Standing Strong with Amit Bar

When life changes in an instant, how do you move forward? Amit shows us how.

Hi! Miranda here. By happenstance, I’ve been meeting IDF soldiers both online and in person who have been badly injured in the Israel-Hamas War, survived (thank G-d), and are now living out their life’s purpose for the greater good.

One of them is Amit Bar. I met Amit at the JTS event, “SPOILER: The Unpredictable Story Festival” earlier this week, where Israeli writer Etgar Keret and The New Yorker editor Deborah Treisman spoke about storytelling and editing. It’s also where Etgar Keret signed my bookmark in Hebrew (!!) but anyway…

After the event, attendees were schmoozing in the lobby, including my main man (I’m trying to find new and different ways to refer to my partner. It’s worth noting that ChatGPT suggested “the CEO of my heart.”), and a young Israeli man with glasses and a warm smile. The latter was sharing the story of how he lost his leg in Gaza.

Surprised, I looked down, and only then did I notice the black-and-silver prosthetic leg visible from his right shorts.

Amit was at this event because he devoured Etgar Keret’s books during his entire army service, his favorite being A Glitch at the Edge of the Galaxy. After his injury, he asked Etgar to visit him in rehabilitation, and that’s when their meaningful connection started. After Amit was released from the hospital, the pair ran an event together where they read stories they had written, and even wrote one story together that was published in an Israeli newspaper. Amit is also a poet.

I’ll let Amit share the details of his story below, but I just want to say that while he was speaking with us and showing us videos of his rehab sessions here in the U.S., I didn’t see the aftermath of a sad war story standing before me. All I saw was pride and the desire to give back to his country in a meaningful way.

At a time in the Hebrew calendar when we are called to return to our deepest selves, Amit is already doing just that, despite—or because of—great personal cost.

Note: Amit is in NYC until September 30th and is looking for synagogues to share his story! If your shul or community would be willing to host Amit, please reach out by commenting or replying to his email and I will connect you.

Take it away, Amit.

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My name is Amit Bar, I’m 24 years old. In 2021, I joined the IDF and began my service as a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade.

On the morning of October 7, my team and I went down to the South to prepare for entering the Gaza Strip. On November 1, 2023, we entered Gaza. We had one mission in front of us: to bring our brothers and sisters home.

On the morning of December 26, we were walking in Jabaliya. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion. Smoke filled the air, and bombs went off all around us. The building collapsed on top of me. Twelve soldiers were wounded in the incident, and my commanders, Shay Shamriz and Shauli Greenglick, were killed just two meters away from me. A heavy door fell on my right leg, and I was evacuated by helicopter.

As I was being evacuated, I called my mom because I thought I was dying. It was one of the hardest moments: I was on 20/40 blood pressure, I truly thought I was about to die. But I told my mom I was fine so she would not worry.

Within an hour and ten minutes, I was at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where doctors treated me and saved my life. My other leg was full of shrapnel. I spent a whole day sedated in intensive care and woke up very weak. That was when the doctor told me that my leg had been amputated and that my friends had been killed.

A few days later, they discovered dangerous infections caused by bacteria from Gaza, which brought on chills, vomiting, and fever. For about a month and a half I was in intensive care, fighting for my life. Later, I was transferred to the plastic surgery department, where they treated me with new methods and technologies. After another month, I was transferred to rehabilitation at Sheba Hospital, where I began the long process of recovery and learning how to walk again.

I stayed there for about nine months, working hard in occupational therapy, hydrotherapy, and physiotherapy. Slowly, I began taking my first steps with a prosthetic leg.

On October 7, 2024, I was released from the hospital. Today, I still come to Sheba a few times a week for day rehabilitation. One month after I was released from the hospital, I started my studies at Reichman University in Herzliya, because it is important for me to combine rehab with my studies.

I chose to study diplomacy because since I cannot return to the army and fight for my country on the battlefield, I want to fight for it in other arenas such as the Foreign Ministry, public diplomacy, and social media. I want to believe that my life has meaning, and I feel a deep need to live a meaningful life and to give back to my country and society. My vision is to be independent, to build a family, and to contribute to the community around me.

I also want to share my request to the Jewish community in America. My hope is that they will make Aliyah to Israel, and if not, that they will stand with Israel by supporting organizations such as Belev Echad, which helps wounded soldiers.

Thanks again for your support and for helping me spread this message.

Shabbat Shalom,
Amit

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You can follow Amit’s adventures on his Instagram.

Here is a music video he made starring his new leg, to Danny Sanderson’s song,לא יפריד דבר (“Nothing Will Separate Us”), edited by his friend, Jonathan Gat Pelesh.

This project really captures Amit’s upbeat spirit. I’m so happy for his life; this is only just the beginning for him.

Nothing will separate us forever.
Even if the world stops for one day
My place will always be by your side
All the way I am your lover

You have always been everything to me
Thanks to you I learned what and who I am
Such a once-in-a-lifetime gift
You should cherish it forever

The river will carry us
There is no telling where
Or the length of the journey
And when we arrive I will say for sure

Shabbat Shalom. Prayers from New York,