Editorial: Thanks for everything

Issue of January 8 2010/ 22 Tevet 5770

The story of Aharon Karov has a happy ending. The young officer called to duty in Operation Cast Lead in Gaza a day after his wedding, and grievously wounded a week later, is recovering, some might say against all odds. It’s taken a year, a lot of tefilah (prayer) and emunah (faith), and a great deal of medical expertise. But now there is a hope and an expectation that Aharon, 23, and his bride, Tzivia, 22, will get to enjoy the life they began together with such promise.

Many of us get a sinking feeling when we hear of fatalities in the IDF, or among U.S. soldiers or marines in Iraq or Afghanistan. Unfortunately, perhaps, the feeling passes quickly. When such news is first announced there is rarely a name to go with it; a picture of the deceased is rarer still.

News of injured service members tends to pass by even more rapidly. We are largely shielded from the reality of war by tepid media interest. Photos of the injured appear only occasionally; photos of the dead appear only if the person was local.

For these reasons, Lt. Karov did us a great favor by choosing to stop in Lawrence on his way to JFK. He was on his way home after undergoing surgery in the United States.

“I want to thank everyone,” he said in his brief remarks in Hebrew. “All of you, and pass it on to those who are not here.”

He may have been expressing appreciation for the good wishes, prayers and hospitality of the Jews of America but, of course, it is we who need to thank him. For his service in the defense of the State of Israel, of course. For his heroism in the line of duty, certainly  — leading his platoon into harm’s way; following orders to check out a building he certainly knew could be booby-trapped, and in this case, unfortunately was.

But most of all, perhaps, those of us who didn’t pack into Cong. Shaaray Tefila to meet Lt. Aharon Karov owe him a debt of gratitude for taking the time to show us, who dwell in the relative comfort and safety of America, what sacrifice and bravery and duty mean.

Karov’s story, and his face, now badly scarred, help us to put a human face on the price of defending our land — lest we forget.

While some of us benefit from the reminder, others need no reminder at all. One of the most striking parts of our page 1 story about Karov’s brief stopover in Lawrence is this:

A Woodmere woman in attendance counted eight families in the room with sons serving or who served in the IDF.

Kol Kakavod to them and to the Karovs. We wish Aharon a complete recovery and the young couple a long and happy life together.