30 | NOVEMBER 2 • 2023 J
N
OUR COMMUNITY
A
lthough retired
healthcare
professional and
physical therapist Barry
Chesterman planned a trip
to Israel in advance to help
his mother recover after
a surgery set in October,
his trip took on a new
meaning as the war in Israel
unfolded.
Chesterman, 65, of
Huntington Woods and
a former IDF volunteer
medic, knew he needed to
support his nephew, Eitan
Chesterman, who serves as
a supply sergeant with IDF
paratroopers.
After tallying up equip-
ment available to the troops,
Eitan Chesterman realized
the troops were in need of
more supplies, particularly
ammunition vests, missile
carryall bags and multi-
tools.
Chesterman immediately
sent a message to his
chavurah, or Jewish
community, asking if
they’d be willing to donate
funds for purchasing
more supplies. His son
and daughter-in-law also
posted the request to their
Instagram pages.
The response was
immediate. In just a few
short days, the Chesterman
family raised $16,100
from 75 donors, which
will go directly toward the
paratroopers. If their needs
are fully met, the funds will
then be distributed to other
soldiers on the front lines.
GETTING TO ISRAEL
Still, like many others,
Chesterman faced canceled
flights trying to get to Israel
as airlines quickly began
stopping flights to and from
the war-torn country.
After two canceled flights,
Chesterman was finally
able to arrive in Israel,
flying El Al via Boston and
London’s Heathrow airport.
He plans to be in Israel for
10 days to help his mother
recover and to continue to
support Israeli troops on
the ground.
“The mood on the plane
was serious,” he explains.
“Almost all passengers were
Israeli, most appearing
younger or older than the
call-up age.”
A SENSE OF PRIDE
Chesterman, who is affil-
iated with the Isaac Agree
Downtown Synagogue and
volunteers with Kosher
Meals on Wheels and Yad
Ezra, says despite the serious
mood, there was an incred-
ible sense of pride on the
plane.
Like many heading to
Israel this week and last,
there is a purpose to the
trip. Some, like Chesterman,
are en route to be close with
family during the crisis,
while others arrived armed
with duffel bags full of
supplies and goods for the
Israeli people and soldiers.
“It’s not unusual for
passengers to applaud
when landing in Israel,”
Chesterman says. “This
flight, they spontaneously
broke out with ‘Am Yisrael
Chai,’ or ‘The People of
Israel Live.’”
Former IDF volunteer medic and healthcare
professional raises more than $16,000.
From Detroit to Israel:
Raising Funds to Assist
IDF Soldiers
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Barry Chesterman
Ethics Complaint Filed
Against Rashida Tlaib
On Oct. 19, The Lawfare
Project’s (LP) filed an official
ethics complaint against Rep.
Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) with
the Office of Congressional
Ethics (OCE). The complaint
asserts that Tlaib directly vio-
lated Rule 1 of the U.S. House
of Representatives’ Code of
Official Conduct by publishing
a statement on her X (formerly
Twitter) account that false-
ly and recklessly accuses the
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) of
being responsible for the recent
deadly attack on a hospital in
Gaza.
LP’s complaint calls upon the
OCE to immediately launch an
investigation into Tlaib and to
refer the matter to the House
Committee on Ethics.
“Despite compelling evidence
showing that the terrorist
group Palestinian Islamic Jihad
(PIJ) was in fact responsible
for the attack, and President
Joe Biden along with the
White House National Security
Council also attributing blame
to PIJ, Tlaib has not deleted
her social media post nor apol-
ogized for spreading dangerous
disinformation,” said Brooke
Goldstein, Executive Director
and Founder of The Lawfare
Project.
“Instead, she spoke at a pro-
Hamas rally where she dou-
bled down on the lie and has
refused to retract it. This mod-
ern-day blood libel has sparked
rioting across the Arab world
and has been used to justify
demonstrations supporting
Hamas on U.S. college campus-
es and beyond.”
LP is urging individuals
to contact their local con-
gressional representatives in
the House and demand that
Congress launch an investiga-
tion into Rep. Tlaib.