Wounded Israeli Veterans to Challenge Themselves on Aspen’s Slopes

Two wounded Israeli soldiers get ready to hit the slopes in an outing sponsored two years ago by Chabad-Lubavitch of Aspen and Challenge Aspen. The soldiers benefited from Challenge Aspen’s special equipment, which made skiing a reality for the victims of terror attacks.

By Yael Hurwitz

The Jewish community in Aspen, Colo., is welcoming injured Israeli veterans and terror victims to the popular ski resort for its third-annual program designed to help them overcome physical challenges.

Rabbi Mendel Mintz, the director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Aspen who organized the program in conjunction with the Lubavitch Youth Organization in Israel’s Terror Victims Project, Aspen Valley United Jewish Appeal and Challenge Aspen, said that this year’s crop of participants suffer from some of the worst injuries he’s seen yet. Most of them are in their early 20s and sustained injuries during last year’s offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The soldiers will arrive on Tuesday for a week of snow sports, physical therapy and chances to visit with the local community.

In past years, “it was really inspiring to see people without arms and legs skiing,” said Mintz, who stood at the bottom of Snowmass Mountain to watch Israelis and their American counterparts do what many considered impossible. “There was a group of American injured veterans, who just got back from Iraq and Afghanistan, and after all they had been through, they saw that if they could ski while missing a limb, they could do anything.”

Amit Barrel, a soldier from the 2006 war in Lebanon, always loved sports, especially running and biking. But a fatal missile attack on his platoon caused massive injuries on his left side, and robbed him of his sight.

After many years of therapy, and a conversation with Rabbi Menachem Kutner of Chabad’s Terror Victims Project, he can’t wait to hit the slopes.

“I have never been skiing before, but Rabbi Kutner said it will be a mind opening experience,” said Barrel. “I cannot wait to see just what I can do.”

According to Kutner, the point of the project is to allow the soldiers to “do something far-flung, to show these veterans that anything is possible, that they are able to do it. They just need to find a path.

“We try to include those that really love sports,” he added.

Nine volunteers in Aspen have been preparing for the group’s arrival. An Israeli chef, meanwhile, is being flown in to cook all of the soldiers’ meals.

“The community benefits as well,” said Mintz. “They get to bond very strongly with the group. Dinners are open every night to the community, and we expect anywhere between 20 to 50 people. There will also be a large dinner at Chabad where the veterans will share their stories.”

One participant of last year’s program wrote a letter to the new crop of veterans. The note read: “Guys, you should have great success. This is really a special trip that changes lives.”