After completing an extended reserve duty in Gaza, Josh and Avi Ettinger had planned a joint trip abroad to celebrate Josh's 40th birthday. However, they never imagined they would meet in the middle of a Shiite village in southern Lebanon, just two months after sharing a smoke in the heart of the Gaza Strip.
On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Josh—a father of four and married to Tali—was called up for reserve duty in the north, in preparation for the ground entry of a maneuvering brigade. Avi, his 35-year-old younger brother who lives in Modiin, received a similar call from the brigade's mobility unit commander and headed north. Avi's wife, Elisheva, and their three children celebrated the holiday with Josh's family at their parents' home in the town of Modi'in, not far from Jerusalem.
Early Thursday, under complete darkness, Avi led a mobility unit supplying forces in the heart of the Lebanese villages. Upon arrival, he recognized the company where his older brother served, and the two met with great excitement. "I just wanted to make sure he was okay and then update Mom so she wouldn’t worry," Avi recounted.
The Ettinger brothers immigrated to Israel about 20 years ago, a year before the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War in the north. At the onset of the current war, they were exempt from reserve duty but fought hard to return to service. "We were eager to be called to help restore the residents in the north to their normal lives," Avi described. A few months after the war began, he decided to leave the investment fund where he was a partner and manager. "For me, the most important thing now is the military and restoring security. Once we finish here, I'll start a new career chapter," he said.
Over the weekend, the younger Ettinger returned to tasks at the border, while his older brother remained beyond enemy lines. "It's hard to describe what a mother feels when she knows both her sons have gone to war on the eve of the holiday, but she is very proud of us," Avi concluded.