For most people, last summer is a thing of the past. But for many soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces, it lingers on as part of the healing they still grapple with now.
Dozens of soldiers who were severely wounded in last summer’s war with Hamas in Gaza—officially dubbed “Operation Protective Edge”—remain in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities seven months after the conclusion of the war, battling severe injuries.
From the beginning, the Chabad Terror Victims Project has been with these soldiers at their bedsides, bringing them comfort, hope and practical assistance. CTVP has also been with their families, enabling them to be with their loved ones as much as possible by providing hot meals, grocery shopping, babysitting services and other necessities during this difficult time.
And recently, the organization arranged for the writing of a Torah scroll in the merit of the healing of all soldiers wounded in the war. It honors the 72 people killed in last summer’s war: 66 IDF soldiers and six civilians.
An event was held Sunday in the lobby of the Rehabilitation Department at Tel Hashomer Hospital in Ramat Gan, Israel, where wounded soldiers were invited to write a letter in the Torah scroll to help in their healing and the healing of others who were wounded. They were assisted by sofer (Torah scribe) Rabbi Mendel Charitonski.
Rabbi Menachem Kutner, director of CTVP, and Rabbi Yossi Swerdlov, its associate director, came to the hospital to host the event. Rabbi Levi Gopin, co-director of Chabad of Tel Hashomer-Efal with his wife, Esty, also invited the medical staff and department heads to write a letter in the scroll.
‘A Tree of Life’
“When referring to the Torah, it says: Eitz Chaim He—“It is a tree of life,” explains Kutner. “How appropriate that this sefer Torah is to remember the holy soldiers and others who sacrificed their lives for Am Yisroel [the people of Israel]. It also signifies a Refuah Shlema [prayer for the healing] for the wounded soldiers.”
The Torah is a gift of the Ganz family of Toronto, who are part of Chabad @ Flamingo in Thornhill, Canada, co-directed by Rabbi Mendel and Faygie Kaplan. The family participated in this moving event along with a family friend, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky, director of the Chabad rabbinate in Rehovot, Israel.
The soldiers offered their gratitude to the Ganz family and to CTVP for the sacred opportunity to write their own letter in the Torah scroll—an effort meant to boost their spirits and encourage them as they complete their rehabilitation. The Torah is also being written in the merit of one of the younger members of the Ganz family: Tzvi Ganz, who will become a bar mitzvah this summer.
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