Letter of gratitude for all the prayers by Jews for the IDF
Hi all
Thank you
… I’m back for a brief period [before] heading back in for another much quicker stint in [Gaza] … I don’t really know what to say after the last 24 days on the front lines other than thank you. The miracles that we have witnessed… that … all of us came home safely is nothing short of God’s hand at work and I credit all of you for your prayers and thoughts that have influenced the direction of where their RPGs… hit us [in] several ambushes and redirected their bullets flying over our heads and next to our ears as we [tried] to regroup and neutralize the threat before us. I say with absolute certainty not as a preacher, but if you didn’t believe in God before, I don’t know what else to tell you because not a single person on my team can explain how we came out alive, virtually unscathed, considering the circumstances we underwent. I’m not talking close calls, I’m talking death …
God is good
God is good, so thank you for all your prayers. They really work and we still need them… the job isn’t finished, there’s still work to do… soldiers are encountering what we encountered constantly, many giving their lives so that we can live peacefully… We already knew Hamas uses children’s schools [and] hospitals as launch points for terror. We found tunnels in a school, we found RPGs and ammo in a hospital…we even saw terrorists using three of the hostages as human shields as a lure to bait us into a shootout …
Peace with the help of God
Our people have waited Millennia to have peace against far greater odds and peace will be had by any means necessary. Like we say every Passover at the Seder and this, the Torah, is what kept our fathers and what keeps us surviving. Not only one arose and tries to destroy us rather in every generation …but God saves us from their hands. It’s just that simple …we are fighting so that you can all live and enjoy life, celebrate that life … with the help of God we stand to answer the call to protect Jews and all of humanity. I don’t think there could be a more special or worthy cause than this one and I’m humbled to be answering this call in such fashion. I hope that my grandfather Ellie who stormed the beaches of Normandy to restore humanity from the Nazis is looking down and smiling at what his only grandson is accomplishing … I pray to God that I never forget this feeling of pride in being a fighting Jew, to be a part of the history of our people… I do this for all of you, all of your families, all of our ancestors. I do this most of all for peace, because we all deserve that fundamental human right.
Sending my love and genuine continued appreciation to all of you and your families and friends who are praying on our behalf.
Your paratrooper
Sam
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