Good Evening
Today was my last day in Israel with your children. I can’t even describe what a big place in my heart I have for your children. They have impressed me beyond belief these last few days. What we accomplished at the village is indescribable. Thank you so much for allowing them to spend spring break with me.
Best
Adam
Today we left the hotel early to go to the Oketz Unit. The name of the canine unit is Oketz (Hebrew for “sting”) and its dogs and handlers are attached to all of the army’s combat units. Established in 1974, Oketz, also known as the K-9 unit, is considered part of the IDF’s special forces. On the way we picked up soldiers and gave them a ride to their unit. It was interesting to hear from them about their missions. They are all 19,20,or 21 years old. Some were training other soldiers in how to shoot and others belonged to Oketz. Once we arrived the commander invited us to the conference room and showed us a PowerPoint presentation. It was so interesting to see some of the videos that were real videos of their missions. We learned that all the dogs are German and Belgian shepherds imported from Europe, but they have different missions. There are dogs that find bombs, dogs that can get into tunnels and small places, and there are also dogs who rescue civilians from disasters. We then learned how the dog and its soldier are united together as one and work closely together in training. The dogs are perceived the same way as combat soldiers. This unit had a major role in the last war in Gaza this past summer. After that we went to see demonstrations with the dogs and soldiers. We saw a demonstration of one of the dogs going through an agility course, a demonstration of another dog sniffing to find a bomb, and then also got to see a demonstration of one of the dogs attacking a soldier. Having the chance to be able to witness these demonstrations made me feel a sense of pride of being Jewish. I thought those soldiers were so courageous and proud that they serve their country. I tried the uniform, the helmet, and held the gun at the unit. I felt fortunate that my family could help the unit and was proud of my brother for raising the money as his bar mitzvah project. Although, I wish they could’ve been there to visit the unit. Our visit ended up in the cemetery where the dogs who have fought for their country are buried. We put stones on the graves of the dogs who were killed in the last war, but saved their soldiers.
After the visit we drove to Haifa and had lunch in a great Arab restaurant. We drove to see the Baha’i Gardens and learned about the Baha’i religion. We ended up at the village in the afternoon and went to our mishpactons. The kids were waiting for us and it was great to see them again! We played and prepared dinner. Gabby made matzo ball soup, Kate made French toast, and Brooke made salad. We left at 8 to visit the Hoffman family who have kids our age and amazing desserts. The chocolate fondue and homemade cupcakes were very yummy. Ben missed out because he was running with the team in his new Oketz Unit shorts. I am soo excited to be here.
Love,
Layne