Someone once said every Israeli is a soldier. Nowhere is this idea more evident than in a project David Landau started 25 years ago with his family.
David is originally from Queens, New York, and, his wife, Sorra, a practicing midwife in Israel, grew up in nearby Brooklyn. They made aliyah in 1977 with three children. After a year in the Mevasseret Tzion Merkaz Klita (absorption center) just 10 minutes north of Jerusalem, they heard "about an important place to build up" and moved to Kiryat Arba, the Jewish suburb of Hebron.
The Landaus lived in Kiryat Arba for 26 years, raising their eight children and becoming active members of the core veteran residents there. From Kiryat Arba they moved from their 2-story apartment to the Jewish community of Efrat, 15 minutes south of Jerusalem, six years ago to build a one-floor home for themselves, large enough to play with their 18 grandchildren on their welcome visits. Today their children range in age from 21 to 39.
David founded the Shomrei Efrat Kollel for young men who complete their army service around Efrat, so that they can continue religious studies and work as guards. Since those early days, the kollel also spent several yeas in Kever Rachel (Rachel's Tomb).
Meanwhile, yet another of David's diverse professional paths led him to create "Super Clean Chickens," a home delivery service for chicken, turkey, glatt meat and fish (landaus4u.com).
During the time the kollel was in Kever Rachel, David had many occasions to notice the looks on the faces of the soldiers stationed there. As he puts it quite succinctly - "they looked scared. " He goes on to describe his realization that these young men were making sacrifices that weren't so simple and he began going out every once in a while in a bullet-proof van taking them pizza and drinks.
In a sort of natural evolution, he and his family got the idea to set up a barbeque near a roadblock and share their food with soldiers. Soon people heard about what David was doing and wanted to come along.
Someone sent pizza bags to keep the pizzas warm. Then someone told him about a donut machine that could make 200 mini donuts in an hour. By 2005, someone sent him money, and he bought the donut machine.
Soon someone sent a $25,000 donation, with which he bought a truck and a trailer and "Standing Together" was established and moving forward. Soldiers expressed a need to charge their cell phones, so a friend rigged up a box with 36 outlets attached to the trailer.
During the Second Lebanon War 2007, there was a need for socks and underwear, soap and toothpaste, so those items found their way to "Standing Together's" trailer in addition to donuts and pizzas.
David coordinates his project with Libi, which is part of the army and is run by four officers and six volunteers at Tel Hashomer army base. Libi is a fund for strengthening Israel's defense by funding projects which improve the quality of life and enhance the well being of soldiers. If soldiers on a base make a request, David passes it on to Libi to get their opinion. If Libi finds it valid, David goes out to secure whatever it is.
David's bi-monthly visits to army bases cost $650 each – only partially covering the cost of the leased SUV, gas, maintenance, ice cream, pizza and drinks. The night trips start at 9:30 p.m., taking out pizza to a base, and end with volunteers returning around midnight .
"The idea of someone coming to them, bringing pizza to a chayal, (soldier) shows them someone cares," says David.
He also brings out tourists for visits and others like Dr. Elazar Jazz, leader of a band, who volunteer their time to raise the spirits of the soldiers.
On the day we went out with him, we met at the entrance to Jerusalem by the gas station at 11:35 a.m. and headed in the SUV pulling the trailer filled with a generator, a freezer filled with fruit ices on sticks and energy drinks. There was also an espresso machine labelled --"a cup of coffee for a chayal."
"Espresso is different and special," says David. Sometimes hot soup is also available.
After passing the road to the community of Ma'aleh Adumim, we met up with a busload of leaders and members of the Beit Meir Yeshiva boys' summer program. We then headed south on the four-lane highway, passing Bedouin tents, camels, goats, sheep and a totally vast desolate area, much of it below sea level. Then we turned off onto a winding road for awhile, arriving at our destination - an army base in the middle of nowhere.
After checking in, we drove from unit to unit. The yeshiva boys gave the soldiers stickers advertising "Standing Together" and David, my husband and I handed out the cold drinks and ices and visited with the soldiers. The soldiers were so nice, so welcoming, so friendly, so happy to see us. They welcomed the yeshiva boys showing them their tent and their equipment, even letting one of the boys try on a fully-equipped vest and attempt one of the training exercises. They then put camouflage cream on the faces of a few boys and explained its use.
"Every time I go out, I get such a high from it," David exclaims. "What we really need is a proper budget. I don't have time or strength to maintain the truck and keep this entire operation working all the time even though lots of volunteers are involved."
David would like the summer and year course students, synagogue and organization missions, touring groups and individuals or families to make "Standing Together" campaigns part of their itineraries.
Today, for instance, we are participating in the "ice cream program."
The first campaign for the new year is for Rosh Hashanah and will involve sending Rosh Hashanah greetings to chayalim by going to the website, www.stogether.org and clicking on Rosh Hashanah card.
"This is a project. We're not a business," says David. "This is one to one with a chayal. They're putting their lives on the line everyday and we have an obligation to say thank you."
By 3:15 the yeshiva boys have settled in back on their bus and we are back in the van heading back to Jerusalem, feeling some of the high David feels.
To make a donation or to become involved with Standing Together, contact david@stogether.org.
Their address is P.O. Box 1029, Efrat 90435 Israel.
Photo by Barry A. Kaplan
