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Israeli soldiers speak out at MSU, U-M.

Shai also faced
ethical dilemmas.
During Israel's war
against Hamas
wo Israeli soldiers recounted their
in 2009, he led
personal experiences of serving
his squad in Gaza
in the Israel Defense Forces at
City when a gun-
Michigan State University and University
man fired at them
of Michigan in October. Los Angeles-based
from a kitchen
StandWithUs organized the Midwest tour
IDF soldier Shai speaks to 80 students at U-M.
window with a
of Shai and Omer as part of its "Israeli
mother and three
Soldiers Speak Out" program.
children behind him. Another time, Shai
address ethical dilemmas in a war zone,
Shai was in the elite Givati infantry
witnessed a gunman grab a small child by
it's complicated?'
brigade; Omer served as a commander in
her backpack and hold her up in front of
Omer said, "I wish there was no reason
the paratrooper unit. Their last names are
him as a human shield.
for me to serve in the army. But we live in
withheld for security reasons.
"They know we won't fire if they do
a country that is threatened by a terrorist
Their experiences confirm that the
this:' he explained. "When one wants to
organization that doesn't respect our right
Israeli army operates on moral standards
to exist!'
Shai concurred. "I wish I didn't have
to go to the army; I'd rather do a million
other things. But we must defend and pro-
tect ourselves — we don't have a choice.
"As a young boy, my parents used to say
that I wouldn't need to serve in the army
because there would be peace Shai said.
"I hope to be able to say that to my own
Join us for an elegant, six-course dinner prepared by Heritage Chef Jay
kids when I am a father."
Mahaffey, a Culinary Institute of Arts graduate. Each course will be
The soldiers are part of a group that
expertly paired by Master Sommelier, Ron Edwards, who has been
provides video testimony at www.sol-
diersspeakout.com. StandWithUs created
pairing fine wines with gourmet meals for several years. Chamber music
the website from its Israel office during
will be provided by the Sherwin-McGillivray Trio. A complimentary
Operation Cast Lead because IDF mem-
bers in its student programs felt they had
bottle of wine will be presented to the first 30 reservations. There are
to speak out. Their testimonies contrast
two convenient dates from which to choose. Make plans now to attend!
sharply with reports of alleged IDF mis-
conduct in the Goldstone Report and the
recent Gaza flotilla incident.
A very different scenario occurred at
U-M, Ann Arbor. At the outset of Omer's
talk, anti-Israel student protesters got up
to reveal red T-shirts reading "silenced!'
Some duct taped their mouths and silently
left the room. Word spread immediately
Complimentary admission, dinner, refreshments & wine
on campus and Jewish and non-Jewish
students arrived for the remainder of the
talk. Fortunately, there were no major
confrontations and the soldiers completed
their lecture.
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There is growing anti-Israel sentiment
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campuses. What happened at U-M is a
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the reason for durable Israel programming
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StandWithUs Emerson Fellows Ariel

Ziev Beresh

Special to the Jewish News

T

certainly higher than the terrorists it
fights — terrorists whose primary target
is civilians.
Omer said, "I am proud to serve in an
army whose moral code is to save human
life?'
At MSU, Omer described to about 40
students how the Israeli army often puts
its own troops in danger to save the lives
of Palestinian civilians. In Lebanon in
2006, fighting against Hezbollah, he led his
squad in an abandoned area when they
came under fire near a mosque. He called
for air support, but was refused because of
the IDF's policy of not attacking schools
and mosques, despite it being completely
empty

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November 11 • 2010