(JNS) Twenty-eight altruistic individuals and partnering organizations were honored in Gush Etzion this past Thursday night at the Ari Fuld Project’s annual “Lion of Zion” awards ceremony, for their tireless support of Israeli soldiers during Israel’s current multifront military campaign.
The event was held on the sixth yahrzeit of Ari Fuld, a resident of Efrat and renowned Israel advocate, educator and karate teacher, who was murdered by an Arab terrorist in 2018, just days before Yom Kippur, outside a mall at the Gush Etzion Junction. Ishay Ribo, who knew about Ari Fuld, performed for the audience.
Before succumbing to his wounds, Fuld managed to chase down the terrorist, shoot and neutralize him, thus saving other lives.
The Ari Fuld Project, founded in his memory, is an organization committed to advancing projects Fuld was working on at the time of his murder, especially those that lend assistance to Israel Defense Forces soldiers.
Lion of Zion award recipient Avigail Gimpel, an educator from the community of Neve Daniel, was recognized for raising hundreds of thousands of shekels to benefit soldiers.
Gimpel told JNS that at the beginning of the war, she was helping to cater hundreds of meals for soldiers. She was also one of the chevra kadisha (burial society) members who handled the purification and burial of corpses left in the wake of the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7.
However, Her son, a soldier himself and a former karate student of Fuld’s, was being sent into Gaza and lacked a proper bulletproof vest. She decided to explore how she could help him procure one, and ended up helping many other soldiers in the process.
“I put out some feelers, and the South African Jewish community led by Rabbi Daniel Beider donated 20 vests, not only for my son but his entire team. I then helped with fundraising efforts to bring in another 100 vests,” she said.
Gimpel turned to other donors in Oklahoma and other communities in the United States to raise funds for an additional 100 vests. The Ari Fuld Project was crucial in helping get the vests through customs, she said. Gimpel continues to work with the organization to raise funds for the needs of IDF soldiers.
Naamit Leavitt, the Ari Fuld Projects’s project manager, explained to JNS how the organization was able to supply millions of shekels in equipment to soldiers stationed across the country.
“When the war started, we got flooded with requests from soldiers who didn’t know where they could find particular military equipment. But we’ve known the suppliers for years, long before the war started, because Ari Fuld himself used to take on projects like this and supply units with gear,” she said.
“So we empowered individual soldiers or units in becoming their own campaign managers. They would contact the suppliers directly with their needs, and we would provide them with a budget thanks to the generosity of our donors. We also helped the soldiers launch their unit’s campaigns and fundraise,” she added.
“People all over the world started donating right away, as more and more soldiers approached us knowing they could open up campaigns,” she told JNS.
“At the same time we had teams in Los Angeles, Miami and New York, committed to gathering equipment from donors … and people bringing hundreds of duffel bags over. We were here to make sure the gear was distributed to the right soldiers,” she continued.
“We’re talking about tactical helmets, vests, boots, earplugs, tefillin, beef jerky, canteens, gloves, medical kits, tents, rainsuits, ballistic glasses and much more,” she said.
Leavitt added that in addition to the millions of shekels raised through the Ari Fuld Project, the organization helped facilitate the raising of millions of shekels and the delivery of equipment through partner organizations. “The success was all due to collaboration. It was just so amazing to see so many organizations working together to benefit our soldiers,” she said.
Naamit’s husband, Stephen Leavitt, director of the Ari Fuld Project and editor-in-chief of JewishPress.com, told JNS, “Without a doubt, our most significant accomplishment over the past year has been sourcing and delivering vital equipment at the onset of the war, when it was nearly impossible to find anything in Israel. This effort enabled us to provide crucial support to countless soldiers and units on the front lines—and it saved lives.”
He explained what led the organization to choose those honored with this year’s Lion of Zion prize.
“We were fortunate to have many incredible and generous donors and volunteers this past year. What sets these honorees apart is their unwavering selflessness and commitment. Time and again, they went above and beyond to help as many people as possible, reflecting the same dedication and deep concern for the people of Israel that Ari Fuld embodied. Their relentless efforts to ensure that soldiers received the equipment they needed truly carry on Ari’s legacy,” he said.
“I would also add that none of this would have been possible without my wife, Naamit, who took charge of everything while I was called up for duty,” as he has been numerous times over the course of the war.
Miram Fuld, Ari’s widow, told JNS she credits her late husband as the inspiration for the success the organization has had in helping soldiers over the past year.
“Ari once said, when someone passes, you have to ask yourself two things: What would that person do? And what would that person want YOU to do?
“That is what the Ari Fuld Project does and why we’ve managed to do so much, especially over the past year. Because Ari was already doing it, he left us the road map. We are just continuing his mission—to defend Israel and the Jewish people, to help and support those who defend us, to help those who build and settle our precious land, and to teach others about the beauty of Judaism and our homeland.”
Naamit Leavitt said that in addition to supplying gear for soldiers, the organization this year also dedicated the expansion of an army base’s synagogue in the memory of Ari and Gush Etzion’s fallen soldiers.
The Ari Fuld Project is also in the final stages of completing “The Ari Fuld Beit Midrash” (Torah study hall) in Efrat’s Zayit Raanan synagogue, dedicated in memory of Efrat residents Roey Weiser and Elkana Newlander. Weiser was killed on Oct. 7 fighting Hamas terrorists near the Erez Crossing, while Newlander fell in battle in central Gaza this past January.
Summarizing the organization’s ability to accomplish so much over the course of the war, Naamit said “When the war started, on Oct. 7, I was very busy, but I was not alone, I knew I could call anyone under the sun and they were happy to help. It was very emotional to see how people from all around the country and all over the world, from all walks of life stepped up. They did so much for everyone, people I didn’t even know. Our mission was accomplished project after project. I always knew I was not alone.”
That being said, she added “the war is not over and there is much more to do.”
