Friends of the Israel Defense Forces

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Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF)
ארגון ידידי צה״ל בארה״ב‎

Founded	1981; 44 years ago (1981)
Type	Nonprofit organization
Tax ID no.	13-3156445[1]
Legal status	501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Location	New York, New York
Coordinates	40.7539128°N 73.9864173°W / 40.7539128; -73.9864173
National Director and Chief Executive Officer	Meir Klifi-Amir[2]
Chairman	Arthur Stark[2]
President	Peter Weintraub[2]
Revenue	$73,349,614[1] (2013)
Expenses	$60,507,994[1] (2013)
Employees	126[1] (2013)
Volunteers	70[1] (2013)
Website	www.fidf.org

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) (in Hebrew: ארגון ידידי צה״ל בארה״ב) is an organization established in 1981 dedicated to the men and women serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), wounded veterans, and the families of fallen soldiers. Headquartered in New York City, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates fifteen regional offices in the United States and Panama.

Construction projects

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 Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and headed by Elias and Lila Kalimian and family of Great Neck, New York.^[3]

Fundraising

In the fall of 2014, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces' Western Region raised a record of more than $33 million in Beverly Hills, California. Other recent Friends of the Israel Defense Forces galas took place in Chicago ($2 million raised); Long Island, New York ($1.4 million raised); Michigan ($1 million raised); Boston ($800,000 raised at the gala and $4.1 million raised by the region this year); Northern New Jersey ($600,000 raised at the gala and $3 million raised by the region this year); Philadelphia; Ohio; San Francisco; San Diego; Baltimore; and Scarsdale, New York^[4]

References

1. "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Guidestar. December 31, 2013.
2. "Our Board & Staff". Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Accessed December 11, 2015.
3. JTA (22 April 2013). "The Jewish Press » » American Friends of IDF Open up New Home for Lone Soldiers". The Jewish Press.
4. "Amid instability in Israel, FIDF galas across U.S. raise funds for soldiers' wellbeing". JNS.org. Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2014-11-26.