Bravery: Multiple Terror Attacks Didn’t Stop IDF Officer’s Rise

“That’s what I learned at home, that’s what I grew up with, and these are the values that I will instill in my soldiers – giving back to the State and loving the State,” said a young IDF officer.

By: IDF Blog and United with Israel Staff

Lieutenant Aviv would not let the two terror attacks he has experienced stop him from achieving his goal of becoming an IDF officer.

When he was a baby his mother used her own body to shield him from a stabbing attack. Years later, his family’s car was hit by a Molotov cocktail and his sister was badly burned.

Lt. Aviv was only a month old when armed terrorists attack his mother with a knife at the entrance to their home in Gush Katif. His mother was stabbed more than 20 times while she used her own body to protect him and his young sister.

“My mother, my sister, and I were saved because people heard shouting, rushed to help, and overpowered the terrorists. It was not an easy time for my family. It was especially hard for my mother to be away from us [during rehabilitation], her little children,” Lt. Aviv shared.

He later enlisted in the IDF to serve in the elite Golani Brigade. After a challenging year serving in the brigade, he chose to go to squad commander’s course. Right before he finished the course, terror struck his family for the second time.

In October 2015, his father and mother were traveling with three of his younger siblings to the Israeli community of Beit El, when Molotov cocktails were thrown at their car. The first one hit the car window, and the second exploded on his 3-year-old’s sister’s seat. His sister, Tal, was badly burned.

“It’s not easy to see your sister wrapped in bandages from head to toe. [during her recovery] she didn’t respond or laugh. To this day she has a pressure suit designed to reduce the scars.”

With the support from his family, Lt. Aviv successfully completed the squad commander’s course and became a sergeant.

But he wasn’t done yet. Lt. Aviv set yet another goal for himself.

“At first, after what my family went through, I didn’t think that I could go to the officer’s course. But after a few months in my position [as a squad commander], when the situation calmed down, I decided that I would go. That was my dream – and I decided not to give up on it,” Lt. Aviv said.

“That’s what I learned at home, that’s what I grew up with, and these are the values that I will instill in my soldiers – values of giving back to the State and loving the State,” he added.

Today, Lt. Aviv is a platoon commander in the 51^st Battalion. In three months, Lt. Aviv will be starting a new position as the 51^st Battalion’s Deputy Company Commander.

“I feel a tremendous amount of satisfaction from working with combat soldiers and seeing their progress. I’m happy to give back to the people of Israel and the IDF,” Lt. Aviv concluded.