Ron Halevi, Dr. David Shashar and Tzachi Berkovich
Each of Israel’s 50,000 disabled veterans has a unique story of how injury changed their life …
Dr. David Shashar was weeks away from completing his internship in obstetrics when the Second Lebanon War broke out in July 2006, and he was called up as a reservist. Sent into south Lebanon, his unit was taking cover in an abandoned house on the outskirts of the village of Debel when an anti-tank missile was launched by Hezbollah. The direct hit killed nine, including David’s two closest friends, fellow medical personnel Idan Kobi and Adi Salim. The blast left David nearly dead. With his forearm dangling by shreds of tissue and his entire body pierced by shrapnel, David was rushed back to the Israeli border. He awoke 10 days later at Sheba Hospital – where, one month earlier, he had been delivering babies. Doctors reattached his arm in a series of complex surgeries. Despite their best efforts, David had to accept the permanent loss of use in his right hand. Along with its function, his dream of combining surgery and gynaecology was gone forever. After a gruelling four-year rehabilitation at Beit Halochem, David has accomplished much: a Master’s Degree in Medical Engineering, a degree in Business Administration, marriage, three children, and the launch of a highly successful, innovative medical start-up. Determined to give back to Beit Halochem, he also speaks around the world on behalf of the organization, including appearances in Canada.
During Operation Protective Edge (2014) Ron Halevi was an 18-year-old commander of a team in charge of identifying terror tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Following a successful mission, his unit had just crossed back into Israel when Hamas started firing shells. Caught in the crossfire, many were wounded by shrapnel. When a mortar made a direct hit on an armoured personnel carrier, five men were killed and many others were critically injured. Ron’s leg was severed below the knee. He also suffered a torn eardrum and shrapnel lodged in his right eye and neck. Evacuated by helicopter, Ron underwent numerous surgeries during his long hospital stay.
Within months, he began to walk with a prosthesis. While working hard to overcome his physical injuries, his emotional state was also in need of recovery. Ron began taking part in Beit Halochem Haifa’s Young Veterans Club where he met other men and women, many of them injured in the same conflict. He also began training in the fitness hall and received physiotherapy treatments. Playing a significant part in Ron’s rehabilitation was his return to kayaking, a sport he loved as a child. Within two years of losing his leg, he was competing internationally, achieving great standings. Thanks to Beit Halochem Canada’s Athletic Scholarship Program, Ron has been able to invest many hours of training to continuously improve his ranking and bring honour to Israel – and himself.
Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021 was short in duration. However, with thousands of rockets launched at Israel, it was distressing for the country’s citizens, especially those afflicted with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Tzachi Berkovich experienced countless moments of life and death during his military service as a Paratroopers Brigade paramedic. After leaving the army, he joined the Border Police at the start of the Second Intifada (2000-2005). During mass-casualty terror attacks in Jerusalem, including one at Café Hillel and the other on Bus 14, Tzachi did his utmost to save lives. He wasn’t always successful and one victim was a friend who died in his arms. At age 24, shortly after these two incidents, Tzachi started displaying PTSD symptoms, including crying non-stop, hearing voices, experiencing several panic attacks each day, and sleeping in a lit room with blaring music. Following each disturbed night, he awoke aching – from reliving his attempts to rescue the wounded. Tzachi lives with constant guilt, saying, “I wonder what I could’ve done differently. Maybe they’d be alive.”
Once diagnosed, Tzachi was among the first members of the Jerusalem Centre’s PTSD support group, founded and funded by Beit Halochem Canada. Living with PTSD for over 15 years, his dream is “to sleep innocently like a four-year-old, without knowing everything I know and saw.” Sadly, he is a third-generation Beit Halochem member. Tzachi’s grandfather was injured in the War of Independence and his father in the Yom Kippur War. Despite ongoing emotional difficulties, with Beit Halochem’s support, Tzachi, the father of two, is a certified tour guide who looks forward to welcoming visitors back to Israel.
Beit Halochem is the sole organization that takes care of Israel’s wounded veterans from the time of injury and for the rest of their lives – while empowering them to be active participants in Israeli society. Through continuous acts of terror, border infiltrations, and conflicts, Beit Halochem receives new members on a weekly basis.
Leading-edge Beit Halochem Centres in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beer Sheva, and the future Ashdod provide a wide range of unparalleled rehabilitative services, including physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, specialized sports equipment and training, creative and cultural activities, and engaging family programming.
Please help Israel’s injured men and women reclaim their lives. Your donation to Beit Halochem Canada, Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel acknowledges the great sacrifices these Heroes have made and continue to make. With your support, we can fulfill our commitment to rehabilitate, rebuild, and enhance the lives of more than 50,000 Israelis, including David, Ron, and Tzachi, disabled in the line of duty.
Please donate today. We cannot do what we do without you!