When the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack disrupted life in Israel, these Americans took action.
Some flew to Tel Aviv, feeling inspired to help. Others, who were visiting Israel, dug in and stayed.
It was not about taking up arms.
Instead, they did things – like cooking, caring for soldiers’ children, helping on farms – that impacted the daily lives of Israelis.
Here are the stories of the Americans who keep Israel going.
The firefighter helping his Israeli brothers
Schuyler Gordon, 37 years old. Paralegal and volunteer firefighter from Great Neck, New York. Volunteer as a firefighter.
After the attack, I spent a lot of time online, watching what was happening in Israel.
It took me to a dark place.
I decided I need to do something practical. I found the Emergency Volunteer Project and graduated as a firefighter.
Zeke Strain, a Montana farmer, is among the many Americans currently volunteering in Israel. Many are playing a crucial role in keeping the country moving and others are bringing joy to children after the horror. Courtesy of Zeke Strain Schuyler Gordon (left) spent two weeks as a volunteer firefighter in Israel. Courtesy of Schuyler Gordon
I deployed to Israel for two weeks in October.
The experience was magnificent.
The Judaism part of my life and the firefighter part of my life intersected for the first time.
On Friday night there was a Shabbat dinner at the fire station. Then the siren sounded and four guys ran towards the truck.
The Israelis were shocked that we risked our lives for two weeks.
They kept asking if we needed to eat. Firefighters started out like yenta grandmothers, until they realized we were there to work, then we broke our hands and put out fires, often caused by falling rockets.
Schuyler Gordon said being a firefighter in Israel was a little different than being a firefighter in the U.S., especially when the fire bell rang during Shabbat dinner at the fire station. Courtesy of Schuyler Gordon Schuyler Gordon brought his firefighter skills to the Promised Land. Schuyler Gordon
Returning home was bittersweet. Israel is where I need to be right now. I have received a lot from Israel. It was about giving back.
The doctor helping to heal combat wounds.
Dr. Zev Neuwirth, 54 years old. Miami internist. Volunteering as a military doctor.
The war broke out on Saturday. On Sunday he was already in Israel. I went to volunteer EMS and joined a combat unit. I recently retired from the Marine Civil Affairs Group; So, I am a doctor with military experience on the front lines.
Dr. Zev Neuwirth took a year off from his Miami practice to provide medical help on the front lines in Israel. Courtesy of Zev Neuwirth
I have seen combat injuries from soldier to soldier. But this touches my heart on a personal level. It is about our blood and our right to exist. [Hamas] He wants to erase us from the face of the Earth. I join the frontline units and provide medical support first and then all the help I can offer, whether psychological or supply delivery.
I treat someone here and see a love that goes beyond the doctor/patient. The sincere connection is tremendous. That keeps me moving forward without stopping in my tracks.
Dr. Zev Neuwirth told The Post that he sometimes receives calls from patients in Miami while practicing battlefield medicine.Zev Neuwirth
The investor who cooks for the troops
Reuben Taub, 65 years old. Private investor in New York City. Volunteering as a cook.
I was in the synagogue when the sirens sounded. I was scheduled to return home on October 30, but I stayed.
I wanted to get involved and help. I have a house in Jerusalem and my daughter Melissa lives in Tel Aviv. She found a group called Grilling for the IDF. Two days after the attack, she drove to Mod’in. [in central Israel], without knowing what he would do. Suddenly, I found myself making hundreds of hamburgers for the soldiers.
Reuben Taub extended his visit to Israel so he could cook for the troops, helping to prepare some 380 meals in a single day. Melissa Taub
Israel called up 360,000 reservists and there was no food.
We moved an operation to my house where I have a grill, two ovens and a stove. Working with a group of volunteers, the other day we prepared 380 meals for 190 soldiers.
He feels determined and it’s the right thing to do.
Whether you agree or disagree with your neighbor’s politics, whether you are secular or Orthodox here, you are helping.
Melissa and Reuben Taub, daughter and father, team up to keep Israeli soldiers fortified. Melissa Taub Reuben Taub poses with Israeli soldiers whom she helped feed and gave them encouraging messages from New York school children. Melissa Taub
The real estate agent brings joy to children who are victims of terrorism
Josh Levine, 32 years old. Real estate executive in Riverdale, New York. Volunteer as a Jewish Santa Claus.
A woman from our Orthodox community, Naomi Stira, started an initiative to collect children’s toys to be distributed through the One Family Fund, which helps victims of terrorism.
We collect toys for children whose family members were killed or displaced from their homes. In that situation, the children lost their toys.
On October 31, my brother-in-law Dovid Goldstein and I flew to Israel with 60 duffel bags loaded with toys. Representatives of the organization met us at the airport, collected the toys and distributed them.
Dovid Goldstein and Josh Levine (right) carried 60 duffel bags filled with toys in an attempt to bring happiness to displaced children. Courtesy of Josh Levine
But I still had 40 hours left in Israel. A friend knew Melissa Taub. I went to Rubin’s apartment, where they have a significant cooking space. I cut cucumbers for the Israeli salad.
In the elevator I saw a woman who had been displaced. I was going to the apartment to help cook. She had a piece of cardboard and she was using it to make a toy for her son.
I brought extra money, specifically to give to someone who needed it. I didn’t want to embarrass the woman. So I gave the money to Melissa. I asked her to give it to the lady anonymously so she could buy a toy for her son.
After Josh Levine’s bags of toys were taken, he headed to Rubin Taub’s apartment and helped with the cooking. Courtesy of Josh Levine
Despite everything, the woman was in an incredibly good mood. She inspired me when she smiled and said, ‘With God’s help, we will get through this.’”
Montana farmer keeps crops growing
Zeke Strain, 20 years old. Farmer in Augusta, Montana. Volunteer as a farmer.
Christian cowboys do more than farm. They help work the land and even built a fence that kept wild boars away from a zucchini crop. Courtesy of Zeke Strain
I have 700 tons of hay to rescue at my home in Montana, but this is something that has to be done.
I received the call [from a leader of the faith-based volunteer agency HaYovel] and took a flight. It saddened me to see so many Jews murdered. Israel needs support.
Many fathers and sons are fighting in Gaza. There are farms with growing products and they need to be harvested. The country needs food. A couple of days ago we picked up thousands of pounds of peppers.
Yesterday we went to a zucchini farm and built fences to keep the wild boars out.
Soon we will deliver bulletproof vests and flashlights. [financed by donations to HaYovell].
Three of the Christian cowboys, Zeke Strain, John Plocher, Yosef Strain (left to right), who left farm life in Montana to help in the Promised Land. Courtesy of Zeke Strain
Israel is where the Bible took place. There is only one Jewish State. We can not play.
The photographer who brings smiles from the front.
Menachem Geisinsky, 23 years old. Photographer on Long Island. Volunteering as a photographer.
I am directing the Smiling Project. I visit military bases, make soldiers smile, photograph them and put their photos on their Instagram page.
Menachem Geisinsky came to Israel with the goal of making soldiers smile while photographing them. Courtesy of Menachem Geisinsky
Initially, it showed a side of the IDF that people don’t see.
But, since the war, it has another purpose. The soldiers at the front do not have cameras.
They may lose contact with their families.
This helps family members connect with soldiers and see them smile.
I was with a 45 year old reserve. She had a son in Gaza that she couldn’t reach. Her father was worried. I managed to make him smile and momentarily escape the state he was in.
Menachem Geisinsky knows how to make soldiers smile, but a kiss from a pretty woman doesn’t hurt either. Courtesy of Menachem Geisinsky
Right now, it’s not just about showing soldiers smiling; is about get let them smile I’m boosting morale.
Students Babysitting, Baking, and Crying
Ella Morgenstern, 18 years old. Student in Scarsdale, New York. Rebecca Silber, 19 years old. Student in New York City. Both volunteers, babysitters and general helpers.
Rebecca Silber (left) and Ella Morgenstern were spending their gap year in Israel when fighting broke out. They stayed to help where they could. Courtesy of Ella Morgenstern
Ella: We came here to attend the seminar, during the gap year. The idea is to reinforce our Jewish heritage, connect with the land, volunteer with the community.
Rebecca: As soon as I realized what was happening, I asked myself how I could help. You can’t just watch this unfold. Neither of us had any doubts about whether we would stay or not.
Ella Morgenstern dons an Israeli army jacket, with Rebecca Silber on the left, as they offer themselves as uniform binders at an Israeli army base.
Her: I took care of children whose parents are fighting and I went to the funeral of a lone soldier. [a soldier in Israel without family]. We organized a carnival for the children and baked challa. It was amazing to cook for a cause.
Rebecca: We went to a base in Tel Aviv and packed a bunch of army uniforms for the reserves.
Her: Volunteering is self-medication. Giving back to the community is how Jews cope with grief.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn