Victory on the Menu

The road north, heading toward the Lebanese border, was suddenly lit up — with artillery fire. Daniel Cohen didn't turn around or veer off the road. He shouted, "Oh cool!" as if he had just received a personal fireworks display … and he kept on driving.

Daniel wasn't driving a tank or any armored vehicle. He was driving a small car, making deliveries to five bases that night. They were special deliveries of beef jerky to soldiers on the northern front. The roads heading north are often more dangerous than the ones heading south to Gaza. And few were willing to take the risk. But some fireworks weren't going to stop Daniel.

Why would someone risk his life for beef jerky? What's the story behind the story?

To understand, you have to go back to October, in the aftermath of the Gaza massacre.

A sad fact — among too many tragic facts — is that Israel was caught unprepared, not only in terms of defense, but soldiers were being sent to the front with insufficient supplies — short of equipment and short of food.

To put it bluntly, they were hungry.

But it was Israel. "And who is like Your people, like Israel, a unique nation on the earth? (II Samuel 7:23)" From around the country, people began sending everything from cookies to home-cooked meals. People began joking about Jewish mothers overfeeding soldiers. But the fact was that too many soldiers were still going hungry.

Soon, the effort became more organized. At the forefront — sometimes literally at the front — were our son-in-law Etan Ogorek and our daughter Malkie. Etan is a chef who runs a business specializing in meat boards and beef jerky.

After one platoon of soldiers received a shipment of beef jerky together with other supplies, the commander sent a message: "Forget about the other equipment. We want more beef jerky!" Soon, Etan and Malkie were running a full-scale operation producing and shipping beef jerky to the fronts — north and south.

One mother called Malkie requesting "dried meat" for her son. She had no idea what beef jerky was. But she just heard that Malkie and Etan were sending "dried meat" to soldiers; and she heard the soldiers loved it! Her son was in Gaza at that point for about three weeks. She picked up some beef jerky and was sending it to the logistics commander to include with a transport to Gaza. In the meantime, the unit's commander told his soldiers to send out a wish list of what they want most. The commander shared the list with the parents. The FIRST THING on the soldiers' wish-list was beef jerky!

As Napoleon put it, "An army runs on its stomach."

And beef jerky is premium fuel. One 60-gram (2 oz.) package of Etan's beef jerky provides about 28 grams of protein. That's almost the equivalent of two meals' worth of protein in one pocket-size pack!

Etan and Malkie have launched a new operation called I.B.F. — Israel Beef Forces. Its mission is to provide essential nourishment to the soldiers on the front.

I.B.F. beef jerky is more than just a snack or a meal; it's an expression of love, care, and gratitude. It's how we say thank you and bring smiles to our soldiers' faces. With every pack of jerky, they get the message: You are not alone. And your sacrifice does not go unnoticed.

One soldier said it all: "With your beef jerky, we will win this war!"

Ask the mother who traveled miles to get beef jerky for her son who was allergic to tuna and had no protein for three weeks.

Or ask the mother whose son was stuck in an open field near Lebanon and found himself with no food for Sabbath. Then he remembered he had a beef jerky package, and that became his Sabbath meal.

On a daily basis now, tour groups and Israel missions pull up to the I.B.F. tent in Ramat Beit Shemesh to volunteer packing the beef jerky and personally bring it to army bases. But if you can't make the trip, there's still a way you can help — wherever you are.

My wife and I have been recruited to help in the campaign to get I.B.F. beef jerky to soldiers on the front. And all you have to do to enlist is click here.

May the war end soon. May we see all the hostages and the soldiers come home safely. But right now, our boys need your help.

Now you can answer that age-old question: "Where's the beef?"

It's where you send it.

You don't have to be a Jewish mother (but it helps) to feed our boys on the front. click here to donate now and put victory on the menu.

Mordechai Schiller is a copyeditor and columnist at Hamodia, the Daily Newspaper of Torah Jewry.

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