In an effort to provide a safe space for healing for these women, the Belev Echad organized a retreat in the Hamptons as a much-needed pitstop on the road to rehabilitation and recovery.
Gaya Tzuberi, Shir & Mayaan, Noa Cohen. These are the names of four women whose stories speak to the immense strength, bravery, and courage of female IDF soldiers shouldering the burden of war.
In an effort to provide a safe space of healing for these women, the BeLev Echad organized a retreat in the Hamptons as a much-needed pitstop on the road to rehabilitation and recovery.
The organization’s mission was simple: to give these women the care, solidarity, and sisterhood necessary to empower their stories, making their voices, not their wounds, their journey forward.
Noa Cohen
On October 7, 2023, Noa Cohen was on her way to a routine shift in the South when the radio crackled, “Sderot station is on fire. There are dozens of terrorists in front of me.” Immediately, her unit responded and sped towards the chaos. Rockets flew across the sky, and gunshots echoed as Noa fought to protect her country. As the battle raged, Noa was shot — a bullet ripped into her leg. As blood pooled around her boots, she reached into a nearby civilian car, grabbed a diaper, and wrapped it tightly around her leg.
Though she was woozy, limping, and struggling to stay afoot, she continued fighting alongside her team. There was no room for panic. Her vision was blurry as she rushed to lead civilians to safety and fight against the onslaught that showed no mercy. That diaper and her refusal to lose focus not only kept her alive but saved many others as well.
A Lev Echad retreat in the Hamptons for female IDF soldiers. (credit: LEV ECHAD)
After months of rehabilitation and countless surgeries, she now walks on the strength she fought tooth and nail to rebuild.
Gaya Tzuberi
Gaya Tzuberi, 21-year-old medic for the Armored Corps’ 53rd Battalion, suffered the unimaginable during one of her most intense operations. As a paramedic for the army, her role is to protect her fellow soldiers in combat and keep them in stable condition until they’re evacuated to a hospital. On top of that, she has to be versed in combat as they’re working on the field. The job consists of 15 months of intense training, made up of days spent in emergency rooms, ambulances, and evacuating and treating wounded soldiers in urban areas under fire.
Gaya’s story starts on December 7, 2023, in the streets of Shejaya, a war-torn neighborhood in Gaza. She had gotten a call that a tank had been hit by an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) and immediately leaped to action with the rest of her team, diving straight into the heart of the storm.
After successfully reaching the wrecked tank and pulling two soldiers to safety, Gaya sprinted towards more victims. This meant dogging bullets, finding cover, and pushing forward through sheer instinct. While navigating this maze of a battlefield, Gaya was shot. Twice. Shrapnel ripped through her legs. As she tried to apply a tourniquet to her own legs, a soldier raced to her, tying the band on her thigh. She was evacuated and airlifted to Soroka Medical Center.
Her recovery ensued at Sheba Medical Center, where she relearned to walk and heal.
Shir & Maayan
Twins, Shir and Mayaan, entered the army looking to protect their country and make a lasting impact. Shir joined the Border police, and Mayaan enlisted in the Home Front Command. As part of the Border Police, Shir dealt with criminals, rioters, and terrorists on Israel’s front lines. As Home Front Command, Mayaan searched and performed rescue missions of Israeli citizens, specializing in rescue methods for locating and rescuing people held captive.
When Mayaan was critically injured in a terrorist attack, Shir rushed to her sister’s bedside. Mayaan’s recovery was grueling. She endured various surgeries, constant therapy, relearning to walk. Through it all, they stuck together. Shir, sleeping in a hospital chair, cheering Mayaan on as she slowly but surely rebuilt her strength.
Recovery at the Hamptons
The women continued their arduous recovery at a retreat in the Hamptons organized by Belev Echad, an organization founded by Rabbi Uriel and Shevy Vigler.
The organization is a “community crisis aid and nationwide voluntary organization founded in 2005.” It was created to provide an infrastructure to organize volunteers in a “professional and organized manner” in a state of emergency. As the Post put it in 2024, “Belev Echad is a beacon of hope and recovery for many.” This organization demonstrates that even the smallest amount of compassion and faith can make all the difference.
For these women, the organization gave them an environment where what shone through wasn’t their suffering, but their sheer grit, courage, and unapologetic strength. Here, they got away from the blaring sirens and desolation of war. They spent time healing as women, not soldiers. Surrounded only by other women who understood the pain, grief, and heartbreak that came from their experience, the women walked and laughed and cried together, slowly restoring hope in the wake of devastation.
Shevy Vigler said it well when she said, “They’ve fought for Israel’s survival, but here, they get to simply live. To laugh. To breathe. To heal together.”
There are not enough words to express the level of gratitude and appreciation these women deserve. Their tenacity, heart, and fortitude are inspiring to no end and demonstrate what a dedicated and powerful woman is capable of. Though their sacrifices are immeasurable, Belev Echad gave them what mattered most: time to rest, rejuvenate, and heal.
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