FIDF Gala: ‘Freedom is Not Free’

The annual Friends of Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Gala rolled out on May 4 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia, drawing a dedicated crowd of supporters, community leaders, soldiers, and survivors united in their commitment to the men and women of the IDF.

FIDF Chairman Fred Distenfield flew in from New York to mingle, as did FIDF President Wendy Moskowitz. Distenfield told the AJT, “There is no other organization like the FIDF that does this important work. That’s why we’re here.”

Moskowitz shared that she is committed to “supporting soldiers and cherishing Jewish survival, so that we can flourish despite all the current challenges.”

Into the grand ballroom, Mechal Perl, the new Southeast FIDF director, spoke of her family’s relatives who escaped the Holocaust and served in the Six-Day War. Born in the U.S., she was raised in Israel and served as a weapons instructor in the IDF.

“We serve because we know what Israel is fighting for on all fronts. Here, American Jews fight hate and antisemitism. These threats threaten both the United States and Israel, so we walk together to confront evil. One single truth: freedom is not free.”

She noted that the FIDF supports soldiers mentally, physically, and spiritually in what she called “the war of a lifetime.”

Eitan Weiss, Israel Consulate General to the Southeast, spoke passionately about a burned FIDF sign he witnessed outside of Gaza. He later revisited the same site and saw the FIDF installation sign had been reinstalled. He said, “I know FIDF investments are really important and help make everyone strong and independent, and I was pleased to see that [new sign].”

A video explained that the fatality rate in the current war is only 7 percent, due in part to FIDF medical care. FIDF also opened a new $18 million mental health center.

Noam Ben-Nun, father of Shlomo who was killed in Gaza, and brother, Yona, shared Shlomo’s heroism and tragic demise. “We got the knock on the door every Israeli parent fears. I looked through the peephole and saw three uniformed officers.” Yona spoke about his brother’s leadership and described his own visit to Auschwitz, returning with no doubts that it was his duty to serve as a counselor at an FIDF camp for grieving children.

Justine Cohen and Felicia Voloschin spoke about the FIDF’s support therapy dog program for PTSD. Capt. Idan, intelligence officer, shared his integral role in building systems to decode enemy information, “work that normally took months was accelerated to completion in weeks. My unit detected Iranian threats before they were deployed, understood enemy patterns, and responded with confidence.”

Sheri and Mark Schwartz introduced Maj. B., an Oct. 7 hero. En route to rescuing his three brothers, he was rerouted to Kibbutz Be’eri. “Duty comes first,” he said. During an elite raid in enemy territory to rescue hostages, a grenade shredded his legs. He retaliated by throwing a grenade before losing consciousness for seven days. He was later treated for PTSD and a long recovery with surgeries. Walking to the stage aided by braces, he described running from house to house — “sometimes finding entire families dead, sometimes finding some dead on one side and survivors on the other.”

Later in a hostage raid, he heard enemies shouting, “Allahu Akbar.” His greatest fear was being taken into a tunnel. When he lost consciousness and awoke in a hospital a week later, he thought, “I shouldn’t be here.” He continues to live with chronic pain. He told the crowd, “I certainly see what’s important. Live strong. We fight for western civilization’s values.” He reflected that since Oct. 7, Jews and Israel have emerged stronger together.

New chair of the Atlanta FIDF Council, Ben Levy, closed the program by speaking about his own family’s history, losing 28 relatives in the Holocaust. His words serve as a living reminder of the cost of indifference.

He stated, “’Never Again’ is not a slogan, it’s a promise … our soldiers shout ‘Ani Nishba’ – ‘I swear,’ in their induction ceremony to declare that they will defend us.”

As the youngest local chapter donor of an Impact Scholarship, attorney Levy concluded, “It costs $20,000 to change a combat veteran’s life, break it down over four years … thanking a soldier for service is a wonderful gesture; but helping them get a degree will be part of your legacy … tell your children and grandchildren that when Israel and the Jewish people were under attack, you heeded the call.”