User:Mamandel/sandbox

Current Programs
FIDF sponsors an array of programs and construction projects to improve the wellbeing of IDF soldiers both in their day-to-day routine and after their army service.

Education & Culture

 * The IMPACT! Scholarship program grants full academic scholarships to former combat soldiers who come from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. The students receive full tuition towards an academic degree and give back to their community with an annual 130 community service hours. IMPACT! students have completed more than 3 million hours since 2002, making it the number one program in providing community service in Israel.
 * Identity and Purpose Programs acknowledge that IDF soldiers confront questions of identity, purpose, and ethics on a regular basis. The IDF Education Corps and Beit Morasha, a Jerusalem-based leadership training center that specializes in Jewish studies, have developed three courses for soldiers and commanders that focus on Jewish values and identity.
 * Israeli Journey takes IDF soldiers on a journey throughout Israel and seeks to help soldiers better understand what they are serving to protect. At the same time, the program strengthens the sense of community within units and contributes to the individual’s personal development. In 2013, 3,320 soldiers enjoyed an educational journey throughout Israel and participated in workshops focusing on Jewish identity.
 * Amir Course seeks to better integrate Ethiopian-Israeli enlistees into the army and enable them to access more challenging and influential positions in the IDF. In 2013, FIDF supported approximately 750 soldiers from the Ethiopian community.
 * Eitan Program provides an opportunity for teenagers from difficult backgrounds exempt from enlisting to join the army. The program supplies them with tools to have a full and meaningful service and provides them with a vocation as a mode of succeeding in life thereafter. At the end of their service, the soldiers may choose out of three professional courses funded by FIDF and offered by the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry. They are then placed in a course according to availability and their own abilities. Upon completing technical and vocational training, the soldiers receive an official trade diploma, recognized by and given on behalf of the Ministry.
 * Formal Education seeks to increase opportunities for soldiers to complete 12 years of formal education and receive a high school completion certificate by the end of their military service, enabling them to finish their military service with a greater chance of success in civilian life. Most civilian jobs and educational institutions in Israel require at least a high school completion certificate, making the Formal Education Program integral in giving a large number of soldiers the opportunity to finish their service on more even footing with their peers.

Wellbeing & Recreation

 * DIGNITY provides financial assistance for soldiers who encounter economic difficulties by providing them and their families with critical aid for basic appliances and furniture, food vouchers, special grants, and holiday gift coupons that help them through difficult economic times. Since its inception in 2007, 27,488 soldiers have been helped by the DIGNITY Program.
 * SPIRIT gives active duty combat soldiers a much-needed break from their daily responsibilities and duties by providing each combat unit with a week of relaxation and fun.
 * Adopt a Brigade Program allows donors to create an extraordinary bond with IDF combat soldiers by supporting the wellbeing of an IDF combat brigade.
 * Spiritual Needs Program uplifts the spirits of IDF soldiers throughout their service, honing in on values, faith, Jewish identity and love of Israel. The program does this through a series of activities focused on Jewish traditions and celebrations to warm the soldier’s hearts and strengthen their spirits. In 2013, FIDF distributed 2,972 Tzitziot, 9,200 Mezuzot, 50,092 Mishloach Manot for Purim, 157,104 Matsot during Passover and 80 Sukkot for IDF soldiers.

Bereaved Families

 * LEGACY Program supports thousands of bereaved individuals – providing them with opportunities to connect with peers who have also suffered this terrible loss and helping them celebrate holidays and life-cycle events. Support includes wedding gifts, bereaved sibling workshops, Rosh Hashanah gifts, relaxing vacations, and Bar/Bat Mitzvah summer camp.

Lone Soldiers

 * Lone Soldiers Program provides support to the IDF's lone soldiers with a 24/7 call center, Shabbat and holiday meals, social programming, grants and financial assistance, flights to visit family in their countries of origin, academic scholarships, adoptive families, a Lone Soldiers Center, and guidance.

Wounded Soldiers

 * STRIDES Program helps IDF wounded veterans discover their strength by providing special prosthetics for athletic activities, giving them the means to live life without limitation. The program, which focuses on leg amputees, also brings together a group of wounded veterans who, with the help of their new prosthetics, partake in running, bike riding and other challenging activities together.

Construction Projects
FIDF's Capital Projects Campaign builds, refurbishes, and maintains recreation and sports centers, cultural and educational facilities, synagogues, memorial rooms, auditoriums, and “soldiers’ homes” for soldiers throughout Israel. These facilities, ranging from individual structures to grand wellbeing complexes, create an environment in which soldiers can relax, stay in shape, read a book or watch a movie, commemorate and celebrate special days, and enjoy the company of fellow soldiers.

In 2013, a new home for Lone Soldiers in Israel was opened in Ramat Gan with a special ceremony marking the completion of the $5 million project launched by FIDF and headed by Elias and Lila Kalimian and family of Great Neck, N.Y.