Local Congregation Donates Fire Truck in Honor of Rabbi’s Decades of Service

Congregants of Temple Menorah in Miami Beach and other community members partnered with Jewish National Fund-USA at “Shabbat of Strength, United for Israel” to donate a fire truck to a community in Israel in honor of Rabbi Eliot Pearlson’s decades-long tenure.

As the only official U.S. partner of the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority, Jewish National Fund-USA equips Israel’s firefighters with fire trucks, protective gear, life-saving equipment, and modern fire stations. The contributions will go towards Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority, which is mobilizing to support Israel’s home front during the current crisis with Iran.

“Jewish National Fund-USA has provided more than half of all the fire trucks in Israel,” said Ron Kriss, a member of both the organization’s Fire and Rescue Task Force and Temple Menorah. “The relationship with Israel Fire and Rescue Authority goes back decades. We are the exclusive nonprofit organization that raises money for Fire and Rescue.”

The fire truck fundraiser, which was chaired by Rabbi Pearlson and his wife Judy, kicked off on Friday, February 6, 2026, at Jewish National Fund-USA’s annual Unity Shabbat event at Temple Menorah. This year, Rabbi Pearlson suggested the philanthropic funds raised should go towards the deployment of a fire truck in Israel’s underpopulated North or South, and be dedicated in memory of Elad Riven, an Israeli teen who lost his life fighting the biggest fire in the country’s history. Once the funds are raised, the Temple Menorah community will receive continuous updates on when the truck will be deployed on its lifesaving missions.

“It’s a great honor,” Rabbi Pearlson expressed. “Some communities would tell their rabbis, ‘No, we’re not going to raise funds for another Jewish nonprofit. Our priority must be only our synagogue,’ but here at Temple Menorah, we know that we become stronger when we participate in making the land and people of Israel stronger.”

Nearly 200 community members attended the Unity Shabbat, which featured Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and editor-in-chief of SAPIR Bret Stephens, who offers a powerful voice on Jewish life, democracy, and Israel.

The former editor of The Jerusalem Post also shared his personal connection to Jewish National Fund-USA, and how his family planted a forest in Israel after his father passed away. “I know that everyone at JNF-USA will want to tell you that they're more than just about trees, which is true,” said Stephens. “But I like the trees, and I'm grateful to Jewish National Fund-USA for giving me the opportunity to honor my father in the country that he loved so much.”

Representatives from Jewish National Fund-USA also presented Rabbi Pearlson with a Golden Certificate that reads: ‘Presented to Rabbi Eliot Pearlson as a tribute to your decades of inspiring leadership and pioneering spirit for Israel. Shabbat of Strength, United for Israel, February 6, 2026.’

The Temple Menorah and Jewish National Fund-USA fire truck donation campaign has raised nearly $240,000 of its $250,000 goal, including pledges. If you would like to contribute, click here.