The Yom Kippur War of 1973 is etched as a deep wound in the Israeli soul. Completely unexpectedly, Syrian and Egyptian troops invaded the Jewish state on its holiest day. Israel stood on the brink of collapse. Christians Standing with Israel (CSI) asked eyewitnesses how they experienced that day. In this three-part series, they share their moving stories.
When the Yom Kippur War began on October 6, 1973, Dror Sofer was serving his three-year compulsory military service. The then 20-year-old was a tank commander in the 3rd Company of the 53rd Battalion, 188th Brigade of the Shirion Armored Corps, on the Israeli-Syrian border. Even today, he vividly remembers the events of that time
“On September 13, 1973, about three weeks before the outbreak of war, a brief air war broke out between Israel and Syria,” Dror recounts. “Although the damage wasn’t particularly extensive and was within the scope of the usual skirmishes between Israeli and Syrian forces, there was a palpable tension in the air.” Preparations began for a larger clash. To this end, two battalions from the 7th Tank Brigade were transferred to the Golan Heights later that September. Dror and his team, who had been on a week-long, military-funded leave, were also withdrawn on September 13. They were stationed in Khishniyah, a strategically important location in the Golan Heights, where they were to await the delivery of their tanks.
"There were an incredible number of Syrians!"
On Saturday, October 6, 1973, Israel celebrated its holiest day, Yom Kippur. On that very day, at 1:55 p.m., the war began with a Syrian airstrike on the Shirion tank base. Despite available information, it was a surprise attack, and a very heavy one at that: "Immediately afterward, the Syrian gunners began shelling the entire Golan Heights." The night from Saturday to Sunday was chaotic: "There were an unbelievable number of Syrians, everything happened very quickly, I have no idea how I managed to keep a clear head that night."
Dror was assigned as a driver for a brigade commander. Using a military vehicle normally reserved for technical support teams, he transported the commander to various locations so he could issue his orders.
Two painful losses
On the evening of the first day of the war, Dror unexpectedly ran into Schlomo Teichmann, his best friend since their time together at Kibbutz Gan Shmuel. Schlomo had come to the Golan Heights from Kibbutz Gan Shmuel at the start of the war as a gunner's commander. They had a few minutes to talk while Dror waited for his brigade commander.
Later that first day of the Yom Kippur War, Schlomo was hit in a Syrian attack and became the first soldier killed on the Golan Heights. Dror insists: "His name is far more important than mine – Schlomo Teichmann." A day later, Brigade Commander Izhak Ben Shoam, whom Dror had so admired for his composure and excellent leadership amidst the chaos of the surprise attack, was killed. For Dror Safor, these were two losses of indescribable magnitude.
A life-changing experience
At the start of the war, Syrians invaded Israeli territory. Within days, they were driven out by Israeli defense forces. Dror advanced with his unit into Syrian territory with the intention of occupying it immediately. Beside him on the nagmash (an armored military vehicle used for transporting personnel) stood a 26-year-old reservist; a young man whose pregnant wife was waiting at home for his return.
To get a better view, both had to look out of the roof hatch while the rest of their team remained inside the vehicle. The soldier was standing directly behind Dror's right shoulder when their Nagmash swerved to avoid an oncoming squad of Israeli tanks and veered off to the right into the bushes because the road was very narrow. At that moment, an enemy shot rang out, hitting the 26-year-old comrade in the head – the bullet missed Dror by mere centimeters.
How to go on living after such experiences
Dror can no longer remember many things: "I have many black holes and can no longer recall details. Perhaps this is a natural reaction of my subconscious to protect me from the horrors of war."
Dror describes the period up to May 1974, when Israel still occupied parts of Syrian territory, as a "special time." After the actual war ended about three weeks later, Dror was transferred to the Sinai Peninsula, where he underwent an intensive officer training course. He was then assigned to a tank unit, with which he was stationed for three weeks in May 1974 on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon at an altitude of over 2,800 meters. It was bitterly cold, there was snow, and no one was allowed to leave the tank during those three weeks. Life took place entirely inside the tank, under the constant, tense awareness that they were occupying enemy territory. Only Dror had to leave the tank in the evenings to coordinate with nearby tank units. "It was a special time," says Dror, his gaze wistful and imbued with meaning.
A war that changed everything
“The Yom Kippur War changed the people,” says Dror. “Everyone came out of the Six-Day War with great euphoria. That’s why no one thought it could hit us so hard, which made the surprise all the greater. Our generation lost its trust in the government and our leaders because of the shock of the Yom Kippur War.”
With far-reaching consequences, as Dror explains: “The generation that fought in the Yom Kippur War are the same people who are now organizing the many demonstrations against the judicial reform in the country and taking to the streets. Our slogan is 73-23.” He shows me a baseball cap and a T-shirt that read: “Shirionerim leHaganat haDemokratia” (“Soldiers of the Tank Corps in Defense of Democracy”). “We say: It wasn’t worth fighting in the war in 1973 if a civil war is now threatening and the government is completely ignoring its people. Yes, reform is needed, but the current path is not the right one.”
"Something led me"
Despite all recommendations, Dror Sofer has never seen a psychologist to process what happened. But Dror has found his own way to cope: "Something guided me and ensured my survival." He hasn't become religious as a result, but he has an important message: "There is nothing more important than shalom. War, in many cases, is simply the result of human ego and power games."
Dror is now 70 years old, has three children and five grandchildren. His family is the most important thing to him. And fortunately, all its members live very close to him – in his kibbutz, near Hadera.
Background: The Yom Kippur War of 1973
On October 6, 1973, Israel observed its holiest day, Yom Kippur. All public life came to a standstill; radio and television broadcasts were also suspended. On that day, Egyptian and Syrian troops attacked Israel – the attack caught the Jewish state completely unexpectedly and unprepared. The alliance's objective was to recapture the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had seized in the 1967 Six-Day War. Arab states categorically rejected negotiations regarding their return.
Due to the strict holiday and a misjudgment of the situation by their government, the Israelis initially suffered heavy losses – for a moment, Israel teetered on the brink of defeat. However, after two days, the Israeli army regained control of the Golan Heights and also advanced into Egyptian and Syrian territory.
The war ended on October 24, 1973, with a ceasefire. Under pressure from the United States, Israel and Egypt began peace negotiations in October of the same year, which culminated in a ceasefire agreement on November 11, 1973, and led to a peace agreement in 1979. Subsequently, Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt and, in return, was recognized by Egypt as a state – the first official recognition of Israel by an Arab state.
A national trauma
The Yom Kippur War was the fourth Arab-Israeli war in the Middle East conflict and resulted in heavy losses on both sides. Approximately 2,700 Israelis and more than 18,000 Egyptians and Syrians died. As a result of this and accusations of foreign policy miscalculations, Israel's then Prime Minister Golda Meir resigned in April 1974. It left a deep trauma on the Israeli public, which until then had considered its army invincible.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is considered the holiest day in Judaism. It is a day of reflection and contemplation, marking the end of a ten-day period of repentance during which the Jewish community is called upon to reconcile with one another. On Yom Kippur, a strict fast is observed, and public life comes to a standstill for approximately 25 hours.
According to the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur is observed on the 10th day of the month of Tishri, and in the Gregorian calendar it falls on a day in September or October.
