Teaneck—On Saturday night, May 14, an overflow crowd packed the home of Mindy and Mutty Stein to hear representatives of One Israel Fund. Marc Provisor, Director of Security Projects, and Natalie Sopinsky, Director of Community Development, describe what life is like on the front lines of terror in the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria.
Natalie Sopinsky described the work of One Israel Fund as “the federation for Judea and Samaria” and explained that the quality of life for her and the 400,000 Jews living in these communities is high, while the standard of living can be quite low. Sopinsky told the audience of her first trip to the Shomron, how she saw Ramallah, and how she determined the only answer to the Arab presence in the region is to make aliyah, but added, “That’s asking a lot…I know. It’s hard.” Natalie urged that if you can’t make aliyah, you should get involved in helping sustain and build life for the Jews living there.
After a short film showing life in the communities on the Gaza border during the 2014 rocket attacks, Marc Provisor spoke about his role in counter-terror and his personal experiences as a security chief in the Shilo region where he served for 10 years. Provisor’s counter-terror skills have earned him recognition from the Israeli security establishment, including the Award of Excellence and Valor from the IDF Central Command General. He has also provided counsel to the United States Department of Homeland Security and continues to lecture on various security and counter-terror issues facing security professionals today. Provisor has been instrumental in increasing the level and preparedness of security throughout Judea and Samaria and his efforts have literally changed the face of security in the region.
One Israel Fund’s “Vests 4 Israel” campaign was initiated by Provisor after a fellow security chief, Ze’evik Etzion, was killed by Hamas on the final day of Operation Protective Edge. Ze’evik was repairing an electrical problem and was not wearing his security vest. Existing vests constricted movement and the security chiefs were not wearing them. They weren’t practical.
In meetings following the war, One Israel Fund met with representatives from the security chiefs and IDF Homefront Command to redesign new vests and raise the necessary funds to replace the vests needed in Judea and Samaria, as well as the Gaza border communities. To date, over 300 vests have been donated at a cost of $1,450 each. The vest design was recently adopted by the IDF which will begin supplying emergency response team members with new vests throughout Judea and Samaria based upon Provisor’s design.
Mindy Stein, hostess of the event, addressed the crowd saying, “We aren’t living in Israel…we aren’t being asked to fight. So we have a responsibility to, at the very least, help those who are and get involved.”
Provisor conducts security assessments throughout Judea and Samaria, recommending technological and practical security upgrades. In his capacity at One Israel Fund, he speaks throughout the United States to raise awareness, educate audiences and raise vitally needed funds for security and emergency medical projects. Security projects include perimeter surveillance camera systems, thermal cameras (which can detect movement beyond a perimeter fence), vests, patrol vehicles, emergency lighting and emergency medical equipment for intensive-care ambulances and medical personnel.
One Israel Fund also funds communal projects including schools and academic institutions, libraries, playgrounds and religious institutions, which add greatly to the quality of life in these communities. The 400,000 Israeli citizens living throughout Judea and Samaria are the vanguard of the security and sovereignty of the Jewish state.
For more information, to get involved with One Israel Fund, to schedule a tour of these areas, or to invite a representative of One Israel Fund to your community, contact Natalie Sopinsky, Director of Community Development for One Israel Fund, at [email protected] or call 516.239.9202 x22.
