By Marcela Homsany, Staff Writer
It was a beautiful day in Eli, an Israeli settlement situated between the Palestinian villages of As-Sawiya and Qaryut in the West Bank. Sarah savored a steaming cup of coffee under the cool shade of the Sukkah while waiting for her husband Amishar to come home from shul. Two of her children, three year old David and five year old Yaakov, played with toy cars beside her, laughing with excitement as they crashed them into one another and flipped them upside down.
Suddenly, Sarah’s husband rushed into the backyard. “I’ve been called on reserve, I need to go – a war has just broken out,” he exclaimed. He hurriedly threw on his dusty old uniform that was tucked away in the back of his closet. “I love you, Buba,” he told Sarah. That was the last time his wife and children saw him.
Sarah is one of the 221 women who have lost their husbands in combat during the Israel-Hamas war, ignited by Hamas’s slaughter of 1,200 innocent Israeli men, women, and children in their homes and at a music festival the morning of October 7. Over 240 hostages were taken by the terrorist organization during the devastating raid. Only 134 have been released to this day. As a result, Israel has mobilized over 360,000 reservists to join the fight against Hamas with over 600 troops being killed during conflict as of April 1, 2024.
“These women have lost their backbone and support system,” said Lior Morgenshtern (SSSB ‘25), co-founder of Widows of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and IDF veteran. “It is our obligation, as the Jewish people, to be there for the women who have sacrificed so much to have their husbands fight in Gaza, only to become single mothers who have [lost] the love of their lives in order for us to have a Jewish state.”
Widows of the IDF is a project co-founded by Itay Gamliel and Lior Morgenshtern, both Israeli natives and IDF veterans, on a mission to assist Israeli women who have lost their husbands and the fathers of their children in the Israel-Hamas war.
This initiative was originally prompted by the struggles faced by military wives in Israel. With the outbreak of war, all of them were suddenly left to manage a multitude of strenuous responsibilities alone, including child care and income management, for an unknown period of time. Gamliel and Morgenshtern immediately jumped into action, providing free laundry services to families in need as a form of support.
However, the initiative evolved when Morgenshtern and Gamliel recognized that it was not just families with husbands in reserve duty who needed help, but also those who had lost their husbands in the war.
“It all started with Amishar Ben David. He was 43 years old and he came from the Eli settlement. We saw some very painful articles about him and his family,” said Morgenshtern. “As it turns out, unfortunately, a lot of people from that community were killed in one day during the war; they all had kids and they all grew up together. His story started this.”
Major Amishar Ben David was a reserve commander in the commando formation of the Israeli Defense Forces. He was tragically killed during combat in the southern Gaza Strip. He was a beloved father, son, and friend in the Eli settlement, dedicating his life to serving others, volunteering as an ambulance driver, and even donating a kidney to a stranger. His cousin, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, described him as a hero of Israel, mourning his loss. Ben David left behind his wife, Shlomit, and five children. His passing marked the 18th casualty among the graduates of the “Bnei David” pre-military preparatory school in the Eli settlement.
His story broadened the mission’s focus to support the widows and children of lost soldiers, transforming the laundry service project into Widows of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).
“These men left everything. Their families, their kids, their [wives], their homes, their jobs, their businesses, immediately without even hesitating to just serve for the Jewish state for their country,” said Gamliel. “Now we all owe them back, especially the Jewish people that live outside of Israel; we benefit and live a better life just because there is a strong, powerful Jewish country.”
The project has thus far raised almost $4,000, with Morgenshtern and Gamliel single handedly taking to social media, whatsapp chats, friends, and family to raise donations. Each cent is going directly to the families in need.
“This is a great opportunity for them to help their Israel because every single dollar really makes a difference,” said Morgenshtern. “Every single dollar will be going straight to these widows with no middleman.”
Widows of the IDF aims to alleviate the financial burdens of widows like Sarah and the family of Amishar Ben David, ensuring the support and care needed at this unprecedented time. With each dollar raised, Widows of the IDF moves closer to its goal of $200,000 on GoFundMe, symbolizing the global solidarity with Israel and the recognition of the sacrifices made by families such as Amishar’s.
To donate, please visit Widows of the IDF’s GoFundMe.
For more information, contact Itay Gamlieli and Lior Morgenshtern at 646-898-8044 or email at liomorgen1818@gmail.com