2023-10-21 14:36:39
Crates of mushrooms, lemons and other pallets of plastic boxes pile up in the tree-lined courtyard of the Ha’Achim restaurant, in the heart of Tel Aviv. Since the day after the Hamas attack on Israel, this temple of trendy gastronomy has been converted into a vast kitchen to feed reservists and soldiers mobilized in an emergency.
The Brothers in Arms association, which brings together active reservists and veterans hostile to the policies of the Netanyahu government, is now leader of the mobilization networks on the front. The first days, it was limited to collecting needs on the ground, explains Shalom Simcha Elbert, one of the organizers of Ha’Achim. “Since then, we have expanded distribution to evacuated families, the injured, Bedouins and all those who need it. »
Here and in the hundred associated restaurants, 15,000 to 25,000 meals are prepared per day and delivered to the four corners of the country. “Even in a war zone, in coordination with the army”, adds the thirty-year-old. “Yesterday, near Lebanon, the driver had to flee into a shelter because of gunfire. »
Razors and cigarettes to “feel like home”
Fruits, vegetables, spices, everything comes from donations. Around an outdoor bar converted into an HQ, a volunteer negotiates, AirPods grafted to his ears, the delivery of 50 kg of chickpeas. Inside, every square centimeter is occupied by 400 to 600 volunteers busy cutting, slicing, snacking… “In recent days, we have taken a step forward: given the audiences we serve, we had to go through hiding. It wasn’t easy to put in place, but we succeeded.” adds the thirty-year-old, delighted to be there rather than in fatigues.
A stone’s throw from this bobo hive, a small stand is set up in full sun. Oz Deisraeli created a collection network for soldiers across the country. “The idea is to collect cigarettes, razors, clothes, toothbrushes so that they feel at home on the front line,” explains this real estate agent from Madrid, who rushed on a plane the day after the attack. Ex-commander of a combat unit, he had to resolve to see his former men leave without him. “Obviously, I would have preferred to be with them on the front, he explains. But I know they are doing what it takes to eradicate Hamas. »
“Within a few months, my son escaped it…”
At the other end of the metropolis, Kobi takes a solo cigarette break at the foot of the deserted building where he works. In his firm, which usually has 250 lawyers, the workforce has already shrunk. “Fifteen reservists left. There are a lot of women in the firm, so we could feel it more,” explains this 29-year-old junior lawyer.
Everyone here knows the rules: after compulsory military service for almost all Israelis, most can be called up as reservists until they turn 40, or longer in the event of a national emergency. «That gives us more work and fewer hours to bill. But the customers are accommodating. They know that this is the game if we want to fight for our society. »
This large-scale mobilization raises concerns about the resistance of the « start-up nation ». In certain sectors, such as tech, which contributes up to 20% of the economy, young employees are proportionately more mobilized. Kobi is biding his time : «As I was in intelligence during my service, I was not called up at the same time as the combatants. But it will come. »
National momentum does not erase anxiety. Haïm, in his sixties, cut short his vacation in France to return to take care of his three grandchildren. Her 40-year-old son had received the dreaded call. “Within a few months, he escaped it,” ruminates, worried, this veteran of the Yom Kippur War. “Hamas and Hezbollah have never accepted that we have a state, so we must go all the way, even if it takes three days, six months or three years,” adds this retiree, nostalgic for the hopes of peace. “What we need is a new Rabin. »
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