L-R: University of Texas Longhorns Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rodney Terry. Former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Sayeret Matkal Commando Gadi Ilan. Courtesy: Jay Rubin

By Jay Rubin

The Jewish Austin Men Dinner and Speakers Forum (JAMen), a Shalom Austin program, will wrap up its seventh season with a pair of events on April 10 and May 8 at the Dell Jewish Community Center.

On April 10, Gadi Ilan will take participants “Inside Operation Thunderbolt” to explore the extraordinary rescue of the hostages in Entebbe, Uganda on July 4, 1976. A former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Sayeret Matkal Commando, Ilan will share an insider’s perspective on everything from the call up, training, implementation and aftermath of one of the most extraordinary hostage rescue efforts in history. The event will look at what went right, what went wrong and what lessons can be learned today as Israel faces continuing terrorist challenges closer to home.

Born and raised in Ramat Gan, Israel, Ilan grew up in a passionate Zionist household and participated in the mainstream youth movement Tzofim, the Israeli Scouts, during his teen years.

Recruited into the Sayeret Matkal-the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, the Israeli equivalent of the U.S. Army’s renowned Delta Force, Ilan participated in numerous operations during his IDF service, including the strategic capture of Mount Hermon’s peak from the Syrian Army on the brink of the Yom Kippur War in 1973; the tragically unsuccessful hostage rescue at Maalot’s high school; and the daring storming of the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv in 1975 where terrorists arriving by sea had taken guests and staff hostage.

Then on May 8, participants will spend an evening with University of Texas Longhorns Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rodney Terry as he reflects on seasons past and future. Coach Terry, a native of Angleton, Texas, and graduate of St. Edward’s University where he began his coaching career, served as an assistant coach at Baylor and University of North Carolina Wilmington, before joining former Texas Longhorn Head Coach Rick Barnes as Assistant Coach in 2002 where he would spend the next nine seasons. Terry then served as Head Coach at Fresno State and UTEP before returning to UT in 2021 as Associate Head Coach and being named Head Coach the following year.

In addition to outstanding speakers, JAMen events feature schmoozing, full course dinners and robust Q&As.

For more information, contact Alachua Haskins by phone at (512) 735-8052 or by email at alachua.haskins@shalomaustin.org or visit ShalomAustin.org/JAMen.