractures to both legs and his right arm, as well as soft tissue injuries. Five of his fellow soldiers were killed.
“I told the guy who was treating me to start with my leg,” he says, “and he knew me and he knew I was a runner. He looked at my elbow and he said, ‘Shut up, I’m going to put a tourniquet on you, stay strong.’ Looking back, I think he did the right thing.”
Sheyzah underwent four hours of surgery at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. He hopes that rehabilitation at Beit Halochem in Beersheba will help him get back on his feet and run again. For now, doctors have given him the go-ahead to jump.
Pinhas Rahaf, president of Beit Halochem in California, said one of the most important and essential projects right now is the completion of the new center in Ashdod, which also serves as the national hub for PTSD. He was injured in the Lebanon war and suffered from PTSD. “I didn’t realize it until a few years ago, when I would wake up in the middle of the night crying,” he said. “Many soldiers only realize they are suffering from PTSD after they return home and resume their daily lives.”
“Many soldiers only realize they are suffering once they return home and resume their daily lives.”
– Pinas Lahav
The center will serve approximately 7,000 injured veterans and more than 15,000 family members living in the southern coastal region.
Actor Mike Burstyn translated the speakers’ words into Hebrew and English, and Gomez, with the help of other church members, translated them into Spanish.
On June 23, the veterans also attended an event at the Beverly Hills home of Shirley and Isaac Hakim. As Sheizaf recounted his story in their backyard, the sounds of fireworks filled the air. The sudden sound visibly upset Sheizaf and the other soldiers; it sounded just like the gunfire that had been fired at them moments earlier, a surreal reminder of their recent trauma.
Sheyzak stopped, took a sip of water to compose himself, and continued his story. The strength and resilience he displayed in that moment was typical of the unwavering spirit of all the veterans there, a testament to their courage and determination to recover and move forward.
For more information about Beit Halochem, visit https://fidv.org/about