Ah, it finally came. My new wall hanging of a Merkava IV tank. This is a large 47x36 photo print on aluminum and weights about 8 pounds. I have it hanging proudly in my home. To me, this is absolutely beautiful. And did I say, I love it! ;-) (Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I love the Merkava IV, Israel's main battle tank. The shape, the versatility, the power! Complete fighting awesomeness. The new "Merkava IV Barak" (scheduled for deployment in 2021) will even have artificial intelligence (AI) for advanced battle management systems. I wish we had the Merkava during the Holocaust and could've given the Nazi bastards what they rightfully deserved. Never again! ;-) (Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
What an amazing birthday gift from my beautiful kids. A model of the awesome Merkava IV battle tank from Israel. They know how much I love this tank which the brave soldiers of the IDF use to protect the Holy Land of Israel. As a son of Holocaust survivors, this gift left me so emotional and literally brought tears to my eyes. One of the real tributes of the Merkava is that unlike almost every other tank in the entire world which has its engine in the rear to protect it from enemy fire... The Merkava IV has the engine in the front to protect the lives of the Israeli soldiers who man it. To the Jewish people, it's not the tank that is important in and of itself, but it is its ability to protect each and every sacred life behind it. That is the noble creed of the Israelite people--nothing is more valuable than human life. 70-years after the founding of the State of Israel--established from the very ashes of the 6,000,000 murdered in the Holocaust--I am so proud to say that IDF, despite being under almost constant threat from enemies near and far, protects the people and country with the utmost bravery, human dignity, and as a true light unto the nations. They are true heroes! May G-d Almighty bless each and every defender who stands watch over the Holy Land, and may He speedily bring a true and lasting peace to us all. (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I came across this video and photo online of the Israeli Mekava IV Tank with the Trophy Anti-Missile System. This tank looks so cool--a little fortress on treads. And with the Trophy system it can track and take out incoming missiles with a shotgun like blast. For a small country like Israel in the middle of a pretty bad and dangerous neighborhood--this is a necessity. Great for defending the Holy Land! ;-) (Source Photo: here with attribution to Michael Shvadron)
Andy Blumenthal is Deputy Program Director at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader with over 35 years of experience delivering results across the public and private sectors. All opinions are his own.
