E. reflects on his service, his bond with his twin brother, and the strength it takes to keep going after loss.Our guest serves as a combat operator in team 49 in Unit 669.E. served since the beginning of the war in Gaza and finished his active duty on December 2024. During the war, their team lost 2 teammates.E.. found himself during the war serving in a special combat team with a unit called Maglan, where his twin brother A.. is serving.A few months later, A.. tragically lost his life during an operation, and was evacuated by Unit 669 from the battlefield, but didn’t make yet.
Our guest served as the Chief Medical Officer of Unit 669 in2006-2009.He is a true example of how dedication, discipline, and a passion for innovation can shape a meaningful career. From his early days navigating the challenges of tech, through his impactful military service, to building and successfully selling Gecko in 2019 in millions of dollars to Tevapharmaceuticals, Yechiel’s journey is packed with lessons about perseverance, vision, and leadership.Yechiel is a successful entrepreneur who founded companies, he is an investor and a mentor. Yechiel Engelhard's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/yechielengelhard/
Exploring the human side of a mission defined by impossible decisions and extraordinary bravery.A firsthand account from a Unit 669 combat operator who helped bring four Israeli hostages home after 245 days in captivity.Our guest serves as a combat operator in team 47 in Unit 669.In the early hours of June 8th, 2024, a highly coordinated rescuemission—that was later named Operation Arnon—unfolded in the heart of Gaza.After 245 days in captivity, four Israeli hostages were brought home in an audacious daylight raid that involved elite ground forces, air units, and the precision of a unit trained to save lives under fire.This is not just a story about tactics or heroism. It’s about fear,teamwork, impossible decisions, and the quiet moments that stay with a soldier long after the rotors stop spinning.
Our guest served in Unit 669 as a combat medical doctor, he is a partner at Pitango HealthTech, a leading venture capital firm dedicated to transforming healthcare through innovation. With a unique background that blends clinical medicine and business strategy, he brings a wealth of experience in both the healthcare and investment sectors. He holds both MD and MBA degrees.In this conversation, Jonathan will share his personal journey, the experience in the unit, and the future of health tech as he sees it. Jonathan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jonathan-glazer/Pitango VC: https://www.pitango.com/
Our guest serves as a board member of the AFU669 and one of its donors. He is a Senior Managing Director, Head of Healthcare Investment Banking at Oppenheimer & Co.He started his career as a pharmacist and holds a degree from Rutgers University and MAB in Finance from NYU Business School.In this conversation, Michael will share his personal journey,his business and Zionist experience, and the future of health tech as he sees it.Michael Margolis's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-margolis-54b93aa/
In this powerful episode, we sit down with Dr. Amit Lehavi — a combat physician in Unit 669, entrepreneur, and founder of QLog. After serving over 300 days since October 7th and participating in five wars, Amit shares how his experiences on the front lines inspired him to “duplicate himself” through technology, transforming hospital efficiency and patient care. With a background in computer science and healthcare IT, Amit’s innovations are already saving hospitals 30% in administrative costs. A conversation about resilience, purpose, and building solutions where life depends on it.
Our guest is a combat soldier serving in Team 42 of the unit. He was called to duty on October 7th and has spent countless days since then operating in Gaza and Lebanon, both on the ground and in the air. Throughout the conflict, he participated in hundreds of rescue missions, all while finding time to get married. G.M., the author of From Zero to Hundred and The Rescue, has written two compelling books that offer a deep dive into the extraordinary world of Unit 669. Through meticulous research and firsthand accounts, Guy sheds light on the intense training, unwavering bravery, and personal sacrifices of the individuals who risk their lives to save others. In this episode, we’ll uncover the powerful stories behind these daring rescue missions, the human spirit that drives them, and what inspired Guy to share these untold stories with the world.
Our guests are teammates from team 34, Shahar Yanai was hosted here in the past and shared with us his story and rich experience in the crypto and gaming industry and Ori Ardman, an entrepreneur and investor which is involved in a few businesses and start-ups in various industries. Shahar and Ori are served in the same team with Tom Ish Shalom and Daniel Alush who tragically lost their lives in the helicopter crash in Gaza on September 11th, 2024, while were on a mission to save someone else’s’ life. In this episode we will talk about our interviewees, but also with their help, about their friends who cannot sound their voice anymore.
Our guest speaker served as a combat soldier in the 30th team. He served as a mentee in the Cat 669 alumni association. He holds a master’s in business administration and a Mechanical Engineering degree from Ben-Gurion University of Negev. He is currently the CEO and Co-founder of RoboTiCan - a company that creates and develops autonomous robotics for the last decade. Hagai's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hagai-balshai-6906aa89/ Robotican website: https://robotican.net/
Our guest serves as a combat physician in unit 669, he is a neurosurgeon in a big hospital in the center of Israel. He was called on Oct. 7th and served many days since then in Gaza. He participated in hundreds of rescue missions during the war, and he is one of the survivors from the tragic helicopter crash during a rescue mission in Gaza on September 10th, 2024, which in, Tom Ish Shalom and Daniel Aloush were killed and the rest of their team was injured.
Our guest today serves around 70 days in reserve duty every year! He is a helicopter and water senior instructor for more than 20 years. He is a Scientific and Business Consulting in Medical Device development. He co-founded and managed a few companies, and today he has 2 working companies in the industry. He is a teacher at Ben Gurion University in the Negev, and above all that he is a husband and a father! Micha Oestereich's LinkedIn profile
Our guest served in team 42, he made Aliya from Toronto Canada, and served as a lone soldier. After the military service, he proceeded to medical school as a scholarship recipient from our alumni organization. He was called on Oct. 7th while was in the US for his studies, and served since then in Gaza for 270 days in a row in our special vehicles division and participated in hundreds of rescue missions during the war.
Our guest served in team 35, then he became a combat paramedic, and today he is a combat physician, an Orthopedic Surgeon Resident at the Tel Aviv Medical Center and is the Head of Research at the Levin Center of Surgical Innovation & 3D Printing. He was called on Oct. 7th and served for 152 days in Gaza in a row in our special vehicles division and participated in hundreds of rescue missions during the war.
Our guest served in team 30, he is a professional photographer that decided to volunteer when the war started to document it from inside Gaza and show the IDF and especially Unit 669 from behind the camera. He has more than 120 GB of footage and he is already created a book that will be in the stores soon.
Our guest has served in Team 35 of Unit 669 as a combat soldier and a commander. Additionally, he served as the Unit’s R&D department manager. He is an entrepreneur, who founded a successful company in the internet advertising industry, ad tech 8 year ago and serves as its Co-CEO until today. Under and additional to this company, they founded another few sub companies that are working in the same in industry but on different products. Moshe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moshe-cohen-53521a6a/
Yoram Behiri served as the Chairman, President & CEO of Tnuva USA, Inc. He established and managed a strong distribution network and supply chain in the US and Canada, and working alongside large distributors like Kroger, Costco, and Shoprite. Yoram has served as an officer in the Israel Defense Force. Yoram is one of our donors and for the last 4 years, serves as a board member and is the treasurer of the AFU669. Yoram's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yorambehiri/
In this episode, we invite you to join Bar Reuven, the Co-founder of the CAT 669 Alumni Association and the Executive Vice President of Development for the American Friends of Unit 669 (AFU669). Bar is also an accomplished entrepreneur, having sold his first startup, Mishlohof, a few years ago. Currently, he serves as the Co-founder and CEO of Dishare. Accompanying him is Dr. Jonathan Feffer, an innovation and mentoring expert who assists US and Israeli startups and multinationals in designing and implementing their innovation strategies. Dr. Feffer is actively involved in mentoring and judging at Harvard’s Innovation Lab and serves as a mentoring supervisor at the Cat 669 Alumni Association. Additionally, he imparts knowledge in innovation management and strategy at Reichman University. Their guest for this episode is Amitai Serphos, who has served in Team 33 of Unit 669 and has since forged a successful career working with prominent companies such as Moovit and Lili. Amitai holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics and philosophy from Tel Aviv University and an MBA in data-driven business specialization from Reichman University. He specializes in growth and marketing. Special thanks to the Ariela House Radio Studio in Tel Aviv for hosting us, and gratitude to Jonathan. For access to our newsletter, podcasts, or to get involved, please join our mailing list or reach out to us through our website at: WWW.AFU669.ORG. Thank you once again, stay well, and we eagerly anticipate our next episode.
Our guest has served in a large range of roles in law enforcement, world militaries, and special task forces including Unit 669. He has an extensive education in medicine and received his Master’s degree in Extreme Medicine and Humanitarian Aid from the University of Exeter in England. For the last 16 years he has been working for one of the wealthiest and well-known families in the world, the Adelson family from Las Vegas. His current role in the company is Vice President of Global Health, Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief. He is the founder of the Team 5 foundation and runs international projects all around the world. Eric's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericslinder/ Team 5: https://www.team-5.org/
Our guest served as a combat medic and as the medical department’s deputy commander. He is a scholarship from our alumni association. He achieved his dream of being a medical doctor against all odds and after a sad family disaster. He lives in Ashkelon with his wife and their 7 kids.
Our guest served as a combat soldier in 38 team. He is probably the only person ever who served in Unit 8200 and then in Unit 669. He holds a bachelor’s and Master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University. He worked in Stanford and Lyft, and today he serves as a Senior software engineer at Apple and lives in Silicon Valley. Guy Amdur's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-amdur-9ab356a2/