Druze Commander Provides Emergency Shabbat Supplies for Hundreds of Jewish Troops

Rabbi Wolfson and JLIC staff members became acquainted with Druze officers after attending funeral services for fallen Druze IDF soldiers.

By Shula Rosen

On a recent Friday afternoon, a Druze officer faced a significant challenge that required immediate action.

The challenge was not posed by the enemy, but rather by an unfamiliar situation: Shabbat was approaching, and he didn’t have the necessary items and services prepared for his Jewish soldiers.

The Druze officer was a reservist who had recently been called up and was tasked with providing for hundreds of soldiers in the center of the country.

On Friday, he realized he had no challah, wine or candles for them – items he knew Jews needed for Shabbat.

The officer reached out to Rabbi Joe Wolfson in Tel Aviv and requested his assistance.

“That’s pretty special to have a non-Jewish Druze friend calling his Orthodox rabbi friend to make sure that the soldiers under his command get what they need for Shabbat,” Wolfson, the rabbi and co-director of the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus in Tel Aviv  (JLIC TLV), told eJewishPhilanthropy.

JLIC is a volunteer organization staffed by people born overseas, including immigrants, residents and visitors.

Initially founded in cooperation with the Orthodox Union to assist Jewish students on American college campuses, the JLIC now has centers in Jerusalem, Herzliya, Givat Shmuel and Tel Aviv.

Rabbi Wolfson and JLIC staff members became acquainted with Druze officers after attending funeral services for fallen Druze IDF soldiers.

After getting off the phone with the Druze officer, Rabbi Wolfson immediately mobilized 800 volunteers through the organization’s WhatsApp group to gather supplies and coordinate delivery.

Volunteers from the JLIC communities in Herzliya and Givat Shmuel collected and delivered the necessary items to army bases.

The one phone call from the Druze officer has led to an initiative not just to deliver challah, wine and candles to soldiers, but also to set up kosher kitchens and meal deliveries to soldiers.