Issuu

Dear Brothers for Life Family, I want to update you on our accomplishments and goals for 2022, but first, I'd like to share with you my personal story and how your support has impacted my life. 13 years ago, I was reborn. On January 13, 2009, I was serving as a paratrooper in the IDF. We were tasked with taking over a building in a highly populated and dangerous part of Gaza. I followed my commander, Aaron, into the building, and as we reached the 3rd floor we were rocked by a horrific explosion. Terrorists had detonated a powerful bomb which caused the entire building to collapse. I was thrown by the force of the explosion out to the backyard, and Aaron was left trapped under heavy chunks of concrete. We were both severely injured. Thankfully, we were quickly evacuated by helicopter to a hospital, where I was treated for burns and shrapnel in my upper body and eye, and Aaron for a head injury which left him in a coma for 6 weeks. Thanks to the medical staff and G-d, we both began to recover, and I was able to return to my unit to continue my service. Although I had made progress in my physical recovery, I suffered from PTSD that dominated my life. Everything changed for me when I met Brothers for Life in 2011. Thanks to this organization, I was able to steadily recover. I learned how to cope with my trauma and re-enter society. Then I received an educational scholarship and eventually joined the BFL leadership team. This brings me to the most important part of this message, not a focus on the past, but on the future. At Brothers for Life, we share our commitment to Israel and each other to inspire the Jewish nation. I am proud to say that, despite the challenges, we steadily are moving forward on an incredible journey of healing, strongly supported by your presence by our side.

BFL GLOBAL COMMUNITY Where are we going? Solider Delegations: In 2021, the pandemic kept us from sending large delegations of wounded soldiers abroad, but we still managed to take advantage of periods of relief, meeting with many of you in Seattle, Boston, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and London. We hope to resume our official delegations in 2022, and connect once again with our host families, who have described the time we spend together as “life-changing.” As we monitor COVID levels we will keep you posted on scheduled delegations. Many of you have gotten to know Yogev Mor, who over the past four years planned and executed so many delegations around the world. He has made a huge impact on the lives of both our soldiers and our host families. Yogev’s role will be changing this year as he takes on the challenge of coordinating regional programs for wounded soldiers throughout Israel. With the growth of our membership, Yogev will be responsible for ensuring that soldiers have programs closer to their homes so they can receive services regularly. On behalf of our entire global community, I would like to thank Yogev for all his hard work and tireless devotion to our injured brothers and hosting families and wish him good luck in his exciting new role.

Nitzan: In 2021, we started our “Nitzan” program, to connect teenagers aged 14-17 in the US to wounded soldiers in Israel. The pilot group included 15 teenagers who forged great relationships with our soldiers through bi-monthly online discussion groups. In 2022, we hope to expand Nitzan by sending our soldiers to visit the teens abroad, and arranging speaking engagements in their schools to a wider audience. Additionally, we hope that our injured soldiers will be able to visit several Jewish summer camps in the US and Canada and connect with teens in this special setting.

Atid: In 2021 we kicked off "Atid", our young leadership program, in seven cities around the globe – New York City, Westchester, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Toronto, and Johannesburg. Through Atid, which translates to "Future" in Hebrew, we've already engaged more than 180 of today’s young Jewish leaders. In 2022, we want to expand Atid to even more cities, such as Los Angeles and Mexico City, to connect more young Jews and supporters to our soldiers back home. We plan on bringing our Israel and diaspora communities together by sending soldiers to events abroad and inviting a special group of young professionals to visit us in our Brother's Home in Israel.

Holocaust Survivors: In 2021, we were honored to host a series of moving, online meetings between wounded soldiers in Israel and Holocaust survivors in New York. The deep connections that were forged are hard to describe. We are painfully aware that the number of survivors is dwindling, and are planning to expand this program in 2022 to include more survivors who would be willing to share their stories.

Iron Brother: This coming March we'll be embarking on our 2nd Iron Brother Challenge, and it will be our largest event in history! 200 of our injured soldiers, together with many of you from our global community, will cross the entire state of Israel in less than two days. We'll be swimming, cycling, and running shoulder to shoulder through our beautiful country. For many of us, this training has kept us going and has given us something to live for. We are inviting you, our beloved BFL friends and family, to join us. You can learn more about this truly remarkable event at www.IronBrother2022.com. Best regards Chemi Rubin

If you find any of these programs exciting, I invite you to get involved and become a part of this exciting community!

brothers_for_life.bfl

Brothers4Life