Dear Friends,
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, and we think about the responsibilities we want to carry with us into the New Year, I hope you will consider sharing a new opportunity with the Bar and Bat Mitzvah families in your community.
IDF Widows and Orphans USA have just launched a new B’nei Mitzvah program:
The idea behind it is simple:
Few obligations are more deeply rooted in our tradition than caring for the widow and the orphan.
We want to give young people becoming B’nei Mitzvah a meaningful way to make that ancient Jewish responsibility their own, while sending an equally important message to the families of Israel's fallen heroes: You are not alone.
Since October 7 and the war that followed, 364 new widows and widowers and 912 children have joined the circle of bereavement, including 48 women who were pregnant when their husbands were killed.
For these children, the loss of a parent does not end when a war ends, or the world's attention moves elsewhere. They will grow up without a father or mother at birthdays, graduations, their own Bar or Bat Mitzvah, weddings and countless moments in between.
That is where IDFWO comes in.
Founded in Israel in 1991, the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization supports the families of fallen members of Israel's security forces from the moment they enter the circle of bereavement and throughout their lives. Our programs provide community, mentorship, emotional support, camps and retreats, scholarships, career training and, perhaps most importantly, the knowledge that these families will never have to walk this path alone.
Our new B’nei Mitzvah program allows a child to create a personalized fundraising page, learn about the families they are helping, and invite friends and relatives to turn their celebration into an act of Jewish responsibility.
But we hope it will be more than a fundraising project. We will work with families to find meaningful service and educational opportunities as well, from raising awareness in their community to learning about a fallen Israeli hero or finding another personal way to stand with a bereaved family.
This is where we could really use your help.
Please take a look at the site and consider sharing it with your congregation, B’nei Mitzvah students and families. If someone on your team coordinates Mitzvah projects, I would be especially grateful if you would forward this email to them or connect us.
At a time when so many parents are asking how to help their children forge a meaningful connection with Israel, this offers something tangible and deeply Jewish: the opportunity for a child celebrating a milestone to stand beside a child whose family has paid an unimaginable price.
Wars end. Our responsibility to the widow and orphan does not.
Thank you for helping us bring this opportunity to your community. I would be delighted to speak personally with you, your educators, or any interested family and can be reached at Dan@idfwousa.org.
Shanah tovah u’metukah, and may this New Year bring peace to the people of Israel.
Kind regards,
Dan Elbaum
Executive Director IDF Widows and Orphans, USA
