Julian Josephson leads FIDF tour of Poland and Israel

 

San Diego contingent of FIDF visit an Israeli military installation

JERUSALEM (Press Release)–Prominent lay leaders and supporters from the FIDF San Diego Chapter accompanied by 50 IDF soldiers and officers embarked on an impassioned ten-day excursion to Poland and Israel. This once-in-a-lifetime “From Holocaust to Independence” journey, left on April 16 and will return on April 27, to celebrate 30 years of FIDF support for the courageous IDF soldiers and the State of Israel.

“The Delegation is comprised of philanthropic community leaders from around the U.S,” said FIDF National President and 30th Anniversary Delegation Chairman, Julian Josephson. “Our hope is that as they return to their communities, they will be our FIDF Ambassadors and encourage other like-minded people to join our rapidly growing base of contributors throughout the country,” he said.

The trip began in Poland, where the group traveled to emotional and historical sites such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau Camps, the Tikochin village (a thriving Jewish town before the Holocaust), and Lopachova forest, where countless Jews were murdered. Together, the group walked through the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Krakow, the Ghetto, and the Schindler Factory, where Oskar Schindler saved almost 1,100 Jews by employing them in his factory.

The participant’s then flew with the IDF soldiers on an Israeli Air Force plane from Warsaw to Krakow and back, and from Poland to Israel to continue the journey to celebrate Yom Ha’Zikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut in Israel. The group spent time on several elite IDF bases with soldiers, meet with top-level government and IDF officials, including the Commander of the IAF and the Head of IDF Military Intelligence, and had a special dinner with the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, at his official residence. FIDF Chairman, Nily Falic, also hosted the delegation for an evening at her home in Jerusalem.

“There can be no more profound a demonstration to mark the 30th Anniversary of FIDF and our support for Israel and the beloved and brave IDF soldiers, than by joining them on a journey to Poland, where our people suffered the horrifying times of the Holocaust, and visiting them on their bases throughout Israel,” said Josephson. “Our Delegation will both mourn and celebrate with our soldiers during Yom Ha’ Zikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut in Israel, for it is precisely because of these dedicated soldiers that the Jewish people worldwide have a State they can call their own,” he added.

The ten-day trip will come to a close with the celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut at the official state ceremony on Mount Herzl, under the auspices of the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, and the Speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin.

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Preceding provided by Friends of the IDF