Not even the heightened tensions in southern Israel could spoil the evening – in fact, it seemed that the rockets fired at Israel early Wednesday only reminded the attendees of the Friends of the IDF gala, held Wednesday in New York, why they were giving. And they gave generously, raising $32 million.
Guests included Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon; Consul General of Israel in New York Dani Dayan; Israel Defense and Armed Forces Attache to the United States Maj. Gen. Michael Edelstein; FIDF Acting Chairman Peter Weintraub; FIDF Chairman Emeritus Arthur Stark; FIDF Acting President Robert Cohen; FIDF National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (res.) Meir Klifi-Amir and his wife, Brig. Gen. (res.) Gila Klifi-Amir; radio personality and FIDF Tri-State Executive Director Galit Brichta.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot was also scheduled to attend, but due to the rocket attack on Beersheba early Wednesday, he immediately returned to Israel.
"For the soldiers, understanding that from thousands of miles away there are people who care about them without knowing them makes all the difference," Meir Klifi-Amir told Israel Hayom.
"We aren't alone. Lots of people support Israel and understand that without the IDF, it cannot exist in the very problematic neighborhood where we live," Klifi-Amir said.
One of the speakers at the event was Staff Sgt. Bar Orian, a paramedic with the Nahal Brigade, who spoke about his experiences tending to wounded Syrian civilians on Israel's northern border.
"Medicine means treating anyone who needs help, whether it's the enemy or a friend," Orian said.
"One of the wounded said that we were his angels. He was grateful from the depths of his soul. The wounded [would] come from an enemy country under cover of darkness, and it seemed like the scariest situation in the world for them, but then they see our true face. It's nice to be that face," he said.
Orian was also happy about the support from the FIDF.
"I couldn't imagine the level of Zionism and love for Israel," he said.
Maj. Eyal Rechnitz, 31, of the IDF's search and rescue forces, described similar feelings when his unit was sent to Haiti after the major earthquake there in 2010.
"It took place so far from the country, and in spite of that Israel decided to send a search and rescue delegation to help them. These are the values the IDF teachers, and that our society is based on," Rechnitz said.
Brig. Gen. Tal Kelman, head of the Strategic Division of the IDF Planning Directorate and former Israeli Air Force Chief of Staff also spoke, discussing working together with U.S. Air Force soldiers during the Juniper Cobra joint military exercise earlier this year.
The donations to the FIDF included one bequest of $5 million; $2.5 million from the Or Lachayal organization; $1.3 million from Nefesh B'Nefesh, which promotes and supports young Diaspora Jews who make aliyah; $1.2 million from the New York branch of AIPAC's Young Leadership; $1 million each from real estate mogul Ofer Yardeni and the Brothers for Life organization, which provides assistance to wounded soldiers; and $700,000 from the Genesis Foundation.
