Security in Israel is usually associated with weapons, with images of armed Jewish civilians making the news. Beyond the headlines, One Israel Fund is contributing to numerous projects in which security involves the mental and physical health of Israeli soldiers, residents of Yehudah and Shomron, survivors of terrorism, and their quality of life.
“The Nanasi Medical Center in Sha’ar Binyamin is nearing completion,” said Scott M. Feltman, the fund’s executive vice president. “The groundbreaking took place in 2017, and it is on schedule to open its doors in 2027.”
Supporters will have an opportunity to speak with Feltman and other leaders of One Israel Fund at its Annual West Hempstead Barbecue on Tuesday night, August 11. Short of making aliyah, the fundraiser offers supporters the best opportunity to contribute directly toward the development of Jewish communities in Yehudah and Shomron. For security reasons, the location of the event is not publicized, but, as in previous years, the fund has the support of West Hempstead’s pulpit rabbis and community leaders, a show of unity that brings people together from its eight synagogues.
“We just had our event in the Five Towns. We spoke about security because of the recent terror incident in Havat Gilad,” Feltman said. Located near the larger community of Kedumim, this former outpost was established in 2002 and granted legal status in 2018. Since then, the Israeli government has continued to approve new homes there and throughout the region.
“Over the past year, many new communities have received government approval, but they still lack resources for basic security. We created a $40,000 security kit with items tailored to each community’s unique needs, including monoculars, thermal drones, an entrance gate, a fire trailer, emergency medical equipment, and more,” he said. The outburst of violence in Havat Gilad over the past month included a suspected arson attack that damaged more than 30 buildings, leading to a temporary evacuation. Neighboring Palestinian villages celebrated the damage with fireworks. In the following week, Benayahu Melet, a member of the community’s emergency response squad, and Maj. Yuval Ezra were killed by Palestinian attackers while responding to Israeli hikers who entered Area A, land under direct Palestinian control. In the attack, an Arab rushed to grab a weapon from the emergency squad and fired at the volunteers. He was then fatally shot in response.
Melet was buried at the cemetery in Havat Gilad, leaving his wife, Esther, and two children to honor his selfless action. “Fourteen years together ended in a single moment. You were always the first to arrive wherever you were needed and always the last to return from every event. This time was no different – I knew you would be there,” she said at the funeral.
Predictably, much of the media attention on this attack did not focus on the victim but on the potential for Jewish youths to exact revenge on the Palestinians, anti-terrorism operations, and the expansion of Jewish communities as a response to the attack. The humanity of individuals living in Havat Gilad is not evident in such news stories, while people celebrating their deaths are given sympathetic coverage as victims of a fake genocide.
While they receive humanitarian aid that only advances the resources of terrorists, One Israel Fund steps in to ensure that Jewish residents of Yehudah and Shomron are not forgotten.
“At the West Hempstead event, we will have a special woman and her son speak. Ruti Mann runs a therapeutic equestrian farm for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and other individuals in need. They’re building a new campus to accommodate the enormous demand she has seen over the past few years. It has been enormously successful,” Feltman said. Her son, who recently returned from the front lines, will share his firsthand accounts of those who are suffering today from PTSD and have other similar needs.
“The newest project of One Israel Fund will take place in Karnei Shomron, a large community approaching city status with nearly 15,000 residents. They are embarking on a regional IDF therapeutic village. When completed, the village will encompass seven buildings and serve between four and five thousand off-duty soldiers and their families, offering resources for an array of physical and mental therapies. In addition to focusing on these major projects, One Israel Fund is still funding over 300 unique projects each year, including mobile shelters, playgrounds, synagogues, mikvaos, surveillance systems, patrol vehicles, and so much more,” Feltman stressed.
Connecting Americans and all Israelis with the communities of Yehudah and Shomron, the fund also provides high-quality tours of the region, during which participants see the results of their donations and meet entrepreneurs, educators, and veterans who are securing the return of Jewish life to places where their history began.
“We’re working on a mother-and-daughter bas mitzvah mission, where the participants will meet girls of a similar age living in these communities and celebrate their milestones together,” Feltman said. “Though it’s been very difficult to plan trips given all the uncertainty of travel, we have planned two amazing wine tours at the end of summer and will continue organizing day trips and other missions as dictated by our donors.”
This year in particular, global hostility toward the Israeli presence in Yehudah and Shomron is evident as an actual hatred of everything Israeli. The number of lawmakers in Albany seeking to prohibit tax-exempt donations will grow, as the DSA picked up primary wins in Brooklyn and Queens. Those candidates are as opposed to so-called settlements as they are to Israeli products sold in stores and participation in the nonpartisan Celebrate Israel Parade, and they vilify pro-Israel organizations committed to peace. Their goal of erasing Israel entirely is evident beyond any doubt.
Likewise, for Israelis and their supporters, the reasons for retaining control of Yehudah and Shomron have also become more evident in the face of such hostility. “It’s the heartland of Israel. Our enemies know it better than we do,” Feltman said. “The communities of Yehudah and Shomron give back to all of Israel. It’s strengthening the country for the future. When you support One Israel Fund, you are creating history.”
By Sergey Kadinsky