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A Hero’s Story

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By Avi Frier - FJN Publisher

More than 200 people gathered in Broward County on Wednesday to meet Roi Amitai, the sole survivor of last July’s brutal Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit.

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Jointly sponsored by One Family Fund, an organization dedicated to assisting the survivors of Arab terror, and the Broward Jewish Federation, the event, held at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center in Davie, offered participants a glimpse into the lives of terror survivors and the work performed by the organization.

On June 25, 2006, Hamas terrorists from Gaza fired rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) on the Merkava tank Shalit, Amitai, and two other soldiers were manning. Amitai remained in the tank, while Shalit and the two others left to investigate. The three were attacked from all sides by the terrorists, resulting in the kidnapping of Shalit and the death of the other two soldiers.

The terrorists then threw two grenade inside the tank and fled.

Amitai somehow survived the explosion, waking up critically injured in the hospital late the following afternoon. For the 7½ months that followed, Roi’s mother Shula Amitai remained by her son’s side through his rehab process.

Amitai’s father passed away when Amitai was just 14 months old, leaving Shula as the family’s sole provider. One Family Fund stepped in to provide for the Amitais’ financial needs during Roi’s recovery.

The Israeli Army offered Amitai an honorable discharge, which he turned down; he returned to active duty at the conclusion of his rehab and will once again join his unit this Sunday.

At first, he was nervous getting back into a tank, but Amitai told the crowd that once he got used to it, he was able to resume his duties, however he feels he is more alert and attentive to his surroundings than ever before.

Amitai called upon the people in attendance to continue all of their efforts to support Israel’s military, expressing the gratitude of his entire unit for exercise rooms that were donated by American benefactors. He said that he has been amazed throughout his recent tour of the United States at how much people care about him and his fellow soldiers.

Amitai closed the program by thanking One Family Fund for being with him every step of the way, specifically mentioning Kotler and Mimi Jankovits, the organization’s South Florida director.

For information on One Family Fund and how you can support their efforts, visit http://www.onefamilyfund.org or call the South Florida regional office at 305-931-4545.


Posted by Avi Frier - FJN Publisher on 09/21 at 03:50 PM • Hits: 101



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