Last week a delegation from Bergen County Lev Echad (BCLE) traveled to Israel to see how the current needs of the IDF soldiers have changed and what they can do to continue helping them.

The group has spent the last 16 months packing and sending thousands of duffel bags filled with much-needed supplies for IDF soldiers. In fact, according to officials at Ben-Gurion Airport, BCLE is the largest sender of supplies in the world, sending all sorts of equipment for the chayalim and Israeli security forces.

But it was clear the needs were changing. So Brian Nave, Donny Knoll, Daniel Malka and Jason Langer, along with Avigdor Ben-Ari of Brooklyn, traveled to Israel to get a firsthand perspective and report back to those in the United States who are eager to help in any way they can.

Nave explained that BCLE works on two fronts. The first has been sending duffel bags filled with tactical gear including helmets, vests and other defensive items. The other half of the organization runs special programming and initiatives for and with the IDF, universities and high-tech companies, that include special projects geared towards saving lives. Setting out on a whirlwind mission to visit several bases and meet with high-ranking officers, commanders and officials all over Israel, the delegation spent six days learning as much as they could and coming up with plans on how to best facilitate what is currently needed. “We went to Israel to see what was going on and get a firsthand perspective of the current needs of the IDF,” said Knoll, who has personally overseen the transport of thousands of duffels to Israel through the organization’s efforts.

One of those first initiatives was sending over 850 360-degree tank cameras and a robotic quadruped (dog), which allows special operation units to do reconnaissance ahead of the soldiers, search in tunnels, and conduct search-and-rescue operations. “We also teamed with a newly formed reserve unit which were alumni of the IDF’s elite Oketz dog unit, which train their own dogs and personnel so that they can attach to other reserve units,” Knoll added.

With the IDF focusing on the greater needs of the military, individual units are often left to strategize how to acquire specific items to achieve their objectives. That is where BCLE steps in.

Since the war began, BCLE has focused on drones, especially thermal drones and drones equipped with night vision, which have proven instrumental in saving countless lives. Now BCLE is examining the next projects with which they can assist, knowing it can rapidly mobilize to help these units obtain whatever tools and equipment chayalim require. “There’s a fine line between proof of concept for the IDF versus projects that they intend to fund, and we bridge that gap,” said Nave. “Chayalim within the IDF have developed programs … which we were able to help fund until the army stepped in and began funding them.”

Knoll added: “We are also going to partner with a high-tech company in Israel that has created a training and development program … and we will be creating our own drone training program to not only train chayalim but also assist civilian security forces all over Israel, as they will be critical in preventing another October 7.”

The group also met with Unit 669—a special operations medivac rescue unit, the same unit responsible for flying home the hostages and also saving thousands of lives—to help the newly formed reserve unit acquire a couple of new vehicles to get them to proof of concept. This will allow this newly formed unit to create a rapid-response mechanism to aid in rescue missions, conceived from operations during the last 16 months of war.

“Another active project we are working on and helping to fund is to create several remote-controlled robotic Bobcat ‘construction vehicles,’” Nave said. “The remote-control technology used for this program is based off the ‘robotic dog’ initiative.” Those vehicles are able to search and find IEDs without the use of human drivers who would be risking their lives and are instead controlling them from a safe distance.

BCLE also has plans in the works for a Yamach, which is similar to a gemach, but for military equipment for the IDF and other Israeli security forces to ensure that the equipment is in constant circulation instead of sitting in an army base waiting until that unit needs to use it again.

While visiting the bases, the delegation continued to drop off other supplies they knew the soldiers needed. Nave marveled at the IDF’s outlook and commitment. “The spirit and morale of the IDF is still high and all the chayalim are even more determined and ready to do what is needed to win the war and prevail,” he said.

Ben-Ari spoke to the soldiers they met, letting them know how much everyone in the United States and all over the world loves and admires them and backs them 100%.

Malka explained, “I shared with [the soldiers] how Donny [Knoll] goes to the airport and has personally put 15,000 duffel bags on a plane headed to Israel and I tell them that we are doing this because of what they are doing and thanking them was a big part of our trip as well. It’s one thing to reach out to our local communities and try to fundraise. But if we view ourselves as having the fiduciary responsibility of raising funds, then we feel it is incumbent upon us to go to Israel and see firsthand what the IDF has and what they need because we owe it to our donors.” As a 501(c)(3), he said their goal is to make sure every dollar they receive is maximized and being spent effectively.

To that end, Nave has cultivated relationships with vendors all over the world that allow BCLE to acquire equipment for the IDF at substantially lower costs. Plus, every donation to BCLE means a tax deduction while BCLE takes care of all logistics in getting these items to Israel and into the right hands.

“After 16 months we are still at it and the needs are still high but we won’t stop until the war is over,” Nave said.

To donate and help the IDF, visit www.bclevechad.org