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FOX News
Jan 8, 2024
The family has traveled across Israel and raised millions of dollars to provide humanitarian aid to citizens.
FOX NEWS
A Florida father and his son packed up their bags and headed to Israel following the October 7 terrorist attacks to spread joy and offer humanitarian aid to those affected by the ongoing conflict.
When he first arrived at the airport in Israel, Joseph Waks was immediately escorted to a bomb shelter as missiles began flying nearby and sirens blared throughout the building.
"I'm from Miami and originally Australia. We've never had sirens before. For me, it was a shocking experience. And now, unfortunately, I became part of those that are used to it," Waks said.
Speaking to Fox News Digital from the Golan Heights nearing the three-month anniversary of the October 7 attacks, Waks introduced his son, Mendel, who joined up with the Golani Brigade and is now the youngest reservist in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). When he is not completing his duties for the army, Mendel travels around Israel with his father to meet with those impacted by the war.
"We try to make sure that they know they're not alone and that we have their back and that people have their backs. Not just Israelis, but the whole world and not just Jews around the world," he said.
Following the October 7 attacks by Hamas, Waks and Mendel met up in New York City. They admitted they were shocked by antisemitic demonstrations happening throughout Manhattan.
"We thought that people were coming out to support Israel. We didn't understand that there were people out there literally chanting 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to the Jews.'"
The outcry against Israel was a turning point for the family. Despite the negative connotations of some protests, Waks and Mendel said it only served to bring Jews around the world together.
"There's no such thing as left, right, religious, not religious. Everyone's in this together because when you're fighting for your very survival, it doesn't matter your political beliefs," Waks said. "That's the way that the Jews took that, you know, that negativity, the evil, and they've switched that into the positivity and the unification."
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