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OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER
14 | FEBRUARY 8 • 2024 J
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barbecue for some 350 soldiers.
On short notice, the number of
soldiers grew to 700. With their
generosity on full display, it took
only a matter of minutes for the
volunteers to provide the balance
of funds required to fulfill the
need.
“The barbecue was a welcome
respite from some of the dire
things we had witnessed,” said
Ethan Gross, a member of the
Jewish War Veterans Dept. of
Michigan, who signed up for the
inaugural mission. (See sidebar.)
“Mingling among the soldiers
and providing some moments of
joy for them is a memory I will
cherish forever. They are sacri-
ficing so much and they, in turn,
were so grateful for the love and
generosity coming from abroad.
They did not feel forgotten.”
In a matter of speaking, the vol-
unteers were also helping to feed
Israeli citizens by assisting on area
farms, volunteering several hours
in the fields.
“One of our jobs was to pick
vegetables,” said Tolwin, but not
as tourists. We were harvesting
crops with actual Israelis who
needed help filling the void of
workers left by the 300,000 men
and women of the IDF who left
their respective jobs and everyday
obligations to go off to battle.”
Every day was a full day of
volunteering, the daily activities
on their itinerary amounting to
a 15-hour workday. It harkens
back to when America’s Rosie the
Riveters filled the void during
WWII, leaving their everyday
lives to provide the labor force
needed to build planes at Ford’s
Willow Run Bomber Plant in
Ypsilanti.
Another highlight from the
Aish Israel Solidarity Mission
were the surprise gift baskets
delivered to area homes on
Shabbat.
“We were provided a list of the
JEREMY SPARIG PHOTOGRAPHY
JEREMY SPARIG PHOTOGRAPHY
JEREMY SPARIG PHOTOGRAPHY
Three IDF soldiers, among
the 700 at an Aish-sponsored
BBQ at a military staging area
outside Gaza
Aish volunteers join IDF for a group photo during their November mission.
Rabbi Simcha
Tolwin joins an
Israeli volunteer
on a farm to pick
sweet potatoes.