14 | DECEMBER 22 • 2022 

OUR COMMUNITY

understand,” Fern said. “Like ‘my son got 
his beret’ or ‘my child cut his card …’ A 
fellow army mom can understand our 
emotions; no one understands it as much 
as someone who’s been through it them-
selves. I relive my own son’s experiences 
and accomplishments when I see someone 
else’s child wear their uniform for their 
first time.”
Today, there are 18 moms who are part 
of this chat, including Joanne Lorkis, 
whose son Uri served in the paratroop-
ers in 2020; Chaya Selesny, whose son 
Daniel served in Givati (infantry) in 
2020; Charlene Wolfe, whose son Elijah 
also served in Givati in 2020; Beth Adler, 
whose son Noah served in Kfir in 2018-20; 
Susie Kresch, whose son Max served in 
Egoz (medic) in 2016-18 and whose son 
David served in the combat engineering 
corps in 2018-20; Jordana Wolfson, whose 
son Ari Weiss served in the combat engi-
neering corps in 2019-21; Jill Greenbaum, 
whose daughter Naomi served in logistics 
in 2009-2010 and whose son Avi served 
in Nachal (infantry) in 2018-21; Margery 
Klausner, whose son Nathan served in the 
combat engineering corps (as a designated 
sniper) in 2018-19 and whose son Daniel 
is currently serving as a paratrooper; Rabbi 
Michele Faudem, whose son Ari Ershler 
served in the combat engineering corps in 
2021-22; Robyn Glickman, whose son Kip 
(Daniel) Glickman served as a tank driver 
in Shiriyon in 2018; Rivkie Cohen, whose 

daughter Lilly is currently serving in 
Mashakit Chinuch; and me. My son Bentzi 
Burstyn is currently serving in Magav 
(border patrol). Other members have chil-
dren who are in training, and some cannot 
be listed publicly for security reasons. 

BACK ON THE TANK
Like Zach, Ari Ershler knew from an early 
age he wanted to join the IDF. In fact, at 
age 3, during a family visit to Israel, Ari 
was photographed while posing on an 
army tank at Latrun. In 2019, Ari joined 
Yeshivat Lev HaTorah’s Lev L
’Chayal pro-
gram, which offers yeshivah classes as well 
as lessons preparing Lone Soldiers for their 
months of service. 
One of the first pictures Ari sent his 
family in Detroit of himself in uniform was 
striking a pose on that same tank in Latrun. 
“It was too tempting,
” his mother 
Michele Faudem said with a laugh. “My 
son Tal said we should have T-shirts made 
when we went to Israel for Ari’s tekes. So 
we printed those two pictures next to each 
other on the T-shirts. It was a major hit!”
Michele also tapped into the wealth of 
support that the Army Ulpan WhatsApp 
chat offered. 
“These are wonderful, articulate women, 
so committed, so supportive and they just 
get all the nuances that we have to explain 
to everyone else,
” Michele said. “
As a mom 
of an Israeli soldier, I was constantly aware 
every time I said goodbye to my son that 

this could be the last time we speak. It’s a 
real fear that we parents of Israeli soldiers 
constantly live with. We have to lift our kids 
up, always end conversations on a high and 
hope that whoever they run into will take 
care of them the way we’
d want.
”
Margery Klausner also sang the praises 
of the chat and pointed out that there’s a 
huge difference between Israeli parents of 
soldiers and parents of Lone Soldiers. 
“We’re far away and don’t really know 
what’s happening,
” Margery said. “This 
chat has been so helpful in helping me 
understand the process of the Israeli army, 
but more than that, the emotional support, 
knowing that all these moms have been 
through the same thing.
”
Once a soldier has ended his service, the 
moms stay on in the chat, offering their 
knowledge to newbies. Often, they provide 
updates on their former soldier’s life mile-
stones.
“This is such a wonderful, special group 
formed because of all these amazing sol-
diers and their totally incredible, support-
ive, proud and understanding moms,” said 
Susie Kresch, who, in October, followed 
her kids by making aliyah together with 
her husband, Eddie, and mom, Lenore, 
87. 
“I also especially love to hear about all 
the simchahs of our soldiers — our grown 
men and women, our babies — so many 
weddings … It makes all the labor pains of 
getting through the army worth it.
”

ON THE COVER

Joseph Greenbaum, Naomi Greenbaum Buskia and 
Jill Greenbaum
Joshua Faudem, Tal Ershler, Dr. Burton Faudem (z’l), Ari Ershler, Arlene Faudem, 
Rabbi Michele Faudem, Jeffrey Ershler and Lev Ershler

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