Chief of IDF General Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz and his family held the Passover Seder Monday at an IDF installation near Gaza, alongside commanders and soldiers from the 'Gideon' Battalion of the Golani Regiment. The Battalion is presently carrying out operations in the Gaza area.
The Gantz family was joined by Southern Command Head Maj.-Gen. Tal Russo, Gaza Northern Regiment Col. Commander Ofer Levi, and Gideon Battalion Commander Lt.-Col. Avinoam Stolovich.
The Chief of Staff voiced appreciation for the soldiers' activities and added: "Even while the citizens of the State of Israel are gathered at the Seder tables in their homes, the IDF's warriors in the air, at sea and on land are standing guard, carrying out the mission of safeguarding the citizen's security."
Addressing the theme of freedom - the central motif in the Passover holiday - Lt.-Gen. Gantz noted that "In the course of the military service, everyone gives up some of his personal freedom for the benefit of the freedom of the entire Nation of Israel."
The Chief of Staff told the soldiers who dined with him that they would soon be receiving a day off for rest and recreation, and he surprised one of the soldiers, Sgt. Franco Levi, with a plane ticket to Peru. The ticket, a gift from the Organization for the Welfare of the Soldier, will enable Sgt. Levi to see his mother, whom he has not seen for many months.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak attended the annual Seder for 380 Lone Soldiers that was held at Givat Olga, under the sponsorship of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (AWIS), ABSI-France, Keren Or and Friends of the IDF in France.
"I am full of appreciation for you, the Lone Soldiers who came from overseas [and] left their families in order to join the ranks of the IDF, protect the country and serve it," Barak said. "Your contribution to the field and the home front is a great one and as far as we are concerned, every soldier like that is a part of the IDF family."
Lone Soldiers' Seder / IDF Spokesman's Unit (file)