HONOR AND GLORY TO OUR HEROES...

God is our refuge. As we read in Psalm 18:2, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge …” We need to seek HIS refuge and trust in HIM God wants us to live – to make a life, to thrive, and to flourish. So take refuge in God today and move on to a brighter tomorrow.

Tens of thousands of mourners paid their final respects to Sgt. Max Steinberg, the slain IDF soldier who was laid to rest on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Steinberg, the Los Angeles native who immigrated to Israel and enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier, was among the 13 soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Twenty-nine Israeli troops have been killed since the army launched its ground incursion into Gaza last week. Steinberg, 24, grew up in Woodland Hills in the San Fernando Valley, attending the local El Camino Real High School and Pierce College before taking part in a Birthright- Israel trip in 2012. He was so inspired by his experience that he returned to Israel just three months later and joined the IDF as a hayal boded, or “lone soldier,” and worked hard on improving his Hebrew so he could join the elite Golani Brigade – where he served as a sharpshooter. Matan Halak, 23, a copywriter at Anashim Media in Beersheba, met Steinberg on the Birthright program. The two grew closer when Steinberg returned to Israel and chose to live in the Negev city. “Max was one of my best friends in the world,” Halak told The Jerusalem Post. “He joined Golani and lived his dream – to fight terrorism and to save his people.” Halak said the two spoke last Friday and Steinberg promised to take care in Gaza. “His big smile will be with me forever.” “I feel like I lost my other half, my soul-mate, my big brother. He believed that the connection between Israel and the USA is forever and he was always happy to serve in the name of his country,” Halak said. That connection was keenly felt in America – especially in Los Angeles – when news of Steinberg’s death was released. Outpourings of love and support were posted on Steinberg’s Facebook page, and his younger brother Jake changed his profile picture to one of the two of them standing in front of the Western Wall. On Sunday night, family, friends and members of the community who didn’t know Steinberg, but wanted to pay their respects, came together at a local park near the family’s home. They lit candles, shared stories, and sang “Hatikva” and the Golani Brigade anthem. The Lone Soldiers have very high motivation. They want to give their share to the Jewish people," said Tziki Aud, founder of the Michael Levin Lone Soldier Center in Jerusalem, which provides support services. The center, named after a soldier from Philadelphia who was killed during the second Lebanon war in 2006, helped Steinberg "navigate" his new life in Israel, Aud said. The center organizes social events for the young soldiers, helps them find furniture and a place to live, and matches them up with local families. It's also a place to hang out when their fellow soldiers are back home. Aud said Steinberg often came to the center for meals and activities. "He was quiet, but he had a lot of friends." Steinberg decided to volunteer in the IDF after visiting Israel for the first time on a popular youth program called Birthright, his father, Stuart, told the Los Angeles Jewish Journal. He was accepted into the army's Machal program, which trains non-Israeli Jewish men and women from dozens of countries to become combat soldiers. Stuart Steinberg told the Jewish Journal his son "was completely dedicated and committed to serving the country of Israel. He was focused, he was clear in what the mission was, and he was dedicated to the work he needed to be doing." Even the U.S. Secretary of State stopped by the family shiva to pay his respect to the Steinberg family…”It is a huge statement about a young guy finding a place that he was so passionate about and giving his all…”

HONOR AND GLORY TO MAX GREENBERG MAY THE LORD GRANT PEACE AND COMFORT TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. LONG LIVE THE GOLANI BRIGADE AND LONG LIVE ISRAEL