Comrades in arms: FIDF holds Passover Seder for Israeli combat soldiers

Some 460 troops from the IDF's Givati Brigade and Combat Engineering Corps alongside top military brass took part in the celebratory event in Ashkelon.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
IDF soldiers take part in a Seder (photo credit: SCALLY PHOTOGRAPHY)
IDF soldiers take part in a Seder
(photo credit: SCALLY PHOTOGRAPHY)
Hundreds of IDF combat soldiers were treated on Friday to a festive Passover Seder initiated on behalf of the nonprofit group the Friends of the IDF (FIDF).
Some 460 troops from the IDF's Givati Brigade and Combat Engineering Corps alongside top military brass took part in the celebratory event at a village resort in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.
The Givati infantry brigade's head rabbi lead the ritual holiday reading of the Haggadah that recounts the liberation of the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
The funding for the Seder accompanies by a week-long R&R program for the soldiers at the resort was raised by supporters of the FIDF at  Long Island's 2015 annual gala.
“Passover is the holiday of freedom that marks the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt. Thanks to the brave soldiers of the IDF, Jews all over the world can sit together at the Seder table with their heads held high,” said Ronny Ben Josef - a FIDF national board member and the Long Island chapter chairman.
“The Long Island Jewish community would like to thank these soldiers for their commitment and dedication – and for safeguarding Israel and Jews worldwide,” he added.