(Haipo) – On Monday, June 1, 2026, the Lev H.S. Association inaugurated a professional F-35 flight simulator in the hotel building it built in Haifa for the families of children with cancer. During the Hanukkah ceremony, the donors' sign in the simulator room was unveiled.
In memory of Zakka and Yaakov Lavie, late
The simulator was donated by Yossi Lavie in memory of his parents, Zach and Yaakov Lavie, and will be available for use by children with cancer and their families coming from outside the city. The exciting event was attended by representatives of the Haifa Municipality, volunteers and families supported by the association.
Lev Hesh Motel – a warm home for families in times of crisis
The hotel established by the Lev Hesh Association serves as a full-service accommodation for families of children with cancer who come for treatment in Haifa, including rooms and meals.
The place, run by Liron Paz-Strauss, also hosts families of wounded soldiers, and when a helicopter lands from Lebanon, the hotel staff goes on alert. These days, the hotel is full and there are no rooms. The week before the event, an amputee soldier who escaped from the ward at Rambam to live in the hotel arrived, and returned to the ward only for treatment.
Military-grade simulator – in memory of the parents of donor Yossi Lavie
Yossi Lavie said that he was looking for a suitable way to commemorate his dear parents, and decided to donate an F-35 fighter jet simulator to be placed in the motel. According to him, the facility is intended for children with cancer and their families who come from out of town and are forced to sleep far from home – and offers them an opportunity to spread their wings, broaden their horizons and forget about their difficulties. Lavie thanked attorney Ron Burnett, who volunteers with the organization in various legal aspects and specifically regarding the simulator project.
Kobi Regev, a partner in establishing the simulator, noted that this is a military-level flight trainer based on advanced technologies from the world's leading aviation and security sectors, and that the goal is to give children with cancer moments of hope, excitement, and escape from the complex reality.
Extensive activities of the Lev Hesh Association
Yehoshua Rauchberger, the founder of the association, reviewed its extensive activities, which include donations to children with cancer, dental care for the needy, clothing for the needy, costumes for children in need, operating a volunteer network, and more. The association distributes 300 food packages a week. Another project is assigning a municipal inspector to an elderly person and accompanying the elderly person throughout the year. Rauchberger noted the difficulties that existed in the previous term and the support the association has today from the Haifa Municipality under the leadership of Yona Yahav.
Hedva Almog from the Haifa Municipality said that she is proud that Haifa has such a place, and emphasized the importance of being able to give children and their families everything possible.
Moving personal testimonies of supported families
Havi Harel, the mother of Eliav, who was injured in fighting in Lebanon, said that her family arrived at Rambam Hospital from Petah Tikva in the middle of the night, and needed a place to sleep. The motel became a home for them, and Liron and the team of volunteers accompanied them the entire way. Harel described how the place allowed her to breathe, eat and digest things, and then return to the hospital.
Shani Dobelsky, a volunteer at the organization whose son Liam is a patient in the ward, spoke about the family's personal experience there and emphasized that no one views the families as in danger, but rather accompanies them on a path of empowerment and recovery.
Yossi Ackerman, former president and CEO of Elbit, described the place as a place that allows people to do good things, and noted that the ability to take a sick child and sit him in an F-35 simulator provides moments of forgetting about the difficulties.
