Abigail Klein Leichman
August 14, 2014, Updated August 5, 2015
Tzvika Bitan and his portable shower. Photo courtesy Beersheva News
Tzvika Bitan and his portable shower. Photo courtesy Beersheva News

Tzvika Bitan, a farmer from the Negev, wanted to do something to show his appreciation to the soldiers serving in Operation Protective Edge. The troops have been showered with food, clothing and toiletries by hundreds of goodhearted Israelis, and he decided to give them a unique treat: a real shower.

Bitan explained to Israel’s Channel 10 that he and a friend thought about how the soldiers are covered in the dust and sand of the Negev, compounded by the sweat brought on by summer heat. What could they possibly appreciate more than a hot shower?

So he and his pal spent a whole night putting together a portable shower. “We finished building it at three in the morning, and in the last three days we’ve managed to provide a shower for more than 850 soldiers,” he said. Every evening he launders hundreds of towels so they’re ready for the next day, and he also bring along soap, shampoo, underwear and socks to the base camps.

Some of the soldiers told Bitan they hadn’t showered in two weeks. “This shower is the best I’ve ever had,” says a Golani soldier caught on film by Channel 10 (waist up, of course) upon emerging from the portable setup.

Bitan is spending up to eight hours a day transporting the shower to soldiers serving in the tank and artillery corps during Operation Protective Edge.

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