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When An Author
Reported For Duty
AMY J. MEHLER
iJ
Staff Writer
he day the United
States declared war on
Iraq, hundreds of
rabbis and religious leaders
from Israeli yeshivot kissed
their families goodbye and
reported for military duty.
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Car-
dozo, a Jerusalem author,
lecturer and teacher, was
among them.
The rabbi, who spoke Sun-
day at Machon L'Torah, the
Jewish Learning Network of
Michigan, was among the
first Israelis in charge of
identifying bodies and pull-
ing people from the rubble of
bombed-out buildings and
homes.
Each year, the rabbi, a
member of Haga, the civil
defense branch of the Israel
Defense Force, trades his
lectern and computer for an
Israeli military uniform and
Uzi. This year, however, the
call came earlier than ex-
pected.
Haga, which is non-
combat, takes men above the
Rabbi Cardozo was
among the first
Israelis in charge of
identifying bodies
and pulling people
from the rubble.
age of 30 with five or more
children.
In a break from tradition,
Rabbi Cardozo said, Haga
members underwent spe-
cialized basic training to be
prepared to pick up the
pieces.
"We were in a most
unusual position," Rabbi
Cardozo said. "This sort of
work is usually the job of
more active soldiers. But
since the regular army was
less involved in this war, it
became our job."
The rabbi, who divides his
time between teaching posi-
tions at Ohr Someyach,
Neve Yerushalayim and
Michlalah, three Jerusalem
yeshivot, was sent to
Tsrifim, a large military
base outside of Tel Aviv. He
and 100 others in his unit
were taught how to survive a
gas attack and how to ad-
minister life-saving an-
tidotes and injections.
Rabbi Cardozo said the
army gave them time to pray
three times a day and even
Rabbi Cardozo:
"Purim never had more
meaning."
brought in a special cook to
ensure the highest standard
of kashrut.
"Every other waking mo-
ment consisted of training,"
he said. "We practiced with
plastic, transparent
dummies. The army
simulated bombing attacks,
complete with collapsing
houses and crumbling walls.
We were taught how to res-
cue the victims."
The rabbis trained up until
the first Scud missile alert.
"At about 3 a.m. Thursday
(Jan. 17), we saw the first
bomb fly overhead," he said.
"I didn't think I'd live to see
daylight. All I thought about
was if I had to die, I was glad
it was in defense of my peo-
ple and country."
That first Scud exploded
nearby in an open field as
Rabbi Cardozo and others
ran for the base's cheder
atum, a sealed room.
Once inside, Rabbi Car-
dozo did something he
hadn't done in 23 years: He
shaved his long red beard.
"Some rabbis chose not to,
but the officers said the gas
masks wouldn't protect your
face as well over a beard. I
decided I wouldn't take the
risk."
When daylight broke,
Rabbi Cardozo felt he had
just witnessed a modern
miracle. It was the first of
many that day.
"As soon as the all-clear
was sounded," Rabbi Car-
dozo said, "we were all
farmed out to various sites
around the Tel Aviv area. I
couldn't believe what I saw.
"People were emerging
alive and in one piece from
piles of stone and dirt. Their
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