The former U.S. Marine gives $100 to Haim Dimri
(VI)
Haim Damari got into a taxi in Philadelphia, thinking it would be just another routine ride. But what happened next left him astonished.
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Speaking to Ynet, Damari said: "I got into a cab from Philadelphia to New York, and suddenly the driver pulls out a stack of bills from his pocket, which seemed odd to me. From that stack, he hands me a $100 bill and says, 'Take this and give it to an Israeli soldier.' I told him I had to capture it on camera, and all the way he told us how he admires the soldiers in Israel and how much he admires what is happening in the country."
The American driver also revealed that he was a former Marine. "He mentioned that the owner of the taxi company he works for is Israeli and Jewish, and he loves us so much. He wished everyone would be like that. With a message like that, it was important for me to spread the word that there are people in the world who think differently about the soldiers and our country," Damari added.
It must have been a truly touching event, right?
"I am the owner of a bakery in Netivot, and we arrived here with a delegation from the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish Federation to connect with Jews in the Diaspora. We held various cooking and baking workshops, and then you could see the love and affection for Jews.
There are places where they tell you, 'Be careful because there are antisemites in some places, don't wear a yarmulke, go with a hat,' like anywhere else in the world - but suddenly you get into a taxi, and a person whom you least expect to behave towards you in such a way says such things, and it's very touching."
You haven't had the chance to pass on the $100 yet, I assume?
"We're flying back to Israel on Tuesday, so we will see which lucky soldier will be waiting outside the airport to receive the $100."