Sending hope and help to the IDF

Sometimes sweet stories are short. They’re straightforward. They’re probably less unique than they are representative of the larger community. And they make you feel good.

Like, for example, this one.

It’s about how the Schechter Bergen’s network of students, families, and friends responded immediately to help their alumni who had made aliyah and were fighting in the Israel Defense Forces.

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Students at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County display Israeli flags; above, the yellow ribbons around the sign symbolize hope.

The school, for toddlers in its early childhood program through eighth-graders, is in New Milford; it is marked by its commitment to both halacha and egalitarianism.

It also is marked by its strong love of Israel; after teaching them about the Jewish state throughout their time at the school, it sends each year’s graduating class there.

Over the past decade or so, at least 20 of its alumni have served in the IDF.

“One of our alumni, who graduated in 2019, reached out to our alumni coordinator, Elisheva Mayerhoff,” the head of school, Steve Freedman, said. That alumnus, Evan — we’re not using last names and not including much detail about any IDF members — made aliyah with his family the summer after he graduated. He’s actively serving in the IDF now.

“Evan told Elisheva that he and his unit needed safety glasses. “He asked us if we would be willing to help,” Mr. Freedman said. “And given that we care deeply about all our alumni, and about the IDF, and that one of our core values is our love for Israel, and for Zionism, and because we know that we can’t just talk about it, we have to live it, we put out an email.

“It went to the entire Schechter community — parents, past parents, grandparents, alumni, everybody — “in a day or two we had enough money to cover the glasses. And then the money kept coming and coming and coming. So we had a lot of money.

Next, a second alumnus, Jake — who graduated from SSDS in 2010, made aliyah in 2018, was drafted as a lone soldier, and now is in the infantry reserves — also wrote to his alma mater. He’d heard about its efforts to help supply soldiers, Mr. Freedman said. “When his unit was called up, there was stuff they needed. They asked us for help.

The members of a unit the school community helped supply sent a thank-you video.

“So we put the word out, and within 48 hours he had 87 new backpacks.

Or, as Jake put it in an email: “Upon being told we would be on foot, our unit realized we needed new bags — ASAP. After contacting the Schechter Bergen community and briefly being in touch via email, we had the funds within less than 24 hours and the bags in 2 days.

“The new equipment was an absolute game changer for us, making the carrying of heavy gear much more tolerable and comfortable. Receiving the bags was simply amazing.”

Mr. Freedman and Ms. Mayerhoff knew that they had other alumni in the IDF, and they might also need help. So they reached out. “When we asked another alum if he needed anything, he said yes,” Mr. Freedman said. He said they needed safety glasses and gun straps and some tactical helmets. Their helmets weren’t good enough. They weren’t at the level they needed.”

These images come from thank-you videos from the IDF unit members.

That unit, too, soon had what its members needed.

“We didn’t have to put the word out by then,” Mr. Freeman said. “We had extra money left over from what we’d collected for the first two.

“It all happened very quickly. We sent them the money quickly” — the fastest and easiest way to get supplies to IDF soldiers is to send money instead of things; the service members in Israel can shop for themselves instead of waiting for packages from overseas. “He sent us a video saying thanks,” Mr. Freedman added.

The third alumnus, who graduated from SSDS in 2007 and made aliyah to enlist in the IDF, prefers to keep even his first name out of the story. He wrote back: “The helmets arrived and they are AMAZING! They are lightweight, durable, and protective. Wanted to thank you again for the contribution from Schechter Bergen, we appreciate it more than you know and couldn’t have done it without your help.”

One of the striking things about this lightning-quick effort to help supply its former students and their units is that it happened this October. “This was a year into the war,” Mr. Freedman said. “Still, there was a sense of urgency. These are people whose commitment to Israel and to tzedakah for Israel is ongoing. They heard a call, and they responded to it.”

He’s proud of the school’s response. “We had a whirlwind — these three situations — where, because we stay in contact with our graduates and because they feel connected to the Schechter community they were able to ask for help, and the community was able to step in and help,” he said.

Last year, the school showed its commitment to Israel in a different way. “We had over 60 guest students,” Mr. Freedman said; those were Israeli children whose parents chose to take them out of the country, maybe for a few weeks, maybe for a few months, maybe for the school year. “They all flocked to our school in October. About 10 of those students still are with us.

“Another family came for three weeks this year. They live in the North, and they just needed a break. That just happened. And it’s so good for our students to be able to see us upholding our values.”