WhatsappThe IDF Erez base on the Gaza ordered was one of the first locations in Israel attacked by Arab Muslim terrorists this past Shabbat. The Golani Brigade 13 was responsible for manning the base and defending the border. Due to the surprise attack, early in the morning, as much of the base was empty for the Simchat Torah holiday weekend, the remaining soldiers were quickly overpowered by the Gaza terrorists. They put up a heroic fight, but most of the soldiers were killed in the attack.
One of the Golani soldiers killed was the son of a neighbor of mine, Roey Weiser hy”d. A fellow Golani soldier, and good friend of Roey’s, who survived the attack, told the family how heroic Roey was in leading him and their fellow soldiers in killing some of the terrorists before one terrorist succeeded in killing Roey. They then did everything they could to protect the bodies of Roey and their other friends killed stopping the terrorists from taking their bodies into Gaza.
This picture, from the family, shows Roey exactly as I remember him every Shabbat in shul, with a huge smile, always.
I personally served in the Golani Brigade 12 during my service 30 years ago. Like all units in the Israeli army, the units are like family, even when in different brigades.
The Golani brigade took a huge hit with the attack on Shabbat, as the Gaza terrorists continued on their killing spree, driving into Israeli communities and massacring hundreds of innocent Israeli citizens, including men, women, children, babies and even grandmothers.
This was the greatest massacre the Jewish people has ever experienced in our Holy Land of Israel in modern times, even worse than the massacres of 1929 and 1936, when local Arab Muslims also then went on a rampage murdering innocent Jews.
Below is a video of the Golani Brigade 12 motivating themselves as they get ready for battle in Gaza, to avenge the death of their brothers in arms, as well as the massacre of hundreds of Israeli citizens.
I want to share with you thoughts written by a friend and neighbor about visiting the Weiser family after the news was publicized.
I thought I was pretty mature at age 21. I had spent two years living abroad in yeshiva, came back to college, excelled academically, earned my keep, and balanced my checkbook.
Today, I visited the house of my neighbor whose son was killed defending our border at Gaza. The funeral was delayed (and remains delayed) because the army rabbinate is overwhelmed preparing all the bodies for burial. In the meantime, four soldiers from the young man’s unit, including one who was present during the attack, who had come specially to Efrat for the funeral, were visiting with the family.
The young man who had been present at the base on the Gaza border had an injured leg. He was wearing shorts, on a not particularly hot day, thereby revealing the bandage on one of his lower legs. His crutches lay next to his seat on the couch. This young man stayed for over and hour, and recounted his story for my neighbor and all those who were present. He theorized how the terrorists must have known that the base had fewer staff on Shabbat. He described how he managed, after the terrorists murdered his friend, to neutralize the terrorists who were trying to steal the body. He recounted how he managed to escape with his own life. My neighbor encouraged him to live a responsible life, to continue to defend the state of Israel, to learn from the mistakes that others made to enable this event, and to ensure that they do not happen again.
Time is moving very slowly around here. We are all gaining life experiences that we wouldn’t have expected. And this young man is not the first, or the last, to be put spontaneously in this position. Nevertheless, in that moment, he was the most mature 21 year old that I have ever met.
