Protecting our Home

On October 7th, our ruthless enemy, Hamas, attacked us on the Homefront. That very day hundreds of thousands of Israelis reported for duty, some in uniform near the borders and others securing the civilian communities throughout the country. During this time, neighbors and friends joined me collecting and verifying list of equipment needed by units in the field not far from our home. I asked for and received donations from all over the world and quickly purchased and distributed the equipment. Our effort was a small part of the worldwide drive and, indeed, a lot of high-quality equipment arrived and is already in the hands of our soldiers. I, too, was called up to don the uniform. My job in the IDF reserves is to protect my yishuv (small town) – Sansana. Sansana is a community of close to 150, mostly young, families, located in the southern Hebron Hills on the edge of Judea and Samaria (West Bank). It is about half an hour from the Gaza Strip. Sansana is threatened by terrorists from the east coming from the direction of Judea and Samaria. We now face a threat from the west from approximately 200 terrorists who entered Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7th and are thought to be roaming freely. In addition to this, there are many Bedouin Arabs who live in our area. Some of whom attacked Jewish targets during the last Gaza War (2014). Protecting the yishuv requires constant vigilance. To that end we have a fulltime security officer and a Rapid Response team manned by volunteers, members of the community. Until October 7th, we thought the small quantity of equipment (rifles, vests, helmets, etc) was sufficient. The quantity and quality of equipment is similar to what the Rapid Response teams in the kibbutzim, along the Gaza Strip that were attacked in 18 days ago, had. We learned some very powerful lessons that day and now understand that the threat to the security of Sansana and safety of our families and neighbors is very real. We know too well that we must always be prepared to respond to any attempted attack and that it could happen at any moment. Sansana has not been evacuated, although most of the men from the Yishuv were called up to their reserve units. We are currently a small team tasked with round-the-clock patrols and guard duty to protect and preserve the community, largely made up of women and children right now. It is abundantly clear that our team is lacking some fundamental equipment that may make a life-or-death difference should we be confronted by the enemy who massacred our brothers and sisters in the communities along the Gaza border on Oct 7th. We do not need tanks, but we are missing several vests, helmets, kneepads, weapon lights and other items that will allow us to fight professionally and safely, for what we now know may be an extended time until reinforcements arrive. While we do not need a tremendous amount, this essential army-grade equipment comes at a great cost and thus we are turning to you today to ask for your help. We need to raise $30,000 for the essential equipment needs of Sansana’s Rapid Response team. You have perhaps already donated to the IDF soldiers during this war. We sincerely appreciate your contributions. We would be even more appreciative if you are able to help a bit more and contribute to this small campaign for our Rapid Response and to ensure the well-being of the 150 families living in Sansana. May we hear good news and be blessed with better days. Am Israel Chai!