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October 3, 2008
Friends Of Israeli Reservist Group Debuts
Maayan Jaffe
Staff Reporter
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Baltimore native Sam Friedman has seen a lot of terror in his short 27 years. He spent weeks on patrol in Hebron, going house to house in search of terrorists. He was shot at by Hezbollah operatives in the second Lebanon war.
Now a reservist and a student at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Mr. Friedman is not done helping Israel defend itself. In late 2006, Mr. Friedman, a graduate of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, founded Friends of the Reserves, and in recent months he has really picked up his fund-raising efforts. At the end of October, he plans to hold a special fund-raising event in Baltimore.
The idea for the organization, said Mr. Friedman, came after friends of his parents started sending support to his and colleagues’ units during the war. When the soldiers needed protective eyewear, locals raised funds and bought it. When locals learned soldiers did not have enough towels, soap or deodorant, they arranged to have such materials sent over.
“Everyone is always coming to Americans from Israel and showing them there is this or that problem [abroad],” Mr. Friedman said. “This organization gives people who want to help find a solution — this is how they can help.”
Right now, he is trying to raise $25 million, which he said will provide bulletproof vests, kneepads, anti-shrapnel goggles and updated medical bandages to reservists and civilians.
“You have enemies coming out of Iran that are resupplying Hezbollah, and have been since the ceasefire,” Mr. Friedman said. “These rockets have much longer ranges than what they had before. It doesn’t take a genius to know what is coming next. The thing I don’t want to see is the attacks will start again and we will be unprepared. I plan on spending all this time doing what I can to raise funds, supply as much equipment as we can, so the next time we are ready to defend.”
A member of the elite Alexandroni brigade of the Golani section of the Israel Defense Forces, Mr. Friedman said in the last war reservists were ill-equipped, going into battle so quickly they could not check out their supplies. He noted that doctors were essentially soldiers. The windows of Rambam Hospital in Haifa, for example, were smashed by a rocket. If the doctors were hurt, they could not treat the soldiers coming in.
Mr. Friedman has headquartered the group in Baltimore. He has a Baltimore-based board of directors, including his mother, Aileen Friedman, and members of his family’s synagogue, Suburban Orthodox Toras Chaim. He has also tapped such local lay leaders as Abba Poliakoff.
Sheldon Berman is the organization’s treasurer. He said Mr. Friedman’s goal of $25 million is lofty, but he thinks he could achieve it in a couple of years. (No one interviewed for this article would say how much has been raised, but Mr. Berman indicated the numbers are in the tens of thousands.)
Mr. Berman described Mr. Friedman as aggressive, driven and goal-oriented, with a lot of “street smarts.”
The organization is not yet tax-deductible. Mr. Berman said the organization is up for 501(c)(3) status.
Mrs. Friedman, who is doing much of the networking for her son, said she sees the organization as vital to Israel’s survival.
“Without the army supporting the country, there wouldn’t be anyone to defend Israel. As someone who lives outside Israel, it is important for us to know there is someplace to go,” she said.
Said Mr. Friedman: “Supporting Israel is everyone’s responsibility. This [organization] is how you can make a difference.”
The Friends of the Reserves’ fund-raising event will take place Oct. 26. For details, e-mail . For information about the group, visit http://www.tfotr.com.