New York mother of two Molly Mandel always knew that her husband, a reservist in the Israeli army, could be asked to return to the family’s ancestral home in times of need.
But that didn’t make it any less surprising when the phone rang on Sunday morning – just a day after Hamas launched a violent attack on the Jewish state that has left about a thousand people dead on both sides.
A former paratrooper and active sailor, Zach, 28, can say no when his old unit calls.
The couple have two young children — a 2-year-old daughter and a 3-month-old newborn — and have lived on Manhattan’s Upper East Side since they returned to the United States from Israel in May 2022.
“He could just say, “I’m in America,’ and they’d say, ‘OK, no problem,'” Molly told The Post on Tuesday.
“But we looked at each other, and he was like, ‘I’ve got to go there,'” he said. “And I was like, ‘You have to go there. You have to go home.'”
Zach Mandel flew back to Israel to help fight Hamas.Facebook/Amalia Mandel Zach is a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces, where he served on active duty for three years. Zach Mandel
And it’s home for the couple, who were both born in New York but lived in Israel for most of their lives.
Zach’s family had moved to the country from Riverdale, New York, when he was just 15 years old. He studied in yeshiva for a year, then joined the Israeli army as a volunteer.
Molly — originally from Great Neck, Long Island — first met him in the summer of 2016 when she was an NYU student volunteering as an EMT abroad.
They became inseparable, and ended up living together in Israel for about six years, he said. Lovers got married in May 2019.
The couple has a 2-year-old daughter and a 3-month-old son. Zach Mandel In the Israeli army, Zach served as a paratrooper, navigator and commander, Molly said. Zach Mandel
The couple commuted between New York and Israel during the COVID outbreak before settling in Manhattan when their son was born.
Although, they plan to return to Israel — eventually.
The “end” came sooner than they expected when Hamas gunmen roared across Israel’s heavily fortified border early Saturday morning, slaughtering and kidnapping civilians as they went.
Despite the danger – and the deep fear that strikes anyone who watches a soldier go into battle – Molly knows Zach has no choice. His morals and values would not allow him to remain safe in the United States while his comrades were at war.
The couple married in May 2019. Facebook/Amalia Mandel
“It’s not something you have to think about,” he said. “We feel very connected to Israel … and for Jews around the world, if we don’t have Israel, we cannot survive. We feel such a strong duty and obligation to our people … I know it’s not an option.”
Her husband flew out of JFK Airport Monday night, arriving in Israel early Tuesday.
Molly said she was “so proud” of her husband, who landed in Israel on Tuesday morning. Zach Mandel
Their newborn son was too young to realize what was happening.
But Molly says her daughter – who is wise beyond her years – knew something was wrong. Especially because his loving father is gone.
“We said Israel is not safe, there are some scary things going on there,” Molly told the little girl. “But he’s safe … and Da-Da (as he calls her) is our superhero. He will wear a cloak and mask and be a hero to Israel.
“He’s going to go help everybody because that’s what superheroes do, and he’ll be back soon,” he continued. “Every time he asks where he is, that’s what I tell him.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
