Meet the US Jews returning to Israel to fight Hamas

In the Bible (Numbers 32), the fighting men of Reuben and Gad, though they lived on the east side of the Jordan River, separated from the rest of the tribes, agreed to return to join forces with their brothers when war came to Israel. Meet four of the ideological descendants of Reuben and Gad who, though they called the US home on October 7, rushed back to Israel to fight alongside their brothers.

‘To protect the light from the darkness’

David Eastman left his home, his wife, and their three young daughters in Nashville, Tennessee, to serve, taking up his M203 grenade launcher in Brigade 646, Battalion 8105, Company Alef.

The decision was instantaneous. “The truth is that my wife and I didn’t think about it. We didn’t weigh the options to determine the best course of action. Our behavior was almost instinctual [after] I heard what happened on October 7.

“I told my wife, Tova, and, with the fierce love of the Jewish people that she feels in her heart, she told me – if memory serves, even before I told her I wanted to join my unit – ‘I support you.’ That was it. I got in touch with my unit, found out they were mobilizing, and booked a ticket to Israel.”

More than 100 days later, Eastman said, “My heart hurts to be so far from my best friend and my three beautiful girls for so long. But the pain in my heart only highlights the blessings I have been given in my life and reminds me why the world needs soldiers who are willing to pause their lives to protect the light from the darkness.

“The Jewish people were attacked. I had the rare opportunity in Jewish history to join the fight in eliminating the threat. That was all the motivation I needed.”

Comparing his experience now to when he was a younger soldier, Eastman stated, “I am a better soldier now than I was during my regular service. I am stronger physically and mentally, and I have more in my life to protect. Additionally, my love for the Jewish people has deepened, as I have witnessed our love of life and our abiding hope in a better future for this entire region.”

Eastman bestowed gracious thanks on those who make it possible for him to be here. “I have been most proud of my wife. Tova has been amazing, handling our business, the household chores, being mom and dad for our girls – all with resilience, optimism, and unending support for what I am doing here.

“Tova and I are endlessly grateful for all the love, support, and prayers that we have received since I flew off [to Israel] several months ago. My parents and siblings have been there for me with rides, showers, and a warm bed, whenever I have been out. My mother-in-law practically moved in with Tova and the girls during this time, and her help has been indispensable. When my father-in-law visited briefly, Tova put him to work, building furniture and bringing his own brand of joy into our home.

“The Nashville Jewish community has been an incredible source of support for Tova, giving whatever they could to help her during this time. And our neighbors have rushed to help Tova with whatever they could, letting her know that she and the girls are safe.

“I have also been incredibly proud of the soldiers with whom I have the profound honor to serve. With all the difficulties that always accompany war, they continue to push our commanders for more missions. They know why they are here, and they bring that spirit to everything they do,” he elaborated.

Eastman looks forward to grabbing a seat on “one of the first flights” available after he is released, to rejoin his family. “I joke with my girls that I want to just hug them for three weeks straight. To echo many soldiers throughout the ages, after this is over I just want quiet. I want peace – for me, for my family, for the Jewish people, and for the world.”

‘I would never forgive myself’

Elie Rappoport of Baltimore, Maryland, made aliyah and lived in Israel for six years, during which time he was a paratrooper in active service from 2015 until 2017.

On October 7, Rappoport had just returned from a month-long trip through Europe and Africa.

Upon hearing the news of the attack, his next step was clear. “I was devastated. I realized then that I would never forgive myself if I did not go back and do all I could to protect my people. I was not able to sleep or eat, knowing what had happened and that I had training that could be utilized to protect the country and the Jewish people.”

Despite having built a life in the US, “I had to put all of it on hold,” he explained. For 45 days, he served in a rescue, logistics, and mobility unit for the Nahal Brigade in Gaza.

With a new job in the IT world waiting for him, Rappoport returned to the US in December. He brought back new realizations.

“I realized how proud I was to be wearing the uniform again. I remembered that being a part of the IDF is an honor not everyone gets. Being able to serve on the front lines was an opportunity to really make a difference and help save people’s lives.”

He also faced the fear. “The hardest part was being in a situation where I could die, every day. My family and friends back home and in Israel [were] worried sick and barely able to hold themselves together, knowing that the unit I was with, and many friends, could die at any moment.” He and his loved ones had to be prepared “for the worst to happen at any time.”

Rappoport is especially proud of “the fact that I showed up. Many people did not, and I knew that even with what I had back home, when the time [came], I showed up and did everything I could for what I believe in, no matter how much hate it would create for people that are on the other side of this.

“The effect this war had on me will definitely stick with me for a while. Although it was scary, I fully believe I was there for the right reason. [I] also understand that all the soldiers who participated in this war will have a hard time returning to reality. I am still struggling with my [daily] reality, knowing that continuing life is not easy after being on the front lines of the war,” he revealed.

‘Every Jewish person deserves to be protected’

When not in uniform, Yoni Rose serves as the interim cantor at the Beth Tfiloh Congregation of Baltimore. He is quick to acknowledge that the congregation was kind enough to let him take time off from work and come to Israel.

“I have a wife and three little kids – eight, five, and three,” he said. “My wife is at home alone with all three kids. It’s very difficult. She’s also working at the same time. I give her a lot of credit for supporting my decision. She was very supportive from the beginning.”

In uniform, Rose is a combat soldier, guarding Givat Harel, near Shiloh. He explained, “Ninety percent of the men in the yishuv [settlement] are in the reserves and not home, so there’s a big need. There was also no regular army around, so [the IDF] created a lot of these units to make sure the yishuvim here are protected because there are constant threats and attempted attacks against them.”

Rose’s knowledge of how the army works influenced his decision. “I had an exemption from reserve duty because I lived abroad, but [I understood] that there was going to be a huge manpower issue. They send the regular units to the front, but a lot of these rear unit areas will need manpower,” he reasoned.

“I was trying to get into units that were on the front. My motivation was to protect my homeland, to protect the Jewish people. Ultimately, I came back [to Israel] after I got connected through a friend of a friend of a friend. I am a former fighter who was interested in coming to serve, and there was this unit in Givat Harel that desperately needed soldiers to fill out their ranks.

“My motivation to come back was the knowledge that every Jewish person deserves to be protected, regardless of where they are. Number one, [I came back to] protect Jews here because there are a lot of threats.

“And number two, I looked around the United States and saw rising antisemitism. I can’t say that the United States isn’t a place for Jews anymore. It might be premature to say something like that, but at the same time I can imagine a scenario where my family will need to find a safe haven somewhere. I cannot expect to come to a place where I didn’t do my part to protect the people and then come here and expect to be protected. That’s also part of my motivation,” Rose detailed.

In his youth, Rose did shortened service with Mahal as a lone soldier, and hasn’t been in the army for 15 years. “Changes for me? I’ve put on a few pounds,” he laughingly admitted.

Then he grew pensive about how much more seriously he takes his job now. “I think the level of maturity [is different] when you understand the sense of mission. When you’re 19, 20 years old, seeing groups of local kids wandering around a yishuv, it doesn’t really hit you the same way when you have your own children and you realize the importance of these lives and how important it is to make sure you’re covering all your bases, to make sure you’re really fulfilling the mission and not trying to cut corners.

“You check everybody a little bit more closely. You make sure that you pay attention in the training much more closely. You make sure you prepare your body much more effectively in order to be 100% ready, as much as you can possibly be, because you know the importance not just of preparing yourself and protecting yourself in the event of some sort of dangerous situation, but you also  know the importance of putting yourself and your body on the line, and you know the importance of protecting these lives.

“It hits in a different way. I’ve often explained the difference between understanding the importance of protecting young lives or understanding what children mean, how beautiful children are. You can understand it intellectually, but until you have your own children, it doesn’t really hit you in the kishkes [guts]. You don’t understand it in the depth of your soul. And so that’s definitely changed for me.”

At 37, Rose acknowledged that “the body just isn’t as resilient as it once was.” On the other hand, “interestingly, one of the hardest parts of being in the army is often the sleep deprivation; but having had three little kids, I’m able to deal with sleep deprivation a little bit better.”

He continued, “The hardest part also is, of course, being away from my family, knowing how difficult it is for them back home. For me, I’m working hard, but I have a sense of mission, and that kind of drives you through everything. It’s a lot more difficult when you’re back home in the States and it’s not immediately in front of you, and you don’t have that camaraderie of the unit around you. That can be very lonely, and I know it’s very difficult for my wife and very difficult for my children. It’s hard for me that, in some way, I’m putting them through this. It’s difficult to see people you love struggling,” he confessed.

Rose’s job allows him to feel part of the community of Givat Harel. “Every time I work out on the yishuv, I get a little group of boys that joins me. They are just desperate for some kind of contact with a father figure and to have some sort of connection to the army and to what their father is doing. I’m very proud that I’ve been able to contribute in that way.

“I get to go into the kindergarten and the preschool and [as a cantor] play music for them occasionally. I’m very proud I’ve been able to be part of the community, not just in protecting them but also trying to contribute in some way socially and culturally,” he said.

‘I couldn’t sit on the sidelines’

On October 7, Myron Shneider of Boston, Massachusetts, was on a road trip, intending to start the next phase of his life in Austin, Texas. As soon as he arrived in Austin, he left his car and personal items with a trusted local, flew back to Boston, and started raising money to buy crucial gear for Israeli soldiers.

Less than a month later, after raising and delivering over $50,000 worth of gear, Shneider got on a flight to Israel himself. Today, he’s a combat fighter in Unit 910, guarding the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

“We operate in the area between Hebron and Bethlehem, working with intelligence services to carry out arrests, patrols, and [secure] checkpoints in Arab villages around the area. We are also in charge of the busiest intersection in Gush Etzion, a place that has seen many terrorist attacks and car rammings.

“I view our mission as extremely important. We are the ones guarding Tel Aviv and Jerusalem from terror attacks, since many of the perpetrators come from the Arab towns where we carry out arrests,” Shneider explained.

Dropping his new life in Austin took no thought at all. “It was an easy choice – as in, there was no other choice. I had to come and help. I had the privilege of serving as an infantry soldier and having the training to be able to go and defend right now, so that’s what I had to do.

“Israel is the home of all of us. I couldn’t sit on the sidelines and see my friends fighting, while I was in the United States,” he elaborated.

Shneider faced a few obstacles, including a loss of Hebrew fluency. “On October 7, I barely had any Hebrew [left], having not spoken for seven years. That same day, I began watching Israeli TV shows, like Fauda, and listening to music nonstop, and now my Hebrew is fully back. I’m able to communicate and operate without a problem.”

He also had to fight for the chance to serve again. “On October 7, I didn’t have a reserve unit to join, since when I finished the IDF, I moved back to the US.”

When he first got back in uniform, he volunteered “with a special forces unit for the first few weeks, while I made phone calls to everyone I could until I found a team looking for an additional fighter. I interviewed with the officer and was pulled in.”

Shneider has been in Israel since early November and doesn’t expect to be able to return to the US for a few more months. When he does, it won’t be for long.

His plan is “to go back to the US for a month to organize stuff, get my car, and see family.” And then it’s back to Israel for good. “I’m currently looking for an apartment in Tel Aviv. Once I get released, my plan is to find a job here in marketing and hopefully also a nice Jewish girl to start a family here.”

Of what is he most proud? “Just being here. Wearing the uniform. I’m a combat soldier defending Israel during the war, patrolling our areas and being the person who brings security to the local Jews.

“It’s an honor,” he said.  

The writer is a freelance journalist and expert on the non-Jewish awakening to Torah happening in our day. She is the editor of the books Ten from the Nations and Lighting Up the Nations.