TORONTO – A surprise marriage proposal, some dancing in the aisles, and an eclectic choice of music including lively Russian folk songs, underscored the theme of this year’s “Celebration of Life” concert June 9 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts’ George Weston Hall. The sold-out event was a fundraiser for Beit Halochem Canada, Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel.
Mya Shmuel, one of four soldiers designated as the organization’s “heroes” this year, thanked Beit Halochem supporters on behalf of Israel’s 51,000 wounded veterans. Her boyfriend Shahaf Golan – her “rock,” whose family has taken her in following her injuries – thanked her in turn, and bent down on one knee to propose, while her mother and younger brother looked on.
“Yes, I will!” she said, her voice strong, as audience members applauded and shouted “Mazel Tov.”
READ: DISABLED IDF VETS SHARE STORIES WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Israeli singer Elay Almani and Israeli Idol runner-up Vladi Blayberg, who headlined the evening along with pianist/singer Dor Roeh, launched into the romantic ballad Thinking Out Loud before Blayberg picked up the pace with a congratulatory Simn Tov.
Shmuel, a native of Florida who made aliyah after a Birthright trip, was run over last year in a terrorist attack while serving as a border police officer. Her ongoing recovery was evident in her stylish high-heeled sandals, as well as the cane she used as she walked onto the stage. Pain, nerve problems, and a full-length metal rod in her leg are some of the less apparent after-effects.
Beit Halochem provides rehabilitation services to disabled veterans and victims of terror through four major rehabilitation centres in Israel, as well as one smaller one. A new centre is planned for Ashdod.
In addition to the concert, which had sellout performances in Calgary and Montreal too, other Beit Halochem programs include a golf tournament, a bike ride in Israel, and a summer camp program here for children of disabled veterans, all overseen by a staff of four people, supplemented by volunteers. “This is why we are able to send 92 cents on every dollar raised to Israel,” said Toby Feldberg, president of the Canadian organization.
Ten disabled Israeli veterans, in addition to the four “heroes,” were welcomed as part of the concert. The Canadian organization hosts a group in private homes every year for two weeks.
Israeli soldier Yogev Offir, one of the four heroes, who was severely wounded during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, spoke of his strong desire for peace, and urged the audience to smile “because we have Medinat Yisrael, with the greatest shoreline in the world, and with wonderful restaurants and bars… out of every crisis, one can grow.”
The heroes’ stories were told in videos, and three of the four appeared in person.
A naval officer wounded in a special combat operation, whose identifying details were withheld for security reasons, said he set a goal for himself “to get back to exactly how I was before.” He now considers Beit Halochem a second home, although he was initially reluctant to go, because he was used to being independent and thought he could do everything on his own.
Referring to the shooting that took place in Tel Aviv the day before the concert, he said it was the first time he was not in Israel when a terrorist attack occurred. But, he added, “It doesn’t matter where you are. As long as we are united as one, no one, but no one, can beat us,” he said.
READ: MOTHER OF TWO FALLEN IDF SOLDIERS INSPIRES CJA DONORS
Oren Blitzblau, lost his sight and suffered severe wounds including extensive burns in 2005, when a captured terrorist blew himself up. Now an award-winning triathlete, he thanked supporters in a video message, and described himself as “a pretty optimistic person – the same as you, same challenges, plus blindness.”
Lisa Levy, executive director of Beit Halochem Canada, said that thanks to the disabled veterans, “there is a second home for all of us, Eretz Yisrael. Thanks to all of you, there is a second home for all our wounded warriors.”