Hamburgers as Hakaras Hatov (Gratitude):
The Orthodox Jewish World Says “Thank You” with IDF BBQ
By: Yael N. Ehrenpreis Meyer
Just another night at a base near Jerusalem… Khaki-clad young men stifle yawns as they return from daytours
of duty at watch-towers and bus stops, train stations and highway patrols. Young women, several
attired in the uniform of the IDF educational corps, gather for a late-evening meeting. The burden of their
infinite mission weighs heavily – but these are, after all, 18-to-20-somethings, and so these hundreds of
soldiers look to each other for some way to lighten the mood and enjoy a few hours of “off-time.” They
haven’t had much luck with this new “mission,” when in the corner of the sprawling base, suddenly… a
spark of light, the immitigable smell of burning charcoal, the sight of unfamiliar figures chattering in English
while chopping never-ending rows of onions… catches their attention.
What is going on here, on this base, tonight?
Israel is a nation where things happen fast. The security situation turns upside down, famous figures see
their popularity rise and fall, geopolitical alliances shift – and great people, from vastly different sectors of
the complex Israel demography, get together and make the improbable happen, almost overnight.
In the midst of the current wave of terror, the volunteers of Tzevet Paamon (the Paamon Team) were busy
going from checkpoint to outpost to watchtower, handing out snacks and support to soldiers on alert.
Paamon was founded to memorialize Major Chaggai Bibi, a man who was “the epitome of giving,” in the
words of his best friend, Amit Amar, who has dedicated his time to trying to fill in the gap of what was lost
that day twelve years ago when Chaggai was killed in the line of duty.
Yossi Goldberger, too, is a known figure on Israel’s “giving scene.” Hearing about Paamon’s initiative on a
local secular radio station, he became determined to expand it to an even larger scale. To transform this
“good resolution” into reality, Goldberger turned to his partner in giving on the other side of the Atlantic,
Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive President Emeritus of the National Council of Young Israel. As co-chair of
the American Friends of the International Young Israel Movement, Israel Region, which contributes to the
physical and spiritual welfare of the IDF, Rabbi Lerner is someone all too familiar with the challenges that
Israel’s soldiers face on a regular basis. Looking through the prism of his experience, Rabbi Lerner saw this
plan as an opportunity: a perfect way to give the North American Orthodox community the privilege of
expressing hakaras hatov (gratitude) for the boundless devotion of the young men and women in the IDF.
Rabbi Lerner and Yossi Goldberger told Amit, "Give the soldiers a barbecue – with all the extras! Let them
know we care about them. We will take responsibility for the cost." Rabbi Lerner made a few phone calls to
guarantee the first few barbecues. He was interviewed on the Nachum Segal Metro New York Jewish radio
program, he sent out a mass email – and the Jewish people responded.
November 18, 2015: All of these “ingredients” – the plans, the good will, the support, the generous-minded
individuals to carry it out – came together on a dark and windy night at a central IDF base in Har Gilo, just
south of Jerusalem, the third barbecue organized by this new international coalition of likeminded
individuals, Charedim l’maan haChayalim – Orthodox Jews in Support of Israel’s soldiers. Long tables are
laid out and assembly-line style, thousands of ordinary round rolls are transformed – by being smeared with
chummus, ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise, stuffed with lettuce, tomato and onions, and then topped with
a perfectly grilled hamburger as piéce de resistance – into a sandwich that is more than a sandwich: it is an
expression of love and appreciation. And the young soldiers – like hungry teenagers the world over – can't
wait to eat these delicious "expressions." One young corporal promptly wheedles himself a second
sandwich; one young military officer has brought her own “security,” the stuffed bear sticking out of her
backpack, to join her for a barbecue dinner. ("The older you get," one volunteer comments, "the more you
realize that all of these thousands of 'soldiers' are really just 18-to-21-year-old kids who should still be at
home with their mothers, not out on the frontlines of every danger zone!") When they ask (through the
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crunch of fresh lettuce) "who is funding this barbecue, and the new weekly barbecues that are now the
buzz throughout the army – after all, tonight's event is the third in just three weeks?" they are told,
"chareidim she' b'chutz la'aretz sh'echpat lahem, Orthodox Jews outside of Israel who care, who appreciate
your military service and want to say thank you." Their reactions range from mere surprise to complete
astonishment: Really? They care - about us? I never realized... Wow!" An act of hakarat hatov, of
appreciation, has turned into a massive kiddush HaShem.
Despite the chill in the air, the atmosphere is warm – and not just from the smoke-filled barbecues. A
potpourri of the Orthodox world, volunteers spanning the generations and the vastness of the North
American continent, never pause from their chopping and stuffing even as they explain what brings them
here, on this night, for this cause.
Philanthropic support for Israel is such a strong value for the Canadian Jewish community that it is
ingrained across the generations. So it’s not surprising that tonight’s sponsors, the Westmount Shul &
Learning Centre of Thornhill (North of Toronto), are represented by both the parents and children of shul
members. There are the Nussbaums, Harriet and Arnold, of Montreal, listening to young Amitai, a
private from Kiryat Ono, announce (burger in hand) that this is his very first month of his basic training, and
admit (sheepishly) that he still gets homesick at night. “You can’t imagine how good it feels to know that we
matter so much to charedim around the world,” relays the young recruit. His listeners understand. Married
for 60 years, Harriet & Arnold continue to radiate their appreciation for one another and for Israel, a
dedication that has defined them through the decades. Indeed, tonight is not Harriet’s first visit to an army
base. That first, she explained, “happened in 1979, when I directed a public affairs seminar for Canadian
Hadassah-WIZO, taking Hadassah and WIZO members around Israel to show them the impact of
Canadian generosity.” Today, nearly 40 years later, Harriet is back on a base, once again reflecting on a
vital tzedakah initiative, this time on behalf of her children, who daven at the Westmount Shul. Looking
around fondly at Amitai and the many others young enough to be her grandchildren, all eagerly waiting for
their burgers and then happily munching in the darkness, the past and present seem to merge. “The
soldiers I met in 1979,” Harriet concludes, “might have their own grandchildren on this base tonight!”
Speaking of grandchildren, the Westmount kehillah has yet another representative here tonight, Thornhill
native Shira Kaller. After getting married, Shira, who is studying kinesiology and Joshua, a Florida native,
settled in an apartment near Geulah. They are one among thousands of kollel couples building the
foundation of a Torah home by starting their married life in Jerusalem. But for them, limmud (learning) must
lead to ma’aseh shel mitzvah ( mitzvah actions)– and sometimes that transcendent ma’aseh translates into
grilling a burger to perfection and stuffing a baguette with me’urav Yerushalmi. Joshua, who is already a
qualified lawyer, is learning in a small yeshiva he describes as “committed to serious learning – learning
that motivates serious character development. Torah is our imperative, and empowering our ethical and
moral development through Torah is our imperative as well.” His description of the ethos of his yeshiva
captures the forces driving this committed young couple, as well as all of their fellow volunteers, tonight and
at every barbecue event.
On the subject of ethical imperatives, it is only during their non-stop chopping and serving that the
supporters of tonight’s barbecue learn just what a critical role the Har Gilo base plays in providing character
education for the entire IDF.
Reut is the kind of vivacious young woman you’d want as your child’s teacher. She is in fact serving an
important role as an educator, but since this is Israel, this twenty-year-old is teaching in the context of her
army service. It is Reut who explains to everyone the concept of “Education Week.” Whether from Golani,
Nahal, Givati, or another infantry corps, or a member of the armored, artillery or combat engineering corps
of the ground forces, every combat soldier from the entire country spends a week at one of only two bases
in the country (the other is in Latrun), for an intense seminar exploring their Jewish and Israeli identity,
recounting the tradition of the IDF and its military history, and learning about the principles and obligations
incumbent upon those serving in the world’s most ethical army. And the fact that these new recruits are
experiencing love from North American Orthodox Jews represents a perfect addition to their "Education
Week" lessons. "In short,” Reut summarizes, “it is here, to this very base, that all our soldiers come to learn
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the reasons why they are fighting. Every week a new cohort of 500 chayalim from around the country arrive
at Har Gilo. In fact,” she adds with a smile, “you could have a never-ending series of barbecues here,
recurring festivities for every week’s class of 500 visiting combat soldiers!”
A barbecue every week? It’s definitely a dream. But after all, the entire initiative had been a dream: a
dream which can be transformed into reality – if all of us make it happen! Indeed, thanks to the commitment
and action of a few community leaders and several generous sponsors to date, thousands of soldiers have
already been impacted, their hearts and hunger filled to capacity by the tangible, very edible
demonstrations of gratitude being exported to their bases by the international Torah community.
But surely IDF BBQ should touch every soldier! After all, we need our chayalim to assure our security
throughout Eretz Yisrael – in Jerusalem, Gush Etzion, Chevron, the Golan, up north and down south. So
shouldn’t we make sure that IDF BBQ reaches every where they do?
Yossi Goldberger, meanwhile, is pleased by the rapid pace in which their efforts have been realized – from
the first conversation to this, the third barbecue, with two more already in the works (Westmount Shul is
sponsoring another BBQ for Dec. 1) , has been just a few weeks. And he has no doubt that this momentous
Kiddush HaShem has only just begun, with a wave of enthusiastic support just on the horizon. How can he
be so certain? It’s simple: “When someone understands what life is like for our soldiers, they understand
immediately that we all need to do this. The chayalim are on duty day and night, Shabbos and Yom Tov,
sometimes for weeks on end. Our children sleep well at night because other people’s children – our
soldiers – are always on alert. Knowing this, what Torah-observant person isn’t eager to thank the young
people who protect Eretz Yisrael?” Adds Rabbi Lerner, “Everyone wants to say thank you – all we’ve done
is given Orthodox Jews around the world a direct way to embrace our soldiers with expressions of
appreciation, to say to each and every one of them, ‘we care.’ That is why we are here.”
Show the chayalim you care by sponsoring an IDF BBQ!
For more information or to say “thank you” to Israel’s soldiers:
Visit: www.idfbbq.org
Contact Rabbi Lerner: info@IDFBBQ.org
In order to receive a Canadian tax receipt,
Please contact the Westmount Shul at
905-881-7485
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