EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK

jarci

Taking His Turn

y

ehudit Jubas of Southfield was so touched by a rel-
ative's written account of military reserve duty in
Israel following the Passover Massacre in Netanya,
she sent me a copy.
"His life will never be the same," she said. "We in America
can't even fathom what is happening in Israel on a daily basis."
Avi Goldschmidt, 33, is her sister-in-law's brother from
Bergen County, N.J. An Orthodox Jew, he made aliyah in
1987 at age 18. He lives in Gannei Aviv, near Lod, with his
wife, Sagit. He works at an Israeli university where he hopes
to earn an MBA degree.
On March 29, during Pesach, his turn came to defend the
Jewish homeland from the latest Palestinian uprising; this
intifida has taken hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian lives
since September 2000. He and Sagit were with friends in
Nahariya when, by cell phone, he was told to report for "Tzav
8," emergency duty for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
"I'm a natural worrier, but these two words were able to
instantly make all my worries go away. I was being called up
for war," Avi, a first sergeant, writes in a gripping six-page let-
ter.
Within three hours of call-up, Avi and
Sagit are packed; she's going to her parents
until her husband returns. We are getting
emotional," he says. "But I can't allow myself
to fall apart. A kiss, a hug and a tear, and I
am off into the unknown for an indefinite
amount of time — an indescribable feeling."
Shabbat was nearing, but this would be no
typical Shabbat.
ROBERT A.
On a cold, rainy night at the Jerusalem
SKLAR
army base where he reports to, Avi reunites
Editor
with his platoon, which had last been togeth-
er in November in Hebron. They gear up for
Operation Defensive Shield, in response to the March 27 sui-
cide bombing in Netanya, a hotel-lobby seder attack that
killed 29 Israelis. "I call my wife to let her know that every-
thing is all right, and also to calm myself; this reality is becom-
ing very scary," Avi says.
He also calls his parents in America. They helped sustain
him from 1987 to 1990, when he was an enlisted infantry-
man in southern Lebanon and the Gala Strip during the first
intifada, and have been there for him during his annual
reservist tours.
He and other soldiers then settle in sleeping bags on a
cement floor in a hangar. "We were just plucked out of our
lives," Avi muses.
"I tell myself that as far as Jewish history goes, it could be a
lot worse. Sixty years ago, we also would have been rounded
up, but to be sent somewhere else. We have the privilege to be
rounded up to defend the State of Israel."

Getting Ready

Day Two of active duty was Shabbat, but this was an emer-
gency; platoon members spent it at a training camp, honing
their skills and fitness.
Back at the base on Day Three, the soldiers prepare to
attack Bethlehem in the West Bank, under the control of
Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. "We are all too aware -of
the weapons that the Palestinians have at their disposal to be
used against any invading force," Avi says.
On Day Four, the platoon takes over the highlands of
Bethlehem. "The rapid and drastic changes one goes through
in Israeli society are simply mind-boggling," Avi says. "Four

days ago, I was sitting at the
seder. Today, I am sitting in
an armored personnel carri-
er overlooking Bethlehem."
In late afternoon, platoon
members return to their
meeting point near
Jerusalem and recalibrate to
take control of a strategic
complex in Bethlehem.
"The path leading to the
complex winds through
Palestinian houses and
snipers, and the latest intel-
ligence is that there are 20
terrorists hiding within the
complex. I am feeling nau-
seous. I haven't eaten in
four days and I haven't slept
in two," Avi says.
He calls Sagit and prays
she doesn't become a
widow.

ANNUAL
MEETING

and

ELECTION
OF OFFICERS

Thursday,
June 13, 2002
7:30 p.m.

First Sgt. Avi Goldschmidt

Laying Siege

On Day Five, an Apache helicopter shoots to clear the path
of explosives. The terrorists had fled to the Church of the
Nativity, so the advancing Israeli forces, with 50-pound
backpacks rendered weightless by an adrenalin rush, reach
the complex with only random firing to dodge.
"It is pitch black and we are moving very slowly and cau-
tiously," Avi says. "Inside, we are not allowed to shoot
unless shot upon; Israel does not want to cause any unnec-
essary damage. And the world accuses Israel of war crimes!
Any other country would have blown up the buildings
with the helicopter."
By dawn, the platoon sets up a lookout; the siege is over
with no one hurt. "I call Sagit and wake her up," Avi says.
"The cell phone is my only escape from reality." He then
lies on the floor, fully dressed, to sleep for the first time in
two days.
On Days Seven and Eight, the soldiers enjoy what Avi
calls an "incredible treat" — showers, fresh underwear and
socks, homemade food from nearby settlements and snacks
from Israeli schools. Later, they patrol the Casbah.
Two days later, while in Hebron, Avi lands a two-day
leave. Bad news hits when he re-unites with his platoon in
Nablus on Day 12. A reservist in Nablus is dead and 13
others were killed in Jenin.
Days 13-23 find the platoon searching house-to-house
and vehicle-to-vehicle for weapons and terrorists. "Despite
media reports to the contrary," Avi says, "we give curfew
violators the benefit of the doubt and don't simply shoot to
kill, even though the danger to us is quite apparent."
By Day 23, the pullback is complete. In the Nablus
apartment that had been their temporary quarters, mem-
bers of Avi's platoon leave food for the returning
Palestinian family.
Over the next few days, the soldiers return their gear to a
state of emergency readiness. Their emergency tour is over
on Day 28. On Shabbat morning in -synagogue two days
later, Avi, home now, stands with the Torah.
Reflecting on the experiences of a major offensive, his
first ever, he ends his letter: "My turn is over . . . for the
time being." ❑

D. Dan Kahn Building
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"The Dance of Partnership:
Why Do My Feet Hurt"

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2002-2003 Slate of Officer and Directors
President
H. James Zack
President-Elect
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Nominated for an additional 3-year term
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5/31
2002

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