Reflection #8

        Last night I went to a showing of the documentary, Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story . It was about the oldest brother of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his life long dedication to the safety and success of Israel. Yoni began serving in the Israeli Army when he was 18, like any other 18 year old Israeli. At age 16, he moved to the United States, only to move back to Israeli himself to serve his state. Yoni is most recognized for his sacrifice while saving the Israeli citizens held against their will in the Entebbe hostage crisis in Uganda. For those of you who have never heard of it, a flight from France to Israel was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists with the help of Ugandan supporters. 

Yoni was part of “The Unit”, a special forces unit that was chosen specifically to work on this operation. Out of the small group of dedicated Israeli men to risk their lives to save these innocent civilians, Yoni was the only man to die. What makes Yoni’s story remarkable, however, was his letters to his loved ones throughout his time in the army, that described his longing to be home, his sense of nationalism for his homeland, and also his fear and sadness that accompanies war. 

Most of us have seen enough war movies and documentaries to understand the tragedies and stress of war. The immense consequences of it, however, did not become real to me until some of Yoni’s letters were read in the documentary. It amazes me that people are willing to sacrifice their lives for the preservation and safety of their country or state. This got me thinknig back to the many revolutionary movements we’ve been studying these past few months in Serbia, Egypt, Libya, and Iran. Even though the type of war waged by movements in these countries was different than the type of war I learned about in the documentary, both were marked by a sense of nationalism and a desire for freedom. In my eyes, the will of people to fight for their land, with or without violence, is truly remarkable.