IDF Paratroopers Visit Skokie to Mark Israel's Memorial Day, Independence Day

Eight paratroopers from the Israel Defense Forces visited several schools in Chicago and the north suburbs earlier this month to mark “Yom Hazikaron” and “Yom Ha’atzmaut,” Israel’s Memorial Day and Independence Day.

Among the stops for the Israeli soldiers on the trip sponsored by the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces was Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Skokie. They also made a stop in town at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, where they marked Israel’s 68th Independence Day.

There they met Holocaust survivors Ida Pauch Kersz and Dov and Shulamit Boros.

“I have tremendous respect for the IDF – it does an excellent job of protecting Israel and Jews around the world,” said Mr. Boros. “The fate of international Jewry is in your hands.”

At all the schools during their visit, the paratroopers spoke about their experiences leaving high school to join the IDF to protect the state of Israel, where military service is mandatory for men and women.

Photo: Consul General of Israel to the Midwest Roey Gilad with IDF paratroopers at Chicago Jewish Day School last Thursday. Photo Credit: Courtesy of FIDF.