For nearly 60 years, the Carlebach family has provided food and drink to those visiting the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron through their organization, "Hachnasat Orchim." However, the call they received on a Sunday morning, the day after Simchat Torah on October 7, propelled brothers Eliezer and Yossi Carlebach into a completely different kind of action.
A group of soldiers gathered near Ein Zeitim and asked them for water. When they arrived, the brothers realized the troops also needed food. They quickly returned with rolls, cold cuts and condiments. By the next day, they had scaled up their efforts significantly.
"We bought grills and went out with teams that eventually included up to 400 volunteers in the south and north, preparing hearty hamburger meals with drinks for the soldiers," Yossi explained. Within days, they had mobilized a fleet of three food trucks, dozens of grills and serving stations. They traveled to various points across the north and south, bringing a band to lift the soldiers' spirits.
Since the start of the war, they have distributed around half a million hamburger meals and over a million cans and bottles of drinks. This enormous project, aimed at encouraging and feeding the soldiers, is estimated to have cost about 15 million shekels.
"We saw this as an opportunity to bring people together and sanctify God's name. It was our way of contributing to the national effort," said Eliezer Carlebach. He described how the soldiers eagerly awaited their arrival for encouragement and support even on particularly tough days when grim news of casualties was constant.
"On the day 21 soldiers were killed in a building collapse in Gaza, we thought it was inappropriate to visit the soldiers on the Gaza border with a band and a barbecue. But the soldiers begged us to come and cheer them up," Eliezer shared. "They told us they needed to see that the people of Israel were happy with them and standing strong despite the heavy toll and the hardships of battle. They wanted us to lift them out of their sadness."
The brothers observed that, in the initial months of the war, everyone seemed eager to contribute to unity and collective effort. They noted a stark contrast between the public sentiment and the reality on the ground.
"It was painful and frustrating to hear talk of division when we saw firsthand the camaraderie and unity among people from all walks of life, religious and secular alike," Eliezer said. "The people of Israel do not want to fight among themselves. Everyone is doing what they can to help and participate."
The Carlebach family has long been involved in hosting pilgrims at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron, following the command of the kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria to care for the needs of those who make the long journey. "Our father, Rabbi Meir Carlebach, established a large kitchen near the tomb, and since then, everyone who arrives receives hot meals and can have cold or hot drinks to refresh themselves," Eliezer recounted.
The decision to go out into the field and mobilize hundreds of volunteers from across the country to bring hot food to the soldiers was not just about feeding them, but about lifting their spirits.
"The army knows how to feed even a million soldiers if necessary, but this was an unexpected event, and there was a significant need in the early weeks. Every person in Israel has mobilized for the soldiers, but we wanted to bring the kitchen to the bases and gathering points to give them an experience that was much more than just a hot meal in a tin," he concluded.
First published: 23:46, 06.04.24