This year’s Rosh Hashana Holiday Gift Cards help 9,000 IDF soldiers in need and Lone Soldiers
JERUSALEM, Sept. 24 – Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) are providing Holiday Gift Cards to some 9,000 soldiers in need and Lone Soldiers currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) so they can celebrate the Rosh Hashana holiday without financial worries.
The soldiers will be receiving gift cards in the amount of NIS 400, or about $114, with a total value of approximately NIS 3.5 million, or $1 million. Soldiers will be able to purchase supplies such as food, clothing, shoes, sports gear, and leisure items at about 90 major retail chain stores across Israel.
Of the soldiers receiving the Holiday Gift Cards, 6,200 are Lone Soldiers – those who come from abroad to serve in the IDF without any immediate family in Israel, or native Israelis who serve without family support. Fifty-five percent of Lone Soldiers serve in combat or combat-support roles. Out of all Lone Soldiers currently serving in the IDF, 54 percent of them come from 75 countries around the world: 823 are from the U.S., 527 from Ukraine, 437 from Russia, and 444 from France.
These Lone Soldiers who come from all corners of the globe, enter the IDF melting pot, enrich it and contribute to its strength.
For more information and to contribute to FIDF’s Rosh Hashanah Campaign, please visit www.fidf.org/rh.
About Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF):FIDF was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors as a 501(C) (3) not-for-profit organization with the mission of offering educational, cultural, recreational, and social programs and facilities that provide hope, purpose, and life-changing support for the soldiers who protect Israel and Jews worldwide. Today, FIDF has more than 150,000 loyal supporters, and 24 chapters throughout the United States and Panama. FIDF proudly supports IDF soldiers, families of fallen soldiers, and wounded veterans through a variety of innovative programs that reinforce the vital bond between the communities in the United States, the soldiers of the IDF, and the state of Israel. For more information, please visit: www.fidf.org.