Wednesday, October 7, 2026
The Friedberg Jewish Community Center hosted three wounded veterans of the Israel Defense Forces on July 24th—the Amir couple, Dan and Einav, and retired Staff Sergeant Reuven Magnage— who all shared firsthand accounts of service, injury, and resilience.
Presented by El Ami–Together for Them and co‑sponsored by the JCC Association of North America and the UJA Federation of New York, the “Summer Delegation 2025” event drew community members eager to hear firsthand how war extends far beyond the battlefield.
Though officially discharged twelve years earlier, Dan felt compelled to re‑enlist after October 7 2023. Within months he and a small night‑vision rescue team were extracting wounded under fire in Gaza, then redeployed to fight Hezbollah in Lebanon. On October 24, a rocket strike killed five comrades and cost Dan his right foot and severely injured his hand. Even on the helicopter out, he found himself instinctively organizing his own rescue.
Drawing on decades of Ironman and ultra‑marathon training, Dan refused to see his amputation as an end. With the encouragement of his surgeon, he set his sights on the 2028 Paralympics.
“My mindset has always been ‘today is the best day of your life—and tomorrow will be better,’” he said. “Rehab is torture, but every little gain—another step, another workout—is a victory.”
Behind Dan’s courage stands Einav Amir, his wife and “CEO” of the Amir household. From day one of the war, Einav balanced caring for elderly parents—one living under rocket fire just half a mile from Lebanon—with tending to their daughter finishing high school and an 18‑year‑old son also serving in Gaza.
“I felt I had no choice but to be strong—there was no handbook for managing your spouse’s redeployment, your son in combat, your daughter worried for her parents, and your own exhaustion,” she said. “But I made a rule: look at the full cup, not the empty one.”
When Dan called to say he’d been critically wounded, Einav dropped everything to rush to his bedside. The eight‑month arc of surgeries, sleepless nights, and small triumphs in therapy has forged a new normal—one defined by grit, routines, and shared optimism.
Wounded first in 2002 during the Second Intifada, Reuven volunteered again this past year despite being beyond reserve age. He survived rocket barrages in Gaza and an ambush in a Jenin refugee camp that claimed his comrades and left him fighting for life.
“In that chaos, I lay wounded, counting shells instead of buddies,” Reuven recalled. “I thought: if I die here, I’ll die fighting.”
Recruited into Israel’s Paralympic rowing team after his first injury, Reuven went on to compete in Beijing, London, and Rio—and now coaches Israel’s national squad. Yet he insisted his true mission is spreading these stories abroad.
By bringing these testimonies to the U.S., the El Ami delegation seeks not only donations of equipment and funds but also enduring alliances of empathy and education. Audience members were urged to “be our ambassadors”—to counter lies, uplift wounded heroes, and spread a message of unity and light.
“Every invitation you extend, every dollar you give, every story you share—that is how you stand with us on the front lines of democracy,” Reuven reminded the crowd.
