| John Mitty Friday, October 19, 2012 |
New York, NY, October 19, 2012 – Over $850,000 was raised at the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Long Island Chapter’s 7th Annual IDF Appreciation Evening on Tuesday, October 16, 2012. Over 500 prominent lay leaders and FIDF supporters attended the event that paid tribute to the women who serve in the IDF and featured Dr.Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who is internationally recognized for having pioneered talking explicitly about sex on radio and television, as the keynote speaker. After losing her entire immediate family during the Holocaust in Germany, Dr. Ruth moved to then Palestine to join the Haganah (Israeli Freedom Fighters) where she fought for Israel’s independence in 1948 as a trained sniper.
The event honored two outstanding women from the Long Island community: Lana Bakhash, who is a founder of the Babylonian Jewish Center in Great Neck, and Stacey Bernstein Malakoff, who is the Executive Vice President and CFO of the Hospital for Special Surgery and involved in Temple Beth El of Great Neck, UJA, Sid Jacobson JCC and Shalva in Israel.
The Gala was honored by the participation of an Ethiopian-Israeli IDF Officer, Lt. Rachel Samani, who serves as a platoon commander in the Educational Corps where she manages four officers. Rachel participated in FIDF’s Amir Course, which helps integrate Ethiopian-Israelis into military and civilian society. Also participating in the event was IMPACT! Scholarship recipient Yonatan Benjamin Asseraf, who served as a combat soldier in the Paratroopers Brigade in the IDF during the Second Lebanon War and now studies law at the IDC in Herzliya. Yonatan received an OZ medal, an award of excellence, for his participation in the Second Lebanon War.
“During my service, I received a special invitation to join the "AMIR" course - sponsored by Friends of the IDF - which is designed to help young Ethiopian-Israeli soldiers adjust into the military system when they enlist,” said Lt. Rachel Samani. “As someone who was in the course and became an officer who now trains other young Ethiopian-Israelis, I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart what a difference your contribution makes to people like me. I am proud to be an officer in the IDF and to give back to my country, and I could not have done it without you.”
Also speaking at the event was Yifat Klein, the sister of Maj. Roi Klein who was killed in service during the Lebanon war in 2006. Yifat gave a moving speech to the audience about her late brother and the important work that FIDF does to assist bereaved family members of fallen IDF soldiers.
Other participants at the event included Edeed Ben-Josef, who is the Chairman of the dinner; FIDF National Chairman, Nily Falic; FIDF National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yitzhak (Jerry) Gershon; and Martin Rosenman, who was the Master of Ceremonies of the event.
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FIDF was established in 1981 by a group of holocaust survivors as a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing and supporting educational, social, cultural, and recreational programs and facilities for the heroic men and women of the IDF. Today, FIDF has more than 120,000 loyal supporters, and 16 regional offices throughout the U.S. and Panama. FIDF proudly offers its support to the IDF soldiers and their families through a variety of unique and innovative programs. These opportunities reinforce the vital bond between the communities in the United States, the soldiers of the IDF, and the State of Israel. For more information visit: www.Fidf.org
jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com Appears In: Press Releases
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