The foundation's expanded budget was unveiled by its founder Uri Poliavich at a major educational conference in Limassol, Cyprus. The three-day event has brought together Israeli officials and approximately 200 educators and thought leaders to address current challenges facing Jewish communities worldwide.

Addressing the conference participants, Poliavich highlighted the intensified threats facing Jewish communities. "Over the last 15 months since the massacre on October 7, our enemies have physically targeted the Jewish State on seven fronts," he noted, emphasizing the concurrent rise in global antisemitism.

Following the events of October 7, the foundation has strengthened its focus on enhancing security measures for Jewish educational institutions. A new European initiative has been implemented to address growing security concerns across the continent.

This security enhancement program incorporates detailed risk assessment of Jewish communities throughout Europe, utilizing comprehensive data analysis and security expertise. Educational facilities have been designated as priority recipients for these protective measures.

The conference features contributions from key figures including Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism Amichai Chikli, IDF Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog of the Jewish Agency, and Special Envoy Michal Cotler-Wunsh. Among the speakers is Iris Chaim, who transformed her personal tragedy – the loss of her son in a mistaken IDF shooting during his escape from captivity – into an inspirational message.

Participants include educators from communities facing direct antisemitic challenges, with representation from an Odesa institution that now serves as a sanctuary for displaced Jewish students from conflict-affected areas of Ukraine.

The Yael Foundation, which began its work in 2020 through the vision of Uri and Yael Poliavich, continues its commitment to ensuring educational access for Jewish children worldwide, guided by its principle that no Jewish child should be denied educational opportunities.

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The annual Gala Dinner benefiting Belev Echad took place at Chelsea Piers, New York on Monday. Based in the Big Apple and with branches in Israel, Belev Echad supports and assists wounded IDF veterans and other security forces in the process of rehabilitating from the physical and emotional trauma of war and terror.  In attendance on Monday were celebrities from across the US, with guests introduced to what the organization said were "two young Israeli heroes" who "surmounted the odds to return to life and give back to the community" after being severely hurt during their service.

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"The dinner, aptly called "Our Soldiers-Our Heroes" spotlighted the story of Raz Mizrachi, who in May 2021, at the height of the Guardian of the Walls military operation, was deployed to east Jerusalem where tensions were reaching a hilt. Suddenly, a car came barreling toward her company, plowing directly into six police officers and soldiers, and running them over with intent to kill. Mizrachi was badly injured in the attack and spent the next 4 months in intensive rehab," the organization said in a statement.

"From a talented athlete who could run ten miles without losing my breath, I needed to learn how to walk again. Ten steps with excruciating pain was an accomplishment," Mizrahi said. Aside from the physical rehabilitation, Mizrachi also required intensive emotional therapy and psychiatric intervention to recuperate emotionally from the fear, anxiety, and depression that followed her near-death experience.

Former IDF soldier, Eli Chazzan has a similar story to share: Chazzan was seriously wounded in a terror attack in Hadera last March: "Not long ago, I was hanging between life and death, my body riddled with bullets in the wake of a terror attack. Now I'm standing here before you all and feeling the embrace of New York's Jewish community."

"Belev Echad's mission," Belev Echad cofounder and director Rabbi Uriel Vigler said, "is to give these young heroes opportunities, support, and power to advance in life, to develop their skills and talents, and help them build successful careers, no matter what they choose.  We sponsor IDF veterans as they further their education and then support them through the process of finding jobs, and we've witnessed incredible results – true miracles."

"It was deeply rewarding to see the wonderful Jewish New Yorkers coming out tonight to embrace our wounded veterans. Their support gives us the strength we need to expand our endeavors, stay committed to saving our soldiers' futures, and build a community of kindness for wounded IDF veterans and their families," expresses Shevy Vigler, Uriel's wife and cofounder of Belev Echad.  These courageous young men and women risked their lives for Israel and the Jewish people, and ultimately endured lifelong injuries and grief. "It's a very long and lonely fight to overcome catastrophic injuries, and our work with these wounded veterans proves our solidarity and gratitude for their enormous sacrifice," she concludes.

Bentzy Sassoon, who escorts the Belev Echad delegation across their US campus tours shared: "It was incredible to see the outpouring of love from America's Jews to our Israeli soldiers. Over one thousand men and women from across the spectrum united together for an awesome, empowering event that salutes and embraces the outstanding young men and women who sacrificed so much for their country and people.

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Even tzedakah is going high-tech. There are endless opportunities for charitable giving in the Jewish world. And with the biblical commandment to give maser – one-tenth of one's income to charity – it means that there are also countless people seeking out those donations, whether it be in the yeshivahs, the synagogues or the streets.

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Brooklyn, NY-based Haredi Orthodox entrepreneur Isaac Furth, founder of the C2P Group, says that he's come up with a solution to make giving as easy as the tap of a card without the hassle of loose cash, haggling over amounts or dealing with paper receipts.

"We are a team of inventors, dreamers. And with all that HaShem gave me and my partner, Shimon Smilowitz and our entire great team, we want to make changes to the world. Not just another product or to sell sandwiches, but something out of the box, something that doesn't exist. That's what C2P does all day. We have six different projects, six subsidiary companies, and each will change the world in its own way," Furth said.

His pet project is Matbia, the Hebrew word for "coin" or "currency." Launched this past spring, Matbia is a charitable platform, centered around a card held by the donor and a small card-reading machine in possession of an emissary (the agent acting on behalf of the charity and who collects the funds) that facilitates the transaction.

The card, which looks and feels like a credit card, actually has a credit-card chip in each of its corners. It allows the user to pre-program each corner with a different, pre-set amount that is donated when that corner is tapped on the machine.

"Just tap the corner you want to give, and it's done. A donation with a credit card or cash will take a minute or more, but with a Matbia card, it takes one second," crowed Furth, who says that Matbia already has thousands of users so far, even as his company holds off on extensive marketing while the product goes through its testing stage.

The platform virtually eliminates the awkwardness that comes when emissaries push for a higher-level cash donation.

"You give the person a $100 bill and ask for $90 change, and that guy tells you, 'I need more money.' It makes everyone feel painful. Even if you're giving him $20, the guy is still unhappy because his organization needs the money," said Furth, explaining that with the Matbia card, only the user is aware of the pre-set amounts in each corner, which can be reprogrammed at any time.

Additionally, Furth says that his Donary Pocket card reader that accepts the Matbia card is becoming recognizable in the neighborhoods where it is being utilized, primarily in the heavily Jewish neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Borough Park in Brooklyn, along with Monsey and Monroe in the New York suburbs, along with Lakewood, NJ; Florida; and Canada.

He notes that the Donary reader, which also accepts credit, debit and other charity cards, can continue to function should Internet access go down.

'Don't have to deal with endless written receipts'

The limited use of smartphones in some Haredi communities also makes a product like Matbia more attractive, according to Furth. Smartphones that otherwise could be used for electronic donations are treif among significant sectors of Haredim based on rabbinical rulings dealing with spirituality.

Matbia also offers an online user portal, which gives a detailed analysis of transactions and balances, and allows users to set up recurring donations via the portal's dashboard. The portal also makes it easy to track all donations for tax purposes. Like a more traditional credit or debit card, payments through Matbia are linked to a user's bank account.

Furth says his company makes its cut by selling its card-reading devices for $299 and charging a monthly fee to the charitable organizations that utilize the Donary platform. He adds that hundreds of nonprofits have come on board already, seeing the upside of his product.

"They have the money digitally the second the card is swiped. They can't lose it. They also don't have to deal with filling out endless written donor receipts," he says. Users automatically receive an electronic receipt with each donation, which Furth says also separates his product from competitors, who still largely deal in paper receipts.

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Matbia is a donor-advised fund, meaning that all donations go to it and are then disbursed to the emissary's group.

Furth says he is gunning for a wider market than New York-area, and that his company has fielded requests for devices from other US locations, along with London and Israel.

"It goes word of mouth very fast," he affirms. "We have a couple of new devices on the street almost every day."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa was decked out in rainbows on Friday as some 100,000 people were expected to participate in its annual Pride Parade, which was slated to begin at 10 a.m.

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To accommodate the crowds, the parade route has been moved from central Tel Aviv and the beachfront to the outskirts of the city and the Tel Aviv fairgrounds adjacent to Yarkon Park.

The event will kick off with a gathering at the Sportek facility in the park, and at 12 p.m. the parade will start, proceeding along Rokach Blvd. eastward. At 1 p.m. the main event is scheduled to begin at the Gannei Yehoshua outdoor venue, featuring many popular artists and DJs.

Over 1,000 uniformed and undercover police officers will be deployed to protect the marchers and keep order. Anyone entering the Sportek facility will be subject to a security check. Wheeled vehicles, helmets, non-service animals, and weapons are banned. Participants are asked not to bring lounge chairs and or glass objects.

Magen David Adom was also prepared for the event, with ambulances and teams of paramedics set up along the parade route and at the venues. Paramedics have prepared cooling pools for participants who suffer heat stroke. The weather forecast for Friday predicts temperatures in Tel Aviv will reach 30 degrees C (86 F) by mid-day, with 65% humidity and peak UV at 1 p.m.

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Despite concerns about anti-LGBTQ attacks, the Jerusalem Pride Parade ended without incident on Thursday, with some 7,000 participants marching through the streets of the capital.

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Parade organizer Amuna Klein Bar-Noy had been the subject of threats from anti-LGBTQ elements and police arrested one suspect.

A heavy police presence, including thousands of uniformed and undercover officers, was set up along the parade route to protect the marchers and prevent any disturbance to the peace.

The Jerusalem Pride Parade launched the events of Pride Month. Marchers began to assemble at 3 p.m., recited the traveler's prayer, and after Transportation Minister Meirav Michaeli, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, and former Social Equality Minister Meirav Cohen addressed the crowd, they set out toward Paris Square on their way to Independence Park, where the parade would end with performances.

Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy, former Jerusalem Police chief who was the first police commander to approve a pride parade in Jerusalem, announced he would take part in the event. Levy condemned what he called "wild incitement" and hate speech against the LGBTQ community.

"It's important to me to stand up this evening and say out loud – LGBTQ people are equal citizens in Israel and deserve fully equal rights," Levy told the crowd.

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev was greeted by boos when he took the stage, but he continued speaking, telling the audience that "It's a shame that in 2022 so many police are needed to protect you, to protect us. We are in a battle between the enlightened and the primitive … We are defending freedom of expression. Everyone can decide who and what they are."

When Horowitz, who is openly gay, took the stage, the audience called out, "Justice, Equality, Recognition." Horowitz told them: "None of these shouts bothers me, or are turning me away from my path of equality for every person in Israel. Equality for trans people, lesbians, gays, bisexuals. Equality for everyone. That is our answer. Look at the thousands who are here. What an enormous crowd. This audience stands with us against all those primitive people in the Knesset – all those who threatened me that I'd pay with my life if I showed up here. I've come every year since the parade began, and I'll come every year. No one will scare me off, and no one will scare you away."

When Michaeli spoke, some members of the audience called, "End the occupation!" 

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Ten-year-old Yehezkiel Roth, who is obsessed with robotics, has recently had the chance to fulfill his dream of visiting the Israel Defence Forces' simulation for robotics and autonomous lab. 

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His dream came true with the help of the Make a Wish association which helps fulfill the wishes of children with critical illnesses between the ages of 3-18. Established in the United States in 1980, it has fulfilled 500,000 wishes all over the world, with the aim of "bringing the children's innocence and childhood back," and "transforming their tears and fear into laughter and joy."

Although the IDF's robotics unit is quite secretive, Yehezkiel, whose family and friends call him "Hezki," got to see a simulation led by the very team leader of the lab, Omer Greenwald, who showed the boy the technical and design aspects of the work of creating the simulations. 

Hezki also got to try out the robotic arm and the virtual reality headsets, and an explanation of their use, and even visited the part of the lab where the robotics themselves are built. 

Although Hezki is just 10 years old, he seems more mature, like an officer about to retire, or an education or transport minister, which are all professions he dreams of acquiring one day. 

Perhaps it has to do with his life story, which if one wants to hear, he or she will need to dedicate several hours.

Hezki has medulloblastoma, a type of cancerous brain tumor in children. He was diagnosed in January this year, after he began complaining of strong headaches, and several days later, also vomiting. After the doctor ruled out a few options, he suggested Hezki be checked for a brain tumor. 

The diagnosis shocked the family, but, thankfully, the tumor was fully removed by Professor Shlomi Constantini from the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in the span of six surgeries. 

Hezki was born in a Hassidic-Ultra-Orthodox family and lived in Elad in Judea and Samaria with his parents and siblings. At the age of 3, his parents divorced. His mother, Goldi, began questioning religion and eventually settled with the boys in Tel Aviv. Hezki's father, in turn, moved to the Haredi city of Beit Shemesh. 

The boy has a high IQ, which you probably have guessed already, around 134, and during the coronavirus, when many ultra-Orthodox children could not study online, even created a scientific booklet together with his mother for Haredi kids named "Niflaot," which means "wonders" in Hebrew. 

"It explains to children about science, technology, and physics," Hezki explained, saying that genius runs in the family. "My grandfather has a genius mind. He is a lawyer, and could have even become a member of the Knesset … He understands algebra and has even written a book on mathematics."

Hezki did not fall far from the tree and already at the age of two and a half could read. 

"When I began first grade at the age of 6, I was in shock. I was already proficient in reading, and all of a sudden I saw children who could not read at all," he said.

During our interview, Hezki did not shy away from complicated questions either. We spoke about the difference between secular and ultra-Orthodox upbringing, of which he said: "Haredim need to be exposed to more things so that they won't look at the world through their rose-colored glasses. There are children in the world who don't believe in God, and I say that not everyone needs to believe, and if they are forced to, there will be resistance. Haredi children need someone to answer their questions."

Q: And what about secular children?

"They need to start asking questions."

Q: What about yourself?

"I have tons of plans. I want to program and build a root that will help the cars of the future. I want to help in the medical field, for example, to invent sweet medicine and painless needles, and most importantly – I want to build a robot doctor, for it to be programmed to perform surgeries without any medical malpractice. I also want to become the education and transportation minister, because there is always heavy traffic in Tel Aviv, unbearable."

Before all this, Hezki still needs to complete six more treatments, of which he is optimistic, and although I accompanied Hezki to offer support and strength, I feel I walk away from the interview having received more than given. 

Although seventeen-year-old Shani Shayu, who is recovering from cancer, has been exempt from military service, she dreams of joining the IDF ensemble. 

We meet as the Lehakat Hanachal military band is making its final preparations for a concert for outstanding soldiers. 

Shani lives in Holon and is the youngest of three sisters. Her mom, Sophie, works in music psychotherapy. Shani herself is a member of the Bat Yam-based musical band "Kol Hayam," in Hebrew, "The sound of the sea."

When Shani was just 12, about to celebrate her bat mitzvah, she suffered from neck pain. A medical examination revealed she had Ewing sarcoma in her cervical spine, close to the main artery, which doctors could not operate on immediately. Shani began chemotherapy, which shrunk the tumor to an operable size. 

The procedure lasted 12 hours, during which the affected neck vertebra was removed and replaced with a special one made of titanium that had been ordered from the United States.

Afterward, Shani had two more radiation treatments to complete, after which she had to relearn basic movements, such as jumping and walking down the stairs. 

Although she missed a year and a half of school, Shani did not give up. Now in 12th grade, she is a hardworking student who lets no one take pity on her. Wearing a colorful headscarf, she continued to attend occasional medical check-ups, the results of which satisfied the doctors. 

Before the concert, Shani has a chance to speak with members of the military band, and learns about the history of IDF ensembles, and how to submit an application for the band.

It also turns out that being accepted into the band is not easy. According to data, over 16,000 youngsters applied for the ensemble in the past year, of whom only 40 were accepted, but members assure Shani she has an advantage due to her participation in a musical band. 

But this does not discourage Shani, who has already begun preparing for the auditions, although she says that even if she is not accepted, she will be fine, as, in the long run, she plans to study medicine, to be able to help others. 

But in the meantime, she joins the IDF band on stage, and in my unprofessional opinion, fits in perfectly. 

Sixteen-year-old Yuval Danilovich will soon fulfill his dream of taking a parachuting course with paratroopers. In fact, he was scheduled to take the course several months ago, but was then diagnosed with the coronavirus, and so the event was postponed. 

Yuval, who has high-functioning Asperger's, is in 11th grade in a high school in Jerusalem. He is part of a collaborative classroom that includes children with special needs. 

Yuval began to feel unwell shortly after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. He first collapsed when his family went on a hiking trip. Yuval's father, Gavi, thought it had to do with the fatigue that children in Israel in general exhibited due to the national lockdown, but then Yuval began to have blue marks on his back, which the doctor immediately suspected could be leukemia.

Three days after his diagnosis, Yuval began chemotherapy. After completing the treatments, the boy, who always liked extremism, began to think about such outings again. 

Yuval eventually found himself at the Ashkelon bungee jumping facility. And so, not long after undergoing a complicated surgery, Yuval bungee jumped not once, but four times, from a 30-meter height. The doctor was shocked to hear of his adventures, but medical check-ups showed that the boy was fine.

Gabi said for a while, they did not know what was wrong with Yuval, but "the moment we had the diagnosis, it gave us the tools to cope, and the situation changed for the better."

Yuval's school, the family said, is incredibly accepting and supportive. He is well adjusted to society, and does well at school, especially in computers, graphic design, and animation.

Yuval wants to enlist in the IDF, but understands that his condition might prevent him from doing so. The military allows individuals with cancer or Aspergers or leukemia to enlist, but not in Yuval's case, who has both. 

The boy insists he has a lot to give and has even had a meeting with IDF Chief of Staff  Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi to convince him to be allowed to enlist. 

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I accompany the father and son to the meeting, and the chief of staff introduces himself by his first name and asks Yuval to tell him about himself and his hobbies. 

And so Yuval told Kochavi about drawing, computers, and programming, and the chief explained that the IDF is much more open to the public and that there is no difference between serving and volunteering in the military. So nothing stands in the boy's way of fulfilling his dream of joining the IDF. 

Make A Wish opened its Israeli branch in 1996, and has made the wishes of over 5,300 critically ill Israeli children come true. 

The meeting between Yuval and Kochavi is a good example, because "not only does it change the life of a boy, but also the lives of other children and gives them hope and an important message – that it is a privilege to serve in the IDF, even for children in complicated situations," Denise Bar-Aharon, who co-founded the Israeli branch with her husband Avi said. 

"I get emotional every time I see that there are so many good people who want to donate and do good for these children, especially the IDF Spokesperson initiative to join the efforts, and I am grateful to every unit that took part in this magical project."

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Or Hazan, 20, realized a dream by enlisting in the IDF, despite being diagnosed as a high-functioning autist.

"It was important for me to enlist, I wanted to be like everyone else and prove to myself and to others that I'm up to the task," she said.

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Hazan is a musician who plays the French horn in the IDF Orchestra. Born in Kfar Saba, she discovered the instrument within the framework of a municipal conservatory program.

"It wasn't the easiest instrument for me to play, but I have a special connection to it," Hazan explained.

"Military service has given me a lot. Communication problems, which I had when I was younger, became smaller over the course of my service. I felt I was in a warm environment. That's why I extended my service from a year of national [civilian volunteer] service to full military service.

"I've played for ambassadors, IDF chiefs of staff, and ministers. I played at the President's Residence and felt I was representing the country. I've also had the opportunity to play on Independence Day… and you feel as if you're representing the entire army."

Hazan will soon complete her military service and then begin academic studies. Her dream is to play for the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.

"Although there are other French horn players in the country, there's no question about it – I'll reach the philharmonic. You need to work hard for dreams and not give up," she said.

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An Israeli initiative seeking to monitor and report antisemitic and racist content online plans to boost its team of volunteers with hundreds of Arabic-speaking, Israel Hayom has learned.

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The Israeli Students Combating Antisemitism program, a collaboration between the National Union of Israeli Students and the Foreign Ministry, already has an extensive team canvassing the internet and particularly social media for content inciting violence and terrorism against Jews and Israelis in Israel and around the world. The recent increase in terrorist attacks has prompted the group to bolster its ranks to better monitor Arabic social media, where such calls for violence are unfortunately more common.

Currently, the group is seeking Arabic-speaking volunteers to assist in its activities. Content deemed antisemitic or threatening will be reported to the platforms where it is found to have it removed, and should any imminent threat arise, the matter will be reported to security forces.

"Unfortunately, we know from cases that have happened all over the world that there is a direct link between social media posts and the situation on the ground, especially the recent, shocking terrorist attacks," Tomer Aldobi, founder of Israeli Students Combating Antisemitism, told Israel Hayom.

"We saw fit to train more volunteers to help clean up social media from antisemitic and hate speech."

Aldobi noted that while clearly, security forces and the intelligence community use state-of-the-art technology to monitor online incitement and nip any attempt to carry out terrorist attacks in the bud, "We are a civilian force, based on volunteers who want to enlist to this important fight, just as we do in the battle against online antisemitism."

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"

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Israel Hayom is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a conference devoted to socioeconomic issues. The event is scheduled to take place at Binyanei HaUma in Jerusalem on March 30.

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The conference, whose roster of participants includes MKs, professional experts, and leaders from Israel's financial sector, plans to discuss how Israel can improve the nation's socioeconomic-employment resilience at both the national and household levels and will address both the economic and the social aspects of resilience. The conference will be examining this question in the framework of Israel's national recovery from the COVID crisis.

In addition, the conference will look at how Israel is handling the urgent matters of the day; what steps it must take to create long-term economic resilience; how to keep Israeli businesses and households economically resilient; how the cost of living can be addressed, and how the housing shortage influences resilience of Israelis as individuals and the country as a whole. In addition, the conference will evaluate ways of improving employment and integrating specific sectors (Haredi Jews, Arabs, and women) into the workforce.

Israel Hayom Editor-in-chief Omer Lachmanovitch is slated to open the conference. The agenda features four different sessions: the economic resilience session, which will look into ideas to bolster households in Israel after the COVID crisis and offer an overview of the country's current economic situation; a session devoted to the rising cost of living in Israel and ways in which it can be mitigated; a session on employment; and a session devoted to building social resilience and integrating Arab Israelis into the country's social fabric. The fourth session will also touch on the housing crisis.

After the last session, conference participants will be served lunch.

The conference will be held in Hebrew, in person and will also be livestreamed on the Israel Hayom Hebrew website (www.israelhayom.co.il) and mobile app. To register, click here    

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A delegation of disabled IDF veterans left Israel Monday for New York in the framework of a special tour sponsored by the humanitarian organization Belev Echad. The goal of the trip is to offer these soldiers an opportunity to rehabilitate emotionally in the drawn-out process of returning to life. "Our purpose is to give these heroes a break, to show them the world-famous sites and attractions in the Big Apple, and to embrace them in the love of the local Jewish community in order to furnish them with the strength to return to life."

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But it's not uniquely about the soldiers; it's also about sharing the experience of an Israeli civilian and soldier defending his people and homeland and educating Americans to the truth of what's really happening in Israel.

"During the course of the 10 days, our soldiers meet thousands of people from our community who are moved by the sacrifices our soldiers have made. The soldiers touch people's hearts in an unimaginable way. Belev Echad – which in English means 'With one heart' isn't just a slogan, but a way of life," says Shevy Vigler, who co-founded Belev Echad with her husband Rabbi Uriel Vigler.

This 10-day tour was guided by Doron Akiva, 25, a resident of Petach Tikva whose life story is familiar to Belev Echad. The same tragic story of thousands of Israeli youth who fought valiantly to protect their fellow citizens and barely made it home…

"I was just 18 when I was drafted in 2014 into Rimon, a unit in the famous Givati Brigade, after which I was assigned to a commando unit as a sniper and the squad leader of a physical combat unit. Following two-and-a-half years in service, and following a period of operations and detainments in the Judea and Samaria Region and Ramallah, our entire unit was transferred on March 28, 2017, to the Qalandia refugee camp. We were on a mission to nab a terrorist, and I was stationed at the entrance of the house. I was guarding from outside to ensure that the coast was clear, and while I covered for my unit, they managed to arrest the terrorist we were after and spirit him away.

"As soon as the prisoner was in custody, we began hearing noises from every direction, and several minutes after we'd begun driving, a terrorist ambushed me from a roof of one of the nearby houses and dropped a cinderblock on my head from a height of four floors. The cinderblock made direct contact with my skull. I lost consciousness, but somehow, was still aware of what was going on. My eyes were closed, but I could feel and hear everything around me, and I was keenly aware that I was lying prone on the floor, unable to move.

"As soon as the cinderblock made contact with my head, the terrorist lifted another block to finish me off, but at the last second, my buddy Guy ran toward me and dragged me out of death's path and underneath a protruding roof to protect me. It's only because of Guy's quick thinking and action that I'm alive to tell this tale, because even with it, I barely made it.

"Unfortunately he wasn't entirely fast enough, because a second later, the second cinderblock crashed onto my foot. When I came to a few minutes later, I wasn't sure what happened. My buddies wanted to take me in a stretcher, but I was scared that the extra time it would take them to open the stretcher would leave us susceptible to another assault, so I somehow pulled myself to my feet and, assisted by my friends, evacuated the area. My body was one mass of agony. My neck was exploding in pain; and I couldn't move my left hand, but I still had no idea how badly I'd been wounded.

"After an hour and a half of walking, we crossed the fence, and I was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital where I was subjected to a slew of tests and medical treatments – CTs, MRIs, the works, where they soon revealed that three of my neck vertebrae were torn.

"Following a difficult period spent lying motionless in the hospital followed by another four months at home in bed, I commenced intensive physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, which lasted for about a year and a half until I was able to regain most functions.
"Most. Because in the aftermath of my injury, I lost my capacity to compete in martial arts matches which meant the end of my lifelong dream of being an Olympic champion. It was odd because after all that I'd endured, this realization was what truly crushed me. My dreams had vanished in a puff of smoke, or more crudely, a dropped cinderblock."

The one who helped him emerge from his morass of depression was Belev Echad. In July 2018, Doron was invited to join a group of wounded IDF veterans to New York, in the course of which he met founder Rabbi Uriel Vigler who showered him with warmth and admiration and opened his heart and home to him, letting Doron know that he could still go far in life. "Rabbi Vigler taught me that disabled people like me can still live our dreams. Maybe not the ones we always thought, but other new and meaningful ones. Most of all, he taught me never to give up hope."

Belev Echad's Co-Director of Programs in Israel Raz Budany, who led Doron's group, was also instrumental in helping the young man regain his will to live. The two of them engaged in many heart-to-heart conversations that continued until the wee hours of the night, discussing the trauma of sudden change from intrepid warrior to physically-disabled veteran.

"Belev Echad is actively involved in helping these IDF soldiers rehabilitate in a nurturing, emotional and spiritual way. These trips, hosted by many in the NYC Jewish community, provide the soldiers with a memorable, meaningful adventure that remains with them for life. We're so proud of what they do to help safeguard our country, and the trip is one way for us to express that appreciation," says Yossi Nasser, Belev Echad Board Member.

After Doron and his new buddies returned to Israel, Belev Echad continued keeping in touch, refusing to let the inspiration of the ten days dissipate and sponsoring them in various capacities so they could pursue new dreams. Today, Doron directs the sports department and mixed martial arts at the Belev Echad center in Israel. After experiencing the trips himself and witnessing the long-term benefits in his own life, he's also started leading new groups of injured IDF veterans to New York, teaching them by personal example and witnessing the rehabilitative effect of the journey on the soldiers again and again.

This week, Doron had his group of veterans were wined and dined in Manhattan's finest establishments, toured the Stock Exchange and Statue of Liberty, drove around in Lamborghinis and were treated to a luxury helicopter tour. Belev Echad hosted them along with 300 guests for an elaborate Shabbat dinner, and over 1000 will be joining for the upcoming Purim parties. "The embrace of the Manhattan community restores them to life!" he says gratefully.

In the course of the most recent trip, the veterans met with Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan.

"Every time I meet with these heroes, my heart bursts in feeling and love of our dear soldiers," expresses Erdan. "Ben Gurion often negated the importance of the UN, focusing instead on Israelis in Israel, but I explained to our soldiers that achieving international legitimacy for what we do in Israel is essential. I described my efforts to fight on their behalf for recognition and to expose the anti-Semitic lies and hypocrisy that characterize much of the international conversation about Israel and the IDF. I told them, and I'll say it again: The State of Israel owes you a huge debt of gratitude, and I'll continue doing everything in the international arena to protect you and the IDF's freedom of action. You're an inspiration to us all!"

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