A Florida father and his son packed their bags and headed to Israel after the October 7 terrorist attacks to spread joy and offer humanitarian aid to those affected by the ongoing conflict.
When he first arrived at Israel’s airport, Joseph Waks was immediately escorted to a bomb shelter as missiles began flying nearby and sirens blared throughout the building.
“I’m from Miami and originally from Australia. We’ve never had mermaids before. For me, it was a shocking experience. And now, unfortunately, I became part of those who are used to it,” Waks said.
Speaking to Fox News Digital from the Golan Heights, approaching the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, Waks introduced his son, Mendel, who joined the Golani Brigade and is now the youngest reservist in the Security Forces. Defense of Israel (IDF). When he is not fulfilling his duties for the army, Mendel travels around Israel with his father to meet with those affected by the war.
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Father and son, Joseph and Mendel Waks, say the trip to Israel has been one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives. (Jose Waks)
“We try to make sure that they know that they are not alone and that we have their back and that the people have their back. Not just the Israelis, but the whole world and not just the Jews around the world,” he said.
Following the October 7 attacks by Hamas, Waks and Mendel met in New York City. They admitted that they were shocked by the anti-Semitic demonstrations taking place throughout Manhattan.
“We thought people were coming out to support Israel. We didn’t understand that there were people literally shouting ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to the Jews.'”
The outcry against Israel was a turning point for the family. Despite the negative connotations of some protests, Waks and Mendel said they only served to unite Jews around the world.
“There is no such thing as left, right, religion or no religion. We are all in this together because when you are fighting for your own survival, your political beliefs don’t matter,” Waks said. “That’s the way the Jews took that, you know, that negativity, evil, and changed it into positivity and unification.”
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“I asked this kid what he wanted for Hanukkah. He told me he wanted a truck. I found out later. His father was killed in a terrorist drive-by shooting. He was in a truck,” Joseph Waks told Fox News Digital. . (Jose Waks)
That unit extended to Florida. When Waks revealed that he was traveling to Israel, his neighbor, Bill, brought him a box of pins that had the Israeli and American flags together. With tears in his eyes, he told Waks: “Tell the Israelis that we support them, that we love them.”
Waks would later hand out these pins to children all over Israel and tell them, “This guy is my next-door neighbor who is not Jewish and he wants to let you know that we support you in America.”
Waks and Mendel have also forged a closer bond during their time together in Israel.
“When people see my father, there is an instant smile on their faces,” Mendel said. “They look like they just got a million dollars, you know what I mean? They literally look happier than ever.
He remembered seeing his father play with children from all over the country, bringing toys to young people and handing out cigarettes to soldiers.
“They give us more and more than we give them,” Mendel added. “I’m happier on those days than when I’m doing almost anything else. That’s one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. And it brings you closer to your father. I look at him in a whole new light.”
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Joseph and Mendel are shown carrying bags of gifts to 35 families living in a very hostile neighborhood in the eastern part of Jerusalem. The children have not been able to leave the house since the war began, so father and son brought them games and books to use inside. (Jose Waks)
After the war started, Waks and Mendel rented a car, went down to the border, and started meeting people one after another. One of these people was Ori, a boy whose father and brother were murdered that fateful day in October. They met in the middle of the city street and were quickly invited to the boy’s house.
Waks and Mendel soon learned that he now has two brothers in the military. On October 7, Ori’s older brother and father heard gunshots. They grabbed guns from the car, helped open a bomb shelter, and fled to save others in the city. They were later killed by rockets.
Waks and Mendel have become close to Ori and many others in the country.
“There is not a single household in Israel that does not know someone who was killed, who was held hostage or who was injured. Every person is involved,” Waks told Fox News Digital.
The family has become accustomed to putting on a poker face in the midst of tragedy. While the gift of new relationships is invaluable, the trauma affecting Israelis is not lost on Waks and Mendel.
“We have to be the strong ones because we are the ones who support them. So we never fall. We are always the strong people who reach homes with the positive energy, the enthusiasm, letting them know how to do it.” how much we love them,” Waks added. “And then sometimes at home we break down.”
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Mendel appears in the photo with Ori. His father and his brother were murdered on October 7. Mendel has become a dear friend of his. (Jose Waks)
During the first two weeks in Israel, Mendel and Waks filled their car with toys, necessities and food. They went south, they went to shopping centers and started giving away everything they could. At 12:30 they arrived home exhausted and repeated the process the next morning.
Every time Mendel has free time in the army, he and Waks again pack up their car and try to help the people of Israel. Through donations, they have also helped raise millions of dollars for those suffering.
Throughout their journey, the father and son often remember a quote from Rabbi Hillel as they become part of a larger story: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”
Families who know Waks and Mendel often ask them the same question: “Why did you come here?”
His answer is simple: “I come to Israel in times of peace; I have to come here in times of sadness.”
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