Oct. 7 survivor and IDF reservist brings story of heroism to Pittsburgh
"This is the least we could do to help protect the state of Israel.”
On Oct. 7, 2023, Yedidya Harush did what few would dare: He ran toward danger.
During the Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel, during which more than 1,200 people were murdered, 3,500 wounded and 250 kidnapped, Harush — an Israel Defense Forces reservist — and several of his friends fought off terrorists, saving hundreds of lives. Four of his friends were murdered during the fighting.
“This is what we were taught as children,” he said. “We were brought up with the values of loving your brothers, neighbors, friends and even those who you don’t know. If that means you need to sacrifice your own life, that’s what you do.”
Harush is bringing his story to Pittsburgh on Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m., as part of the Jewish National Fund-USA’s “Building Together: The Halutza Story” event.
Harush was born in the Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip. When he was 17, the family was forced to move after Israel’s 2005 disengagement from the region. The family then helped establish the Halutza region communities, situated between the Gazan and Egyptian borders.
The community on the corner of the Negev partnered with the JNF-USA, working to turn the desert into a functioning Israeli community complete with the type of infrastructure found in modern communities — including agriculture, medical facilities, parks and synagogues.
Harush spent two years in the United States on a basketball scholarship at a New Jersey high school. He turned down a college scholarship, returned to Israel and joined the IDF.
After his time as a paratrooper, he returned to the Halutza community expecting to deal with the realities of being a “pioneer” in an outpost community so far removed from modern society — including lack of water and heat, and challenges to travel.
“Never in my life did I think it would become the front line,” he said.
When the terrorists attacked in 2023, Harush remembered, there weren’t many IDF soldiers nearby so he and his friends “took responsibility” for protecting the area.
“I got a drone from the fire department that I volunteer with for the Jewish National Fund and used that most of the day to fly over and save many lives,” he said.
He and his companions also fought the terrorists on foot, helping to save hundreds of people.
And while many would view his actions as heroic and extraordinary, for Harush, they were a connection to the generations of Jews that lived — and fought for freedom — before him.
“The Jewish people have fought and faced so many challenges,” he said. “Those of us who live in this generation are fortunate enough to live in our own homeland, to have our own army and our own country. When you think about the giants that have come before you, this is my own little part. This is the least we could do to help protect the state of Israel.”
That sense of commitment to Israel and the Jewish people didn’t end on Oct. 8. Harush — a father of five and the proprietor of the Emuna Matzah Bakery near the Gaza border — signed up again for the IDF reserves and has served almost 800 days.
It’s that love for his country that is responsible for his work with JNF. He said that when the organization first visited the Halutza region, he fell in love with its vision for the area.
“They have a plan to build the Negev and the Galil and bring 500,000 Israelis to Negev and 300,000 Israelis to Galil to help settle these areas,” he said. “We fit perfectly with their vision because our plan is to have 20,000 people in Halutza in the near future.”
Pittsburghers will have a chance to hear from Harush next week.
“JNF has an incredible base of supporters in Pittsburgh,” explained Rabbi Dan Horowitz, JNF’s executive director, Midwest states. “Not all of them can get to Israel so we make it a priority to bring Israel to them.”
Halutza, he said, is an example of Israel’s pioneering spirit and is a growing community that has grown from 15 families to 450 in the last two decades.
The Pittsburgh event, Horowitz said, is an opportunity to be surrounded by fellow Zionists committed to ensuring Israel has a “joyful and hopeful future.”
For Harush, the opportunity to talk with Americans — his U.S. tour includes stops in Cleveland, Detroit, New Jersey and Pittsburgh — is an exciting opportunity to visit with friends and partners.
“These incredible partners own this land just as much as I do,” he said. “It belongs to all of us. Together we’re building it, we’re celebrating it. Together, we mourn when mourning is needed and we’re here for the good and the better, as well.”
Those wishing to hear Harush speak can register on JNF’s website. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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