Acting out of unconditional love • The Association for the Soldier

Since October 10th, the Association for the Soldier in the Haifa area has picked up a gear. Even before, the branches collected donations and made sure to equip the IDF soldiers and pamper them with packages, but the war raised new needs and many organized themselves for donations and deliveries. This article comes to pay respect to the Association for the Corps in Haifa and Bensher, and to all those who do the work from anywhere at any time with volunteerism and unconditional love.

For society and the community

I met you Yuval Kaufman In the hall in Rome, among boxes full of all the good things intended for the soldiers. In the past he was a media person and is still involved in the field, but for the last decade he has been managing the urban culture and music center "Habit", a music school and a concert club, but he has always volunteered and done for society and the community. A man of action with a huge heart, they say about him. "I believe in free love," he says, almost justifying himself. "Wherever I can give for society, I do it with love, and of course in times of war, you show up immediately and come to give."

in the last two years Elad Atias Appointed chairman of the Association for the Haifa Soldier, and Yuval Kaufman appointed chairman of the Haifa Soldier's Home, near Oren Asado CEO of the Haifa Soldier's Home, a unique branch for the soldiers of Haifa and the North. He is also a member of the board of the Association for the Soldier.

A truck with a meat chef

"On October 7, Elad and I opened the branch of the Association for the Corps at the Rumma Sports Hall, with the help of the Athos Company - Haifa Culture and Sports Events. Since then it has not been closed. Volunteers come, people from all sectors volunteer to help with a loving heart and enormous generosity. When you see the great giving of the people , hearing the stories, it gives value to the investment, to the work of many hours, pure free love and unconditional giving.

For example, there is a guy named Ronan and Vera, meat chef. He works in a logistics company and is also a chef. This man during the whole war, without asking for anything in return, not even expenses, would come with a truck and his men to prepare meat for the soldiers. He traveled to the most distant places and bases at risk, with free love. The feeling of a soldier who is in some hole that is not on the map and a truck arrives with a chef and people cook him on the fire abundantly and happily, it's a feeling of enormous support."

The benevolent mother of the soldiers

I ask Kaufman to tell more, and he says that she is one of the amazing volunteers of the Soldier's Home Rima Kifof. A Druze woman from Isfaia who lost her only daughter in tragic circumstances. "Several years ago, she published a post that she wanted to adopt a Golani corps, a single corps. She said that she felt that the soldiers were like her children, and she loved them all like a mother.

Rima opened a Druze restaurant in Isfaia, and for the past five years she has been feeding all the soldiers and the security forces, with an emphasis on individual soldiers, for free. In addition, she donates a large part of her income to individual soldiers. I connected it to the work of the Haifa Corps. She comes with a big heart, donates meals and above all gives the lonely soldiers who do not have a family home, a mother's love. She sees every soldier as her son, and the feeling is mutual."

Thanks to the donors

The Haifa branch of the Association for the Corps is in direct contact with IDF bases everywhere, and since October 7th donations and equipment in the amount of over NIS 15 million have been transferred to the soldiers, much of it from donations from businesses and good people who help endlessly at their own expense and with their own energy. "In addition to current activities, we also do projects for the well-being of the individual soldiers. Above all else, it is my job to give them enrichment thanks to our wonderful donors. Restaurants that donate meals, organizations that donate lectures, and social and leisure events, and even tickets for events in the city that remain with the ticket offices, and donate to the soldiers".

The reactions to the work are great: "Eled Atias and I have been together for many years. We believe in sharing, delegating authority and working without ego. Dozens of good people give of their energy and their pockets for everything we need. Everyone receives according to what they need. Whether it's mattresses for the frontline command, equipment , chef evenings and barbecue dinners that we opened in the deepest places on the border between the north and the south.

Purim party for lone soldiers

"The big event we held was a Purim party for lone soldiers at the Soldier's Barracks in Haifa, a party that would not embarrass any club. We brought a DJ and catering, people opened their hearts and gave everything,"Haifa foster home", which is a non-profit organization, 150 luxury package deliveries were donated, and many more good ones raised donations. We hold a production for soldiers every year during the holidays, and of course this year as well.

It is important for me to support the Absorption and Immigration Authority. On Independence Day we held a meat grill inGarden Hotel. The hotel donated the food for the Haifa soldiers. It should be remembered that when soldiers are with their families and are making a fire on the holiday, the lone soldiers have no one to wave to. City council member Kirill Kartnik, In the past, there was a lone soldier who lived in the Beit Ha-Heil and was very connected to the issue, and today he is the head of an absorption authority and on it, he helped pick up the meal for all the lone soldiers in Haifa."

25 thousand packages

"Elad Atias, the chairman of the association, picked up a project to distribute jewelry packages, one of the largest in the country. 25 thousand packages that reached everyone, combat supporters as well as soldiers of fighting units deep in Gaza and in the north. Our drivers transport the packages to the bases and we make sure everything arrives in an orderly manner.

For the purpose of this project, we teamed up with the Deputy Mayor of Haifa, Yossi Shalom, the holder of the culture portfolio in the city, served the Director of Education and the Youth Authority, and distributed bags to all the elementary, secondary and kindergarten schools in Haifa, to collect products and treats for the soldiers. Over 150 products with a total value of over NIS 4 million were collected, which were distributed directly to the bases.

The beauty of this event was in the connection between the community and the children, and the troops and commanders who came to the schools and kindergartens and met the children. At the main ceremony held this week at the sports hall in Romma, all the education teams of the schools arrived, as well as the commanders and soldiers who came to collect the packages. Since 7 to 10 and the various units from all over the country are in contact with the central headquarters of the Association for the Haifa Soldier, and it was important for the soldiers and commanders to come in person and express their gratitude to the residents and students of Haifa."

Come to do good

Ada Rabivo The new chairperson of the Association for the Soldier in Nesher was a social activist and was asked to fill the place of the previous chairwoman, who retired. "The war started shortly after I took office and it was very challenging because I was not familiar with the methods of operation of the Association for the Soldier before. The war gave a stormy start, but I saw that there were good volunteers, people who could be trusted, so I knew it would be alright.  

After all, there is no reason why we should not succeed when we come to do good. We are in collaboration with Elad Attias, the chairman of the Haifa Association for the Soldier, doing things for the soldiers. We deliver bags to the gardens and receive packages for the soldiers, we travel to the bases and are constantly thinking of what else to do to give the soldiers more. We distributed packages at the train stations, brought cakes to the soldiers who came down from the northern border , and continue to plan further.

It's not easy, because we need donations and we need donors, and thanks to good people we can continue to take care of Nesher's soldiers and all the soldiers in the bases. Parents of soldiers contact us and ask us to help the boys' units. We are happy to respond to requests, help and do what is possible for the soldiers of the IDF. In addition, we are in contact with the apartment managers of individual soldiers, we give them equipment and treats such as toiletries and sweets to make them feel good. Volunteering at the Association for the Soldier means to be constantly doing things for the soldiers. A challenge and at the same time gives great satisfaction.

Volunteering with love

Hana Kashansky She has been volunteering for several years at the Nesher branch of the Association for the Soldier. "In Nesher we adopt battalions and units in the north and maintain contact with the families of the soldiers from Nesher. Just recently we organized gifts for them that the municipality purchased for the soldiers for Independence Day, a large package with a folding table, a beach mat, sweets and other things. We are the volunteers, pack, send and also travel to places In which the soldiers finish a course or a course, and do a celebration there for them. There is a lot of satisfaction. We create events for the soldiers and do our best with love."