FAIRFIELD – When young Israeli adults enter the military, their primary material support comes from the government and their own families. But those sources are not always enough to cover the medical, social, and educational needs of IDF soldiers.

The Tatzpitaniyot – female Lookout Spotters protect the borders with Jordan and Egypt against infiltrators.

In 1980, then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan established LIBI: The Fund for Strengthening Israel’s Defense, to help address the shortfall in funding that affects the IDF. American Friends of LIBI (AFL) was launched five years ago to support LIBI’s efforts. A 501(c)3 organization, AFL works through the IDF to fund projects based on priorities set by the IDF Chief of Staff’s office. The national organization comprises a small group of volunteers with activists in Miami, Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Jersey, and New York.
Now AFL is reaching out to American b’nei mitzvah for support. “We want to create interest and connections between young American Jews and IDF soldiers,” says Paul Lipof, AFL chair who lives in Fairfield. “We thought it would be a great cause for kids to allocate some of their bar- or bat-mitzvah money to support efforts that help Israel’s front-line defenders.”
AFL is currently seeking funding for three projects. Underprivileged soldiers who did not complete the Bagrut, the standardized high-school matriculation exams, can get tutoring in math and English to prepare for the exams. Teachers are provided by the Israeli ministry of education, and help those who might not otherwise be able to earn a high-school diploma. “The Bagrut opens the door to a university education,” Lipof says.
The organization has been approached to fund additional medical equipment for Sayeret 13, the commando unit involved in the May 2010 Gaza flotilla incident. The organization is also seeking funding for a health and wellness clinic to serve the Tatzpitaniyot, the female Lookout Spotters who protect the borders with Jordan and Egypt against infiltrators. Based in the mountains above Eilat, the soldiers often live for two or three days camouflaged in remote locations, spending an extra year of volunteer service in the IDF.
In contrast to Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF), an American organization that works to enhance the general welfare of all IDF soldiers, AFL helps to provide educational and medical services to underprivileged IDF solders. Donors can contribute toward a specific purpose, such as building a synagogue, officers’ club, recreational facility, or computer lab. AFL also helps the more than 4,400 lone soldiers in the IDF, among them an estimated 680 men and women who made aliyah from the U.S.
LIBI often provides a last chance for at-risk teens who might otherwise end up in prison, Lipof says. Through Naarei Raful, or “Raful’s Kids,” named for co-founder Rafael Eitan, youth typically rejected by the IDF must complete a 100-day program of intensive basic training and education before entering regular military service.

To learn more about LIBI in Israel: www.libi-fund.org.il/libi/eng. To learn more about American Friends of LIBI: www.friendsoflibi.org. To learn more about the new b’nei-mitzvah project, contact Paul Lipof, chairman of AFL: (203) 612-6234 / pslipof@optonline.net