When the sirens wailed on October 7, veteran ZAKA volunteer Natan did what he had done for 27 years: he ran toward danger.
For hours, he and his team crawled between burning cars and shattered houses near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, collecting bodies and fragments, ensuring no family would be left without a grave. At one point, amid the chaos and gunfire, he lifted a simple wooden cutting board over his chest - the same tool from his chef's kitchen - imagining it would shield him from terrorist bullets.
Natan Ran Toward Danger for 27 Years - Now He Needs You
That surreal moment captures everything about Natan's private war.
Beyond his 27 years with ZAKA, Natan built a thriving boutique meat-catering business from scratch. Families across the country knew him for the smiles he brought to their weddings and bar-mitzvahs. His kitchen wasn't just a business - it was his sanctuary, his artistry, his pride.
Natan Ran Toward Danger for 27 Years - Now He Needs You
But after the massacre, everything changed.
He couldn't bear to step into a kitchen anymore. Every knife. Every smell. Every slab of meat dragged him back to what he saw that day. The place where he once created celebration became a chamber of horrors.
Within months, his business collapsed completely. Hundreds of thousands of shekels in debts piled up - owed to suppliers and employees who had stood by him for years, who had trusted him during good times.
"Those people trusted me," Natan explains quietly. "I can't abandon them - just like I didn't abandon the victims on October 7."
Despite being diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress and complete financial ruin, Natan refuses to give up. More remarkably, he refuses to declare bankruptcy and walk away from his obligations.
"I'm not asking for pity," he says firmly. "I'm asking for life. I want to wake up with a purpose, to earn an honest living and be a father again."
Instead of returning to meat catering - which triggers unbearable memories - Natan dreams of opening a small food truck or bakery. Something that allows him to create joy again without reopening his wounds. But first, he is determined to clear every debt. Both out of principle and because he cannot imagine leaving anyone behind.
Support Natan's Honorable Fresh Start
ZAKA leadership confirms Natan represents hundreds of volunteers who witnessed the horrors of October 7th and now struggle in silence.
"These men and women carried our dead with dignity," a senior ZAKA official stated. "Now they need us to carry them."
The cutting board has become Natan's symbol - not of fear, but of resilience.
"It protected me that day," he smiles faintly. "Now I need something else to protect my future."
He hopes people who heard his story last year will stand by him again - this time to help him rebuild his life, settle every obligation with honor, and find his way back into a kitchen on his own terms.
The question is simple: Will we let a hero fall?
Natan never walked away from anyone in 27 years. Not once. Not when buildings burned. Not when terrorists shot at him. Not when he held that cutting board over his chest, believing it might stop a bullet.
He won't walk away from his debts now, even though bankruptcy would be easier. Even though the trauma crushes him daily. Even though every supplier would understand if he simply gave up.
But Natan doesn't give up. And neither should we.
The man who brought smiles to hundreds of celebrations through his culinary artistry now needs help creating his own new beginning. The volunteer who spent nearly three decades ensuring dignity for the fallen asks only for the dignity of honest work and the chance to keep his word to those who trusted him.
For 27 years, Natan held others up in their darkest moments.
Today, we hold him up.
Give Natan What He Gave Israel: Everything
This isn't charity. This is repaying a debt we all owe.
When your donation clears a supplier's invoice, you're not just helping Natan - you're helping the small business owner who trusted him. When you fund his food truck dream, you're not just giving him work - you're giving him back his identity, his purpose, his ability to be the father his children deserve.
Every dollar does three things:
1. Pays real people waiting for real money
2. Restores honor to a man who never abandoned anyone
3. Tells every ZAKA volunteer: "We won't forget you."
Here's exactly what your donation does:
$100: One supplier gets paid. One family breathes easier. One debt erased.
$250: Multiple invoices cleared. Real relief for real people who stood by Natan.
$500: Major debt eliminated. Natan gets closer to launching his food truck dream.
$1,000: Game-changing contribution. Funds equipment, clears major obligations, and gives Natan the foundation to rebuild.
$2,500 or more: You become a cornerstone donor. Your name will be associated with saving a hero's life and honoring his commitment to everyone who trusted him.
The cutting board couldn't actually stop bullets. But your donation can stop Natan's fall.
Click the link. Choose your amount. Change everything.
Donate Now - Natan Ran Toward Danger, Run Toward Him
Every donation goes directly to clearing debts and launching Natan's new business. Zero administrative fees. Zero delays. One hundred percent immediate impact for a man who gave Israel everything and now asks only for the chance to keep his promises.
The chef who held a cutting board as a shield now holds only hope.
Don't let him hold it alone.