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<\/a><\/p>\nIsraeli army forces stand outside a house that was hit by rockets fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon in the northern Israeli border town of Kiryat Shmona on Nov. 26, 2024. (Jalaa Marey\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Already one of the top fundraising organizations among American Jewish institutions, FIDF likely collected more money in support of Israel after Oct. 7 than any other individual charity. The only campaign known to have raised more is that of the entire Jewish federation system, which raised $850 million across dozens of organizations representing 400 Jewish communities across North America. <\/p>\n
The extraordinary increase in donations to FIDF reflected a widespread desire among American Jews to show support after the Israeli military lost hundreds of soldiers on Oct. 7, with hundreds more casualties in subsequent fighting during an ongoing war that has demanded an almost unprecedented mobilization of the military\u2019s reserves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m one of the many rabbis who firmly believe in what FIDF does, and I make sure my congregants know about their work \u2014 we try to do whatever we can to support them,\u201d Joshua Kalev, who leads a Southern California congregation and has longstanding ties to FIDF, told JTA last year.<\/p>\n
Several of Kalev\u2019s congregants have children serving in the Israeli military as lone soldiers, who receive support from FIDF because they don\u2019t have family in Israel like typical troops. <\/p>\n
That program is one of several longstanding FIDF initiatives supporting soldiers off the battlefield. The organization\u2019s emergency campaign has helped pay for medical equipment, toiletries and clothing, the rebuilding of a military base that was damaged by Hamas, and treatment for PTSD from combat. The group\u2019s year-end report for 2024 says it has transferred $101 million to Israel in emergency funding while committing a total of $250 million over a multi-year period.<\/p>\n
Alongside the surge in support, the FIDF also attracted criticism over its public messaging and its spending. <\/p>\n
Last year, Arnie Draiman, a consultant who vets charities for donors looking to support Israel-related causes, looked into the FIDF on behalf of a client. <\/p>\n
He dug up the FIDF\u2019s tax returns and asked the group for additional information, just as he has done for hundreds of charities in the past. Draiman didn\u2019t like the view from under the hood. He questioned why the organization was sitting on large reserves while asking donors to give more.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere is an example of a nonprofit holding so much money they don\u2019t know what to do with it,\u201d he wrote in a note summarizing his thoughts. \u201cThey just hold on to it for the proverbial rainy day \u2026 despite the fact that the hurricane is outside. Will your money be used at all? Who knows. Will it sit somewhere for years? Probably.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he asked the FIDF for an explanation, he was told the money had been earmarked by donors and couldn\u2019t be used for emergency needs. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt boggles my mind that the FIDF has that amount of money and then says, \u2018We can\u2019t touch it.\u2019 But did you ask the donor if you couldn\u2019t touch it? There\u2019s a war going on,\u201d Draiman told JTA at the time. <\/p>\n
Michael Pycher, a former FIDF supporter, became so disillusioned with the group that he eventually decided to denounce it in a widely shared post on Instagram. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere were and continue to be tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers begging American families for basic supplies during a critical time of need, while FIDF takes advantage of a generous and panicked Jewish population, raising hundreds of millions of dollars for itself,\u201d he posted last April. \u201cDisgraceful and pathetic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most persistent and vocal critic of FIDF has been Daniel Mael, a New York\u2013based entrepreneur who runs Unit 11741, an informal initiative to provide Israeli soldiers with donated helmets and other combat gear.<\/p>\n
Mael is part of a global grassroots effort that has donated hundreds of millions of dollars\u2019 worth of protective equipment and battlefield supplies to individual soldiers, aiming to address persistent shortages. The military officially denies that shortages exist and prohibits soldiers from receiving such donations, but in practice, commanders have often either participated in unauthorized fundraising themselves or turned a blind eye to it.<\/p>\n
Because FIDF is an official partner of the Israeli military, it cannot \u2014 and does not \u2014 donate combat gear, focusing instead on off-battlefield support that the military says is needed. The group was not always diligent about following military directives. In 2010, the army instructed FIDF to stop bringing donors into contact with soldiers without permission. A 2016 report from Israel\u2019s state comptroller found that FIDF ignored the order and continued the practice in violation of military directives.<\/p>\n
Mael and other critics charge that FIDF is not transparent when it says it is providing for the soldiers\u2019 most urgent needs while soldiers continue soliciting money online for helmets because their army-issued ones are decades old and damaged. Critics also say that as the FIDF toes the military line that there are no shortages, it also disparages alternative grassroots donation drives, making donors wary of contributing. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not even asking FIDF to take responsibility for fixing the equipment crisis, though it\u2019s telling that they avoid it,\u201d Mael told JTA, summarizing his views. \u201cI\u2019m simply asking them to stop gaslighting soldiers and the public. Soldiers, widows, and orphans deserve an organization that supports them honestly, without spin, deception, or self-serving narratives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mael has aired his complaints against FIDF through YouTube videos and a Substack blog. He sprang into action after Ynet revealed last week that the organization had completed an internal investigation uncovering allegations of mismanagement. While the report did not address concerns about FIDF\u2019s ballooning cash reserves or its policy against donating protective gear, Mael cited it as further evidence of the \u201cmoral failure\u201d he has long denounced.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow FIDF raised a fortune, hoarded it, and handed out flip-flops during Israel\u2019s darkest hour,\u201d reads the subhead to a recent blog post by Mael. <\/p>\n
Writing in a punchy, muckraking style, he built a following within the FIDF, leading insiders to provide him with a steady stream of leaked correspondence involving board members and donors. <\/p>\n
In internal emails, FIDF has cited the growing drumbeat of concern in commissioning an investigation earlier this year, and acknowledged that its staff is reading the coverage of the crisis by news outlets and blogs. <\/p>\n
The report that came out of the investigation paints a picture of an organization gripped by dysfunction and centralized control, according to Ynet. At the center of the turmoil is Levovitz, the board chairman, who is accused of sidelining senior executives, bypassing internal controls, and treating the charity as his personal domain.<\/p>\n
According to Ynet\u2019s coverage, Levovitz assumed effective day-to-day control of the charity, marginalizing FIDF\u2019s CEO Steve Weil and frequently declaring to staff, \u201cI run the show.\u201d The report reportedly details how contracts were allegedly steered toward individuals and companies with personal or professional ties to Levovitz, including a travel contract awarded without competitive bidding to Ortra, an Israeli company that has organized FIDF donor delegations.<\/p>\n
The report also described a pattern of lavish spending by Levovitz himself, including nearly $53,000 in personal reimbursements for high-end travel and lodging \u2014 expenses that board members later said may have violated the group\u2019s own financial policies, Ynet reported. <\/p>\n
Tensions have spilled into FIDF\u2019s regional chapters. In San Francisco, one of the most generous donor communities, the local chapter froze its contributions after its director was dismissed without explanation. The report described the move as a strategic failure that risked alienating donors and undermining regional morale, according to Ynet\u2019s coverage. <\/p>\n
Also alarming to longtime supporters was the departure of the group\u2019s legal counsel, Stephen Rubin, who resigned after being excluded from internal deliberations, Ynet reported. Rubin had been with the organization for over four decades. His absence, the report warned, left the board vulnerable to legal lapses and weakened institutional oversight. <\/p>\n
Employees interviewed during the investigation described a workplace marked by fear, dysfunction and unclear leadership, according to Ynet. Some told the committee they were hesitant to speak up internally for fear of retaliation. Staff turnover had accelerated, and morale was reportedly low across multiple departments.<\/p>\n
At least some donors have called for Levovitz\u2019s resignation or ouster, but the board has yet to convene since the leak of the report. <\/p>\n
For Mael, even though the report doesn\u2019t address his main criticism and changes have yet to be made, the current scrutiny of the organization is a welcome development.<\/p>\n
\u201cFIDF has admitted to the world that its house is not entirely in order,\u201d he recently wrote. \u201cNow comes the harder task: cleaning it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
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