The Golan’s mountainous topography and shared border with three hostile countries makes it an important and strategic piece of land. There are many army bases scattered throughout the area, and training for various divisions happens here.
Because of this, serving the soldiers has become as much our shlichus as serving the civilian population. We arrange megillah readings, menorah lightings, matzah deliveries, and shofar blowings for every base in the area.
We got our hands on a large food truck and drove from base to base, making sure soldiers had good, hot, kosher food to eat. A part of our food truck served as a “shul,” where soldiers could put on tefillin and open a sefer for a few minutes.
After the war began, our truck parked permanently in the largest base and became a sort of command center. Many kind hearted people donated tactical gear and other necessary supplies, and we kept it stockpiled in the corner, available for any soldier that needed it. We make sure a huge urn of coffee is constantly brewing, so soldiers on night guard duty always have a fresh supply to stay awake. Many religious soldiers would subsist on nothing more than fruits, vegetables, and chocolate spread sandwiches, if not for our kitchen on wheels. For soldiers on duty, we send prepackaged meals and Shabbos kits. We even send microwaves, so they can enjoy a hot meal when they get a minute.
