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Friends of the IDF

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors under the leadership of the late John Klein to provide for the education and well-being of the men and women who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as well as the families of fallen soldiers. Headquartered in New York City, FIDF is a 501c(3) not-for-profit corporation that operates 15 regional offices in the United States and Panama. The strength of the IDF, which has been guarding the State of Israel since it declared independence in 1948, derives from the selfless determination and great capabilities of the young men and women who form it. See: fidf.org.
The Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2020, left many of the base’s operational, social, welfare and religious centers unusable.
“There, we were a family,” said Ruthie Weiser. “No explanations were needed. Everyone understood. It felt like one long embrace.”
The event, co-hosted by Israel’s Ministry of Transportation and the IDF, streamlined the license conversion for lone soldiers and national service volunteers.
Speakers included Andrey Kozlov, a Hamas hostage who was freed in June after eight months of captivity, and Sgt. A, a soldier from Stamford, Conn., serving in the IDF’s Foreign Relations Unit.
Nefesh B’Nefesh and FIDF host event where a 1,000 lone soldiers and national service volunteers got expedited conversion of their foreign driver’s licenses in one day.
At an event earlier this year, she shared her unit’s motto: “Generations dreamed of arriving in Jerusalem, and we have the honor of protecting her.”
The Israeli Minister of Defense also addressed the war in terror.