Golani

The Golani fighters have a special place in my heart. Whenever I see a "Golani Sheli" sticker, or a brown barret (Golani's color), or even a kippa with an olive tree (Golani's symbol) I feel a connection. I want to say, hey - my brother is also Golani. Golani 51, March 03. It's kinda like a Jewish geography itch. At work today I heard that a Golani unit was ambushed in southern Lebanon. Immediately my world froze. My brother could've been there. It's like when there were regular bombings in Jerusalem, and everywhere that blew up you had spent time at, or had just been on that bus, or had cancelled plans...that feeling. I knew my brother was not there, as a) his unit is not inside Lebanon, but sitting at the boarder, and b) much to his frustration, while the rest of his researve unit was called up - he was not. At dinner tonight he got a phone call telling him that one of the officers who was killed, a boy from Eli, was from his orignial training unit. I walked home tonight with a lot running through my head. On my way home I noticed 6 golani bumper stickers and 2 kids with golani kippas. I wish that I had something to say to each of them. As I said, my brother is frustrated he was not called up, and he is currently fighting with the army to call him up. To an outsider, and even to many insiders, that may seem nuts - I think I understand. That's his family on the border - I'm only related through him.