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Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
We’ve heard a lot of horrific stories coming out of Israel and Gaza over the past few days. The shocking Hamas-led massacre has all eyes on that part of the world and the violence is far from over. The tragedy of this is the real people – families, elders, and children – who are in harm’s way, targets whether they personally have ever done anything to the enemy or not.
There are many lessons for those of us who want to be prepared for such events. In these stories, you can find hope, resilience, and strategies that could help you learn more about survival. None of these lessons are political, though many seem determined to make it so. What we’re learning from are the stories of real people who experienced something shocking and devastating. Remember, survival is just about surviving.
From what we can see on the news, it seems that most kibbutzes were caught unaware that this attack was different and didn’t have time to launch a proper defense. The extreme brutality and rapid onset of the fast-moving attacks resulted in shock and confusion.
This is something we’ve talked about on this website before. The faster you can process and accept what is happening, the faster you can respond.
How one community survived due to fast thinking and good leadership
One young woman showed remarkable courage and resourcefulness in the face of the attacks. Inbal Lieberman is a 25-year-old woman who has been in charge of security for the Nir Am Kibbutz since last December. Like all young Israelis, she served in the military. (Some reports have spelled her name Inbar, but I’m going with the spelling on her social media accounts.)
When Lieberman heard the explosions early that fateful Saturday morning, she quickly realized this was very different than the usual rocket sounds. The key to this story – and how she saved her community – is her complete lack of hesitation.
Lieberman didn’t wait for official orders or instructions from higher-ranking officials. She immediately took action. She roused the twelve members of her community who were her standby squad and rushed to the armory to distribute weapons to them. She dispersed them to strategic positions around the kibbutz to set up ambush points for the attackers she expected, though none had arrived.
According to her father, “The electricity went out because of the rockets, and she ordered that the power not be restored so nobody could open the gates to the kibbutz.”
Then they waited.
Over the course of a four-hour battle, the attackers were repelled by the defenders. Inbar killed five attackers, and her team killed another twenty. Nobody in Nir Am died that day, and it is one of the only communities in that area that survived unscathed.
The most important thing to note is that it was all because their leader didn’t wait.
One member of the standby team, Sa’ar Paz, told reporters that Lieberman took immediate action to “give us weapons and send us to different sectors, even though the official instruction she received was to prepare the standby class only.”
His wife, Ilit Paz, told reporters, “They heard the shots and made contact on their own with other members of the standby unit and with Inbal — and they understood that they were told to be on standby. But Inbal made a decision not to wait and be jumped operationally. In fact, the fact that they did it early prevented dozens of casualties.”
A social media post from a member of the kibbutz translates:
“When it’s all over, this woman will receive the Israel Prize. The story of her heroism is a story that will go down in Israeli myth for generations. Inbal is the reason there is one kibbutz in the entire surrounding area that remains unharmed – Nir Am. Lieberman is the first kibbutz woman to understand in the entire State of Israel what’s going on, ran like crazy from house to house, organized the emergency squad, and prepared a work plan to protect the kibbutz and set men in ambush on the kibbutz’s fence. All the terrorists who came to the kibbutz were killed on the fence, 25 terrorists. Hero of Israel,”
I cannot express enough the key to the survival of this community. Inbar Lieberman didn’t wait for orders. She immediately made the choice to fight back and she and her team were prepared to face the attackers before they infiltrated the kibbutz.
It reminds me a little of the survivors of Maui who disobeyed officials and evacuated down a road they were told not to enter.
You are responsible for your own survival. Nobody is coming to save you. Nobody is in your situation, and you must take decisive actions based on what you see for yourself.
What do you think of Lieberman’s actions?
In my opinion, Inbal Lieberman is a hero. Her quick thinking and willingness to act outside of official orders saved her community. I can only hope that word of her actions spreads and others are inspired to do the same.
What do you think of Lieberman’s decision not to wait and to set up ambush points for potential attackers before they arrived? What lessons have you learned about survival from these stories? Are there any other stories of survival you can share?
Let’s leave politics out of this and talk about what we’re here on The OP to discuss: survival and preparedness in the face of danger. I look forward to your thoughts in the comments section.
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About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
