One is a doctor. One is with a tank unit. One is in reconnaissance. All three sons of Toronto-born Ira Garshowitz were called up on the weekend to serve at the front with the Israel Defense Forces after the unprecedented Hamas attack on Oct. 7. Garshowitz’s daughter is also in uniform–and like her brothers, all are Canadian citizens but born in Israel.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Shiff now has two married sons and a daughter in action since the weekend. The Canadian-born lawyer immigrated to Israel in 1989 and like Garshowitz, is also an IDF veteran. Between him and Garshowitz, they have seven children fighting in what’s been dubbed “Operation Iron Swords”, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed will “exact a price that will be remembered by [Hamas] and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come.” More than 150 Israeli soldiers have been killed to date in the war.

Garshowitz and Shiff join _The CJN Daily _host Ellin Bessner to describe what life is like for them right now, their fears for their children in battle, and what their families are doing as civilians to help the war effort.

What we talked about

Donate to help Israeli soldiers via UJA Federation of Toronto, Vancouver or Mizrachi Canada
Read how Jonathan Shiff and his brother retraced their great-uncle’s wartime footsteps to find his grave in Holland, in The CJN
Why Ira Garshowitz’s brother went to England to mark the 80th anniversary of his uncle’s heroic Dambusters Raid in the Second World War, on The CJN Daily

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane, and our theme music by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

These Canadian fathers describe what it’s like as their children fight for Israel