Three Years Later: Standing with the Soldiers Who Still Stand Guard

Dear Friends,

Three years ago this month, on the morning of Simchat Torah, Israel woke to sirens. Thousands of terrorists poured across the border from Gaza under a barrage of rockets and broke into the communities of the south. They went house to house, massacring and committing atrocities among Jewish families. Families hid in safe rooms and whispered goodbyes over the phone. Whole neighborhoods burned. By the end of that day, the Jewish people had suffered the deadliest day since the Holocaust, and hundreds of men, women, and children had been dragged into Gaza as hostages.

We remember it every year. But this year the remembering carries a particular weight, because October 7 is not behind us. Three years on, the war that began that morning is still being fought. Our soldiers are still in Gaza. They are still in Lebanon. And the Iranian threat that has hung over this nation for so long has not been lifted. It still hangs over our heads.

In practical terms, that means the reservists who dropped everything on October 7 are still being called up. Round after round. They report for duty, serve for weeks or months, come home, and then the call comes again. There is no end date on the orders. Men who have already given hundreds of days are being asked for hundreds more.

And behind every one of them is a family that is serving too.

We see this clearly at Vision for Israel. The wife who runs the household alone for months at a time. The children who stop asking when Abba is coming home because the answer keeps changing. The strain of holding down a job, a home, and a routine while your husband is somewhere you cannot reach. These families do not wear a uniform, but they carry the war every single day.

That is why your support for reserve soldiers and their families has become one of the most important things.

In August, as the school year approached, we gave backpacks to the children of reservists, and we hosted an event at the Millennium Center to honor the soldiers and thank them in person. We have been sponsoring therapeutic sessions for soldiers and their wives together, as well as separate gatherings designed specifically for the wives, who so rarely get a moment that is just for them. Every event is run in collaboration with professionals so that the counseling and workshops are of real quality. Each one includes a meal, a professional speaker addressing the particular challenges these families face, and a small gift for every participant. We are continuing all of this, because the need is not going away.

One of the soldiers who helped organize and attended a recent evening that VFI sponsored wrote to us afterward. His words say it best:

“This event was born after a long and intense period of reserve duty. Together we went through hundreds of reserve days, extended periods away from home, a lot of uncertainty and a lot of difficult moments. Along the way, we realized that the struggle is not just for the soldiers. The spouses and families who stay at home are also going through a complex period, holding down the house, the children, and the routine, and allowing us to continue doing what we need to do.

“We wanted to stop for a moment, get out of the routine and the stress of the reserve, say thank you to our spouses and families, and give everyone an evening of good food, music, laughter, and most of all, just being together, in a different atmosphere.

“One of the most moving things for me was seeing everyone come together, after everything we went through during this period, and seeing how, for a few hours, people manage to put aside their worries, the stress and the tension, and just have fun.

“Beyond the practical help, there is something empowering and moving in knowing that there are people on the outside who see us, appreciate what we do, and especially understand that even after such a long period of reserve duty, it is important to continue to stand by the soldiers and their families. We really don’t take it for granted.”

Friends, the “people on the outside” he is describing are you.

When you give to Vision for Israel, you are the reason a reservist’s wife gets an evening where someone else has thought about her. You are the reason a child walks into school with a new backpack. You are the reason a soldier who has spent hundreds of days away from home can sit with his family, laugh, and be reminded that he has not been forgotten.

Three years after October 7, the soldiers of Israel are still standing guard. Will you stand behind them?

Please give today at visionforisrael.com/en/give. Your gift will help us continue these gatherings, counseling sessions, and practical support through the fall and for as long as the call-ups keep coming.


Am Yisrael Chai. The people of Israel live.

With love and gratitude,
Barry & Batya