Chicago Jew Abandons All to Combat Hamas
Israeli-American Rushes from Chicago to Fight Hamas in Gaza
Shraga Stern didn’t hesitate to buy a ticket from Chicago to Israel on October 7 to join the coming fight against Hamas, even before the Israeli Defense Forces asked him to.
“One of my men met me at the airport,” Stern told The Daily Wire in southern Israel. “I already had all my gear for my uniform, and everything and I came straight to the battlefield.”
Stern, 38, is one of more than 360,000 reservists called up to defeat Hamas after its brutal attack on Israeli civilians in early October. When he arrived in the area surrounding Gaza, he observed burnt cars with bodies hanging out of them.
“We showed up where the Nova Festival was and there were still bodies laying around and fighting was still going on,” he said. “Towns that were burnt and destroyed. It felt like the whole region was totally a war zone out of control.”
Surviving a Terror Attack
Stern is a reservist officer in the IDF who was stabbed in 2016 while on patrol searching for a terrorist in the Israeli city of Efrat in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank.
Shraga Stern was injured in 2016 after he was stabbed multiple times by a terrorist in Efrat. Courtesy of Shraga Stern.
“A terrorist came right at me with a knife,” he said. “I jumped out of the car at him without my gun, which was in the car, and I just wrestled him and fought him down to the ground while being stabbed multiple times. At some point, I was able to grab him by the neck, lift him, and throw him on the ground with my body weight over him, and one of my men was able to shoot him in the head.”
Brothers for Life
Stern said he was thankful for his second chance at life when he awoke in the hospital, and decided to look for new ways to find meaning. He was introduced to Brothers for Life, a sixteen-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to helping injured IDF veterans with medical, emotional, and financial support.
Participants of Iron Brother 2022 in Eilat, Israel. Credit: Courtesy of Brothers for Life.
Stern said he joined the organization’s triathlon team which forced him to focus on regaining his strength. Soon after he started to help others through the organization.
Preparing for What Comes After the War
Although he’s serving in the current conflict, he said Brothers for Life is already assisting injured soldiers in the war.
“It truly gives me a lot of strength knowing that every mission that I make a decision on and every mission that I lead, I know that if anyone here gets injured, I’m not forgetting about them,” he said. “Once this tour is over and I’m back in my life, we’re going to keep taking care of these guys for the rest of their lives.”
Despite his previously nearly mortal injury, Stern said he wasn’t fearful to join the fight again.
“To tell you that there’s no fear would be foolish, but the fear that is there is manageable and we trained for this day,” he said. “We have no other choice but to totally eliminate Hamas because the end game for us is rebuilding our towns, rebuilding our communities, and rebuilding life here.”
Shraga Stern with a Brothers for Life flag on a tank by the Gaza border.
Stern said he takes this war personally as the grandson of two Holocaust survivors.
“We always grew up with the notion that Israel is the promise that Jews would never be slaughtered again unprotected,” he said. “I feel that the tanks here behind me — but also me and my men — we are the promise for the Jewish people that Jews won’t be slaughtered unprotected.”
Stern said he believes the terrorist who tried to kill him five years ago was motivated by the same hatred as Hamas.
“I know that what motivated him is a total annihilation of Israel, which is what he stands for and that’s what Hamas stood for,” he said. “We saw hundreds and hundreds of terrorists like that, maybe better trained, better equipped, better planned and ready to do the same.
“That’s why I’m here,” he added.
How can individuals get involved and support the mission of Brothers for Life
That my soldiers perform, that if something bad happens to me or to them, that Brothers for Life will be there for us and our families,” Stern said.
The organization provides support services such as counseling, physical therapy, and financial aid to injured IDF veterans and their families. It aims to help them in their recovery process and assist with their reintegration into civilian life.
“Being part of Brothers for Life, they take care to try and help us in any way possible,” Stern said. “If I need therapy, they are helping me with therapy. If it’s something financial, they’re also there to help.”
Shraga Stern (center) with fellow triathletes who are part of the Brothers for Life organization. Courtesy of Shraga Stern.
Supporting Israel at Home and Abroad
Brothers for Life not only provides assistance to injured veterans but also works to promote awareness of the challenges they face. The organization conducts events and activities to engage the community and gain support for its cause.
Stern is grateful for the support he has received from Brothers for Life, both during his recovery process and as he serves on the front lines. He encourages others to get involved and support the organization’s mission.
Brothers for Life supporters holding a sign expressing their solidarity with injured IDF veterans. Courtesy of Brothers for Life.
“They can help in any way possible, whether it’s participating in events, supporting it financially, or volunteering their time,” he said. “Brothers for Life helps us veteran soldiers continue our mission and gives us a lot of emotional and financial support.”
As the conflict in Gaza continues, Stern remains dedicated to his duty as a soldier and grateful for the support he receives from Brothers for Life. His story serves as a testament to the resilience and determination of those who fight for the defense of their homeland.
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