Bark Them Home: Helping Israel

In this episode we speak with Shiri Homler, from the touching new Instagram initiative Bark Them Home. Shiri shares how shaken up she was by the events of October 7, 2023 in Israel and how – though she lives in Connecticut – she wanted to do something to help Israel. Ultimately, Shiri joined Barry and Cindy, who both live in Canada, in creating Bark Them Home. 

Bark Them Home uses Instagram to make people aware of and educate them about Oketz, the canine unit of the IDF. Shiri shares the moving history of the Oketz Unit and the indispensable role the soldiers and dogs in this elite canine unit play in recovery and security efforts. Shiri talks about, among other things, Oketz’s urgent needs for supplies, as well as the dignified and moving ways that fallen dogs from the Oketz Unit are honored, underscoring the critical contributions of these canine heroes and their handlers.

We also talk about Bark Them Home’s sharing about hostages who have dogs, exploring themes of grief, healing, and the unbreakable bonds between humans and their dogs. Shiri emphasizes the importance of balancing heart-wrenching stories with moments of joy, highlighting the cathartic power of these narratives. 

Shiri concludes with a call to action, encouraging listeners to follow Bark Them Home on Instagram and to share their posts, and to support the Oketz Unit by donating to help procure new dogs and essential supplies.

You can follow Bark Them Home on Instagram at @barkthemhome

You can read about the Oketz Unit at https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/our-corps-units-brigades/oketz-unit/oketz-unit/

I hope you enjoy listening to the Mazel Pups podcast as much as I enjoy making it. If you have an idea for a future episode or want to be in touch, email me at mazelpups@gmail.com.

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And the PAWSITIVELY JEWISH 2025 CALENDAR, which features super-cute dogs dressed up for & celebrating Jewish holidays, and includes Jewish & Israeli holidays, dog holidays & national US & Canadian holidays, is now for sale at www.PrintArtKids.com/Calendars. A portion of the proceeds from the calendar will go to the Israel Guide Dog Center. Check out this awesome calendar and get one for yourself - and they make great gifts for friends and family, while helping to support an awesome cause. 

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Thanks for listening!
Rabbi Robyn

Transcript

00:08 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
Shalom, I'm Rabbi Robn Frisch. Welcome. This is the Mazel Pups podcast. If you're Jewish or Jew-ish however you define that and you love dogs, this is the podcast for you. Today's guest is Shiri Homler, who's been representing a group that she's involved with called Bark Them Home. Shiri currently lives in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters and a puppy, which we'll hear about in a little bit, and Shiri, along with two others, Cindy and Barry, who are both from Canada, have been partners on Bark them Home since the beginning of July 2024. Since the beginning of July 2024. They're joined by their love for of dogs and their love of Israel, and they decided to start an Instagram page called Bark them Home. And, though Shiri has never met Cindy or Barry, they now speak daily and they are very much bonded and working together on this joint endeavor. So, Shiri, welcome. It's great to you. 

01:02 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
Thank you so much. 

01:04 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
And I just have to say I am especially appreciative. I found out about Bark them Home just a few days ago on Instagram and I was so excited. I immediately wrote a message saying can someone from your group join me on my podcast up, getting a message very soon after that from Shiri saying I'd be happy to do that. And then some things came up and I said, actually, can you do it in two days? And you have been a wonderful sport and I really appreciate your being here and I'm so excited to learn more about Bark Them Home, to learn more about your dog first and you so we're going to start with our four questions. 

01:41
I announced in the introduction that you have a dog, so we all know the answer, but why don't you start instead of my first before being do you have a? 

01:50 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
dog. What is the name of your dog? Sure, my dog's name is Millie. She's a puppy. 

01:53 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
She's just 10 months old, and can you give us a fun fact or two about Millie? Absolutely. 

01:59 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
So the first fun fact is a fun fact. I actually went to the breeder to meet Millie. She had a twin sister, so the breeder differentiated them with bows. One had a blue bow, one had a yellow bow and I chose the blue bow just because blue is my favorite color. And when I went to meet the dogs, the one with the blue bow wouldn't come anywhere near me. The dogs the one with the blue bow wouldn't come anywhere near me, and the one with the yellow bow came and I picked her up and she like hugged me and so I knew she was the one. And so, yeah, that was kind of funny. And then the other fact is actually not necessarily a fun fact, but it's kind of an interesting fact she was born on October 5, just two days before the attack. So there's just like an added meaning there for me. 

02:46 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
I have to say I thought you were going to say you chose the one with the yellow bow, because I'm looking right now at the yellow ribbon that you're wearing, of course, representing the hostages. So you know, as we say in Yiddish I think it was Bashert, you were meant to get that dog and switching gears a little bit. What is it that you love about Judaism? 

03:11 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
I think, first and foremost, I love the connectedness. I love that we all share such a common bond in so many different ways, and there's just something about being able to go anywhere really almost anywhere in the world these days. To go anywhere really almost anywhere in the world these days and find a place where you can meet, you know, like people and share common traditions. And what's your favorite Jewish holiday? So, um, actually my favorite, Hanukkah and I know it's not necessarily one of our more important ones, but, um, I just love the whole story. Um, I love the story of a small army overtaking a bigger, powerful army and saving the temple. I love the story of the miracle of the candles burning. So I also like seeing my kids' faces when I give them gifts. 

03:56 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
And that's a story we can hopefully get a lot of strength from right now and see the Israeli soldiers and all the things that they do. Even though they might be a small army, they're mighty. So before we go on to discuss Bark Them Home in more detail, I want to find out a little bit about your past. Was Israel something that was always important to you when you grew up? Was Israel emphasized in your home? 

04:18 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
Yeah, so my father's actually Israeli and by proxy I have an Israeli passport and so Israel has. Israel has always been so important in my household. We've always celebrated the culture and had Israeli music playing, and so always in my heart and my mind, for sure. 

04:43 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
So October 7th obviously changed the world. You even mentioned getting your dog on October 7th obviously changed the world. You even mentioned getting your dog on October 5th and that had an impact on you Just the fact that it was two days before October 7th, and you're very aware of that. If you can even articulate it, I know it's very difficult, but in what ways did October 7th change your life, even here in America? 

05:04 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
I mean, honestly, it shattered me. It was like it felt, like it still feels, like a defining moment, almost like a turning point in my life and it, I think, like so many with so many others, it just made me want to feel even more connected and try and search for ways that I could help from where I was, and I felt a little helpless too, just being so far away from Israel. So, yeah, so it was really important for me to search for meaning behind that, and I think the same is true for Cindy and Barry, that they just both I mean they both love, love dogs, and you know, Barry was actually very interested in the whole aspect of there being so many orphaned dogs after 10-7. I was sort of looking for ways to try and help as well. Cindy same. So. 

06:00 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
So you found your people, you know people that you could do something meaningful with. And why don't you tell us what is Bark Them Home? 

06:08 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
Okay. So we wanted more than ever really to find a way to bring some attention to the canine unit of the IDF, which is called Oketz. Oketz actually means "Sting" - for :sting operation." It's very, very secret. Well, it was a very secret group at first. 

06:30
Actually, when it came about in the 70s or kind of came back, because it was first, believe it or not, it had been around during the Hagana and then it disbanded. 

06:43
And when it actually came back, it was because there were a series of attacks and they felt that it was a really important thing to revive. 

06:51
And so once they did that, they actually kept it secret for like around 15 years or so because they didn't want to cause any suffering to Holocaust survivors seeing attack dogs and having the memories come back. So we wanted to call attention to these dogs, these heroes, who are often not really represented or reported on, and the dog unit itself has just played such an important role since 10-7 in things like recovery, you know, recovery of bodies, things like finding, searching bombs, finding the actual terrorists. I mean, these dogs have really put their lives on the line, as have their handlers, and so that was the first part. We really wanted to call attention to them. And then also, we wanted to find a way to kind of find a safe and open forum for the family, the hostage families, to communicate with us via their dogs. I mean, there are just so many dogs that were left behind that are missing their you know, their family, so we wanted to put some attention on that as well. 

08:11 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
Just before we go on, I want to make sure everyone understands one thing. You refer to the Hagana. Now, I'm not sure everybody knows what that is, could you share what it is? 

08:17 - Shiri Homler (Guest)

It was a very small sort of army of people, really one of the first before the creation of the State of Israel. So, yeah, I mean, so it's just fascinating that it was there that early on. And yeah, I mean, it's an amazing, an amazing unit. And I also just wanted to add, it may come up later as well, but we knew that they really really needed the attention put on them. 

08:46
The focus and you know so we also, you know our hope was to sort of raise some money, if possible through the focus on Oketz because they're, to begin with, they're actually a very small group of people, very elite, very focused population. Small group of people, very elite, very focused population, and they took a very, very hard hit or have taken a very hard hit since 10-7. So they need more dogs, they need more handlers, they need more, you know, equipment for training. It also, I mean, as part of Oketz, they also have a unit where they deal with, they help soldiers with PTSD and they also have, like, a dedicated veterinarian there in office to you know, to take care of injuries and so there's so many aspects and they really are, they're hurting, so we wanted to help. 

09:45 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
And I think it's so wonderful that you're bringing attention to them. I have to admit, until probably November, December, I'd never heard of the Oketz Unit and I'd spent several years living in Israel and spend time and try to keep up on things, but it's just not something you tend to hear about. 

10:00
And it wasn't until because I was interested in dogs and what's going on after October 7th that I would see certain pictures on Instagram and do some research. So I think it's so wonderful that three of you are bringing attention to a unit that still, even though now it is public, it's not hidden, but it's still not known about by most people. And you know, as you mentioned, the young adults who put their lives at great risk by choosing to be in this unit and taking the risks that go with that, and the dogs who aren't given the choice but are doing something so important for their country. And so let me ask you, you know, unfortunately, in war, both people and in this case dogs don't always live and sometimes they're killed in war, and you know really tragic circumstances sometimes. So what happens to these dogs if they are killed? 

10:48 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
They're actually buried. There's a new cemetery, actually that I can't remember how recent, but it's. There is a new cemetery that was opened for them and I think always they've always been burying the dogs with so much respect. You know funeral, they speak dogs with so much respect, you know funeral, they speak, people speak. There's a beautiful statue of an officer with a dog and a beautiful epitaph that makes sure to point out that you know, here lies a soldier, and that's just what a beautiful thing. I mean, they are, they're soldiers. They're every bit as much a soldier as any other soldier in what they do and what kind of risks they take, and so, yeah, so it's really beautiful. 

11:32 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
And for those who are fortunate and survive, which is obviously the circumstance we would want. Our dogs are used to fighting. You know their dogs are used to being in very intense circumstances. Do the soldiers who work with the dogs have the option to keep those dogs or do they go somewhere else? 

11:47 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
Yeah, yeah so, from my understanding, there is an option to keep the dogs if they're retired from the service and actually something I'm not entirely certain of, but I don't know whether the officer himself needs to be retired in order to keep the dog. You know, I'm really not sure of that. But I do know that there is an opportunity once, once the dog is no longer working, to be adopted. 

12:17 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
And I'm sure they're treated very, very well. 

12:19 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
I'm sure, I'm sure. 

12:23 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
And you had mentioned that for a number of years in Israel they kept the unit secret because of, in particular, German Shepherds who were used during the Holocaust in a very cruel way against Jews and the greater PTSD that could bring up with people. I know that it's actually not exactly German Shepherds, it's Belgian Malinois that are used in the Oketz Unit. Can you tell us a little bit about why that particular breed was chosen and why? They're the right breed for this. 

12:50 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
Yeah, absolutely so. They do look awfully similar but they tend to be a bit smaller in size. Still quite large and very strong, but they are a bit smaller, which makes it a bit easier for the soldiers if they need to carry a wounded animal, a wounded dog. They also have a lighter coat and actually it's more like the coloring of the coat than the actual texture. So the coloring they have a lighter coloring which helps prevent them from getting heat stroke. It's such an important part of being out there doing what they do. 

13:30 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
It's amazing what all the things that come into account and figuring out how to do this and all the decisions that are made and really to keep the dogs and the soldiers as safe as possible and in the best situation as possible. So, as you mentioned, there's the other part of Bark Them Home, which also involves dogs, and it's the dogs of hostage families in particular. So how did you come up with that part and how does that play into Bark them Home? 

14:01 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
I think it was very important for us to feel like we were including the families in some way, and I think that you know, while we have a large focus on Oketz, ultimately our idea was to sort of bring dogs into the mix, you know, in different ways, as they have been affected by 10-7, because dogs in so many different scenarios have also been affected. 

14:33
So we just thought that perhaps this could provide a medium for either for families to share or even just a medium for us to share their pets, and there was something about that. 

14:49
I think we all feel that dogs, animals in general, give us an opportunity to express ourselves in ways that we might not otherwise be able to. There's just, I think, we kind of it allows us to let our guard down, and it's so important right now for people to express themselves in different ways and slightly tangential. But while I'm on that subject, just people will respond to posts of ours with just like a paw print, and it's just amazing how much just that little paw print means Like we all get it, we all understand, you know. It's just like a way of saying like, oh, we're thinking of them and you know we love dogs too and so, yeah, so I think there is. While there may not be like a direct connectedness in terms of the families being connected with all cats in any way, it's sort of just the idea of dogs and their connection to 10-7, it just kind of ended up coming full circle. 

15:50 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
I love that and I think, for those of us who love dogs, seeing the dogs attracts our attention. And then we're going to read more about the hostage and we're going to read more about the Oketz Unit. 

15:59
Exactly, and it brings people in through something, through a common love that they share with the hostages and with these soldiers. I have to tell you we spoke yesterday afternoon and afterwards I saw an article last night that someone was saying how they'd been saying to some of the hostages' families: "you need to start sharing different stories. Everyone's hearing the same stories." And their response was: "After 300 days, there haven't been stories lately. We haven't seen them in so long. We're sharing what we can and what we remember." And what you're doing, I think, in many ways, is supplementing that by showing a different side of these people. Not that we should need that, but it's another way to connect to them and for those who love dogs to think: "Oh, we share that in common," and it just again embraces that sense of a common humanity that we share with them. 

16:41 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
Yeah, I certainly hope so, and you know I don't know at this point and we're still very new, so I don't really have a sense in terms of, like the impact we've made, if we've actually, if any of the hostage families have seen our account or seen us posting their dogs, so that will be a piece that will be interesting to find out. But we definitely want to have a lot of interaction with people and their dogs and you know, really just, there doesn't have to be that exact connection, it's just. And you know, really just, there doesn't have to be that exact connection, it's just. Hey, I'm Jewish. Like 10-7 affected me. I have a dog. Maybe I could bring them home dog tag on them now, and I've never thought to do that before. Or they wear a yellow ribbon or they don't wear anything specific, but I just I want to connect my dog somehow. So here's a picture. 

17:33 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
So you're doing a lot. I know you just started recently, but you're bringing attention, I think, to a really obviously very important causes in a unique way, and I want to ask: what's the most rewarding part of Bark Them Home? 

17:47 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
I mean, I think it is just sort of seeing so many people connect through our stories, and things we post are not always most of the time we're respecting them and we're just like putting the thought in people's minds, um, that they were out there and they did this and we should thank them, and so there's just a real satisfaction in seeing, um, seeing people's interest in that and just giving people an opportunity to say just thank you and um, you know, one other thing that has been rewarding in a few cases we've gotten to just sort of highlight a few cases where hostages came home and reconnected with their pets and with their dogs and I mean, I can't even imagine what that is like, but it has to be just an amazing feeling. And you know, I just I don't know if people know this. They may, but there was actually one of the hostages who was released. I wish I knew her name right now, but it was a young girl who was kidnapped with her dog. 

19:02
I think a lot of people probably do know now that that had happened and I think it's just miraculous that they both lived and they both survived this together, and I mean a bond between a person and, you know his or her dog is so special to begin with, but I can't imagine what like sharing that experience was like and I hope they help each other heal. I mean I hope the I'm sure the dog provides that support for this lovely young girl who I'm so happy for, and you know so it's a mixed bag. But in general I think just seeing people's engagement and hopefully knowing that you know we're helping people express a feeling that maybe they wouldn't otherwise know how to and what's the hardest part of being part of it? 

19:54
So you know, again, there's there are a lot of sad stories that that we highlight and you know, even in just like highlighting these, like I've sort of now, like you know, part of putting things together on Instagram is like finding the right setting, finding, like the, the mood music, and I have found some just incredible songs that sort of like speak to you about, um, the death of a pet, and they are so sad, but they're so, but they make you, they're in a way, they're cathartic too and so. 

20:31
But the whole process of putting that kind of news out is it's hard. It's hard, it takes a toll and you know it, just it makes you very sad. But I also think we've all, unfortunately, been a little hardened. I mean not in the sense that we aren't thinking about everything like all the time, that we aren't thinking about everything like all the time, but just that something that might have made us cry really hard at first, pretty tense up, and might now we just might have a different reaction, because you can only cry so much you know, and yeah. 

21:07 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
Actually, I have to say, one angle you've really made me think about is we think about humans losing their pets, and you know, we obviously live much longer than they do and even in our society where we're, God willing, we're still safe. People lose pets and it's very difficult and we don't often think about pets losing people and, whereas they may not recognize it, because they're living more in the moment, when you see, as you said, the joy when someone comes home and that they'll never have that joy if their person is still hostage or God forbid was killed, that the difficulty that is for the pet. 

21:38 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
And then that pet has no idea what's going on, like they don't know where they are, they don't understand, and I mean that is obviously tragic too. But, um, yeah, I mean, you know, there's a saying that I heard recently and I don't know if it was like a quote by an anonymous person, but hopefully I'll get it right but the essence of it is that you know, make sure you spend time, hug your dog every day, because you know they're just a part of your life for so long, but you're a part of their life forever. And I mean it's so true, it really is. 

22:19 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
I've seen the quote on Instagram. 

22:24 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
I think it's been circulating and I mean that's also such a fun part about Instagram is just like seeing the different dog reels and yeah. So I mean I think, well, we don't necessarily like put a focus on those kinds of things. Like, we do watch those things and sort of like see them in our feeds  and I think we, you know, we want to make a point, but we also want there to be some levity to every now and again. 

22:51 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
So, yeah, but we also want there to be some levity to every now and again. So yeah, and I think also that's I mean for me. What attracted me was I saw this gorgeous picture of someone with their dog and then of course, I read the comment and unfortunately he had lost his life while he was a hostage, and it was heartbreaking and that's the reality. It's important that we know that. ut yet, even while I was reading that sad story on Bark Them Home, I also smiled to see that beautiful picture of him with his dog. 

23:17 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
So it does give us that nice feeling among the sadness that we're feeling. Absolutely and we just posted something yesterday or the day before. That was again just, you know, like the dog and his owner. Well, actually, the owner it might even be what you're talking about right now, the hostage no, actually I think this was a soldier who was killed in battle and the dog survived but has been in the hospital for like the last five months, six months, and passed away and it's so obviously, so, so sad. But in the comments people were saying things like they're going to be together now and it's just so, it's so lovely. I mean just just the thought is, whether you really believe it or not, it's a nice thought to have. 

24:02
And you know, like they're bonded together in such an incredible way and it takes such a special person to  do that. I mean, the training they go through is really as rigorous and they're very, they're really very specialized, like I think that, in the time of the Hagana when the group first started, there were like 11 people, , and it's still a fairly small unit, but I think it's probably like more, like eight times that size now, something like eight to ten times that size, and but I mean, that's such a small amount and so yeah. 

24:42 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
So is there anything else you want to share with us? 

24:47 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
So well, I guess I did want to sort of just say, just so people know, we're not in any way affiliated with Oketz and we're hoping, through this endeavor, that we'll connect with them on a more personal level when that may happen or if that may happen. But in the meantime,  you know, like I said before, there's such an incredible need for them to have the ability to purchase new dogs and to have all the supplies they need and so, on our Instagram account, which is called Bark Them Home, there is a link on there to donate money through the Oketz Foundation and, you know, hopefully people are touched by that and can donate. And if you can't donate, just come and check out our page and look through our posts and if you love dogs, just you know, connect with us and share. 

25:51 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
Hopefully people can share. 

25:53 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
Share, share, share share. Get the word out. They can help get the word out through their own Instagram feeds. 

25:59 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
Is there anything else people can do to help Bark Them Home? To get the word out? 

26:05 - Shiri Homler (Guest)
I mean, I think mainly it's just sharing, like really just sharing. Sharing our posts, sharing the pages, you know, I mean maybe bring it up in conversation, sharing like really just sharing. You never know who whose interest you might attract that way, you know. But I think we're just sort of we want to be a way to speak to people out there, dog lovers, and find that connectedness. So, you know, just connect with us. I think that'll, that'll go a long way. 

26:34 - Rabbi Robyn Frisch (Host)
And follow you and obviously comment and follow. 

26:44
Algorithms and all of those things which I still don't understand. Yeah, but I do want to say that I will have within the show notes the Bark Them Home, which is @barkthemhome but I will include that so people can find you easily. Also, the link to Oketz. You can make donations, I know on their page and you can learn a lot on their page about them. So I encourage people, as you do, to check out Oketz and the work that they're doing. It's really amazing and I just want to thank you so much for what you're doing. As I said to you personally before the podcast when we spoke yesterday, when I first saw Bark Them Home, I was like "this is like a Mazel Pups dream."

27:13
You know you are doing such wonderful work and bringing dogs into it. So, certainly from the Mazel Pups perspective, anything I can do, we will continue to share your posts and encourage people to join, which I do now, and I'm just so grateful to you for taking the time to talk to us and hope that we you know anything I can do to spread the word, as I said, about Bark  Them Home and the terrific things that you're doing, and I'm just really looking forward to see where it's going to go and how it grows, and hopefully there will be no need. Hopefully all the hostages will be home soon, but unfortunately there's a lot going on and there's definite need for what you're doing will continue, I'm sure. So everyone, please check them out. They're very new and, um, while sad, also very interesting and, as I said, it's just really sweet to see all those pictures of the dogs and then to read all the wonderful things they're doing and sometimes the sad stories. 

28:08
But it's also really important for us to know this is all part of what happens after October 7th. You know, we think about the humans, but we sometimes forget that animals can be suffering as well. So this brings also one more aspect into what we can learn and, hopefully, what we can do to help out in any way that we can from wherever we are, if we're not living in Israel. 

And I want to thank all of you for joining us for this podcast, and especially Shiri for joining us and best of luck and again, we will do whatever we can to support you and I hope that our listeners will as well. 

28:41
Hi again, I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode. If you did, don't forget to hit the subscribe button, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd give us a five-star rating and follow Mazel Pups on social media.