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A wounded IDF warrior speaks at Rambam

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Last Tuesday the Rambam, students and faculty had the extraordinary opportunity to hear an inspirational story from Lior Ofir, a former soldier in the Tzanchanim (Paratrooper Reconnaissance) unit in the IDF.

He shared his experience from 2000, when he was a young soldier of 20 years old stationed up north near the border with Lebanon. They had received intelligence about Hezbollah terrorists who were planning on attacking a nearby Israeli town, and therefore prepared for an operation to take out the terrorists before they were able to carry out their mission. After intense training and preparation, they entered Lebanon in the harsh, freezing winter night. Lior and his brothers-in-arm were discovered, and quickly dropped into the snow to avoid the gunfire raining down upon them. It was soon after discovered that Lior’s friends, Ethan and Liraz, had been shot and needed immediate assistance. With Liraz on his back, Lior began to flee the scene to avoid further injury to himself or his friend. But before he was able to get away, Lior was shot as well, and collapsed to the floor, no longer able to help himself, let alone Liraz. With the assistance of the medic, Kobi, Lior made it to the hospital and after weeks of treatment, survived, although with significant motor damage. His friends Liraz and Eitan, however, did not make it. 

Lior never gave up. After months of therapy and his army career now over, he decided to find another way to contribute to Klal Yisroel. He now learns Torah at Yeshivat Har Etzion and works in the Bet Aviv hostel for autistic children.

To personally hear this story from a man who started off his story describing his seventeen year old self playing basketball with his friends, just like us at Rambam, is truly inspiring. No matter what he faced, Lior continued to fight for his people, both on and off the battlefield. If we can take one message from his inspiring words, we should always remember that no matter what life throws our way, be it a loss in a hockey game, a bad grade on a test, or a bullet on the battlefield, we must always keep pushing forward.