Bittersweet Chanukah for British parents of IDF soldiers in Gaza

When he turned 18, Jackie and her late husband agreed to sign a notarised document allowing their son to join the Paratroopers Brigade.

When he was a child, Simon’s parents prevented him from playing with guns. However, Jackie felt no choice but to support his decision to join the IDF.

“When they are this driven and passionate, as a mother you cannot deny your child what they want, what they were meant to do,” she said. “We are so proud of him. We loved every moment of his service. We were living our dream through him.”

Simon was one of 360,000 reserve soldiers called up to defend the country after Hamas's October 7 massacre.

That morning, Simon called his mother to tell her to turn on the news. By lunchtime he was in the south with his unit. On 2 December, he was deployed to Gaza.

While Jackie receives regular updates from the military and the odd message from Simon, she is spending the holidays without him but will shortly fly to Israel with Simon’s stepfather Richard DaCosta.

“If there is any chance Simon can get out of Gaza, we will be there waiting with open arms for him,” she said.

For Jackie, Richard and Simon’s girlfriend Amit, this year's Chanukah is bittersweet.

“The reality now is that I can’t sleep. I dread every moment. If I receive a phone call from a blocked number, I freak out. I can’t believe that this could take his life, injure him or scar him mentally. He is my 33-year-old baby,” Jackie said. “Saying goodbye is so hard. After, you live for the next hello, to kiss and hold them tight.”

Charles, 25, who moved from London to Israel at the age of 18 and also serves in the Paratroopers Brigade, is probably spending Chanukah in Gaza as well.

“When the children were young, Chanukah was a big thing. This year, it is a very subdued celebration since we don’t know what is happening,” Charles’s father Robert, 55, told the JC.

“Our troops don’t carry phones for security reasons. We live in uncertainty for two weeks at a time, sometimes even three. We don’t know if they were injured or even killed. Just yesterday, I read about the death of a soldier in the Simone unit as Charles.”

Toria, Avichai’s stepmother, is very proud and supportive of his journey.

“Avichai says this battle is good versus evil. He feels it is his duty to protect everyone else in this world. It’s mindblowing how mature these kids are,” she told the JC.

“When he came to visit in the past, Charles brought his two stepbrothers Chanukiot. It’s his thing. Every year, we light them. Last night, it was bittersweet,” said Toria.

Robert is flying to Tel Aviv this week as part of a Nefesh B’Nefesh programme, in partnership with El Al, that provides free flights to parents of soldiers who are without family in Israel.

“There is no guarantee I will see him, but I will still be close," said Robert. “I am hoping that we will get to light the Chanukah candles together.”

Alex, 17, one of Charles’s stepbrothers, told the JC that he is not worried. “Avichai is the coolest guy. I’m very proud of him,” he said.

*Not his real name