Michigan Friends of the Israel Defense Forces

Making a real difference

"Israel is a strong country — with a strong military —
because we are very focused on one thing: our survival,"
explains Oren, a deputy commander at the Palmachim Air
Force Base.

"All of our resources go to the army's operational needs. For
the soldier, that translates into food, education, basic shelter
and little else," he adds. "As anyone who has raised children
knows, the basics are not enough to produce a happy,
productive individual. It's those little extras — the ones that
show our love — that make the biggest difference."

Israel's founding prime minister, David Ben-Gurion,
recognized that such "little extras" can make a difference
when he established the Committee for the Welfare of
Soldiers in 1942. Its first order of business was to obtain
donations of blankets for the fledgling Jewish Brigade.

"What makes the Friends of the IDF so special," says
Naomi, a lieutenant platoon commander, "is that they can —
and do — respond to the immediate needs of our soldiers.
They make a real difference in the quality of my soldiers'
lives."

Aided by the generous support of Jewish communities
across North America, the FIDF has been able to build,
maintain, and operate almost two dozen modern recreational
and therapeutic facilities throughout Israel. It has established
and renovated hundreds of clubrooms and fitness rooms on
IDF bases, and has made a difference around the country with
everything from protected bus shelters to snack kiosks to
mobile gyms.

The recent climate of economic and political uncertainty
in Israel and around the world has only heightened the need
for critical new initiatives that will respond to the increasingly
acute social, educational, and recreational needs of Israel's
courageous sons and daughters.

Today, the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's
Soldiers (AWIS) — the largest philanthropic organization in
Israel — and its American partner, The Friends of the IDF
F), continue that mission by providing support and
comfort to the young men and women who, while yearning
and praying for peace, must nonetheless shoulder the
onerous burden of protecting the State of Israel from those
who have sworn to destroy her.

The Friends of the Israel Defense Forces is not an arm of
the military; it's the gentle hand that cares for Israel's
combat soldiers. Every day, in many ways, its growing
reach makes a difference in the lives of the brave heroes,
who are — first and foremost — our children:

For Boris, an infantryman, it's the base club — a place to
relax with a TV, comfortable chairs and, most important in the
102 2F summer heat, the only air conditioner on the base.

,

For Yonatan, who serves on a patrol boat, it's a gym that
allows him to work out and stay in shape in a confined
space.

For Miriam, who completed her army service, it's an FIN
scholarship that enables her to attend college and pursue
her career in special-education.

And the last goes on.

That's because the FIDF is dedicated to the care of each
and every active IDF soldier — as well as to the welfare of
widows and children of soldiers who have fallen in defense
of the Jewish homeland.

"What makes the Friends of the
IDF so special," says Naomi, a
lieutenant platoon commander,
"is that they can
and do
respond to the immediate needs
of our soldiers. They make
real difference in the quality of my
soldiers' lives,"