For thirty-four years, Doron Almog fought for his country. He was one of the soldiers who led the spectacular rescue operation in Entebbe, Uganda. As commander of the Israeli Army's Southern Command, he participated in hundreds of battles. He lost his brother in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and was awarded the prestigious Israel Prize for his service to the State of Israel. He himself said: "The Jewish people are called to be a light to the nations. To do this, we must first and foremost be a light to one another."
By Sara van Oordt-Jonckheere, Christians For Israel Netherlands, translated from English by Anja Weippert
Doron Almog was born Doron Avrotzky in the Israeli city of Rishon LeZion. His grandparents emigrated from Ukraine to Israel in 1910, when the country was still under Ottoman rule. Doron's father was born in 1927, his mother in 1929. "They both had a dream: to end the British Mandate and establish a Jewish state. That dream came true in 1948," Doron says.
“I was raised to believe that we must be prepared to give our lives to defend Israel because we have no other country. I always say that the sacrifice of Isaac took place in our home. Abraham took up the sword and was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac. Our generation was born with that sword in its heart. Many people from my generation have died fighting for the freedom of the Jewish state. This willingness to sacrifice is typical of Israel.”
For Doron, joining the army was an honor, but also an urgent necessity: “We were and are threatened by Hezbollah in Lebanon, by Iran, by Hamas in Gaza, and by all sorts of groups that do not allow Israel to exist. At the same time, we extend our hands for peace. We have already concluded peace agreements with a number of countries. I would like to see this peace spread to other Arab countries. But at the same time, we must realistically assess the threat that Israel faces.”.
An oath
One of the most difficult moments in Doron's life was the phone call with his mother on October 24, 1973. The Yom Kippur War had just ended, a war in which he had fought and lost about one hundred loved ones: “I was 22 at the time, my brother Eran was 20. During that phone call, my mother told me, ‘We've lost Eran.’ When I later went to investigate my brother's death, I discovered that he had been left behind. As a tank commander, he had been thrown from his tank by an explosion. My brother and I had dreams. Our dream was to build a horse ranch together after our military service. But that didn't happen. After that, I vowed never to leave a wounded soldier behind in my service to my country.”
One of the military operations in which Doron Almog participated took place in Entebbe, Uganda. A group of seven Palestinian terrorists had hijacked an Air France plane with 105 Israeli hostages on board. Israel subsequently conducted a covert rescue operation to free the hostages.
Doron recounts in retrospect: “When we heard the news of the hostage crisis in Israel, the soldiers in my unit said, ‘Take us to Entebbe.’ They were prepared to give their lives to free the hostages. My unit was the first to land in Entebbe at 11 p.m. on July 3, 1976. Our task was to clear the runway for the plane that would free the hostages. In Entebbe, we accomplished the impossible: it was a miracle. None of us knew the situation on the ground; nothing went according to plan.”
Nearly all 105 hostages were rescued in this covert operation. One of the soldiers, Yoni Netanyahu, the brother of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was killed in Entebbe. “Entebbe demonstrates the inspiration, the spirit of our people. The idea of unity, the willingness to do the impossible. That is what distinguishes Israel: being ready to save the lives of those in need,” says Doron Almog.
The greatest teacher
“I named my second son after my late brother. Eran was born with a severe form of autism and a severe intellectual disability. When he was diagnosed, the doctor said Eran would never be able to speak or walk. Although he never spoke a word, he was my greatest teacher. He taught me what it is like to live with a disability. What it is like to be ostracized or discriminated against. He also taught me that a society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. For Eran’s sake, I decided to leave the military and focus on overcoming this stigma. On June 12, 2000, we received a commitment from the Israeli government to build a village for children with disabilities. This village became Adi Negev, in memory of my dear son Eran, who passed away in 2007.”
In August 2022, Doron Almog was appointed chairman of the Israeli immigrant organization Jewish Agency: “The Jewish Agency is the bridge between the State of Israel and all Jewish communities worldwide. Our main task is to unite the Jewish people. We are different in our opinions, different in our religious beliefs, and different in our characters. But Israel is the glue that holds us together.”
A glimpse into the future
The recent elections in Israel at the end of 2022 have led to a very complex period, marked by numerous demonstrations across the country. “If you ask me, we are living in one of the most difficult times in the history of the State of Israel. Our society is extremely divided. The most important thing now is that we preserve unity. The Declaration of Independence states: We want to be a Jewish, democratic, and free country. I pray that we can rediscover this unity. I hope that I will be remembered later as someone who helped restore this unity in Israel. The Jewish Agency for Israel has the task of working toward this goal of greater unity and bringing together all parts of the Jewish people, no matter how different or geographically distant they may be. We may not be homogenous, but we must be united. The Jewish people are called to be a light to the nations. To do this, we must first and foremost be a light to one another.”
Doron Almog: About the person
Major General Doron Almog, born in 1951, began his military career in 1969. In February 1973, as an officer, he participated in an Israeli raid in Lebanon to destroy targets of the Palestinian Fatah organization. During the Yom Kippur War, he fought on the Sinai front and later commanded the reconnaissance company of the 35th Parachute Brigade.
In 1976, Almog was the first soldier to arrive at the runway in Entebbe, Uganda, where he marked and secured it for incoming Israeli aircraft. During this rescue operation of 105 Israeli hostages, he led the capture of the airport's control tower.
Between 1984 and 1985, Almog commanded the "Shaldag Unit" in a secret operation that brought seven thousand Jews from Ethiopia to Israel under the strictest secrecy; this later became known as "Operation Moses".
In his last position in the Israeli army, from 2000 to 2003 he headed the Southern Command, which secured the Gaza border against infiltration by militant Palestinians. Since 2022, Doron Almog has been president of the Israeli immigration organization Jewish Agency.
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 134. You can order the newspaper free of charge here. We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
