From Chananya Weissman‘s newsletter (from Hoshana Rabba):
The following testimony is shared with permission, anonymously, because deep down even the most obedient peasants live in terror of the “holy” people who are “protecting” them.
My son finally came home after the tragedy/trauma of the bombing of his army base’s cafeteria. I just want to mention the level of gaslighting that happened with this event where 4 soldiers lost their lives and many others were seriously injured. We know it’s bad here, but sometimes, I don’t think we realize how bad. My son’s training group was in a field outside the base when it happened. They were told to find a bush and hide for 2 hours afterward. They weren’t told what happened, just that there was an attack on the base. Then they were told to return.
During those 2 hours the soldiers that were near the cafeteria put their dead, torn, shrapnel laden friends on helicopters. Still with blood on their hands, frozen with shock, they were told to go on their scheduled training. From that moment, the tragedy was NEVER mentioned again. The cafeteria was sealed off, Arab workers were brought in to restore it and the soldiers ate from prepared packages in their rooms. The event was NEVER addressed, never referred to again, there was never a moment of silence for the fallen, or any sign that it even happened. They were never told the names of the guys who died or any details. When they asked questions, they were told ,”we are Golani. We are tough”. End of conversation.
They meet in formation a hundred times a day to get lectured on all kinds of things, but never was it mentioned anywhere. They are not allowed phones, so they couldn’t even learn who, what, where from social media (which should not be the way to learn, but there was no other way offered to them) until late late that night when they had a few minutes to look things up before going to bed at 2 am. That’s where they learned what it was and who died.
The kids who were allowed to come home for Shabbat, left there feeling confused, abandoned, hurt that no one cared, gaslighted and not sure who’s side the army was on.
Clearly orders from the top were to pass it all off as nothing. Also Oct 7, one year later, went over as a regular day. Not one mention or acknowledgment. Many of these kids, from the south, were directly involved , have friends and loved ones who were killed, and it was as if there never was an Oct 7 massacre.
God help us.
End of quote.