Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Benjamin Gantz speaks to 1,30
supporters at the national FIDF gala in New York"
Michiganders take part in national Friends of the IDF gala that raised $26 million.
Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor
New York
A
s Israeli soldiers worked to keep
cities within striking distance of
Gaza safe from the rocket bar-
rages that had escalated early this month,
more than 1,300 supporters of the Friends
of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) gath-
ered for the nonprofit's largest single fund-
raiser of the year.
Within hours, $26 million had been
raised at the annual black-tie FIDF
National New York gala dinner at the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on March 13.
This year's sold-out event benefits the
organization started in 1981 by a group
of Holocaust survivors to provide for the
well-being of the men and women who
serve in the IDF as well as the families of
fallen soldiers.
At least 11 Metro Detroit FIDF supporters
helped to fill the hotel's grand ballroom to
capacity. Among them were five who had
served in the IDF: Michigan FIDF Vice
President Josh Berkovitz and Avi Yazdi, both
of West Bloomfield, and FIDF Michigan
Region Executive Director Tamir Oppenheim,
his wife and office manager Elian Oppenheim
and executive assistant Keren Toby.
In addition, Chairman emeritus
and board member Ann Newman of
Bloomfield Hills fought in the 1948 War
for Independence; board member Aliza
Nivy of Bloomfield Township served as a
registered nurse during the 1948 war.
Others Detroiters included Michigan
FIDF board member Eugene Sherizen of
Huntington Woods, Marilyn Karbal of
Bloomfield Hills and the Rev. Tim and
Kay Munger, local representatives of the
New Jersey-based Friends of Israel Gospel
Ministry, an evangelical Christian group.
"No question I felt motivated and
re-energized in my commitment to the
organization back in Michigan after the
gala:' said Sherizen, a first-time attendee.
"It is important to take part in a big
national gala dinner to be witness to the
strength of the organization and its strong
support for the soldiers, and then to come
back home and continue the amazing job
the Michigan community does for the
soldiers:' Oppenheim said.
Heavy Artillery
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. (Res.) Benny Gantz
was to have been the keynote speaker but
remained in Israel because of the rocket
escalation from Gaza. He spoke live via
satellite from a base protecting Ashdod
with the Iron Dome anti-missile system,
which the IDF says has intercepted nearly
90 percent of its targets.
"The terrorists know now that the
rockets they are firing at us are being
intercepted by the Iron Dome, and they
also know what will happen in the future
if they continue to pursue terrorism:' he
said. "Active defense systems represent a
historic and important shift in military
strategy"
Gantz thanked the attendees for their
partnership with the IDF soldiers, saying,
"This is very important for us to know
that we are not alone
Appearing with Gantz in the pre-dawn
darkness in Israel was Sgt. Doron Gertner,
an Iron Dome intercept specialist.
"When you are in the box, you have to
make quick decisions and you know what
lies in the balance Gertner said. "You have
to know what kind of rocket [is fired] to
choose the interceptors. The right choice
and you see who you save.
"Out of 200 rockets, I personally inter-
cepted four," he said to great applause.
"What I love most about this unit is that
you can see results instantaneously. It's
very rewarding. I'm so proud to serve in
this unit?'
In a video message, freed IDF soldier
Gilad Shalit thanked the audience for
prayers and support during the five years
he was held captive in Gaza by Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
also appeared in a video message. "The
IDF is the basis for our existence and
is the guarantee for our future he said.
"Today, now that we have a country and
we have a strong army, we have the capa-
bility to stand up against attacks on the
Jewish nation:'
Twenty-nine IDF soldiers talked one-to
one with supporters during the reception
and were dispersed among the tables at
dinner, bringing an added level of com-
mitment to the cause among supporters.
In a tearful speech, bereaved mother
Mir Hadassi spoke of her son, Yonatan
Hadassi, killed in 2006 at the onset of the
Second Lebanon War while serving in
Maglan, an IDF covert operations unit.
A live satellite feed introduced a Maglan
unit training in Lachish, Israel, showing
their cramped quarters and an artificial
hillside that provided cover for their
operations.
An IDF soldier named Dave from Long
Island did the talking, until he was sur-
prised to be greeted by his parents in the
New York audience. His weeping mother
sent her love, shared her pride in his work
and told him to return safely.
Adding Their Voices
Similar video feeds, stories and heart-
warming connections are a hallmark of
Michigan's annual FIDF dinner as well and
help in getting supporters to raise the ante
on their pledges.
At the New York dinner, everything was
on a much larger scale. Unlike in Detroit
and most other cities, a majority of the
pledges were made in tableside announce-
ments around the ballroom.
Pledging lasted more than 90 minutes
and included every amount, from $180
from a bar mitzvah boy to $9.25 mil-
lion from the International Fellowship of
Christians and Jews in Jerusalem.
"This dinner and this cause have
become the central event of Jewish life in
North America;' Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein,
founder of the Fellowship, said as he
announced the evening's largest pledge.
Though lengthy, the pledging was an
emotional testament to the support for
Israel's soldiers. A repeated theme was that
the IDF was defending not only the Jewish
homeland, but also Jews worldwide.
In Detroit, the annual Michigan Region
FIDF dinner last November raised $1.6
million. The new goal is $2 million. Local
supporters number 2,000 households.
Among Detroiters, favorite programs to
support include Impact!, which provides
grants for four-year scholarships to Israeli
Salute To Soldiers on page 12
10 March 22 • 2012