Dear friends,
Please meet M., our friend, father of 3, and a hero currently serving in the 699 Brigade of the 551 Division of the IDF. Max's unit comprises of dedicated reservists, many of which are fathers. The unit entered Gaza yesterday for the 5th time since the 7th of October. The soldiers had few to no days off since October 7th.
The unit has been involved with exposing the tunnels Hamas uses for their terror. Sadly, one of the members of M's brigade, Master Sgt. Eyal Meir Berkowitz recently fell in the northern Gaza Strip.
From M.:
"From the beginning, my unit has been active on the front lines of the ground invasion. Function as the spearhead. Equipment is a very important factor in operations, as the heavier the soldier is, the less mobile and fast movement is.
Although generally we have been outfitted with good vests and knee pads, the helmets have proven to be old and outdated (worn out).
I for instance carry a Negev machine gun for which the gear weighs at least 30kg. It also requires me to wear a special night vision device attached to my helmet, (my team members are in a similar situation). However, due to the older helmets, the helmet became unstable with night vision and is generally considered heavy and bulky.
Thankfully several teams in my brigade have managed to get donations for modern, tactical helmets (Both "Fast" helmets & "MICH" helmets). These have proven to be much more lightweight, comfortable, effective with night vision and allow us to be sharper and less distracted by discomfort on hours-long heavy missions."
Based on M's testimony, we have decided to use part of the funds collected with your generous support to purchase 14 MICH helmets specifically requested by M on behalf of his unit. In order to avoid the danger posed by imported helmets without IDF approval and potential customs delays, we decided to purchase these helmets directly in Israel.
Thank you, Am Israel Chai!
Anna & Ory
