HASHAVAS AVEIDA: Soldiers Searching for Owners of Judaica Items Found in Gaza

When conducting a routine reconnaissance mission in an apartment in Rafah, an IDF unit was shocked to come accross an item that definitely looked out of place: a wood laminate challah board framed with the quote from the Torah to “remember the Shabbos” in gold lettering, in Hebrew and English.

The commander of the unit knew that he was not allowed to take property the unit found unless it was needed to fight the war.
But it felt wrong to leave it in Gaza.

“We’re definitely not allowed to take them as souvenirs or anything like that,” said the soldier, named Yoya. “Stealing is forbidden and it’s also immoral. But in this case, when I saw that this was a Jewish item I said, ‘This can’t be theirs.’”

Yoya tried to find the owner of the challah board by posting a photo of it on Facebook. While the post garnered 1,400 reactions and nearly 250 comments, nobody claimed the challah board.

Similar posts have been appearing from months since the IDF moved into Gaza at the end of October. Only two weeks before Pesach, a post cropped up calling for the owners of a Seder Plate found in Khan Younis to claim their lost item.

Back in December, Yoya’s brother, a soldier named Elisha, found a menorah inside a home in Khan Younis. A post about the Menorah said that the menorah had “probably been taken on October 7” amid looting during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.

When coming across Judaica items in Gaza, other soldiers have made the same assumption. Maj. (res.) Maor Lavi found a menorah in the home of a terrorist in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood, alongside weapons, military uniforms and equipment. Lavi told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan that he had a “gut feeling” it was stolen on October 7.

“Next to the bed, we just saw the menorah sticking out on top of one of the dressers. We took it,” Lavi said. “I would really want to return it to its owner and find the person, the family it belongs to.”

His unit lit the menorah on the seventh and eighth nights of Chanukah. Tragically, Lavi, a father of four, was killed shortly after.

The IDF did not specifically address the issue of what to do with Judaica found in Gaza. However back in February, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi called on soldiers “not to take anything that is not ours — be it a souvenir or a piece of military equipment.” Three months later, Israel’s Military Advocate General, Maj-Gen Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, announced that the IDF was investigating 70 incidents of suspected violations of the laws of war by IDF soldiers, including looting. Several soldiers have been indicted for alleged looting from Palestinians in recent years — including during operations in Gaza.

“As part of the fighting and subject to the military protocols, it is possible to use enemy property for military necessity, as well as take property that belongs to the terrorist organizations subject to the protocols regarding booty of war,” the spokesperson said. “Taking property in ways that are not in accordance with army protocols is prohibited by law. Incidents in which forces did not behave in accordance with protocols and the law will be examined.”

Lt. Col. (res) Maurice Hirsch, the former director of the IDF’s Military Prosecution in the West Bank, pointed out that prior to the Hamas attack on October 7th, thousands of Gazans were working in Israel, so it is possible the items were taken, or even purchased legally, prior to the terrorist rampage on October 7th.

As of today, the seder plate and menorahs lay unclaimed. But Yaya still hopes to one day find the owner of the challah board.

“I really wish we’ll find who it belongs to, because it definitely doesn’t belong in Rafah,” he said.

{Matzav.com Israel}