An avid runner, 15-year-old Ido rarely missed his early morning run, following a route he’d done many times before. But on that morning of October 7, 2023, he was too tired and decided to stay home in Moshav Ohad instead – a decision he believes saved his life.
“Based on my usual timing, I would’ve been passing through Moshav Yesha right as terrorists entered the area,” he explained. “I probably would have run into them.”
At 6:30 a.m., sirens woke him up. He took shelter in a room with his mom, older sister, and younger brother for hours.
“It’s a small moshav, pretty far from Gaza, so everyone thought it was just another round of rockets,” he said. “But then messages started pouring in – shut your windows, lock your doors. Friends from Be’eri texted that terrorists had entered army bases. It was the first time in my life that I was truly scared. My hands were shaking.”
That same day, the residents began to organize an evacuation, and a week later, it became official. Ido and his family moved to Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh in the western Negev, where they lived in a guesthouse until July. Eventually, they moved into a larger home.
Most of the community returned to Ohad in February, and although Ido’s family hasn’t fully returned, they now split time between Ohad and Ramat HaNegev, with Ido spending all of 9th grade in a school in Ramat HaNegev.
“I made a lot of new friends,” he reflected. “They really welcomed me. I thought I wanted to stay there, live there, even. But now I’m also happy to be reconnecting with my old friends from Ohad and Eshkol.”
This summer, Ido spent time at a summer camp in the U.S. through Campers2Gether, a Jewish Agency program. Campers2Gether supports Israeli youth and teens impacted by the horrors of October 7 and boosts their resilience through the summer camp experience. Launched by The Jewish Agency in 2024, the program provides young Israelis living in the shadow of the conflict a healing respite like no other as they form powerful connections at Jewish overnight camps around the world.
Ido’s sister participated in Campers2Gether last year as a counselor and came back full of stories, encouraging Ido to take part this year.
“At first, I was a little nervous when I got to camp… I didn’t really know anyone, but I was really looking forward to meeting American kids, talking to them, and learning what it’s like to grow up Jewish in the U.S.,” he shared. “But by the end of the first day, we were already bonding and having fun.”
“And it was a chance for me to reconnect with myself and my friends,” Ido added. “We hadn’t been in the same place together in so long – now we got to live together, laugh together, and go back to being close. So, if you’re wondering if it was worth it? It absolutely is!”
