By Rita Weinstein, Special to JTNews
Pups for Peace is a simple and practical example of what one can do to counter the shock, outrage, and sense of hopelessness that springs from horrific acts. Glenn Yago, an economist at the Milken Institute think tank in Santa Monica, Calif., was overwhelmed with these feelings on March 27, when he heard that a suicide bomber had walked into the Park Hotel in Netanya and killed 29 Israelis attending a Passover Seder.
Yago, 51, a native of Shreveport, La., had spent five years in Israel studying at the Hebrew University and living on a kibbutz on the Golan Heights. “I became obsessed by the idea that if there had been an explosive-sniffing dog at the entrance to the hotel, this tragedy could have been averted,” he says.
He called his cousin, Gilbert Scherer, long-time resident of Seattle and member of Congregation Beth Shalom, to discuss what one could do in the face of such horror. The result was Pups for Peace, an innovative program that uses trained dogs to detect explosives and counter suicide (homicide) bombing attacks against civilians.
Yago and Scherer agreed that a corps of trained dogs and handlers could be a powerful and effective means of providing civil defense and saving lives. They began by doing an Internet search for experienced dog trainers and found that Michael Herstik’s name kept showing up. Serendipity or besheret, not only did Herstik have 23 years of experience training dogs in explosive detection for the U.S. military and L.A. Police Department, he was also the son of Holocaust survivors and a strong supporter of Israel.
Herstik eagerly accepted Yago’s offer to help create a program. The next steps for Yago, Scherer and their network were fundraising and getting the approval of Israeli security, not only for the project itself, but for the participation of their personnel. Israeli Minister of Public Security, Dr. Uzi Landau, became an instant advocate. In fact, the response from Israeli leaders and security officials was overwhelmingly positive. Consul General of Israel Yuval Rotem; Maj. Gen. David Tsur, head of Public Security; deputy minister of Internal Security, Gideon Ezra, and Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Ohlmert are among many who have endorsed the project.
Ohlmert offers this testimonial on the Pups for Peace Web site (www.pupsforpeace.org): “Pups for Peace is a unique and innovative response to answering our growing need to protect the Israeli public. With existing security forces already stretched to the limit, the use of trained dogs, capable of detecting explosives and providing early warning of attacks is desperately needed and welcomed. Our goal in all of our security efforts is to enhance public safety wherever possible and provide peace of mind to Israelis be it at the supermarket, a disco, a cafe or on public transportation. Support of Pups for Peace is an important contribution to the safety and security of Israelis, and a wonderful opportunity to make a difference during the current crisis.”
The Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership program and the Golan Fund backed the project, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles allocated $250,000 through its special Jews in Crisis Fund. The initial fundraising goal was $700,000 for the pilot project, which included building a secure training facility in the Los Angeles area. In less than six months, Pups for Peace raised nearly $1 million from a core of 300 committed activists and organizations including the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. The training camp was built and American dog-training experts began to work in close collaboration with the IDF, Israel Police, and private security agencies. In late August, 45 carefully selected dogs and the first contingent of Israeli trainers-in-training arrived at the Los Angeles site. To qualify for the program, each dog had to conform to a physical and psychological profile, with only one applicant in 1,000 making the grade.
“To pass, a dog must be very athletic, have no fear of strange places and be obsessive about getting a toy reward,” Herstik says. “All of our training is play-based: Find a bomb, get a toy.”
There are no exclusions based on a dog’s breed or gender — “We’re neither racist nor sexist,” Herstik says — but those chosen so far are mainly Belgian Molinois, a variety of Belgian shepherds, followed by Labrador retrievers and German shepherds.
“The dog’s job is to recognize the odor of an explosive material and then sit and stare,” Herstik says. “It’s then up to the handler what action to take.” The first group of dogs and handlers completed training in early October. On the weekend of Oct. 5, the first graduating class of 16 dogs and 16 handlers received their diplomas at a gala event that included the Israeli Consul General, the president of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation, officials from Los Angeles County, and enthusiastic donors. These dogs and handlers are now deployed at a month-long “post-graduate” training camp on the Golan Heights.
Now that the pilot program has been successful, there will be a substantial expansion of the program. Ongoing development involves recruiting and training additional dogs, and the orientation and training of dog trainers and dog/handler teams. In addition, a certification program for newly trained pups and re-certification for veteran pups will be put into place. With these trained detection teams, authorities will be able to increase public security throughout Israel at high-volume public sites and events. Organizers hope to train a thousand dogs a year for use at Israeli schools, airports, bus stations, railroad depots, malls and discos.
Once the Israeli need is met, Yago visualizes supplying trained dogs to Jewish and other communities throughout the world to aid the war on terrorism.
“As an economist, I never thought I’d be involved in something like this,” he says. “But I’ve come to realize that if you don’t have physical security, then economic security goes to hell.”
The training of one dog and handler team costs $10,000, so Pups for Peace and its supporting organizations are embarking on extensive fund-raising drives. The first such event was held recently in New York, where Gov. George Pataki told participants that, “We support the people and the State of Israel, not by building bombs and taking lives, but by trying to provide security and hope.”
Longer term, once Israel’s domestic security needs are met, the program will be developed as an Israeli enterprise to be operated with the purpose of exporting trained dogs in order to offset the cost of providing them throughout Israel, and establish an exporting operation based in Israel that serves the world’s need to combat terrorism.
Tax-deductible contributions to Pups for Peace may be sent to either of the following organizations: Pups for Peace/Jews in Crisis Fund, c/o Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., 10th floor, Los Angeles, CA 90048; The Golan Fund, Emergency Project/Pups for Peace, 229 E. 84th St., Suite 2E, New York, N.Y. 10028.
Those who donate $10,000 have the privilege of naming a pup and will receive a copy of the pup’s diploma.
(The Jewish Telegraphic Agency contributed to this report.)