Beit Halochem presents “Beyond the 7th” in Calgary

By Michele Doctoroff

(Calgary) – “Can I help in some way?” is one of the most powerful questions we, as diaspora Jews can be asking again and again since October 7th.

I had reached out to the Beit Halochem Calgary Coordinator and National Board Member, David Wallach, and this led to an impactful experience and a deeper personal understanding of what our brothers and sisters in Israel face daily, how their lives change in a moment, and how we can all make a difference.

Beyond the 7th, Stronger Together was a most appropriate theme for the Beit Halochem Canada fundraising evening held in Calgary.  Reciprocal caring and sharing during the after-event reception left both the presenters and the attendees feeling very connected.  In speaking with attendees, they felt humbled, embraced by Judaism, and felt the need to tell others how critical it is that we all support the veterans in their lifelong challenges.

Calgary has had an ongoing relationship with Beit Halochem Canada for over 15 years.  Since 1978, Beit Halochem Canada, Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel has raised funds to support rehabilitating, rebuilding, and enhancing the lives of thousands of Israelis disabled in the line of duty or through acts of terror.  At Beit Halochem Centres across Israel, injured veterans, and their families are provided with personalized rehabilitative services, from the time of injury and for the rest of their lives. Since October 7th, 2023, the number of the injured has vastly increased from 51,000 on October 6, 2023, to over 66,000 wounded veterans.

According to Toby Feldberg, President and Lisa Levy, National Executive Director of Beit Halochem Canada, “Beit Halochem is the only organization legally responsible for the well-being of all Israel’s wounded veterans.  Leading-edge Beit Halochem Centres in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Beer Sheva, Nahariya, and the future Ashdod provide a wide range of individualized therapies, specialized sports rehabilitation, and arts and cultural activities for the disabled veterans and their families.

“Given the unprecedented number of newly injured veterans, the Centres are expanding their skilled staff in numerous therapy disciplines and increasing inventories of specialized rehabilitative equipment.  As the founding funder of the Achiad PTSD support groups, Beit Halochem Canada will significantly increase its funding of this vital initiative.”

Five October 7th veterans from Israel stood before our community, sharing their personal stories, video footage of actual incidents and their families’ responses. The audience was captivated, bringing tears of pain and tears of respect deep into their hearts.  The depth of bravery, strength and courage in these mostly young people was beyond inspirational.  Everyone in the room was proud of these Israelis and ever so grateful that there are institutions such as Beit Halochem to stand with Israelis in their moment of need, returning their dignity and spark of life.

Eden Ram, standing strong, shared how as a 20-year-old officer serving in the Home Front Command she was hit by 12 bullets when her base was overrun by the terrorists. She had to play dead as she lay among her friends’ bodies. With deep pain she shared how she was one of only two who survived at her base. She didn’t expect to live and was sending farewell messages to her family.

Evyatar Edri with heroic strength was unimaginably part of the rescue team of his own parents.  Evyatar, a police officer in Ofakim is now affected by PTSD.  Accompanying Evyatar was his mother Rachel, a hero in her own right who staved off the terrorists who were holding her at gun point.  Coffee and cookies allowed her to engage with the terrorists and unfocus them. Even if you weren’t a Hebrew speaker, you could immediately feel her sense of chutzpah and understand how without even a weapon she could save lives.

Jonathan Pinto heroically prevented the terrorists from entering Kibbutz Nirim, however his tank was hit by a missile.  There are many who can thank Jonathan for saving their lives, however as a result he is now learning to live without his eyesight.

Liam Shpilman was out of the country on October 7 and voluntarily returned and enlisted as a reservist.  A Hezbollah drone critically injured Liam while he was defending Israel’s border with Lebanon.  Liam suffered severe injuries to limbs, organs, veins and arteries, which has resulted in dozens of surgeries.

Yonti Bahat, a psychologist, developed Extreme Simulation training so that medics and soldiers would be prepared to quickly act in any and all extreme situations.  Yonti experienced serious injury in Gaza.  He was evacuated to medical aid by his brother also serving as a combat officer in his brigade.  A young paramedic who Yonti had personally trained, delivered a life-saving procedure to him in the helicopter en route to the hospital, thus saving his life.

With calmness and grace each veteran shared their story to help us better understand the extreme dangers and risks they faced, and how Beit Halochem was and is always there for the emotional and physical needs for themselves and their families.

With mottos such as ‘we do not leave anyone behind,’ ‘a new world of hope’ and ‘there is nothing in the world you can’t do,’ this brief video  brings a smile to one’s heart conveying how donations directly impact  lives youtu.be/-JtfGYpAzW0?si=KSgKje2hJn8ScIil.

With standing ovations after each veteran spoke, Calgary clearly conveyed deep respect and support for the 16-member delegation and to all of those back in Israel.

Heartfelt and masterfully curated musical interludes allowed the audience time to reflect and absorb the horrific accounts of what happened to the men and women standing before them, while at the same time the meaningful music in both English and Hebrew soothed the experienced rawness.

Lisa Levy and David Wallach and the entire delegation on behalf of Beith Halochem extend appreciation and thanks to all the volunteers, attendees and donors who made the event the largest Calgary fundraiser to date for Beit Halochem.

The 15th Annual Courage in Motion bike ride takes place October 19 to 23, 2025, offering a lifetime experience for cyclists to ride alongside Israel’s disabled veterans, exploring Southern Israel. For further information and to join, visit courageinmotion.ca/

For further information, to donate, volunteer for the May 2026 concert, or to arrange a personal tour of Beit Halochem in Israel, contact David Wallach at davidw@beithalochem.ca or visit beithalochem.ca.