Ira Kohler, a former Israel Defense Forces paratrooper and author of “Once a Paratrooper,” shared his experiences fighting during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas surprise attacks and his more than 100 days serving in the Gaza Strip during a visit to Cleveland.

The event, hosted in partnership with B’nai Jeshurun Congregation and Park Synagogue, gave community members an opportunity to hear Kohler’s story and learn about his memoir.

Originally from Long Island, N.Y., Kohler moved to Israel in 2021 at age 21 after graduating from the University of Delaware in Newark. He enlisted in the IDF as a lone soldier, serving in the 890th Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade.

“I grew up in a community where the value of Judaism, the value of Israel, was not, you know, you don’t go to do Jewish. You are Jewish,” Kohler said. “Israel isn’t this faraway place. It’s not a topic in a big political discussion. It’s a home. It’s our home.”

He described the challenges of serving without his family nearby, including language and cultural differences.

“For me, quite honestly, the cultural barrier was a lot harder,” Kohler said.

On Oct. 7, Kohler’s battalion was preparing for a military exercise when Hamas launched its attacks. His unit was sent south by helicopter to respond.

Kohler recalled that the pilot noticed suspicious activity near the Gaza border and decided to land in an open field instead of the original location.

“Moments before our helicopter was about to land in these open fields, Hamas terrorists shot a hand-propelled rocket, an RPG, that ended up striking the bottom part of their helicopter, while me, over 50 soldiers, and my unit were all inside,” Kohler said.

“The moment we were hit, we dropped to the ground, as if an earthquake had struck,” he said. “As we tried to stand up, our helicopter crew members, who were in charge of us, screamed at us to stay really close to the ground, because not only were we hit by a rocket, but we were now being shot at by gunfire.”

After making an emergency landing, the soldiers engaged in a gunfight with Hamas terrorist for about 15 to 20 minutes. Another rocket struck and destroyed the helicopter shortly after the soldiers exited.

“We were 50 soldiers on board, and not a single one was killed, and no one was injured from the helicopter hit,” Kohler said. “However, several were injured, they were shot in the gun battle, and they were evacuated.”

His unit later reached Kibbutz Be’eri, where soldiers fought Hamas terrorist and helped rescue families trapped inside their homes.

“They weren’t willing to open the door for someone until they heard something Jewish,” he said.

During his service in Gaza, Kohler said he encountered difficult decisions while operating in areas where civilians and combatants could be difficult to distinguish.

He also discussed his decision to extend his military service beyond January 2024, when he was originally scheduled to finish.

“How can I leave just when things are getting hard?” Kohler recalled asking himself. “My team is going back in. I need to continue my service.”

He said one motivation was learning that Omer, someone he knew growing up, had been taken hostage.

“The special thing that Omer Shem Tov gave me is this huge motivation during the war to not only be there and want to be there, but to say, like, I’m going to keep going,” Kohler said.

He was freed on Feb. 22, 2025, as part of a ceasefire agreement.

Kohler later wrote “Once a Paratrooper,” a memoir documenting his military experiences, and began traveling across the United States to share his story.