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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.