Israeli Brig. Gen. (Res.) Avigdor Kahalani speaks about his military experiences to students at Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills.

Awe-Inspiring Day

IDF war hero shares his experiences with local day school students.

his father told him he has a present for him and that
present was a homeland the land of Israel. His father
told him that when he left Yemen to make aliyah, he
thought Israel would belong to the Jewish people and
there would be quiet for 40 years as promised in the
Bible. There wasn't quiet, though; there was war. His
father became a fighter and Kahalani aspired to be one,
too.
We were told about the wars Kahalani fought, the
decisions he had to make and the injuries he suffered.
He kept it at a level at which none of us were trauma-
tized about what we were hearing, but we felt for him
and all of Israel. He added some humor, but I knew that
this was no joke.
The conflict Israel has been going through has always
affected me, but I never felt connected to someone who
had been there personally. I wanted to know more about
what he went through. I was speechless and my throat
was dry. My friends around me were all silent, too. I
knew that all of them were thinking and feeling the
same as I was.
After hearing his speech, we all sang Hatikvah. The
words moved me and I almost cried, but I held back
the tears. We all stood there, singing the Israeli national
anthem, and I thought of how inspiring Kahalani was
and how much I learned that day.

Jennifer Finkel
T2T Staff Writer

I

awoke Nov. 8 and began dressing for school as if it
were like any other normal day. Little did I know
that on this day, I would experience an emotional
ride filled with joy, sorrow, pride and anger.
When I arrived at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit, I was reminded that the middle school was hav-
ing an assembly with Israeli Brig. Gen. (Res.) Avigdor
Kahalani, who would be a guest speaker at the Michigan
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces annual dinner that
night.
My friends and I were given Israeli flags to hold as
our chapel filled with students from Yeshivat Akiva
in Southfield and the Frankel Jewish Academy, West
Bloomfield.
I met the legendary war hero before everyone else
to do this interview for Teen2Teen. At first impression,
he seemed sweet and welcoming. He talked to me in
Hebrew, and I was so proud that I was able to reply back
in Hebrew. After our private meeting, I took a seat next
to my friends in the chapel and waited for Kahalani to
come and speak to all of us.
I thought this was going to be like any other assembly,
filled with nice people who couldn't hold the students'
attention. I was wrong.
Kahalani was charming and his way with words
inspired me to want to hear more about his experiences.
He started off asking us if he could talk in Hebrew. We
responded with "Lo" (no) — light-hearted fun.
He talked about his personal history, including how

Ryan Grosinger, 13, of Farmington Hills and Jeremy
Fishman, 13, of Bloomfield Hills listen to the general.

Jennifer Finkel, 14, is an eighth-grader at Hillel Day School of

Metropolitan Detroit, Farmington Hills.

Watch for teen:4 Lc en in next week's „oewish News

December 6 2007

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