JTA — After a crisis that led to the resignation of its top leadership last month, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces was looking to rehabilitate its reputation.

In his first address to supporters, the group’s new CEO, retired Israeli general Nadav Padan, pledged to turn the page and focus on the future. He also leaned on one of the organization’s most longstanding and potent claims: that FIDF is the only group officially authorized by the Israeli military to collect donations on behalf of its soldiers in the United States.

Days later, FIDF published a thank-you letter from the IDF’s chief of staff, underscoring its special status. It was a powerful message in a crowded field, especially since the war in Gaza began, when American donors have been inundated with appeals to support Israeli troops, from grassroots crowdfunding campaigns to multimillion-dollar galas.

Since 2017, that claim of exclusive endorsement has helped FIDF raise roughly $1 billion. At a time when dozens of organizations are vying for American donations on behalf of Israeli soldiers, that claim gives it a potent marketing edge.

But when the Jewish Telegraphic Agency asked the IDF spokesperson’s office to confirm the claim, the military declined to do so, which suggests the reality is more complicated than the group presents.

The military instead referred questions to the Association for Israel’s Soldiers, its official charitable partner in Israel. The group did not respond to an inquiry from JTA.

Another charity, American Friends of LIBI, claims it has authorization equivalent to FIDF’s. LIBI refers to one of three Israeli charities that merged by 2016 to form the Association for Israel’s Soldiers. “It’s marketing — we are both authorized. They are misstating the situation,” the group’s vice chairman, Shimshon Erenfeld, told JTA.

After being contacted by JTA, FIDF acknowledged American Friends of LIBI’s status, saying its claim of exclusivity was based on a certificate issued by the IDF in 2019. “Thank you for making us aware of the status of American Friends of LIBI (LIBI USA). We commend them for their efforts to care for the soldiers of the IDF and wish them continued success,” a spokesperson said in an email in July.

For donors, the picture is even murkier: Beyond FIDF and LIBI, there are dozens of other groups that contribute meaningfully to Israeli soldiers.

One witness to the impact of FIDF’s attempt to monopolize fundraising is Adi Vaxman, the head of Operation Israel, an American group set up soon after........

© The Times of Israel