FIDF’s recent leadership mission to Israel. Photo: FIDF.

JNS.org – More than 70 leaders and supporters of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) nonprofit recently traveled to Israel on a weeklong mission for a firsthand glimpse at the day-to-day impact their support has on the IDF.

The visit included trips to 11 new FIDF-sponsored well-being and educational facilities being constructed on the new IDF Training Campus in the Negev Desert as well as meeting with FIDF program beneficiaries, including lone soldiers—those without immediate family living in Israel—and those supported by FIDF scholarships.

The trip participants visited soldiers from the IDF’s Kfir Brigade near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, where a ceremony was held to officially “adopt a brigade”—a program that provides financial assistance to soldiers in need. FIDF officially adopted the brigade with a donation by Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson. The participants were also briefed on the current situation in the Middle East by former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and former IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. (Res.) Gabi Ashkenazi.

“For FIDF supporters, this was the best way to witness and experience the impact of their life-changing contributions that build a better future for the state of Israel,” said FIDF National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi-Amir. “It was also a chance for us to personally thank the IDF soldiers for their service, and to learn more about how we can enhance their well-being and stand by their sides at all times.”