WHO says that British hospitality is lacking? Veterans from Beit Halochem returned for a second successful year, with a schedule packed tighter than a fully stuffed pitta. Even the weather had been taken care of – a mild and sunny October meant the 35-strong delegate of veterans and staff members were able to experience some fantastic outdoor activities.
For many, this was a trip of firsts: the first time away, the first-time visiting London and the first time experiencing new things within a group environment, most of them strangers to each other. A huge thanks to our donors and sponsors for helping to make this magical trip possible and a special thank you to SQR for providing 24-hour security for the group.
The number of Disabled Veterans at Beit Halochem has grown significantly since 7th October 2023, from 51,000 to over 72,000 currently. Veterans get to lead as normal a life as possible through psychological and physical rehabilitation, many going on to achieve Paralympic success in tennis, basketball, and swimming.
However, it’s not simply for those who are perhaps missing limbs or might be wheelchair bound – there are thousands suffering from devastating, often invisible injuries like PTSD, where the psychological wounds are every bit as debilitating as physical ones.
With state-of-the-art rehabilitation centres in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beer Sheva, Beit Halochem continue rebuilding the lives of Veterans and their families, with Beit Halochem UK raising over £54 million since it was established in 2012. This is something Spencer Gelding, Chief Executive of Beit Halochem UK is immensely proud of, especially the recent opening of Beit Halochem’s fifth Centre in Ashdod which has already been recognised as the National PTSD Centre in Israel.
As Shabbat came in, the delegation split into smaller groups, welcomed at various donor houses in the community, with some veterans hosted at Central Synagogue by Rabbi and Rebbetzin Lerer. Some very special moments for the veterans, really feeling the warmth and hospitality towards them all.
There really was something for everyone on this trip: for the cultured, there was a visit to Wicked the Musical. For the sports fans, there was a Premier League Football Game (Brighton v Crystal Palace), and by the final whistle, everyone was an honorary Brighton ‘Seagull.’ Beit Halochem Project Manager David Thrilling said the five-goal thriller for Brighton was a real highlight for him to celebrate the experience as a group.
The packed agenda continued with a schmooze around Shoreditch, featuring some cheeky graffiti action where the delegates ‘made their mark.’ Views from the top of the London Eye followed, a visit to the Tower of London, and a thrilling trip down the Thames via Uber River boat.
Next up were the shopping hotspots – the iconic Camden Market, some mooching in Covent Garden, Carnaby Street and of course, Oxford Steet.
At Fairgame in St Pauls (an interactive Fairground game experience), there was opportunity to chat with the Veterans over a pizza and a beer before the fairground-style games began. Shay, 43, was injured in 2003 at just 19 years old. Having served for 12 months, he was positioned in a tank unit of four at Beit Hanoun, just north of the Gaza strip, when a bomb was detonated to the left side of their tank. Shay says, “I realised I had hit my head but didn’t realise how bad it was – shrapnel had got through my helmet but my unit bandaged my head and managed to get us out of there, even though we were still under fire.”
Once at the hospital, having deteriorated badly on the journey there, Shay was declared clinically dead, and his family were advised to say their goodbyes due to the seriousness of his head injury and risk involved with operating. A major 14-hour surgery followed, removing shrapnel and part of Shay’s brain, the doctor informing Shay’s family to be prepared for at least 90% of Shay’s memory to be gone, with the likelihood of him remaining in a coma indefinitely.
Once a fighter, always a fighter, Shay miraculously woke up a few days later. “I remember everything – being in the tank, the bomb. But nothing after that about why I am in the hospital,” recalls Shay. “I remember where I live, my sisters, my childhood. It was just my short-term memory that was missing.”
Incredibly, just five days post-surgery, Shay was discharged but still facing a long road to recovery. Seven years of rehab, plus another four years with a specialist head trauma centre, Shay is proud to say that his memory is back in full. Shay’s secret to beating the unfavourable odds? “Because I am 100% optimistic.”
Shay credits Beit Halochem for a lot of his recovery. Shay says of the Beit Halochem centre at Tel Aviv, “Everything is next level. I go to the specialist gym. Swim in the Olympic-sized pool. Meet my friends. It gave me everything I needed during the first year after my injury. I always loved basketball but because my skull was so delicate, I couldn’t risk playing. But at Beit Halochem I had the opportunity to play wheelchair basketball. It was hard at first, but I learned fast and it made me really happy to be able to play again.”
Talking of the delegate he was travelling with, Shay says, “One thing is the same for us: the injury is always ‘next to you.’ At Beit Halochem I see guys with injuries from as far back as the Yom Kippur war. Maybe that will be me – I take my kids to educate them and let them see people in wheelchairs, blind, no legs, and see what they are still capable of.”
With his eldest son about to begin army service, that must stir up emotions of worry for Shay? “No!” he says. “I feel proud for him. My dad was in tanks and I followed, so maybe my son will too?” Excited for Shay’s trip to London, his daughters – 15 and 7 – gave their dad his most important mission: a trip to the beauty retailer, Sephora with a very long shopping list.
The Veterans haven’t all heard each other’s stories, so they lean in closely to listen to other veterans, including Jonny, who was wounded physically and mentally through missiles launched in Gaza in February 2024. Of his story, he says, “I worked as an accountant and was travelling abroad, due to fly home October 7th. When I finally returned 2 weeks later, I wanted to join my Navy unit where I was an officer in charge, but units were 200% over-recruited.”
Jonny, 36, says, “As Israelis, we’ve been taught to save our country. I was frustrated sitting home, watching everything play out. So, when I saw WhatsApp’s needing people to help with data and to locate people, and I wanted to help with that. I saw some really bad things, broken bodies and carrying my colleague who sadly lost his life. It is the most intimate moment that can ever happen to you.”
Jonny says of returning to work at the accountancy firm, “To have to go back to work and put this mask on, it was hard. I never imagined I would handle it like that. I would go to therapy, do my swim, and leave as quickly as possible, head down, hat on. I didn’t want to speak to anyone.” But through Beit Halochem, things changed for Jonny. “I now do my talking therapy and I love water, so I’m doing a lot of hydrotherapy, swimming – it’s calms me. And now I stay to be around people without rushing away. Beit Halochem is more than the therapy or activities. It gives you a place where we are all brothers, all equal. We don’t know their story, but we know ‘this guy has done something big.’ And the staff too – they are so devoted, like angels. When you have angels like that, it’s easier. David and Spencer (at Beit Halochem UK) are part of that. I’ve never been spoiled in my life like I have this week.”
For Jonny, being at Fairgame was a huge milestone for him as he hadn’t been able to be in a loud and bright environment like that for at least three years. “I knew some of the people from Beit Halochem in Tel Aviv, but not so well. Now we have a WhatsApp. We call it ‘a group of equals.’
The eagerness to start the games put a stop to more stories being told. The delegates were locked and loaded, dancing to the music and ready for the games. Proving popular was a ball throwing activity – six player stations where you had to hurl lightweight balls at targets to knock them down. Somehow six became twenty, veterans lined up, men, women, wheelchairs, all leaning over, hurling balls at targets, working together as a unit, helping each other with ‘the mission.’ Much fun was had, although some disappointment with the ‘guns’ on the water cannon game – ‘Not powerful enough,’ apparently.
Smiling faces all round and some pretty high scores – as we returned to our cordoned off area, a lone veteran stood, looking at the scoreboard, beaming with pride, and pointing. Yotam, the top scorer looking incredibly pleased with himself. Let it be known though, hot on his heels were two females in 2nd and 3rd place.
The party never stops for these guys so a final send off at Habiba’s Smokehouse restaurant in Temple Fortune together with many of the UK Jewish community, was truly fitting and a real highlight for Spencer, having everyone regroup and finish off the incredible week of activities together.
Good music, great food, happy faces, and a new WhatsApp group of ‘equals’. Instructions: No one leaves the group
