(Courtesy of FIDF) Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former IDF spokesperson, will give a special briefing on the situation in Israel to Friends of the IDF (FIDF) supporters. The event will take place on March 11 in Short Hills, New Jersey. A cocktail reception for major donors with the evening’s speakers will take place at 6:30 p.m. followed by the general briefing at 7:15.

Joining him will be Master Sgt. (Res.) Bar, a reservist in the elite 669 tactical rescue unit which the FIDF has adopted.

Bar was one of the first soldiers to arrive in the southern communities upon Hamas’ invasion of Oct. 7. He took part that day in rescuing fellow Israelis under fire and later served in the Gaza Strip, where he played a pivotal role in the rescue of over 200 soldiers from the battlefield.

Conricus recently retired as an IDF lieutenant colonel after serving in the IDF for 24 years as a combat commander in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, and as a military diplomat, foreign relations expert, and international spokesperson. He was the first IDF officer to be seconded to the U.N. headquarters in New York where he provided strategic analysis for U.N. peacekeeping.

During the first three months of the war against Hamas, Conricus represented the IDF among international media during hundreds of interviews across top-tier networks, often explaining complex situations on the ground, in addition to delivering dozens of updates on IDF social media accounts for millions of interested viewers around the world. Between 2017-2021, he served as the IDF’s international spokesperson responsible for the global public affairs, social media and public diplomacy of the IDF.

FIDF is the single organization in the United States designated by the IDF that is authorized to raise funds for its soldiers, and FIDF acts according to the requirements of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate to respond to the most urgent requests. Funds raised at the event will go toward lifesaving medical supplies such as ambulances, plasma, medical devices, and field hospitals, as well as hygiene kits and aid for the thousands of bereaved families who are suffering the loss of a loved one. As the IDF’s official partner, FIDF is the fastest and most direct way to support IDF soldiers.

For further information and reservations, contact Howard Gases at (646) 274-9650 or [email protected].