WTA eighth graders Gabriel Bessler and Kovi Ressler, from White Plains, recently returned from a remarkable week spent in Israel with Brothers for Life, an organization that connects recently injured IDF combat soldiers with other injured IDF combat soldiers, offering mutual solidarity, along with emotional and practical support, to encourage and help empower these injured soldiers to reclaim and rebuild their lives. Gabriel and Kovi chronicled their unique experiences and generously shared them in a compelling presentation for the middle school. Some of the things they witnessed and heard were difficult, and some of the tasks they were asked to perform were physically demanding. Everyone is so proud of both young men for their participation in this important program, and for the maturity and chesed they demonstrated as emissaries of WTA in Israel.
Below are excerpts of some of the experiences they shared:
Gabriel: Kovi and I recently went on a trip to Israel to participate in an event run by Brothers For Life, an organization that supports wounded Israeli soldiers. There are currently 1200 brothers in the organization, each with their own story of how they got their injury. Often the injuries lead not only to physical scarring but emotional scarring, as well. BFL helps these soldiers by giving them physical and psychological therapy, and friends with similar experiences to talk to, to help them cope with their injuries. During the time we spent with these soldiers, Kovi and I did a semi-triathlon. By the end of the tour, we’d biked roughly 40 miles, swam two miles and run three miles. This triathlon proved that despite the soldiers’ injuries, they pushed forward and overcame whatever difficulties were thrown at them.
Kovi: Most of the soldiers, even some of those who were missing limbs, managed to run, swim or bike together with everyone else. They all pushed through the challenges. One of our bike rides began at 5:30 in the morning. The first test of our strength was an incredibly steep hill that not everyone was able to climb, but we managed to finish the bike ride, and then there was a water challenge. Gabriel and I got into a kayak where our clothes were soaked through, while others swam in their wetsuits in the near-freezing water. The next day we went biking once more, but this time through a desert, where the sand and rocks made it very hard to maneuver. Then, after the last bike ride, we all did a 5 kilometer run together as a sign of togetherness.
Gabriel: After spending Shabbat at my cousins’ home, we went to the BFL headquarters in Tel Aviv where we had our first interactions with some of the other soldiers, investors and founders of the BFL organization. Then we drove north, taking a short stop along the way to view the scene of a terrorist attack that had happened only 13 hours earlier in Chadera. Early the next day we traveled down to the Kineret, and our final stop for the day was in a city called Beit She’an, to the south. Waking up early the next morning, as well, we biked even farther south by the Dead Sea and all the way down to Eilat. Keep in mind that some soldiers biked the entire way, which was approximately 290 miles long! Afterwards, we took the drive back to BFL headquarters where we spent the rest of the day until we left to go back to the airport. Although nothing can replace what these soldiers have lost, after seeing their inspiring example and challenging ourselves physically to keep up with them, among the important lessons that Kovi and I learned from this trip was that no matter what happens to you, you can always push through it!
