Elyashiv Nativ, a 3rd-year medical student at Bar-Ilan’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, is currently a combat soldier serving in Northern Israel.
Elyashiv lives in the Lower Galilee with his wife, Coral, and their three children, the youngest born on October 7th. Shortly after the outbreak of the war, he was called up to serve in the reserves, and since then, he has been stationed with his unit in the combat zone in the North.
“The situation is tense, with many security incidents. We’re doing our utmost to safeguard the Northern border, preparing for continued operations” he shares.
Elyashiv experienced the horrors of terrorism personally. His brother, Shlomo Netiv, was murdered at the age of 13 by a Palestinian terrorist who infiltrated their settlement of Bat Ayin and fatally stabbed him near their home. Elyashiv was 18 and preparing for military service at the time, and tried unsuccessfully to save his brother’s life.
After completing his military service, Elyashiv chose to pursue his dream of studying medicine. “The training and education support me, not only in my military role,” he explains, “but also in other ways, such as my resilience. The dream of studying medicine, which accompanies me personally and within my family, requires day-to-day resilience. It’s something I’m accustomed to in civilian life, and in the military, an extreme form of resilience is necessary.”
According to Elyashiv, the understanding that significant accomplishments, such as practicing medicine, are reached through small actions, accompanies him in his medical journey and impacts his approach in facing all challenges.
“Now, in combat, when the objective is of a larger scale and demands many ‘small’ actions, I know that perseverance is part of the path,” he remarks.
How does he cope? “I have an amazing wife who supports me in every situation. We have three adorable children, and she’s a serious powerhouse and the true hero in our family. Her ability to hold down the fort creates unparalleled resilience. I see friends in the reserves who have strong support at home, and some who don’t, and I see how much this affects the resilience that soldiers need on the front lines”.
