It was a service like no other at the House of Light Church in Northridge. Pastor Netz Gómez stood on a stage before over 200 people and professed his love for Israel. “We are on the side of Israel. God has chosen Israel. We are with you. God will save and protect Israel. Israel is a demonstration that God exists.”
In the first two rows sat guests from Israel — wounded soldiers and police officers who had come to the U.S. to share their stories of survival. Micha Koubi, Eden Ram, Orr Sheizaf, Or Yosef Ran and Shalev Best were warmly welcomed by the Hispanic congregation, who clapped and responded with “Amen” as their pastor blessed Israel. Then, they all stood to sing the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah,” following the lyrics on the screen.
Revital Danker, senior vice president for External Affairs and Community Relations of Beit Halochem California, who arranged the soldiers’ visit including the church, synagogues and other venues, said the veterans were deeply touched by the display of love and support they received.
Since Oct. 7, over 8,000 soldiers have been recognized as disabled veterans, bringing to 58,000 the total number of soldiers who have received treatment at Beit Halochem, the only institution authorized to facilitate the rehabilitation of Israeli veterans. An estimated 16,000 soldiers also suffer from PTSD. The centers in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beer Sheva assist veterans with rehabilitation, physical therapy, hydrotherapy, creative healing and sports activities. Some members even participate in sports competitions, including the Paralympics.
Since the deadly terror attack on Israel, families of hostages and those who lost their lives have arrived in Los Angeles to raise awareness. Not much has been said about the thousands of Israeli soldiers and civilians who now need to adjust to a new way of life, dealing with severe burns, loss of limbs, blindness and PTSD.
Shalev Best from Beer Sheva was a squad leader in the police special forces who came to secure the music festival area. Best, 30, arrived there along with 20 police officers and was shot twice in the back. After dispersing the crowd, he rushed to Ofakim after receiving a message that the terrorists arrived in town. He and three fellow officers drove the 20 minutes to get there, and found themselves exchanging fire with Hamas terrorists.
“I lost a lot of blood,” he said. “I felt like I was going to die. I called my parents and my wife to say goodbye. I lay down on the ground, bleeding profusely. My mouth was dry, so I drank some of my blood. I pressed the stress button, but nobody answered.”
Along with another injured officer, he crawled into a neighbor’s house that opened the door for them. The neighbor rushed them to the hospital.
“He didn’t even have a driver’s license, but it didn’t matter,” said Best.
The doctors who operated on him said the bullets missed his spinal cord by millimeters. Standing on stage on his crutches, Best said he lost many friends that day. He feels his survival is a miracle.
“I’m here thanks to the Hatzalah paramedic who was the first to give me immediate help and thanks to God,” he said.
First Lieutenant Eden Ram, 20, woke up at Urim base to a missile attack. It was 6:30 a.m. She grabbed her gun and ran to the bomb shelter. In the shelter, there were other soldiers, each one contacting their family, maybe for the last time.
“One of the moms said that terrorists had entered Urim base,” said Ram. “We couldn’t believe it. That’s where we were.”
Ram knew she couldn’t stay at the open bomb shelter where she could get trapped, so she ran to another secured room in the base. On the way there, she was shot in her leg by Hamas. She entered the room and found it full with other soldiers. “The terrorists went door to door. We heard them speaking Arabic and understood that in a few seconds we were all going to die.”
At that point, as Nukhba fighters (Hamas unit) were just behind her door, she started recording messages to her family.
“I told them I love them and to please pray for me,” she said.
During the last message she recorded, you can hear bullets and a grenade being thrown in. “Once the Nukhba entered the room, I closed my eyes. They started shooting us nonstop. I felt a sharp pain and wondered when the last bullet is going to come and kill me.”
Sometime after Hamas left, believing they had killed everyone in the room, three IDF soldiers arrived for rescue. They saw a pile of bodies and complete chaos. They were sure everyone was dead until they heard a faint “help” and found Eden and another soldier who had miraculously survived. Later that day in the hospital, doctors counted 12 bullets that had entered her body, missing major organs.
Ram spent three months in the hospital and received daily visits from Beit Halochem. “After I was released, I spent two months in a wheelchair, and Beit Halochem was there for me every step of them way,” she said. “They became my second family. I go there for Pilates, physical therapy and the gym, and I don’t feel ashamed of the many scars I have. I feel confident. I appreciate so much what they had done for me.”
Orr Sheizaf, 35, a former combat soldier now an IDF reservist, served as a squad commander and platoon sergeant. He was in the middle of training for a marathon when the war started.
“That morning when I woke up, I watched the news and I said to myself, ‘I’ll do some rounds, come back and catch up. There is time and everything is fine.’”
He didn’t imagine the magnitude of the event taking place. When he returned to his room after 26 kilometers of strenuous running in the desert, he discovered that he had been called up to the reserves. He put on his uniform and joined his reserve battalion.
“On Oct. 12, we encountered a terrorist waiting for us in one of the houses in Kibbutz Kissufim. He threw two grenades at us and then charged at us with a knife. My teammates and I shot and killed him, but unfortunately, three of our guys were wounded.”
In early December, after serving for two months, it was his turn. He was in Khan Yunis when a booby trap hidden in a tunnel shaft detonated. He was diagnosed with fractures and soft tissue damage to both legs and his right arm. Five of his fellow soldiers were killed.
“I told the person who treated me to take care of my leg first,” he said. “This guy knew me, knew I’m a runner. He looked at my elbow and said, ‘Shut up, I’m putting a tourniquet on you, be strong.’ In retrospect, he did the right thing.”
Sheizaf underwent a four-hour operation at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva. The rehabilitation at Beit Halochem in Beer Sheva has helped him stand back on his feet and he is hopeful he’ll be able to resume running. For now, the doctors allow him to jump.
Pinhas Rahav, the president Beit Halochem chapter in California, said that one of the most significant and vital projects today is completing the new center in Ashdod, which will also serve as a national hub for PTSD. He was injured in the Lebanon war and suffered from PTSD. “I wasn’t aware of that, but up to a few years ago I used to wake up in the middle of the night crying,” he said. “Many soldiers don’t recognize they suffer from it only later when they go back home and to their daily lives.”
“Many soldiers don’t recognize they suffer from it, only later when they go back home and to their daily lives.”
– Pinhas Rahav
The center is expected to serve around 7,000 wounded veterans living in the southern coastal area and over 15,000 of their families.
Actor Mike Burstyn assisted by translating the speakers’ words into Hebrew and English, while Pastor Gómez, with the help of another church member, did the Spanish translation.
On June 23, the veterans also participated in an event at the home of Shirley and Isaac Hakim in Beverly Hills. In their backyard, Sheizaf was once again telling his story when the sound of fireworks filled the air. The sudden noise clearly rattled him and the other soldiers. It sounded just like the gunshots fired at them not long ago, a surreal reminder of their recent trauma.
Sheizaf paused, took a sip of water, steadied himself and continued telling his story. The strength and resilience he displayed in that moment epitomized the unwavering spirit of all the veterans present, a testament to their courage and determination to heal and move forward.
To learn more about Beit Halochem, visit https://www.israeliwoundedveterans.org/israel-is-at-war
