By: Eyal Meirovich, “Brothers and Sisters for Israel” and Amichay Findling, the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor
The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor sent out a unique solidarity mission to Israel in March 2024. During this mission, the participants had the privilege to visit the Northern Logistical Center of “Brothers and Sisters for Israel”, a unique volunteer organization dedicated to assisting civilians and soldiers on the front lines in Israel, filling many gaps for which the state does not provide solutions. Brothers and Sisters for Israel uses creative thinking, impressive logistical capabilities and a lot of good energy to solve these complex issues.
During the visit, the Ann Arbor travelers participated in hands-on activities, helping to craft portable bookcases to be delivered to front-line units stationed along the Lebanese border, created from recycled wooden crates. Doing this work, the Ann Arborites met Eyal, the volunteer manager of the Logistical Center. He is a creative and energetic individual, who shared with us his “next big thing” to make military duty easier for soldiers: an ice-cream truck that can reach every location where soldiers are stationed during Israel’s hot summer and provide cool refreshments, free of charge.
In 2024, the Jewish Federation’s allocations committee decided to support Eyal’s project and assisted in its realization. To learn more about the allocations process, visit www.JewishAnnArbor.org/about-us/community-impact. To learn more about Israel-related programming at the Federation, contact Amichay Findling at amichay@jewishannarbor.org.
This is Eyal’s description of Operation Popsicle.
I would like to share with you the coolest and most delicious operation of the summer… “Operation Popsicle.”
For those who aren’t familiar, “Operation Popsicle “ involved a properly-branded trailer converted into a kiosk, along with a decades-old ice cream freezer that was repaired repeatedly until it became a fully functional ice cream truck. It even had the classic ice cream truck music and a speaker announcing our arrival… “I’m coming!”
We distributed ice cream bars individually and in bulk, handing out full cartons to soldiers stationed on the border lines or beyond. Despite all the possible difficulties and challenges, we managed to bring a bit of sweetness to over 15,000 soldiers, as well as children from evacuated communities, making their summer a little better.
Where did we go?!
We traveled to almost every corner of the country, from north to south—the Galilee, the Golan, the coastal plain, the Jordan Valley, the hills, and especially the scorching desert.
We were in Tze’elim, Elyakim, and everywhere soldiers were training—engineering units, infantry battalions, paratroopers, and armored brigades.
We visited headquarters, staging areas, and training zones, meeting officers, support personnel, soldiers from all corps and commands.
Division commanders licked ice pops, logistics crews dripped ice cream cones. We made it to frontline and rear bases, the Gaza border area, kibbutzim, military units, and even some evacuee centers.
We handed out ice cream to troops on vehicles, those returning from operational missions, and those taking a break before heading back into Gaza. Everywhere and to everyone we could reach.
The Experience
The positive experience was shared by the soldiers and all those involved in making this happen, especially those who carried it out in the field. There were amazing encounters, fascinating stories, and an outpouring of love and appreciation for our team. There were also a few difficult moments, but our people knew how to handle them with patience and understanding.
We’ll keep doing everything we can to spread goodness. Have ideas? Let me know.