{"id":41078,"date":"2023-04-14T01:54:10","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T08:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=41078"},"modified":"2023-04-12T10:54:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T17:54:22","slug":"creating-a-life-of-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2023\/04\/14\/creating-a-life-of-inspiration\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating a life of inspiration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Near-fatal war injuries led Anat Yahalom to decades of mutual support for injured soldiers and others. (photo from Jewish Federation)<\/em><\/p>\n

In 1973, when the Yom Kippur War broke out, Anat Yahalom was a young Israel Defence Forces recruit in the Battle of the Sinai.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 18-and-a-half years old and the state of Israel was 25,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were both young and at the beginning of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sudden Egyptian air attack changed her life forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they rushed me to the rescue helicopter, badly injured and bleeding, hovering between life and death and begging for my life, I used my last remaining strength to mumble, \u2018Don\u2019t let me die,\u2019\u201d Yahalom recounted in an email interview with the Independent<\/em>. \u201cThat desire to remain alive and to live has always been with me. Over the years, every time that I\u2019ve faced a crisis, I am reminded of that moment, and again I have that incredible desire to live \u2013 to never give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yahalom is to share her story of near-death, recovery and a life of dedication to others as part of the Israel@75 celebration in Vancouver. She will speak at Congregation Beth Tikvah, in Richmond, on Friday, April 28, 6 p.m., with an Israeli-style Shabbat dinner.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing wounded in battle is very different to being injured in an accident,\u201d said Yahalom. \u201cMany of the shrapnel pieces and explosives that caused my injuries have remained inside my body and will accompany me for the rest of my life. Being wounded in battle causes injuries that are external and internal, resulting in a complete breakdown of the body\u2019s system, and to extensive scar tissue that needs a long, slow and complex rehabilitation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shrapnel that remains in her body can cause recurring infections that require regular treatments to allow her to function.<\/p>\n

In the decades since her injuries, Yahalom has founded Etgarim, an association supporting the integration of disabled children through sports, and the IDF women with disabilities forum. She is an athlete, hand-bike marathon rider for people with disabilities, wife and mother of three sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael has a large proportion of people who have been wounded in battle and disabled,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause of this, Israel\u2019s healthcare system has developed the most innovative and effective medical treatments that have allowed many of the injured to return to society, to their families, to work. This is the essence of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is not only physical, but also emotional. While these are very different, they are equally important. Most of the time, society doesn\u2019t differentiate between the two. Emotional injuries are often initially expressed in the form of depression, anger, impatience. Later on, they are also expressed by smaller things such as slamming doors, raised voices, threatening language, or senses that recall the battlefield. For me, the height of this was when my sons joined the IDF. I began experiencing an endless and overwhelming anxiety. Every small thing could trigger a huge reaction in me \u2013 from deep anger, to complete withdrawal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yahalom said that those, like her, who were injured in battle found that the best way to deal with challenges and thrive was through social rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came to support and rely on one another like family,\u201d she said. \u201cWe involved each other in all the small details, offered and received help of any and every kind. But, mostly, we made sure to meet regularly, to talk, to listen, to offer and seek advice. It was this process and this starting point that the idea of establishing centres for wounded IDF veterans was born, recognizing that social rehabilitation was the very essence of our strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

The messages of her life and of the organizations she has founded, she said, are unequivocal: \u201cWe can recover from any crisis if we stand together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWar is a terrible crisis, being injured is an endless struggle, and being disabled is with you forever,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes it is extremely difficult, and sometimes a little easier. But it is always there, a companion for life. A reminder for me that life and the desire to live is more important and can conquer anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family, the one that I created following my injury, my friends that are my chosen family, and the family of Eretz Israel, all accompany me throughout my life,\u201d said Yahalom. \u201cThey allowed me to return to the world of the living, they help with the rehabilitation of my friends, and it is them that makes me continue to want to help in every way possible, to embrace, to encourage and to fill my heart and theirs with hope and faith that every crisis will pass.\u2026 This is the message that I bring to your community. In these stormy days of upheaval and crisis at home in Israel, I know that even this storm will pass and we will still be there. We will remember that life is more important, more precious and stronger than anything else. I\u2019ve known this since that fateful day, Oct. 6, 1973, when I was given my life back \u2013 and I received it as a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yahalom\u2019s visit is one of many events taking place through May marking Israel\u2019s 75th anniversary. The celebrations culminate in the Yom Ha\u2019atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, concert May 14 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, featuring the band Teapacks. Full details of all events are at jewishvancouver.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Near-fatal war injuries led Anat Yahalom to decades of mutual support for injured soldiers and others. (photo from Jewish Federation) In 1973, when the Yom Kippur War broke out, Anat Yahalom was a young Israel Defence Forces recruit in the Battle of the Sinai. \u201cI was 18-and-a-half years old and the state of Israel was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41080,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4329,4],"tags":[22238,4330,5803,9311],"class_list":["post-41078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-israel","category-local","tag-anat-yahalom","tag-israel","tag-veterans","tag-yom-kippur-war"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}