A Florida father and his son packed up their luggage and headed to Israel following the October 7 terrorist attacks to unfold pleasure and provide humanitarian assist to these affected by the continued battle.
When he first arrived on the airport in Israel, Joseph Waks was instantly escorted to a bomb shelter as missiles started flying close by and sirens blared all through the constructing.
“I’m from Miami and originally Australia. We’ve never had sirens before. For me, it was a shocking experience. And now, unfortunately, I became part of those that are used to it,” Waks mentioned.
Chatting with Fox Information Digital from the Golan Heights nearing the three-month anniversary of the October 7 assaults, Waks launched his son, Mendel, who joined up with the Golani Brigade and is now the youngest reservist within the Israeli Protection Forces (IDF). When he isn’t finishing his duties for the military, Mendel travels round Israel together with his father to fulfill with these impacted by the conflict.
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Father and son, Joseph and Mendel Waks, say the journey to Israel has been some of the rewarding experiences of their lives. (Joseph Waks )
“We try to make sure that they know they’re not alone and that we have their back and that people have their backs. Not just Israelis, but the whole world and not just Jews around the world,” he mentioned.
Following the October 7 assaults by Hamas, Waks and Mendel met up in New York Metropolis. They admitted they had been shocked by antisemitic demonstrations occurring all through Manhattan.
“We thought that people were coming out to support Israel. We didn’t understand that there were people out there literally chanting ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to the Jews.'”
The outcry in opposition to Israel was a turning level for the household. Regardless of the adverse connotations of some protests, Waks and Mendel mentioned it solely served to convey Jews world wide collectively.
“There’s no such thing as left, right, religious, not religious. Everyone’s in this together because when you’re fighting for your very survival, it doesn’t matter your political beliefs,” Waks mentioned. “That’s the way that the Jews took that, you know, that negativity, the evil, and they’ve switched that into the positivity and the unification.”
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“I asked this little boy what he wanted for Hanukkah. He told me he wants a truck I found out afterwards. His father was murdered in a drive-by terrorist shooting attack. He was in a truck,” Joseph Waks advised Fox Information Digital. (Joseph Waks )
That unity prolonged again dwelling to Florida. When Waks revealed he was touring to Israel, his neighbor, Invoice, introduced him a field of pins that had the Israeli and American flags conjoined. With tears in his eyes, he advised Waks, “Tell the Israelis that we support them, that we love them.”
Waks would later hand these pins out to youngsters round Israel, telling them, “This guy’s my next-door neighbor that’s not Jewish, and he wants to let you guys know that we support you in America.”
Waks and Mendel have additionally cast a more in-depth bond throughout their time collectively in Israel.
“When people see my father, there’s an instant smile on their face,” Mendel mentioned. “It seems like they simply acquired $1 million, you recognize what I imply? They actually look the happiest I’ve ever seen.
He recalled seeing his father play with children across the country, bringing toys to the youth and handing out cigarettes to troopers.
“They’re giving us greater than we’re giving them each single time,” Mendel added. “I am happier on these days than after I’m doing virtually the rest. That is some of the rewarding experiences you’ll be able to have. And it brings you nearer to your father. I take a look at him with a totally new mild.”
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Joseph and Mendel are pictured bringing bags of gifts to 35 families that live in a very hostile neighborhood in the eastern part of Jerusalem. The kids haven’t been able to leave the house since the war started, so the father and son brought them games and books to use inside. (Joseph Waks)
After the war began, Waks and Mendel rented a car, went down to the border and started meeting people one after another. One of these people was Ori, a little boy whose father and brother were both killed on that fateful day in October. They met in the middle of the city street and were quickly invited to the boy’s home.
Waks and Mendel soon learned that he has two brothers in the army serving now. On October 7, Ori’s oldest brother and father heard gunshots. They grabbed pistols from the car, helped open a bomb shelter and ran off to save others in the town. They were later killed by rockets.
Waks and Mendel have grown close with Ori and many others in the country.
“There’s not a single dwelling in Israel that does not know someone that was killed, that was a hostage, or that was injured. Each single individual is concerned,” Waks told Fox News Digital.
The family has gotten used to putting on a poker face amid the tragedy. While the gift of new relationships is invaluable, the trauma impacting Israelis is not lost on Waks and Mendel.
“Now we have to be the sturdy ones as a result of we are the ones which are supporting them. So, we by no means go down. We’re at all times the sturdy folks that come into the houses with the constructive power, the thrill, letting them understand how a lot we love them,” Waks added. “After which, generally at dwelling, we break down.”
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Mendel is pictured with with Ori. His father and his brother were killed on October 7. Mendel has become a dear friend of his. (Joseph Waks)
During the first two weeks in Israel, Mendel and Waks stuffed their car full of toys, essentials, and food. They went down south, went to malls and started giving out everything they could. At 12:30, they would come home exhausted and repeat the process the following morning.
Whenever Mendel gets time off from the army, he and Waks again pack up their car and try to help the people of Israel. Through donations, they have also helped raise millions of dollars for those suffering.
Throughout their journey, the father and son are often reminded of a quote from Rabbi Hillel as they become part of the larger story, “If I’m not for myself, who shall be for me?”
Families that meet Waks and Mendel frequently ask them the same question, “Why did you come right here?”
Their answer is simple: “I come to Israel throughout occasions of peace; I’ve acquired to come back right here throughout occasions of sorrow.”
