The Vest Shortages – An Urgent Need

In the 1990s, Israel’s Army did not have enough Bullet-Proof-vests for all of its soldiers. WHY has this problem NOT been solved, 25 years later?

What a horrible thing to say. So you actually believe you know better than Hashem?
He put these soldiers into non religious families. They have done nothing wrong. But you have. You have committed Simas Chinam. Your religious position is not better than theirs.

During the 2nd Beis Hamikdash most Jews didn’t keep Shabbos either. But that was not mentioned as a reason for the distruction.

Time for Teshuva is now…..

Am Yisroel Chai. All of Am Yisroel.

I found this article posted
Critical advice for all donor drives and equipment purchases
Lessons learnt from the last four days of organizational support

There are logistical complexities that people may not realize, which may explain why we’ve seen pictures of supplies being packed in US, but few images of bags being unloaded in Israel. Some actual *examples from today*;

1. A cargo plane full of equipment landed in Ben-Gurion with palettes of supplies, but is currently being held by the government due to lack of *proper paperwork and authorization*. While the plane is most likely full of helpful donations, Israeli security and procedure is obviously still needed.
2. A well-meaning request came in for “magazines.” This led to several donors showing up with 30-round Magpul rifle magazines, as well as Chabad donating Chabad magazines. While both are definitely appreciated, it is illegal to export rifle magazines without proper storage and authorization. *Lack of clarity of item specifications is leading to waste*. (Similarly with drones, vests, plate carriers, boots, etc.)
3. A unit in the south received a generous donation of black tactical vests. However, Israeli military vests needs to be olive green in order to help soldiers identify each other and avoid the risk of friendly-fire. The soldiers were not allowed to wear these since Hamas wears black vests and it makes it difficult to differentiate between ally and enemy. The money, time, effort, logistics and organization involved in delivering those were sadly wasted, and the proper equipment wasn’t delivered. *Asking clarifying questions and confirming item details will make these efforts more successful.*
4. Shipping batteries by plane is hazardous and regulated. This has resulted in storehouses and collection points being flooded with AA, AAA, and other battery types that can’t be moved. In addition to the wasted funds, logistics coordinators have commented on the impact it has on their need for physical space.

*Ways to help are;*
– *Providing clarification on gear specifics* (E.g., “Gloves” can mean many things. Winter gloves, tactical gloves, half finger tactical gloves, medical gloves, etc.). Push and ask for details from the source of the request
– *Spending more time to ensure it gets into the right hands*. (At least one cargo plane is sitting in Ben Gurion with supplies, being held by customs as it does not have proper authorization.) Paperwork is less exciting than packing, but essential for everything else to succeed
– *Updating lists of equipment* to keep collections relevant
– Verifying that gear requests cannot, or will not, be filled by Israel independently, so that funds are not needlessly spent
– Connecting roadblocks with people/resources that can solve them

A helpful method for tracking needs and progress has been to fill out this format before purchasing goods to ensure they end up in the right hands;
o Division name:
o Battalion name:
o Company name:
o Team name:
o Verified gear request:
o Point of contact: (Ideally a logistics officer who knows what the unit has and needs)
o Contact info/Phone number:
o Point of contact #2 : (Someone who will answer the phone)
o Contact info/Phone number for POC #2 :

People across the world are contributing to this effort, and we all feel the need to jump in .

Do you think Hamas is reading this right now and laughing their heads off?