Osey Chail Directors lead publicity campaign in the United States
They visited Yeshiva University, families of Israeli businessmen in Manhattan and the Haredi community of Flatbush, concluding their campaign in Baltimore.
As the American Haredi community fights a fierce internal battle over the issue of military conscription in Israel, Osey Chail Director Aharon Granot has joined forces with Shuki Gilboa, a Kiryat Arba emergency squad fighter who lost his eye battling the terrorist who murdered Hallel Ariel. Together, they visited various Jewish communities in the United States, bearing the message of a handful of Haredi soldiers, who left the world they knew behind them and joined the Israel Defense Forces. Jews overseas applauded their brave decision.
Granot noted that he resigned his post as Assistant Editor of Mishpaha magazine to devote himself entirely to the project. He captivated his audience with stories about how he located these soldiers, how they came to Osey Chail and what their situation is like today. Gilboa then spoke about battling terrorism, explaining how he was wounded and what led him to join Osey Chail. The organization helps soldiers who sacrificed everything they had to serve in the IDF.
The public relations campaign began at Yeshiva University, where Aharon Granot and Shuki Gilboa held a special meeting with senior rabbinic personnel, organized by Rabbi Mordechai Willig. One of the soldiers addressed that meeting by telephone, touching the rabbis’ hearts as he recounted the story of his life.
The next evening, they visited the home of an Israeli businessman living in New York, who had invited his colleagues for a parlor meeting. All of them promised to support the organization in the United States.
The following day, Rivka Kreitenberger held a highly impressive and moving event for local women at her home in Flatbush. She and her husband Yaakov coordinate Osey Chail activities in the United States. The Flatbush community promised to set up a club for lone soldiers in Kiryat Arba.
In Baltimore, Rabbi Zvi Teichman of the Ohel Moshe community held a special benefit for the organization. On very short notice, he managed to convene dozens of community members to hear about Osey Chail’s activities.
At the end of these events, Aharon Granot and Shuki Gilboa gave each of the organizers gift plaques acknowledging their efforts and a specially numbered bottle of wine from the Ariel Winery in Judea, that belongs to Hallel’s father, Rabbi Amihai Ariel. Hallel had worked at the family winery before she was murdered. Her last job involved preparation of 900 numbered bottles of wine to be offered at a special price. Each of the event organizers was given one of these bottles.
