‘In Our Hearts for a Lifetime’

‘In Our Hearts for a Lifetime’

Zahal Shalom program pairs wounded IDF vets with Jersey host families

The 2024 Zahal Shalom delegation at the Top of the Rock. From left: Shlomi, Maayan, Ido, Henry, Yoav, Hanna, Yaniv, Hagay, Dror, and Sivan.
The 2024 Zahal Shalom delegation at the Top of the Rock. From left: Shlomi, Maayan, Ido, Henry, Yoav, Hanna, Yaniv, Hagay, Dror, and Sivan.

Eight years ago, an Israeli soldier named Henry was riding his motorcycle, in uniform, on his way home from base, when he lost his left leg from the knee down in a hit-and-run attack.

But that didn’t stop this extreme sportsman — his Instagram handle is “henry_legless” — from becoming the European champion in cable waterskiing for athletes with disabilities last year.

And it certainly didn’t stop him from dancing with his hosts in Bergen County during a recent trip organized by Zahal Shalom.

The volunteer-run, donation-funded project has been bringing in annual delegations of physically or emotionally wounded IDF veterans over the past 32 years for a big dose of “love, healing, and renewal.” Zahal is the Hebrew acronym for Israel Defense Forces. Zahal Shalom’s slogan is “In Our Homes for Two Weeks. In Our Hearts for a Lifetime.”

“I don’t know exactly what they expect from their trip, but I know they don’t expect the love that we give them,” Susan Kornblit of Waldwick said.

She and her husband, Steve, have hosted 10 veterans through Zahal Shalom. Henry was their guest this July.

Debbie and Jan Corwin welcome Hagay to their home.

“The day they arrived, we all went to the Statue of Liberty, and everyone was exhausted afterward,” Ms. Kornblit said. “Henry crashed even before dinner. The next morning, he gets up, puts on tallis and tefillin, and starts to pray. When he’s done, he says, ‘And bless you and bless your home.’ It was amazing.

“This young man is full of unexpected twists. He’s disabled, but he’s not. He’s young, but he has an old soul. He’s a partier, but he’s religious. He has such a spirit. And now he’s like a son to us.”

Henry, now 29, a bachelor living in Bat Yam, said his host family was the highlight of his trip — even more than the Broadway show, boating on Lake Hopatcong, and other activities that he and the other nine visitors thoroughly enjoyed.

“They are kind, amazing people,” Henry said. “They really understood what I needed and made sure I was comfortable. I wake up a lot in the night, and they were okay with that.

“They made me feel at home.”

He also became close with his buddy family, Alan and Tsiona Butvinik of Fair Lawn. Zahal Shalom buddy families act as a backup for host families and also spend significant time with their assigned guest and the rest of the delegation.

Mr. Kornblit and Ellen Breger of Woodcliff Lake are co-vice-presidents of Zahal Shalom, and Ms. Kornblit is the nonprofit’s secretary. Before their involvement with the organization, the Kornblits had no personal connection with anyone living in Israel.

Jan and Debbie Corwin are flanked by IDF veterans Maayan and Hagay after the group’s farewell dinner.

“We fell in love with every single one of our veterans, and each brings something different,” Mr. Kornblit said. “They have shown us love and determination and a spirit that is just unbelievable. Zahal Shalom hasn’t changed our perception of Israelis, because we didn’t have one. It’s given us one.”

“We’ve been to Israel four times, and I don’t think we’d have gone if it weren’t for all the love we feel for these veterans,” his wife added.

Participants in the annual trip are chosen in cooperation with Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization, whose Beit Halochem (Warrior’s House) sports and rehab centers serve some 60,000 veterans.

“Beit Halochem says one of the most important things in the veterans’ rehab, beyond the physical part, is showing them there are Jews and Jewish communities overseas that care about them,” Mr. Kornblit said. “Being part of their rehabilitation is the most meaningful thing I’ve ever done.”

Todd Heiblum, the director of the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem, interviews and selects participants. He works with Zahal Shalom co-president Tali Blum, who grew up in Englewood and made aliyah from Fort Lee two years ago.

“Many veterans have PTSD,” Ms. Blum explained. “Many Bergen County families involved with Zahal Shalom have learned a lot about PTSD from the veterans and can handle situations very delicately.”

The group dined in Edgewater, overlooking the Manhattan skyline. From left, veterans Henry, Ido, and Dror; volunteers Rona Lotan, David Iny, Dvorah Malek, and Autumn Anthony, Zahal Shalom co-president Tali Blum, and veteran Maayan.

This year’s delegation included Hagay of Jerusalem, 40, whose severe PTSD has kept him mostly housebound for four years. He learned about the Zahal Shalom trip only two weeks before the trip left Israel. His wife and three children encouraged him to go.

“It was difficult to make the trip because I don’t go out from my home,” he said. “But I was looking for something like this. Zahal Shalom gave me the feeling that I am okay. They took care of everything I needed and more, so I felt comfortable. And I think the trip changed me.”

Like Henry, Hagay said the highlight was getting to know his hosts, Debbie and Jan Corwin of Mahwah, and buddy hosts, Robin and Michael Steiner of Montvale. Hagay likes to cook, and he insisted on making special meals for both couples.

“I don’t have contact with most of my friends and family,” he said. “Debbie made me feel I have a new mom, and she feels she has a new son. This is how strong the emotional connection is. I was looking for something different, and I found it.”

Ms. Corwin gets choked up when talking about the close relationships she has forged with Hagay and other veterans.

“In 2012, our second year as a buddy family, we gained a daughter, she said. “And every time I’m in Israel, I stay with her,” she said. In the album this young woman made for her son’s first birthday, she placed pictures of the baby with his two grandmothers and with Ms. Corwin side by side.

On Hagay’s first night, the Corwins invited the Steiners over and ordered Chinese food. The fortune inside Hagay’s cookie read: “Tonight, let go of worries and find inner peace.”

From left, Steve and Susan Kornblit, Henry, and Tsiona and Alan Butvinik. (Photo by Jo Rosen Photography)

The next morning, before Hagay even came down for breakfast, he sent a text to Ms. Corwin and Ms. Steiner with a picture of the fortune and this message: “It really happened.”

Ms. Steiner said she felt like they “hit the jackpot” getting assigned to Hagay.

“A week or more before he even stepped off the plane, we had spoken, FaceTimed, and WhatsApped, meeting his wife and kids, and started a loving friendship that felt like we knew each other forever.”

She said they were all concerned about Hagay’s emotional wellbeing in an unfamiliar environment, “with so many places to go and people to meet.

“However, with his tremendous heart, his contagious smile and sense of humor, his inner strength and energy that he shared with all — and mostly his intense desire to be with people who loved him for who he was, which we did — he thrived while he was here and had an air of confidence that we found to be remarkable.

“Watching and experiencing Hagay find joy with everyone he met, and in all that he did, was as heartwarming as it gets.”

From left, executive committee member Debbie Zingler, Zahal Shalom’s Henry, Hanna, and Hagay, and executive committee member Julie Calabro dance at Congregation B’nai Sholom/Fair Lawn Jewish Center.

Mr. Steiner recalled thanking Hagay “for his life-altering personal sacrifice for Israel and the Jewish people. He looked at me with a hint of sadness in his eyes and said, ‘All I want is to live in peace with my family.’

“This moment resonated deeply, highlighting both the larger issue of security for the Jewish people and the simple, universal desire for a peaceful life — a basic right that should be undeniable for all.”

The Steiners, who began volunteering with Zahal Shalom nine years ago, say they get “immense fulfillment in connecting with these incredible individuals, whom we call our extended Israeli family. Over the years as a buddy family, these veterans have allowed us to share our lives and culture with them while learning about their experiences and perspectives. The connections we’ve built and the moments we’ve shared have enriched our lives in ways we could never have imagined.”

Each of the recent participants — two women and eight men — received a welcome bag from Jesse Brown of Paramus, a student at the Solomon Schechter Day School in New Milford, at a dinner held in the vets’ honor at the Glen Rock Jewish Center. Jesse dipped into his bar mitzvah money to buy all the items.

Later in the visit, the veterans told their stories at a Zahal Shalom fundraiser in Fair Lawn.

“The whole trip costs $80,000 to $100,000, and it’s financed completely by private donations,” Ms. Blum said. “All the money goes directly to the program because we are all volunteers. Nobody is on payroll.”

Normally, the trip lasts two weeks and includes a jaunt to Washington. This year, it was 10 days. “The ZDVO” — that’s the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization — “canceled all delegations after October 7, but in March started up again with only three organizations,” Ms. Blum said. “We were one of them. Usually, we start preparing in September for the summer trip, and this time we had less than three months to prepare.”

From left, Michael and Robin Steiner, Hagay, and Debbie and Jan Corwin at the Statue of Liberty.

Ms. Blum and Amanda Zoneraich of Wyckoff became co-presidents in 2021. Ms. Blum accompanied the delegation from Israel to New Jersey.

“My family’s been involved over 20 years in the organization, and it’s one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had,” Ms. Blum said. “People do it out of the goodness of their hearts, to help Israeli veterans in their rehabilitation. All the volunteers, about 50 of us, joined them on the bus every day of their trip here.”

“When you donate your time, the veterans are amazed,” Mr. Kornblit added. “They can’t believe it’s all voluntary.”

Ms. Kornblit said the organization is always interested in getting new hosts and buddies. Some are empty-nesters; some have kids living at home. “Once they do it, they want to continue helping,” she said.

Mr. Corwin said a side benefit to the “amazing experience of hosting these Israeli veterans who’ve given a lot and become part of our lives” is that many of the volunteer couples have become close friends. The Corwins join with 10 other Zahal Shalom volunteers for a monthly Shabbat dinner at one another’s homes.

And when the Americans go to Israel — often at the invitation of a veteran they’ve hosted who’s celebrating a family simcha — there are always meetups with “their” veterans and families, even many years later.

“In 2022, Zahal Shalom’s 30th anniversary, we made a reunion tour in Israel and contacted every veteran we could and replicated the Zahal Shalom formula of traveling together on a bus,” Mr. Kornblit said. “We went all over Israel and met over 150 of the veterans on that reunion tour.”

Ms. Kornblit summed it up. “The Americans get more out of this than the Israelis,” she said.

For information on how to donate or volunteer as a host or buddy family, go to www.zahalshalom.org.

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