By Manny Frishberg, JTNews Correspondent
Brigadier General
Yehiel Gozal has devoted his life to the soldiers of the
Israeli Defense Forces, leading them in war and the periods
in between the fighting. As a military attaché he was based
in Paris, and since his retirement he has a new posting in
New York City.
"Until last year
I served in the regular army," he said. "On the end of last
year I started the position here as national director of the
Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces."
Gen. Gozal spoke
to JTNews near the end of a 24-hour tour of Seattle
and the Puget Sound area. FIDF, he explained, is an American
chartered nonprofit agency devoted to making life better for
the common soldiers defending Israel and their families.
When he arrived
on September 23, he said, the organization was all but
unknown in the area but he expressed optimism that once
people became aware that local interest would pick up.
"We have a
community here that cares for the soldiers, that cares for
Israel," said Gozal, "so we believe we can have some
activity here. I believe this is the first step to bring
more help and support for the soldiers from the Seattle area
and Washington State."
He said the
group, which has created several projects and programs,
often works closely with Jewish Federations in the eight
cities where they have offices, and throughout the U.S.
Gozal defined the two kinds of activities that FIDF engages
in as "programs and projects."
The four programs
he outlined were: Impact – a scholarship program for combat
veterans from the IDF to spend up to four years studying in
America. The $4,000-per-year scholarships can be used for
tuition, books and incidental expenses. Gozal said the
grants are targeted toward soldiers from "disadvantaged
families" to encourage them to go forward with education or
training.
"Last year, we
had 555 students that we support in Israel," Gozal said.
"This year, when we start next month, we want to support 750
students.
"Hopefully," he
added," in two years we can support 1,000 students. So we
need the supporters. If they want to take responsibility for
a student, we can provide it."
The general also
spoke about "Project Dignity," a joint effort between FIDF,
the Association for the Well-being of Israel’s Soldiers, an
internal Israeli organization, and the IDF itself.
Project Dignity
gives special grants and direct assistance in the form of
furniture, clothing and food vouchers to needy Israeli
soldiers and the families that depend on them. Twice a year,
at Rosh Hashanah and Passover, Project Dignity passes out
gift vouchers to needy soldiers. The program has been
designed to track donations closely to provide an
exceptional level of accountability. Donors can find out how
many soldiers and in what units have received aid from their
contributions, and vice-versa.
"Primary
benefactors visiting Israel will be sure to receive a warm
reception from their adopted battalion," reads one of the
program documents the retired general brought with him.
Poverty among
soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces soldiers and their
families is a well-recognized problem for the country’s
military morale and preparedness. Gozal said the large
number of soldiers in need was not only because of the
weakened economy of the last few years, but the great influx
of poor refugees in the last 10 years.
"Spirit" is a
program that takes battalions of Israeli soldiers to
weeklong breaks at recreation centers operated around Israel
by the AWIS.
"They have
swimming pools, Internet rooms, satellite center,
everything. Just one week of fun," he said. The fourth
program is for the "widows and orphans" of fallen IDF
soldiers. The families are treated to a week’s stay at a
recreation center in the summer, Gozal said. Within that
program is another initiative as well: bringing those Bar
and Bat Mitzvah-aged children to the U.S. to spend three or
four days with American kids of the same age.
As for projects,
the general reeled off a number of ongoing efforts where
donations go: One is building a variety of "facilities" for
IDF soldiers to use everything from fitness centers to
Internet clubs and classrooms. Most, but not all, are
constructed on military bases, with the rest built nearby.
Gen. Gozal said they are also providing mobile gyms for
soldiers in remote field assignments.
"A lot of
soldiers spend a lot of time in the West Bank or on the
borders, where they cannot enjoy the facilities on the
bases, so they can take it with them," he said.
These
fitness-centers-in-a-box are built into 40-foot long
shipping containers and come complete with air conditioning
systems for desert use. In addition, Gozal said, Friends of
the IDF funds capital projects in Israel costing in the
range of $1-2 million. He said they include "educational
centers, cultural centers, auditoriums, sports centers."
In addition to
their Manhattan headquarters, FIDF has an office in Chicago,
covering the Central Region, several California offices, Bay
Harbor and Broward/Palm Beach offices in Florida, as well as
locations in Michigan, Ohio and Massachusetts. In order to
head the American agency, Gen. Gozal said he had moved his
family from Israel to New York "for the present period."
Asked about the
adjustment that entailed, he noted that he had also served
as a defense attaché in Europe, though he admitted that
living in Paris and New York were very different
experiences.
He said "among
the American people are much more supporters than the French
people."
Gen. Gozal said
he feels his current role may be the most important posting
he has accepted.
"Now," he said,
"what I’m doing, I know I am doing to support directly the
soldiers." For more information about FIDF or to become
involved, call 888-318 FIDF (3433) or visit
www.israelsoldiers.org.