The Westchester Friends of the IDF (FIDF) community provided a very warm welcome on Sunday, July 24, to 20 bereaved Israeli children who were in the U.S. for a special summer experience ”“ FIDF Legacy Camp.
Hyla Ruby, FIDF National Board member and Westchester Board member, and her husband, Steve Ruby, hosted the delegation of 20 campers and 10 staff members at their home in Rye, for an afternoon of swimming, food and entertainment, along with members of the local Jewish community.
This year marked the 18th summer of FIDF Legacy Camp, a unique opportunity in the United States provided every year to B”™nai Mitzvah children and siblings of fallen soldiers, providing a chance to spend time with others who have gone through similar loss, and to simply feel joy again. Six of the 10 counselors staffing the delegation are IDF soldiers in their last year of military service who also lost loved ones and attended the very same program when they were teens.
“We had the best time watching the kids enjoy an afternoon of fun and it was so special to hear how much this program has positively impacted them,” said Hyla Ruby.
“The Ruby family has been a pillar of FIDF and we are tremendously grateful to have them as part of our family,” said Anat Chavkin, FIDF executive director for Westchester and Connecticut.
FIDF was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors as a 501(C) (3) not-for-profit organization with the mission of transforming the lives of the young men and women of the IDF who protect Israel and Jews worldwide through empowering educational, financial, well-being and cultural initiatives. With 25 chapters throughout the United States, FIDF supports soldiers before, during and after their service, as well as families of fallen soldiers and wounded veterans, reinforcing the vital bond between the communities in the United States and the soldiers of the IDF.
