Former Israeli soldier speaks at Hillel event on campus

By Mary-Simone Collazo

A handful of students and faculty entered the Mercer room on Oct. 9, wearing Star of David necklaces and yellow ribbon pins on some shirts — a symbol of hope for the safe return of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 — to hear a former Israel Defense Forces soldier speak just days before Oct. 13, when all remaining living hostages were released under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.

For the two-year anniversary of the attacks in Israel, Rider’s Hillel chapter, a student-run Jewish organization, invited former Israeli army soldier Ira Kohler to share his story with members of the community. The 25-year-old was on active duty in Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel, near the Gaza border, when the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks occurred. 

“I want to be fully engaged with the people as I tell this story; so they can ask the questions they have, and we can connect,” Kohler said in an interview with The Rider News after the event. 

At the request of Student Affairs and Public Safety, anyone wanting to attend the event had to RSVP in advance using the QR code on Hillel’s Instagram or the email announcement that was sent out to the student body. 

Public Safety and Lawrence Police were present at the event. Director of Public Safety Matthew Babcock explained the need for Public Safety’s presence, saying, “It was there to provide extra security for the group, make people feel comfortable on campus.”

Additionally, attendants were asked to show identification upon arrival, to ensure attendees were Rider community members or invited guests.

“There is always concern about keeping speakers and attendees safe. We followed the same procedure for our speaker events the last two years,” said Jenna Forgash, a senior elementary education major and the president of Hillel, in an Oct. 14 message to The Rider News.

Ira’s story

Forgash introduced Kohler before he took to the podium, explaining he was originally from Long Island, New York, and enlisted in the Israeli military after completing his bachelor’s degree at the University of Delaware. 

Kohler began his story of being part of the Israeli military’s 890th Battalion of the Paratrooper Brigade, explaining how he ended up on the front lines on Oct. 7, 2023. 

Kohler initially enlisted in January 2022 at the age of 22, as a “lone soldier” — an Israeli army recruit who does not have immediate family in Israel. He felt it was his duty as a Jewish man to serve the country.

“You don’t go do something ‘Jewish.’ You are Jewish,” he said. 

The week of Oct. 7, his battalion was preparing for a war simulation test. The night before, the troops celebrated the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah, with 300 men dancing on the base.

The following morning, they heard news of rockets flying over Israel. Hamas entered Israel along the Gaza border. 

While Kohler and his fellow soldiers were in a helicopter, it was hit by a rocket. They made an emergency landing, and by the time the last soldier escaped, a second rocket hit the helicopter.

“The helicopter was obliterated to a skeleton. All 50 soldiers miraculously escaped,” Kohler said, with pictures and videos on a slideshow accompanying each part of the story he recounted.

Israel officially declared war, and the Israeli army automatically went into military defense. Kohler’s battalion was tasked with rescuing families throughout the night.

Kohler spent five more months in Israel before his two-year service was complete, heading home in March 2024. He now shares his story in schools and synagogues.

Rider community reacts

Three antisemitic incidents have occurred at Rider this year alone, including “Heil Hitler” being found written on a classroom whiteboard two weeks ago.

Kohler’s presence generated shock on social media in the days leading up to the event. On Instagram, the student-run organizations Rider Leftists and Rider Democrats put a joint statement on their feeds, calling out Rider for allowing a former Israeli army soldier on campus.

“It is important to consider how his presence impacts the emotional well-being of students who have been directly or indirectly impacted by the continued cruelty of the IDF in Gaza and how it impacts their perception of the Rider community,” the statement said.

The ending slide of the post contained a QR code, providing links to charities supplying aid on the Gaza strip, and to information on a ruling from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that declared the events in Gaza as a Palestinian genocide.

On Fizz, a social media app that allows students on the same college campus to post their thoughts with anonymity, many students were outraged by Kohler’s presence.

An Oct. 9 post criticized the university and anyone planning to attend the event, gaining more than 1,100 upvotes.

The mixed reactions highlighted the divide in global opinion on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“Yes, we have the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech. But I don’t think that protection should include hate speech,” said Robin Shane, Hillel’s co-adviser and an associate professor of theatre.

The day Kohler came to speak fell on the same day the Israeli government approved a U.S. brokered ceasefire deal that called for Hamas to release all Israeli hostages and Israel to release some Palestinian detainees.

As of Oct. 13, all 20 of the remaining living Israeli hostages had been released by Hamas, and Israel freed about 2,000 Palestinian detainees under the terms of the agreement.

“The ceasefire happening today is rather poetic,” Melissa Greenberg, co-adviser of Hillel and Rider’s director of sustainability, said before Kohler took the podium.

She continued by reading a statement from Rabbi Sharon Brous, of IKAR, a Jewish congregation in Los Angeles.

The statement said, “May this ceasefire be the beginning of the end … an end to the agony of the hostages and the torturous uncertainty … an end to the devastation and suffering of the people of Gaza … an end to the heartache and sorrows of Israelis and Palestinians, and all who love them.”