The Israel Defense Forces marked the 10th anniversary of the Ametz Lochem ("adopt a fighter") Program in a special ceremony held Tuesday at the Rabin Base in Tel Aviv, in which 20 lone soldiers were united with their families, whom the military had flown to Israel as a special surprise for the soldiers. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, Clal Industries Chairman and CEO Avi Fischer, Ametz Lochem President Ika Abravanel, and Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers Chairman Avigdor Kahalani attended the ceremony. The highlight of the evening was the moment the soldiers were called to the stage, and to their delight they were greeted by their parents, who were flown to Israel from 10 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Mexico and India. The trip was orchestrated by AWIS and sponsored by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. As part of the Ametz Lochem project, corporations and individual donors adopt combat battalions. Each donor provides 100,000 shekels ($26,000) annually for the support of its battalion, for a period of three years. The program currently includes 184 IDF units. "The IDF is the people's military. Our duty as a national military is to maintain values of equality and human dignity, including the dignity of IDF soldiers. We will keep our promise of fair and worthy military service and uphold a respectable unitary climate regardless of race, gender and religion," Eizenkot said.
