The soul warriors of Camp Shura.
By Hezy Laing
While the soldiers in the field are fighting with weapons and tanks, a different kind of battle is being waged in Camp Shura – a battle for the soul.
Rabbi Yishai Kramer, who served in the identification and burial unit, explains in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 why those serving there were nicknamed “soul warriors.”
“When a soldier goes into battle, he first prepares himself mentally to be ready to sacrifice his life,” says Rabbi Kramer.
When we go into the mortuary to prepare a body for burial, we must also first strengthen ourselves.
Our commander coined this phrase – ‘soul fighters’. We don’t fight with tanks, we fight with the soul.”
Rabbi Kramer describes the difficult moments at the beginning of the war, as loaded trucks began to arrive at the camp:
“I remember the sights… truck after truck coming in and starting to unload. Suddenly it dawned on us that we were in the midst of a very serious event.”
Amid all the chaos, the goal remained clear.
The rabbi emphasizes the essential difference in their approach to the dead, “We are careful to call them ‘fallen’ and not ‘corpses.’
A body is not something that is devoid of spiritual value.
We deal with the fallen, with those cherished by God whom the Sages say that no man can stand before them.”
He likens the work of the reservists in Shura to the sacred work in the Temple:
“We feel like the High Priest when he goes into the Holy of Holies, when we treat these saints, these mighty people who gave their lives for us.”
The atmosphere in the treatment rooms and the identification system is saturated with holiness and absolute silence.
“When a body enters treatment, there is no talking. There is silence in the room. Lighting a candle, washing hands before starting to treat him.
All treatment is done with care – the treatment is like that for a wounded soldier, so that he doesn’t ‘hurt’, so to speak, out of respect.”
The transition from the harsh army sights of to home and family is not easy.
Rabbi Kramer shares his personal difficulties: “It’s not an easy change.
For my wife it isn’t easy, for my children it isn’t easy. I received hints from time to time that maybe it would be better to stop.”
After five months of intensive service, the rabbi decided to take a break with the help of the IDF’s resilience organization, which accompanied the fighters throughout their journey.
Rabbi Kramer wants to change the public’s perspective on those serving in the camp. He refuses to accept the sorrowful image that sometimes clings to those who do this difficult work.
“You can tell the story of Roy Klein z”l, who jumped on a grenade to save his comrades and say how unlucky he was… And while it’s true, its not the real story.
“The real story is about heroism, about the strength of life. That’s how we are in Shura – we really don’t want others to pity us.
There is heroism here among the fighters. There are people here who came with the awareness that they are willing to give and sacrifice everything for the people of Israel.”
