Neighbor News
Glencoe Girls Host Bat Mitzvah Event with IDF Soldiers
Local Teens Joined Meet-and-Greet with IDF Soldiers in Collaboration with FIDF
It is well known that young Jewish men and women choose a meaningful project ahead of their special coming-of- age events. Lexi Heller and Lilah Wolfe (both 12 years old) from Glencoe knew they wanted to together do something extra special in honor of their bat mitzvahs and chose a cause close to their hearts.
For their project, the girls decided to give back to the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and partnered with the Friends of the IDF (FIDF), a national organization that offers life-changing support to soldiers serving in the IDF. The girls’ families are dedicated supporters of this organization and their mothers, Tracy Wolfe and Carrie Heller, stepped in to help organize an event that would be impactful and educational for the local Jewish community.
Three active IDF soldiers were on hand at Sweet Budha in Glencoe on Sunday February 27, where they talked with 70 of the girls’ peers, shared personal experiences and conducted an informal Q&A. The soldiers at the event included Captain Dean, who serves as an Electronics Officer in the Israeli Navy; Lieutenant Yossi, Vice Company Commander in The Givati Brigade, Rotem Battalion; and Sargent Max, a Lone Soldier from Deerfield, IL who serves in a combat position of the Nachal Brigade.
“The Soldiers of the IDF protect our Jewish homeland 24/7, so there was no doubt for us that we wanted to support them for our Mitzvah project,” said Lexi Heller and Lilah Wolfe. “Soldiers Yossi, Dean and Max had incredible stories and we were thrilled to share the experience with our friends and families. FIDF is an incredible organization that is dedicated to helping the brave soldiers of Israel and they were the perfect partner for this special event.
The event succeeded to raise over $8,000 for FIDF which will go towards transformational programs for the soldiers who maintain Israel’s security.
“We’re so proud of our daughters for choosing to support the brave IDF soldiers for their Mitzvah Project and were blown away by support from our community of friends, family and classmates,” Carrie Heller and Tracy Wolfe, mothers of Lexi and Lilah.
