UN: Israel Discriminates Against Divorced Fathers, Children

UN: Israel Discriminates Against Divorced Fathers, Children

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By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

New York, New York --- December 6, 2011 .... The UN, which has a long, documented history for bashing Israel at almost each and every opportunity, has come out today on behalf of divorced fathers and their children in Israel. It is unfortunate that thousands of loving, caring and responsible dads in Israel had to go to the UN to illustrate how blatant gender bias discrimination is under Israel law.

The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has declared that Israel discriminates against divorced fathers. That fathers in Israel who have gone through divorce often lose contact with their children solely because they are male. 

The United Nations has called upon Israel to cancel the Tender Years Clause that grants automatic custody to women for all children under six years of age. The UN has pointed out that the Jewish state, which is supposed to be well respected for its values when it comes to family, is said to be the last country in the world not to have canceled this legal clause.

Thousands of fathers in Israel are made into second class citizens as they are provided just a few hours a week to see their own children. Many can only see their children in a supervised center as a result of false charges being made against the men by their ex-wives. These criminal charges are never investigated by the court or by child welfare due to a lack of funding, making the fathers into "visitors" rather than full time dads. The fathers must find thousands of dollars to retain attorneys and forensic psychologists in order to clear their names, money for which the majority of dads in Israel do not have as a result of low wages and high taxes.

In the concluding remarks of meetings held in Geneva in November and December, the UN committee wrote that:

"The Committee is concerned that, in the case of a divorce, custody of children up to the age of six is always given to mothers, and that fathers are often required to pay child support awards that exceed their income, and if not that their freedom of movement is seriously curtailed. The Committee is concerned that divorced fathers often are required to visit their children in supervised visitation centers during their working hours, which leads to the accumulation of work absences and the risk of dismissal."

The UN in making this statement addresses the fact that as long as the father owes child support he is prevented from leaving the country, even if his work is international.

"The Committee recommends that the State party amend the Capacity and Guardianship Law so that custody of children up to the age of six is not always given to mothers, and ensure that child support awards do not lead to an inadequate standard of living for the father."

The UN in making the above statement addresses the law preventing and or limiting contact between father and child until the age of six. What is not stated here is that even after the age of six, family courts and child welfare departments from Tel Aviv, Ra'anana and Haifa to Jerusalem, Metulla and Eilat maintain this gender bias discrimination. Discrimination which often leads to PAS - Parental Alienation Syndrome where the mother poisons the child against the father and the father eventually gives up and walks away - leaving the child with no father role model.

The UN committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights comprises of independent experts and monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by individual countries.

The UN committee heard testimony from representatives of the Israel Coalition for Children and Families, an Israeli group that fights for the rights of children and their fathers in divorce. 

Following the testimony, the experts posed questions to a 12-person delegation from Israel. A source on the committee said that the experts noted that there was a high suicide rate among divorced men in Israel, amounting to half of all suicides.

The divorced fathers from Israel also said that this was reportedly because family rights for divorced couples were very biased towards mothers and restricted access of men to children and the family home to a degree rarely seen in any other State, and that the situation for divorced fathers was "apparently hellish."

The UN asked if it was true that divorced fathers were not allowed to leave Israel until they had paid approximately 20 years of alimony. The Israeli delegation did not provide direct responses to these questions.

CCF was founded by Daniel Zer, a father who has not been able to see his own six-year-old son for over three years, allegedly because the child's mother does not want him to see him, and the social workers in Israel agreed with her that the child has no need for a father in his life.

The father filed a motion to the High Court and asked it to declare that UN conventions forbid the state from denying a child the right to family life. The High Court refused to declare that fathers have rights to see their children, based on international law.

Fathers 4 Justice Israel, another group of dedicated fathers which works with the Coalition for Children and Families, stated that fathers in Israel can carry M-16's in the IDF to protect the state, but are not allowed to carry their own children.

A spokesperson told the Israel News Agency that representatives of Fathers 4 Justice Israel had gone to Haiti after the 2009 earthquake to aid hundreds of children there in rebuilding orphanages, providing clean water and food and making certain that the children had electricity and clean beds to sleep in.

After risking their lives in Haiti, these fathers returned to Israel and where they were denied contact with their own children.

"The severe suffering that these fathers and their children go though cannot be measured," said J from Fathers 4 Justice Israel, who cannot use his real name as a result of gag orders that the secret family courts apply. 

"The emotional abuse that these fathers and their children are subjected to often leaves permanent scars. Many fathers commit suicide while the children's behavior remains greatly affected in terms of their being able to adjust to school, work, suffering from anxiety, depression and being able to create normal, healthy relationships."

"It's apparent that the Israel Ministry of Justice in Israel and Child Welfare departments simply do not care about the mental health of these fathers and their children. Hopefully, the UN can wake them up and place them in the spotlight for all global human rights organizations to see."

Disgusting: Netanyahu Government Suggests Israelis Avoid Marrying American Jews!

Disgusting: Netanyahu Government Suggests Israelis
Avoid Marrying American Jews

Note by Joel Leyden: DISGUSTING ......... Israelis leave Israel for a wide variety of reasons. Most because we cannot feed our families. I can return because I am fortunate to have some money behind me - BUT other Israelis do not, and do not need this sick guilt trip.
Netanyaha should focus on lowering taxes and creating other financial incentives rather than using the memory of dead soldiers!!!

By Jeffrey Goldberg

Nov 30 2011, 9:12 AM ET

The Netanyahu government's Ministry of Immigrant Absorption is sponsoring advertisements in at least five American communities that warn Israeli expatriates that they will lose their identities if they don't return home.

The Ministry is also featuring on its website a series of short videos that, in an almost comically heavy-handed way, caution Israelis against raising their children in America -- one scare-ad shows a pair of Israeli grandparents seated before a menorah and Skypeing with their granddaughter, who lives in America. When they ask the child to name the holiday they're celebrating, she says "Christmas." In another ad, an actor playing a slightly-adenoidal, goateed young man (who, to my expert Semitic eye, is meant to represent a typical young American Jew) is shown to be oblivious to the fact that his Israeli girlfriend is in mourning on Yom HaZikaron, Israel's memorial day. The Jewish Channel, which broke the story of what it calls a "semi-covert national campaign," suggests that the Ministry does not differentiate between the "dangers" of marrying American Jews, and American non-Jews, and I have to agree. But let's lay that aside for a minute and watch the video:



The narrator says, in essence, "they will never understand what it means to be Israeli." The narration leaves no room for the possibility that "Dafna," the Israeli girlfriend, could explain to the Josh-character (my name for him, though it could be Jeremy as well) why she's sad on Memorial Day.

And here's the in-your-face Christmas ad:

I don't think I have ever seen a demonstration of Israeli contempt for American Jews as obvious as these ads. I understand the impulse behind them: Israel wants as many of its citizens as possible to live in Israel. This is not an abnormal desire. But the way it is expressed, in wholly negative terms, is somewhat appalling. How about, "Hey, come back to Israel, because our unemployment rate is half that of the U.S.'s"? Or, "It's always sunny in Israel"? Or, "Hey, Shmulik, your mother misses you"?

These government-sponsored ads suggest that it is impossible for Jews to remain Jewish in America. How else are we supposed to understand the "Christmas" ad? Obviously, assimilation and intermarriage are issues in America in ways they aren't in Israel. Israel has other problems of course, such as the fact that many of its rabbis act like Iranian mullahs. (I'm not even going to try to unpack my complicated beliefs about intermarriage and assimilation and life in the Diaspora here; that's for a book. But let me just say that intermarriage can also be understood as an opportunity.)

The idea, communicated in these ads, that America is no place for a proper Jew, and that a Jew who is concerned about the Jewish future should live in Israel, is archaic, and also chutzpadik (if you don't mind me resorting to the vernacular). The message is: Dear American Jews, thank you for lobbying for American defense aid (and what a great show you put on at the AIPAC convention every year!) but, please, stay away from our sons and daughters.

Israel Holds War Homefront Exercise To Defend Against Iran, Syria, Gaza Missiles

Israel Holds War Homefront Exercise To Defend Against
Iran, Syria, Gaza Missiles

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By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem --- November 2, 2011 .... Anticipating a real threat of missile attacks against the civilian population of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command will be holding an exercise in the center of the country tomorrow.

The Israel Home Front Command is preparing to conduct a rocket and missile attack simulation in the Dan Region - the Center of Israel on Thursday. The security and rescue forces of the IDF, police and fire departments are to take part in the exercise, which will concentrate mainly in Holon, a city south of Tel Aviv. Roads will not be closed for the purpose of this drill, and the Israel public's participation will not be required.

An air raid siren is scheduled to sound across the Tel Aviv metropolitan area at 10 a.m. In the event of a true emergency, a second siren will sound after the first. Heavy military traffic is expected in the morning and explosions might be heard in the region.

Israel has been under constant threat of Islamic Jihad - holy war terrorism with rocket attacks from Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran, which has sworn to "wipe Israel off the map", has missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv. Syria, a close ally of Iran, is expected to join Iran in any attack against Israel, US bases, European nations, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Yesterday, Israel test-fired a missile from an IDF base, two days after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of the "direct and heavy threat" posed by Iran's nuclear program.

The afternoon missile test launch near Tel Aviv, which had not been announced in advance, coincided with a week long surge of speculation in Israel media that Netanyahu was working to secure cabinet consensus for a defensive attack on Iran.

The Israel Defense Ministry described the missile launch from the IDF Palmachim base as the test of the propulsion system of a missile on which it declined to elaborate.

"This is an impressive technological achievement and an important step in Israel's advances in the realms of missiles and space, which has been a long time in the planning," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement.

Israel Radio's military affairs correspondent, who is regularly briefed by top officials on Defense matters, said a "ballistic missile" had been launched. The term generally applies to long-range missiles for delivering warheads.

Iran, which denies wanting to produce nuclear bombs, wants Israel's total destruction, prompting Netanyahu to compare it to the Nazis.






"A nuclear Iran will pose a serious threat to the Middle East and the entire world, and it of course poses a direct and heavy threat to us," Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Knesset address on Monday.

Israel remains prepared against any threat from Iran and Syria, with weapons deployed in a wide variety of operational means - including submarines.
If attacked, Israel is not expected to lead a counter attack but would be coordinating all activity with the US, NATO and several nations in both Europe and the Middle East.

Every child in Israel has gone through extensive drills in both school and at home to protect themselves against missile and rocket attacks from Gaza, Lebanon, Iran and Syria. The children of southern Israel, thousands from the cities of Sderot, Ashkelon, Beer Sheva and Ashdod have suffered from PTS - Post Traumatic Stress - as a result of thousands of unprovoked missile terror attacks from Hamas in Gaza.

The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in Israel by the Leyden Digital PR SEO New Media Group - Israel, New York, Hartford.

Reaching Millions: The 8 Secrets of Internet Marketing, Social Media, Digital PR

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Social Marketing Is Best Served on a PR Combo Plate

Social Marketing Is Best Served on a PR Combo Plate

 

BY Mikal E. Belicove

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If you’re accountable for the dollars your company spends on social media-related marketing and you’re looking for evidence that socially engineered content and engagement marketing lifts sales, here’s some good news.

A just-released study shows that consumers - patrons of five fast-food franchises in this case - are much more likely to pull out their wallets and purses after being exposed to social content on sites like Facebook and Twitter than those who aren’t.

Moreover, when exposed to socially engineered content and other types of media (e.g., television ads, billboard campaigns and public relations efforts resulting in earned media placements) the likelihood for a bigger spend, consumption or brand perception is increased by a whopping two to seven times.

These findings — from the latest Social Media Sales Impact Study (published by Ogilvy & Mather and ChatThreads) — reinforce the importance of having an integrated multichannel marketing campaign that includes creating and leveraging conversational and user-generated content.

The study also shows that you shouldn’t put all your eggs into one basket. Exposure to several fast-food brands via social media reached only 24 percent of the consumers involved in the exercise. That’s low when compared to 69 percent of survey participants who reported having taken note of a TV ad for one of the restaurant brands during a weeklong test period. Billboards for one or more of the five US chains (KFC, McDonalds, Subway, Taco Bell and Wendy's) caught the eye of only 37 percent of consumers.

But the study shows that exposure to multiple channels — a combo plate involving social media along with television exposure, billboards, public relations or other advertising avenues — positively impacts sales.

For instance, consumers exposed to social media combined with public relations showed a 17 percent increase over purchases without such dual exposure.

(The Leyden Digital PR, Social Media Group provides dual exposure for its clients. Click here for more information.)

Those who experienced social media exposure along with a TV ad were two times more likely to purchase more that they did the week before. And brands that combined social media mentions with billboard advertising increased sales by one and a half times.

What are the implications of this study?

First, it suggests that those who employ social content should increase customer and prospect exposure in order to impact sales and brand perception. Even more important, the report shows that integrating other media channels into your content results in the biggest impact on consumers.

Use surveys, loyalty program tracking and coupons when evaluating the sales impact of your social content. Don’t depend solely on direct clicks. By monitoring your social media closely, you can also discover and remedy any negative press about your brand, product or service, because these certainly affect brand perception.

In fact, Taco Bell had a 220 percent lower shift in consumer perception of the chain providing a “great dining experience,” - a direct result of a socially charged news cycle involving ingredients used in Taco Bell’s meat products around the time of the study.

You should also plan your social content in a manner that best emphasizes the qualities with which you want the public to be aware. The goal is to reinforce your brand’s uniqueness, and that means promoting broad discussion on your brand in order to keep your social content fresh and up-to-date.

Islamic Terrorists - Free to Murder Again

Islamic Terrorists - Free to Murder Again

Last Updated: 12:33 AM, October 18, 2011

Posted: October 18, 2011
New York Post Editorial

Now that the identities of some of the Palestinian terrorists being set free in exchange for long-imprisoned Israeli Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit have become known, the horror of the deal is even more apparent.

After all, Israel long refused to release any Palestinian terrorists “with blood on their hands.”
Now Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done just that -- literally.

Among the 1,027 Palestinian terrorists being freed is Abdel Aziz Salha, who was famously photographed proudly raising his bloody hands to a cheering crowd after killing two Israeli soldiers.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

And he’s far from the only cold-blooded killer walking free. Others include:

* Ahlam Tamimi, who in 2001 drove a suicide bomber to a crowded Jerusalem pizzeria, where he killed 15 people -- including Judy Greenbaum, of Passaic, NJ -- and wounded 130 others.

* Muhammad Daghlas, head of the Hamas network that carried out that bombing.

* Ibrahim Younis, who planned the 2003 suicide bombing in a Jerusalem cafe that killed seven people -- including Dr. David Applebaum and his daughter Nava, both US-born, on the eve of her wedding.

* Nasser Yateima, a mastermind of the Passover 2002 Netanya hotel bombing, which killed 30 and injured 140 others.

In all, those being released are believed to have the blood of 588 Israelis -- nearly all civilians -- on their hands.

So why did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has always maintained a hard line on fighting terror, agree to this one-sided exchange for a lone Israeli?

For one thing, Israel has a long history of refusing to abandon a single soldier on the battlefield.
Shalit has been held captive by Hamas for five years, and his family has been waging a sophisticated PR campaign that clearly touched the nation.

Which no doubt explains why a new poll shows overwhelming support for the deal among Israelis.

But there is a bitter price to be paid for this exchange, which Hamas already is hailing as a major political victory.

Just as past exchanges have set free terrorists who’ve killed again -- and emboldened Hamas to find new Israeli hostages.

No one should know this better than Netanyahu, who lost a brother in the heroic 1976 Israeli operation that freed hostages in Uganda -- back in the days when Israel hewed a firm line against negotiations.

Indeed, Netanyahu himself said it best, in his book “Fighting Terrorism”:
“Prisoner releases only embolden terrorists. ... Worse, by leading terrorists to think such demands are likely to be met, they encourage precisely the terrorist blackmail they are supposed to defuse.”

Sad to say, Netanyahu failed to heed the wisdom of his own words.
He’ll come to regret that.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/free_to_kill_again_8Ldj6KQMMK1dcGRNiZHQ9L#ixzz1b9anoj5L

Gilad Schalit Deal Spits At International Law, Israel Citizens

Schalit Deal Makes Mockery of International Law, Imperils Thousands In Israel

"No modern government has the legal right to free terrorists in exchange for its own kidnapped citizens, military or civilian.

 Under long-standing international law, every state has a primary obligation to protect its citizens.

Yet it appears that tomorrow, Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will exchange Palestinian terrorists for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Schalit.

Any such exchange, however humane to Schalit and his family, would imperil thousands of other Israelis." - The Jerusalem Post

VIDEO: From Israel - Gilad Shalit and 1,000 Hamas Prisoners

From Israel - Gilad Shalit and 1,000 Hamas Prisoners

On patrol somewhere on the Israel Gaza border two IDF soldiers discuss the Shalit and Hamas prisoner exchange.

Steve Jobs Illustrates Age Discrimination by HR Employment Recruiters In High Tech Unwarranted By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency www.israelnewsagency.com/stevejobsagediscriminationhremploymentrecruitersheadhuntershightechsocialmediaseodigitalmarketingprintegratedexperienceapple88100711.html Ra'anana, Israel --- October 7, 2011 .... If Steve Jobs answered an ad today for work on LinkedIn.com or Monster.com chances are he would never even get a response. At the age of 56 he would be deemed a dinosaur who would be completely out of touch with modern technology and integrated marketing channels. That at 56, he would be lucky if he was using email. HR and executive recruiters in high tech, SEO, social media and digital marketing have instructions by most companies not to engage anyone over 45. Steve Jobs, the man who founded Apple and turned it into the world's must successful high tech, computer company died of pancreatic cancer yesterday. Jobs, with an estimated net worth of $7 billion dollars, was responsible for creating the personal computer industry, teaching people how to use a mouse to click on objects and how to make hardware easy to use. Steve Jobs created the iPod portable music player, the iPhone (telephone, Internet communicator, music player) and the iPad tablet. Consumer products which changed how we use and consume content in the digital age. In addition to technology, Jobs served as served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios and became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company. But yet, if Steve Jobs had not been so lucky in creating some of the first computers out of a garage in Mountain View, California and was simply a hard working, marketing professional who worked for Microsoft or HP and was laid off due to a recession where would he have been in the last few years? Regardless of how deep his knowledge of software, hardware and marketing may have been - he could have wound up selling shirts at Macy's or frozen food at Walmart. If Jobs had not acquired the personal contacts that he accumulated over the years and simply relied on a resume to secure a hi tech position in 2011, he could have been collecting unemployment. Many assume that those over 40 or 45 are not in touch with modern technology yet Steve Jobs was one of those middle aged professionals leading modern technology. Many social media, digital PR and SEO employers assume that in order to secure fresh ideas one needs to tap into a market of 20 - 30 year-olds. That those who are over 50 are completely obsolete. When has youth had a higher value over experience? That those high tech marketing professionals who have made the jump from conventional media to online sales and integrated marketing channels are to be ignored? One highly respected tech professional recently interviewed for a chief operating officer position with a West Coast technology company. The headhunter was very positive and told him that he was "the leading candidate". The CEO congratulated this 50 years plus professional on his stellar technology background. Then he heard nothing for two weeks. He then called the headhunter, who then told him that the company was seeking "a person with more technical experience." This candidate writes for CNET! Age discrimination is alive and well. In fact age discrimination is killing high tech. There's a TV commercial being aired on ESPN right now that illustrates two hiring managers discussing the two job candidates sitting in the lobby. We only see the backs of these candidates' heads. One is dark brown and lustrous and the other brittle and gray. The HR recruiters debate should they go with the experienced candidate though "he won't have energy" or hire the fresh young guy? And then we see that the two candidates are the same person before and after a hair dye job. More than two-thirds of tech professionals over 45 have said that ageism is a "significant problem" according to a study released a few years ago. That nearly one in three workers over 45 said they have either witnessed or experienced "age bias." During the next ten years, mature workers will overwhelm the high tech industry by their sheer numbers. According to American Demographics, seven baby boomers will turn 50 every minute in the US from now until 2014. Steve Jobs at 56 was still creating, producing and marketing new consumer products at the time of his death. Jobs was widely described as a visionary, as a pioneer and perhaps one of the key leaders ever in the field of business, innovation and product design. Many say that Jobs had "profoundly" changed the face of the modern world in having revolutionized at least six different industries and was the finest role model for all chief executives". Jobs was working smarter, faster and more creative than those half his age. Steve Jobs does not just leave us with an iPhone or graphics that you want to lick, but with the life example that experience and hard work is still alive after 55. Steve Jobs will be remembered for many things and many quotes but perhaps these words are the most fitting: “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” And excellence, like a fine wine, takes time to achieve. The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in Israel by the Leyden Digital PR SEO New Media Group - Israel, New York, Hartford. Internet Marketing SEO Professionals ask: Can People Find Your Website?

Yom Kippur War Volunteers Serving In Israel - A Diary

Yom Kippur War Volunteers - 30 Years On - Israel

By Joel Leyden
October 3, 2003

As I write the diary below, the first time retracing steps taken thirty years ago in Israel in October 1973, memories begin to pour back along with the anxiety and tears that we all experienced at the time. For many of us, the scars of war will never heal. Nor should they. - Joel Leyden

Due in part to faulty intelligence and arrogance, Israel was unprepared for a Syrian / Egyptian surprise attack. The Yom Kippur War took the lives of 2,688 Israeli troops.

Jerusalem---October 2003...Sitting in the relative safety of a suburban Long Island home, I first heard news reports of Arab armies attacking Israel on October 6, 1973.

It was not exactly clear what was transpiring in the Middle-East. News reports were censored and the media was not overly kind to Israel. I heard my father say that Israel's UN Ambassador Abba Eban was to address the United Nations General Assembly. I did not know of Abba Eban, I was expecting an Israeli to speak with a thick Israeli accent that most would not understand.

We had just extended our tree lined, middle-upper class home in Westbury. Our living room was now twice the size, with white marble floors, a bear rug, antique chandeliers and the latest TV and radio players. I sat down on one of the soft couches with my father to watch Abba Eban address the world on a color television set. I watched as this portly man in a neat two piece suit wearing large black glasses walked down an aisle at the UN and took his place at the podium. He spoke clearly with an English accent. A voice which embraced all of the desperate passion of the moment.

His English accent was a surprise. To an American, we are seduced by this English UK mother tongue twisting of vowels and nouns. It says to the American ear that the speaker is authoritative.

Weighing each and every word that Eban smoothly articulated, I awaited the latest news of what the Israelis were facing. Then I heard a defining sentence.

"This was a brutal and unprovoked attack in great mass by Egypt and Syria across the cease-fire lines," said Eban.

Israelis don't speak like this. They never admit weakness. To use the word "brutal" meant that Israel was bleeding. At that point I knew that Israel's very survival was in jeopardy. I said to my father that I was going to go to Israel to help out. He shrugged with disbelief. He must have asked himself where would a 20-year-old find the money and an aircraft which would fly a young boy into a war zone.

My father was a Jewish activist, he was and remains a Zionist. He served as the Chairman of the Transportation fund raising division of the United Jewish Appeal, was the president of his Temple and was a consultant to Israel's Ministry of Defense in New York.

I had been in Israel only the year before as a Kibbutz volunteer. It was the most romantic summer of my life. To wake up at sunrise, to be driven by tractor into the lush green banana fields and then to sit down for a breakfast of fresh scrambled eggs with halva was paradise. It was Ma'ayan Baruch, a kibbutz located directly on the Israeli-Lebanese border which was founded before the War of Independence by South Africans and Americans.

I also had family in Tel Aviv, warm people who greeted me as if I was one of their sons. Israel was all that I expected it to be. A romantic, exotic and pioneering state where all of the people pulled together. The collective warmth was infectious. As I left my many months on kibbutz, I promised that one day I would return to this Jewish state and make it my home.

As Eban walked off the UN podium and the news anchors began to deliver commentary, I walked into my bedroom, closed my door and called Kibbutz Aliya Desk - a center for volunteers to Israel located in New York City. I asked if I could immediately volunteer for a kibbutz in Israel. I expected a negative response. Who had time for some kid from New York who wanted to pick apples at a time of war? "If you come to Israel to assist us and promise us that you are not coming to fight, then we may have room for you on a flight in the next few days."

I had to pay a very small fee as the flight was subsidized. I went into New York City the following day for an interview. They accepted me and I was to leave from JFK airport to Israel on October 11.

My parents were in disbelief. I remember how my father was proud of my actions, as my mother cried and begged him not to let me go. But as a young man, I had decided my course and now had the means to implement it. I arrived at the El Al terminal with my parents and was rushed by security up to the El Al VIP lounge. Now it sunk in. Here I was with a few hundred other people going off to war. We knew our lives were expendable as soon as we would step on board the aircraft. Tears flowed in that terminal. It was a quiet, surreal scene, where I held back my own tears as not wanting to make the situation more tense.

I kissed my mother on the cheek, smiled and said I would call her upon arrival.

"Don't worry," I said. "I am going to pick apples, I will not be shooting anyone."

I stepped on board the aircraft, now somewhat afraid of what was in front of me but overshadowing this fear was the knowledge, the Jewish adage: "If not me, then who?"

There was no conversation on the plane. It was not as if you were traveling to Jamaica on vacation. There was no laughter, only quiet reflection. Many of us thought to ourselves, would we actually make it to Israel or be shot down in flight?

I sat next to a medical doctor who had volunteered as well. He assured me that all would be okay. He said that his specialty was trauma and that he was now assigned to an army hospital in Israel. I was in good company. These were people of action. This was the Jewish nation standing up and being counted when it was most needed.

As we approached Israel, the pilot made an unusual announcement. He wanted us to close our window shades. I guess the pilot, as many El Al pilots who had served as Israeli combat pilots previous to taking these commercial positions, knew a bit more than we did. Having a "lit candle" of civilian passengers flying into a war zone was not the best tactic that one would suggest.

As I looked outside one final time, I saw a combat fighter flying off our left wing just yards away. Then I heard the pilot make another announcement.

"Don't worry - the combat jet which is flying next to us is one of ours."

Now the reality of war was all around us. There was no turning back. If I lived through this - so would Israel, if I died then I would have given my life no different than those who had fought the Nazis.

As the plane's wheels touched Israeli soil, we applauded. We were not applauding the pilot and listening to tunes of Hava Nagila - we were applauding the fact that we were alive. That we had made it past the first hurdle and that we were only minutes away from physically joining our brothers and sisters in their defense for Israel's very existence.

The terminal was empty and dark. All of Tel Aviv was blacked out. Window shades were drawn on all of the homes and buildings we past. Even the headlights of cars and buses were painted blue.

We were a group of about 40 people. I later found out that we were a few hundred foreign volunteers accepted from thousands who had applied. We were the "official Israeli war volunteers" and we were greeted in the kindest manner. But we never forgot for a second that we were not on the front line - that there were others who were in far more danger than us and those Israelis who were assisting us in Tel Aviv were related to brothers, husbands and sons now in uniform.

The Yom Kippur War lasted for 3 weeks, starting on October 6, 1973 and ended on October 22 on the Syrian front and on October 26 on the Egyptian front.

It was evening. We were taken by bus to a large youth hostel in Tel Aviv by the Hayarkon River. Holding luggage and wearing backpacks we mingled quietly outside on the grass next to the buildings. Then someone started to read our names out. As they went through the list, we were instructed to enter one of the buildings. As I walked in, I saw several dining tables all with candles burning. This was not Shabbat. We were in a blackout. The mood was eerie. Little conversation, no laughter and much reflection.

A bearded man in his thirties stood up and made a prayer. He then spoke in English and thanked us for coming to Israel. He said that we would face very difficult days ahead, but with god's help, that we and all of Israel would be fine.

We began to drink hot matza ball soup. You could not escape the tension and anxiety. This was not the smiling Israel I had known from a year ago, neither was this Long Island. We were together, but yet alone as we sat and ate our first meal in the Yom Kippur War.

After finishing our dinner of chicken and mashed potatoes, we again mingled outside on the grass. We were taken to our rooms by flashlight.

We awoke early in the morning and after a brief breakfast, again heard our names called out. We were taken to buses which would take us to Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station. It was a busy scene of soldiers coming and going.

Then I spotted a long line of dark green ambulances with the white and red Magan David stars on their sides. These were military ambulances. With curiosity, I slowly walked over to one of the vehicles. I discovered that it was an emergency mobile blood donation station. I looked at the soldier in charge and gestured that I too wanted to donate blood. He wrote my name down and I stood in line. Next to me was another young war volunteer from France. He spoke no English and I knew no French.

We just smiled at one another. We were both asked to enter the ambulance at the same time. There were two cots on either side of the ambulance. We rolled up our sleeves and as our blood began to drip into plastic bags, we again smiled at one another, tears began to form, we did not need words.

As we both stepped off the IDF ambulance, we shook hands. I said good luck in English and he said the same in French. We now looked for our buses which were to be identified by number. Buses which were to take us somewhere in Israel, it was anyone's guess. After a few hours I found myself on the Israeli-Jordanian border.

It was a quiet journey. The dusty roads were vacant except for an occasional IDF truck, jeep or tank quickly rolling by.

About five of us stepped off the bus at Kibbutz Beit Zera. Located in the Jordan Valley about 15 minutes south of Tiberius, Beit Zera was another Ma'ayan Baruch, another magical, romantic kibbutz with palm trees, apple orchards and haystacks.

We walked past the main gate and were greeted by the head of the volunteers. A one-armed Israeli kibbutznik in his late twenties. His warmth was evident from first eye contact. A warmth which remained consistent throughout the ugly, dark days ahead. He led us across a large, open grassy field to a group of wooden huts.

This was to be home for the next several weeks. All seemed tranquil, as this is the normal environment for a kibbutz. But the tranquility lasted less than 24 hours.

At first it was the super sonic booms of low flying IDF aircraft intercepting Syrian fighters. We would run out of our shacks after being rattled by these heavy thuds, thinking that the kibbutz was being bombed. We would stand out in the open field, point our binoculars towards the sky and watch dogfights taking place above us. We could make out the Israeli planes from the Syrian MIGs. It was always the Syrian MIG which would be seen exploding or going down in a trail of grey smoke. We would yell in exhilaration for our brave brothers in the sky, we would laugh and walk proudly back to our work or beds. But this Hollywood show where the good guy would always win, would not last for long. Another dogfight, more missiles, but this time through the binoculars you could clearly see the Magan David Star painted on the tail or was it a wing, drop from the sky.

We fell silent. We cried. We walked back to our beds for a sleepless night.

After two days on the kibbutz I sensed something was wrong. There were almost no men on the kibbutz. They were all in the reserves. Our job was to keep the kibbutz functioning. Whether it was in the factory, the cotton fields or in the kitchen we did our best to keep morale high.

On the third day, I walked over to the volunteers' bulletin board and my mouth opened. On a piece of yellow ruled paper tacked onto the cork was a sign stating: Premilitary Training for Volunteers. One of the conditions for which many of us were not pleased to accept was that we were not going to Israel to fight.

Now they were offering us weapons training. Within 24 hours we were taught how to fire World War 2 carbines, instructed where we could find mortars and grenades and the positions around the kibbutz that we should take up if the kibbutz was attacked. There was no more magic or romanticism associated with this kibbutz. The war was not going well and we felt it.

I spent one day working at the kibbutz pool and became friendly with the man who managed it. I didn't see him for a few days and then I spotted him in the kibbutz dining room. He was sitting at a table by himself. With a big smile I walked over to him and asked him how he was. He responded: "my son is dead." I had no words. I was in shock. We were all in shock.

As the war worsened for Israel, one afternoon all of the volunteers were called into a meeting set for 5:00 p.m. Having been on a kibbutz, I thought nothing of this meeting except for some kibbutz beaucracy about to take place or the kibbutz secretary was now, finally going to introduce himself. I was right, it was the kibbutz secretary, but it was not about beaucracy or introductions. Without wasting anytime he said these words: "The situation has become very bad. We will be lucky to see the sun set this evening … even luckier to see the sun rise tomorrow morning. I thank you from my heart for being here … for helping us…now I wish all of you and us good luck."

You could hear the proverbial pin drop on the floor. What was actually happening in the south that for which we were completely unaware of was that Israeli troops had successfully crossed the Suez Canal. They were now marching towards Cairo and Moscow had just told the US that if the Israelis did not immediately leave Egyptian soil, that they would deploy paratroopers within 24 hours against the Israelis.

We were facing World War Three. The kibbutz secretary, having been briefed by IDF home front command intelligence, expected the Jordanians to enter the war and over run the kibbutz.

We walked slowly back to our shacks. Not a word was muttered. We were just told that we were living our last hours. All we could do was look at one another. We began talking about our families in the States, in the UK and Australia. All of our radios were on. We tried to maintain contact with the kibbutz secretary, but to no avail. We were alone.

When we stepped on board that El Al aircraft we knew very well that this scenario could take place. But none of us ever imagined that this could or would happen. We were not prepared. How does one prepare to die?

It was the longest night of my life. As the sun's first rays began to peak over the Jordanian mountains, over the Golan Heights which were nestled at our very door, I remember hearing the sounds of birds singing. The sound of factory machinery drilling and cutting metal and wood. The sun rose and we were alive.

I put on a pair of running shoes, as I did often to start my day and set out with a run to the kibbutz entrance and then around the kibbutz. As I approached the entrance of the kibbutz I saw a mass of people. I slowed to a walk. Then as I got nearer I saw that they were carrying an Israeli flag draped coffin into the kibbutz. I stared and cried. I turned around and again retreated to my kibbutz shack. I took off my shoes and just lay in bed.

By this point a very deep cloud of depression hung over the kibbutz.

We volunteers, whose job it was to keep the kibbutz functioning and keep morale high could no longer manage a smile.

Finally, I suggested to my roommate Jeffery, a schoolteacher from London, to hitchhike into Tiberius. We needed to get out of this environment.

Without hesitation, we grabbed our shoes and some money and made our way to the kibbutz entrance. An army truck stopped and we got into the back. It was a bumpy ride but it was heaven just to leave Beit Zeir.

Tiberius was wall to wall soldiers. Some preparing to go the Syrian front, others with mud stained shirts enjoying some Rest and Relaxation in the many pubs.

As Jeffery and I walked into one of the pubs, we realized that we were the only civilians there. We ordered some beer. Many of the soldiers stared at us. In retrospect, they were most likely thinking to themselves why we were not in uniform.

One soldier walked over to us and said something in Hebrew. I responded by asking him if he spoke English. The tension immediately turned to laughter.

"You are the volunteers, you are the volunteers who have come from the States and England - yes?"

We smiled. I was not quite sure if "we" were the volunteers he was speaking about. "You are the heroes who left your homes to help us. What do you want to eat? What do you want to drink? You pay for nothing," he said.

Another soldier walked over to us and took out a plastic bag of green peppers.

"I picked these peppers just outside of Damascus - I want you to have some," the soldier smiled. This was an ambush. A friendly ambush for as we placed the peppers in our mouths our throats began to burn and eyes began to tear.

These battle weary soldiers were having a joke on us and we could not be happier. This is why we had come to Israel. We were finally home. And we were alive.

- 30 -

Within two days, the IDF, now fully deployed, blocked the Egyptian and Syrian advances and took the offensive in the Yom Kippur War.