At 2 a.m. on February 5, 2020, Sergeant Noam Garbi was standing with a group of fellow soldiers in Jerusalem's Old City when a terrorist plowed his vehicle straight into them, leaving many wounded. Garbi suffered multiple injuries and was unconscious and in critical condition for over a week.
"The car ran over me, and I couldn't breathe and lost consciousness. I remember nothing after that, but they tell me that I was unconscious for over a week. At the time, I was leading a platoon of trainee soldiers from the Golani Brigade. It was before Covid, and we set out for an educational tour of Jerusalem that was meant to precede their swearing-in ceremony at the Kotel.
"We passed by Abu Tor and continued toward the Kotel. The soldiers marched in two lines, and I led them in front. Out of nowhere, a heavy vehicle came barreling toward me and smashed into me and another 10 soldiers. The next thing I remember was awakening over a week later in the hospital."
As soon as he regained his speech, Noam's very first question was, "Where are my soldiers?" He was terribly worried about them, but everyone assured him that, although some had been wounded, everyone was, thank G-d, alive.
Noam suffered multiple injuries, including a serious break in his left calf, two fractures in his skull, and cerebral hemorrhaging. He also had a fractured jaw and damage to his knees. The night after he finally regained consciousness, Noam underwent life-saving head surgery to drain the swelling in his brain.
When he came to after surgery, the doctors and social worker warned him to prepare for a long, wearying rehab process, but miraculously, Noam was up and walking only a short while later!
"The doctors were sure that I'd be there for eight months at least, but I was back on my feet after only three weeks! I was still going for daily rehab, which quickly dropped to bi-weekly sessions, and was seeing a psychologist, OT, speech therapist, and physiotherapist, to name just a few…"
While many terror victims or WIA (wounded-in-action) soldiers suffer PTSD or depression, Noam shares that "I wasn't depressed. I didn't feel like my life was over, but it was still very, very difficult. I'd suffered serious brain damage, and from a bright young man with a promising future, I went to being severely debilitated to the point that I could hardly send a text! It was humiliating and degrading, but over time, I got back to myself and regained my faculties. I set myself goals, and went about them one at a time, beginning with the very first goal of getting out of my hospital bed and getting back to life as soon as I could! The hospital isn't much fun, and the food is nothing to write home about. The staff was awesome, but it's hard for a warrior to be stuck in one place, even if I was able to move around with a wheelchair or walker. More than anything, I wanted to get back to my unit, to my soldiers, to my chevreh [Hebrew for fellows]."
This year, Noam Garbi, who is a true hero and role model for many soldiers who were wounded in action or terror incidents, was honored with lighting the Hanukkah menorah at Belev Echad Center in Kiryat Ono. Belev Echad is an international initiative dedicated to easing the transition of WIA soldiers and terror victims back into mainstream society and the workforce. Through a well-designed support system that empowers each veteran and builds on his or her skills and hobbies, the organization adopts each wounded soldier individually and assumes the roles of mentor, advocate, and friend, guiding him or her through critical medical, educational, and professional decisions and celebrating life's milestones, big and small.
"Today, as I stand and light these Hanukkah candles alongside my fellow soldiers who were wounded in battle and terror attacks, I feel incredible force, spirit, and hope emanating from us all, and these feelings are amplified by Belev Echad. I'll never forget how Belev Echad's people came to help and offer comfort and encouragement throughout my hospitalization and rehab. Their warmth and support were invaluable. Who would have imagined that so soon after I was hanging between life and death, I'd be standing on my own two feet here in Belev Echad's center, lighting the menorah?"
Rabbi Uriel Vigler, who cofounded Belev Echad with his wife Shevy, expresses that "Noam's story is one of the hundreds of gripping, inspirational stories of young soldiers who were injured – sometimes mortally – but still surmounted the odds to rehabilitate physically and emotionally from their injuries and triumph upon evil. When our staff first met Noam, we knew that he'd go far. He was deeply motivated but struggling, and we refused to let him fall. We gave him a shoulder to lean on so he could continue recuperating. Today, as I watched him light the Hanukkah candles, I was overcome with emotion. It's a closing of circles, and a true Hanukkah miracle – the timeless Jewish victory of light over darkness."
