A Message From An IDF Tank Commander

‘The most important contribution is for you to unite as a people.’

On Guard: ‘Hamas has no chance … when we are united and mobilized.’

Dear Reader,

Thanksgiving is a day when our American cultural values and Jewish religious values overlap, each with a focus on gratitude for the blessings in our lives. 

This year Thanksgiving comes at a dark moment, with Israel at war and anti-Semitism surging here and around the world. But the author of this open letter, written in recent days from the war zone, reminds each of us of the blessing, power and responsibility of being part of the Jewish people.  

Happy Thanksgiving, Am Yisrael Chai.

Gary 

Itai Simon Tov

Hamas is stronger than the left; it is also stronger than the right, and also Bibi and Ben Gvir. Our enemy is stronger than Israeli high-tech and the settlement enterprise. Tel Aviv’s beautiful soul has no chance against them, nor does the periphery.

But Hamas has no chance against Israel. When we are united and mobilized, they retreat into their tunnels and pray for a ceasefire.

This war has stuck me in a tank, sharing it with two comrades – between two “dossim” (slang for Jewish religiously observant Israelis). One served a year [in the army] and one who served four years. One is a Smotrich voter and the other a Ben Gvir voter, and I seemingly have nothing in common with them. But the army’s melting pot poured us back into one unit: a tank crew. 

At some point we adapted and started talking about everything – about the charedim, the Supreme Court, public transportation, core studies, even sexuality. Everything. And what did we discover? That we agree on about 90 percent of the issues. (Let’s assume they are really nice and were being agreeable, so about 80 percent.)

Until about six weeks ago they were the enemy [to me]... but Hamas reminded us that we are essentially on the same side.

Our politicians draw their strength from the division between us. They take the 10-20 percent disagreement between us and turn it into the main thing because that’s what gives them a mandate to “represent” us, to fight in our name. They [the politicians] do it at the expense of our security, our welfare, our taxes, and our freedom (and also our freedom to pray, by the way).

I see many people looking for ways to contribute to the war effort. Sending underwear, socks, cigarettes and combat gear. Moroccan mothers who sent us fish and couscous for Shabbat, and kibbutz retirees who drove these pots across the country. Techies who came to install 360-degree cameras on the tank, something the army is not quick and flexible enough to do on its own. And hilltop youth that the army refused to draft came and cut, sewed and stitched so that we wouldn’t enter Gaza without protective covers shielding us from drones.

As far as I’m concerned, the most important contribution is for you to unite as a people and to work to come closer. Focus on the similarities and set aside a bit of difference. Invent frameworks that will connect us even outside the army. I know it’s complicated with issues of kosher and modesty and separation and no-separation, but I trust you.

This is the most important thing: that we be together. Because we, the soldiers, from all our tribes, enter enemy territory and endanger our lives not for any government or politician, but for the people of Israel.

Please make sure we have a country to return to.

This message appeared Nov. 20 on Israel Realtime, a WhatsApp site that provides up-to-the-minute war-related reports and summaries from the IDF, government, and media sources. It attributed the message to tank commander Itai Simon Tov.