Israel Defense Forces

Benny Gantz, Chief of Staff for the IDF, stood on the tracks at the station in Berlin on Saturday, from which Jews were deported to the death camps.

Today too, we are required to deal with hostile states and organizations that seek to harm us, but unlike the past, we face our enemies from a position of strength – stronger than ever before.We won’t allow the horrors of the past to return, we will not allow those who seek our harm to raise their heads. We won’t be helpless when facing our enemies. The nation of Israel will always have the most protective and skilled force. Against any threat, from any distance, we will be fortified and independent in our abilities to defend ourselves. We won’t bow our head before any danger that threatens the Jewish people in its land. The IDF is the Jewish people’s answer to the incinerators, gas chambers, the pits and the killings.

Gantz is the son of a Hungarian Holocaust survivor,  who began his military career as a paratrooper.

reprinted from November 2013

UPDATE: Yesterday, Benny Gantz's commission expired. He is being replaced by Gadi Eizenkot, like all Israeli generals, a veteran and hero of many battles in the defense of Israel.  "I can tell you now, Gadi, I can guarantee that there won't be an easy day. Israel faces many challenges. The Middle East is falling apart," Prime Minister Netanyahu said. "Only the strong survive."