The West Orange Community welcomed Our Soldiers Speak on Wednesday evening, July 15, at Congregation Ohr Torah. Rozita Pnini, president of Our Soldiers Speak, described how her organization helps wage the political and communications battle over Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, by bringing IDF officers to speak to high school, college and post-graduate students across America. During their presentations, these officers make an effort to separate fact from sensationalism, and perception from reality, with regard to media coverage of IDF military operations.

Ms. Pnini then introduced Lt. Netta and Lt. Aaron. Lt. Netta is an IDF doctor who has personally treated many of the more than 1500 Syrian refugees who have been coming across the Syria-Israel border since March, 2013. Lt. Aaron is a paratrooper and sniper, who participated in Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014. Both captivated the audience with stories of their personal challenges and experiences.

From helping to save a pregnant woman’s fetus to putting a breathing tube into a Syrian man with shrapnel protruding from his chest to save his life, Lt. Netta’s experiences emphasized the humanitarian aspect of the IDF operations. Lt. Aaron described the weeks that he spent in Gaza, leading a team of snipers and personally confronting terrorists who were hiding behind human shields, and the decisions he had to make so as not to harm civilians.

Lt. Aaron summed up the stark difference between the IDF and the 20,000 Hamas terrorists in Gaza. He said, “Hamas praises death. They try to kill Israelis, men, women and children, and they honor the Palestinians who die for their cause. We, the Israelis, try to protect the lives of both the Israelis and the Palestinians, because Israelis believe in the sanctity of life.”

By Robert Grosberg