He Left His Community and Found Another

September 6, 2024

N.T. is the youngest of twelve siblings. He grew up in a Haredi family and spent his early years studying in yeshivas.

At 17, he made the bold and difficult decision to leave his ultra-Orthodox community and join the pre-military academy “Tiferet Ha’arazim” for six months. In August 2021, N. enlisted in the IDF as a combat soldier in the Netzach Yehuda Battalion. He completed eight months of training before serving in various operational sectors, including Judea and Samaria, Syria, and later in the south near Erez Crossing and Beit Hanoun.

As a communications sergeant, N. participated in focused raids in the Beit Hanoun area, a region where the IDF hadn’t operated on the ground for a while. Due to the sensitive and classified nature of these operations, specific details cannot be disclosed. During one of these raids, as the team was on its way out, a sniper shot N. in the knee. He collapsed immediately and was quickly evacuated to a hospital, where he underwent his first surgery. After further treatment he was eventually transferred to Sheba Medical Center for rehabilitation.

At Sheba, N. formed a strong connection with a particular physiotherapist, who, like N., had left the ultra-Orthodox community. This shared background created a deep bond between the two of them, making the challenging rehabilitation process a bit easier. N. spent several months in intensive rehabilitation at Sheba, where he underwent additional surgery on his leg. He was finally discharged in late June and is currently undergoing outpatient rehab, attending sessions at Sheba two to three times a week.

Here he is a month ago, rehabilitated enough to get up on a surfboard.

N’s journey from ultra-Orthodox yeshiva student to elite combat soldier and now thriving survivor in rehabilitation is a testament to his own strength and determination as well as the diversity of the Sheba staff. While all Sheba staff provide passionate and loving care, the Israeli mosaic inside Sheba allows any patient to identify with a caregiver that helps their journey of healing.

Am Yisrael Chai