In a moving display of solidarity and support, the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce has sponsored and hand-delivered hundreds of sets of lulavim and etrogim to Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers at their bases from north to south, including those in the prominent Givati Brigade operating in Gaza. This initiative comes amidst ongoing conflict in Israel, which saw many new university students, particularly secular students involved with the Nefesh Yehudi program which the chamber works closely with who have recently been drafted but wanting to stay connected to religion.
To address this need, Earlier this week, the Chamber, along with its partners in Israel at nefesh Yehudi, circulated a signup list for soldiers, many of whom are secular. These soldiers expressed an interest in receiving a lulav and etrog set, together with meals for Yom Tov. The response was astonishingly positive, with requests flooding in from various ranks, including chief rabbis and heads of brigades. Notably, the Givati Brigade, actively operating in Gaza, reached out for the Chamber’s assistance.
The response was so overwhelming that it went way beyond the students with the Chamber’s dedicated team in Israel personally delivering the luluvim & Estrogim and meals for Tom tov to each student and applicant. In a touching gesture of gratitude, the Head of the Givati Division sent the Chamber a heartfelt thank you video.
He noted that his team will be bringing the lulavim and etrogim into Gaza on tanks the next morning and using them before they head out on their missions which ended up being the same morning notable terrorist, Sinwar, was targeted by the Israeli Army.
Reflecting on this successful endeavor, Duvi Honig, founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, expressed humility and gratitude for the opportunity to serve as messengers (shaliachim) of Hashem. “We must never take for granted that everything is under control,” Honig commented. “Who would have believed that we would have the merit to provide these sacred items to thousands of soldiers to have the merit of shaking, perhaps even those who played a role in the significant action of eliminating Sinwar?”
The Organizers of the Orthodox Jewish chamber of Commerce stated that we must point out how this project with many moving parts was made possible through a joint effort between our many networks, friends, supporters and teams from both Israel and the United States. This is what the Orthodox Jewish Chamber is about uniting networks and communities, demonstrating the strength within the global Jewish community and taking a stand in a time of need.
[Press Release]