Jewish leaders from across the US met on Thursday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of a delegation to show solidarity with Israel following the recent Gaza war. The group arrived in Israel on Tuesday.
The Jewish Federation of North America's (JFNA) delegation brought together representatives from Jewish communities in New York, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and other cities.The delegation met with Netanyahu and other politicians, citizens, and soldiers, and toured the country in wake of Operation Guardian of the Walls.
During their two day visit, delegation representatives visited Ashkelon, a city in Southern Israel that was heavily hit by Hamas rocket fire from Gaza during the conflict and saw the life-saving Iron Dome technology that intercepted many of the rockets. They had the opportunity to speak with soldiers who operate the system. The leaders also visited a house which was hit directly by a rocket and a new "resilience center" in the city.
Along with the rocket damage, the delegates also visited the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Lod, where riots erupted during the conflict.
Mass support events in the US were organized by JNFA as well, in Cleveland, New York, San Diego, and Seattle, and other cities and over half a million shekels was raised through the Jewish Agency to help families impacted by the violence.
JFNA is an umbrella organization which represents the interests of 146 Jewish Federations, according to its website, and is responsible for the distribution of more than $3 billion.
The delegation was headed by JFNA chairman of the board Mark Wilf.