It feels like a lifetime since the start of Operation Rising Lion. We are glued to the news, hearts hammering with immeasurable pride in our homeland's magnificent Israel Defense Forces, and feeling dreadful anxiety with each barrage of lethal Iranian missiles.
This phase of the war is different: the threat to Israel is existential, the missiles are more powerful, they are targeting civilians in the most crowded cities, and Israel's defense systems cannot intercept all of them. We listen for every Red Alert, knowing that our loved ones are heading to shelters again, and knowing that not everyone will make it to a shelter in time.
These emotions are intensified when your child is 6,000 miles away, serving in the IDF, and the world's most powerful military has just joined her fight.
Over 20 months ago, my husband and I woke to text messages from our daughter, our "chayelet bodeda" (lone soldier), Hayley, who made Aliyah (immigration to Israel) in 2019. She had spent her first year and a half in Israel living on a kibbutz on the Gaza border.
She wrote: "My host dad was shot in the hands by terrorists in Sderot. He was on a bike and a car drove by and shot at him."
"I imagine you will wake up to hundreds of messages and confusion so … I am okay."
"The news is chaotic but it's overall all bad news so don't read too much."
In the hours and days that followed, she updated us when she could. We couldn’t imagine the fear of not knowing where terrorists might be lurking while rockets flew overhead. She has been to endless funerals and shivas, feeling the physical and emotional exhaustion of being a soldier and simply living in Israel.
Hayley has continued to serve with dignity, grace, and a smile that lights up every room. She was promoted to Captain a few months ago – a ceremony we will never forget. She recently started a job in Israel, while continuing her IDF reserve service.
Prior to June 13, she texted that she had been summoned to serve. She knew that something huge was brewing. A few hours after she headed out, we saw on the news that deadly missiles from Iran had landed near her; our hearts skipped a beat, and did not return to normal until we heard from her.
We check WhatsApp obsessively to see when she is online, when she might set our minds at ease – until the next round of missiles. In the wake of what may be the most consequential military action in history, we think of our daughter in that dangerous landscape. We feel a mix of strength and fear: the strength of our IDF and fear about what this war means for Hayley and every soul in the region.
We are beyond proud of our daughter. She left the comforts of home, family and friends to do her part for our Jewish homeland. We miss her terribly under normal circumstances, but during this war, the worry and anxiety have reached a new level.
She is living the Zionist dream.
While that entails extraordinary sacrifice, she is where she is meant to be, defending the country that Jews have yearned for over thousands of years, and helping to reshape the Middle East, if not the entire world.
As her mother, I’m proud to stand with her—not just emotionally, but tangibly. As a Jewish National Fund-USA professional, I’ve found a meaningful way to contribute to the land and people of Israel. It’s an honor to help others create enduring legacies that strengthen our homeland for generations to come.
Dear Hayley – You inspire us! You are protecting Am Yisrael – the nation of Israel and the People of Israel throughout the world. You are joining generations of IDF soldiers in changing the course of history. You are strong, you are smart, you are endlessly kind, and you are resilient. In this moment of unprecedented danger and hope, be careful, be safe. We love you!
As long as our people of Israel are unsafe, none of us will be able to sleep.
Support Jewish National Fund-USA's immediate and long term relief efforts for the land and people of Israel. Donate now at jnf.org/israelstrong.
Allison Zinbarg Nagelberg Esq. serves as Jewish National Fund-USA's Director of Planned Giving, Northeast.
