By Giulio Supino, 2023 Shaliach to HDNA Machaneh Gesher

On the night of the 6th of October I was dancing with my friends at a seminar I had on Ravid, HaNoar HaOved VeHalomed seminar center and a kibbutz - my favorite place and my safe place. 

The next morning, Saturday the 7th, instead of waking up to the beautiful Kinneret view, I woke up to one of my friends saying few words that will stick to me forever - “there is balagan”

Israelis don’t really use the word “balagan” (“mess” in Hebrew) lightly, so hearing these words said so somberly gave me a feeling every Israeli hates to feel and knows too well - things are only going to get worse.
When I got home, I organized a bag filled with enough underwear for a few weeks, some uniforms I found around the house, chargers and my trusty backgammon. My dad returned home from work and we hugged for a long time, knowing that “like father like son” in this context is the scariest thing we could think of. My dad was in Lebanon 35 years ago, and now I might experience it too. 
My mom gave me a bag of dried mango (knowing it’s my favorite snack) and hugged me as long as my dad did - maybe more - and so did my brother and sister. 
After a long drive to my unit’s gathering area, my dad looked me in the eyes as I told him I will stay safe and keep my brothers in arms safe. 
And went in, back to being a soldier. 

I didn’t plan on enlisting a week after coming back from shlichut and my big trip in the US, but my country and people needed me. And through the values of my Tnua, of solidarity, equality, Zionism, and hagshama - I march on. 

And I’m not alone, because there is a whole country having my back, enlisting, donating, helping refugees, fighting antisemitism and anti-Zionism on social media, being at each other’s side no matter the differences, against an evil enemy - this is Israel, a nation of lions, of brothers and sisters in arms, our sacred and beautiful homeland - a place I call home. 

This is Zionism in its rawest form - a belief in Jewish self-determination, striving for peace, and our right to defend and fight for our way of life and homeland and people, in times of strife and war. 

Israel is not the most perfect country - far from it, and we have many issues - but it is a nation I’m proud to be part of, and, if I must, I will defend it till my last breath. 

Am Israel Chai 🇮🇱