Under the glittering chandeliers of Cipriani Hall at the World Trade Center, 1,500 members of New York's Jewish community gathered Sunday night for what organizers called an act of defiance — a black-tie gala that raised $5 million for wounded IDF soldiers while the city's political climate grows increasingly hostile to Israel.
The Belev Echad annual fundraiser transformed the prestigious venue into a nexus of solidarity, where donors wept openly as combat veterans shared stories of devastation and danced on stage in celebration of survival. In a metropolis where support for the IDF faces mounting political challenges, the massive turnout sent an unmistakable message: New York's Jewish leadership will not abandon Israel's wounded.
"Tonight is more than just a fundraiser; it is a spiritual declaration," said Rabbi Uriel Vigler, who founded Belev Echad with his wife Shevy. "When Idan Betzaleli stood his ground at Zikim and took a sniper's bullet to save his comrades, he didn't check the political climate of New York. He simply gave everything. Our $5 million is the community's promise that his shattered jaw will never be forgotten."
The evening's most powerful moments came from the soldiers themselves, whose testimonies stripped away the abstraction of war and laid bare its human cost.
Dolev Sela, a 21-year-old commando fighter from the Multi-Dimensional Command Unit, recounted the night that shattered his life during an ambush operation deep inside Gaza.
"It was a dark night, the kind where you feel your pulse in every inch of your body," Sela told the hushed audience. "We were executing the most critical mission we'd been given. I was the fourth in the force, clearing a building. We made it to the second floor when one of our guys stepped on a wire. The roar of the explosion was all-consuming. I was thrown out of the second floor, landing in the rubble. And then — darkness."
Sela awakened 16 hours later in a hospital bed, his mother bathing him, his father feeding him. Shrapnel remained lodged in his head and shoulder. His left eye was permanently blind. But the physical wounds paled beside what came next.
"I still didn't know that four of my brothers — Aviv Gilboa, Nissim Meital, Yehonatan Keren, and Naor Haimov — were gone," Sela said, his voice breaking. "The real pain? Understanding that four of my teammates, my brothers, wouldn't be coming home with me. The battle changed: it's no longer against an enemy, but for myself, against the pain, and against the immense grief."
Sagiv Shraabi, a soldier from the Golani Brigade's 51st Battalion, brought the crowd to tears when he fulfilled a dream he thought lost forever — singing on stage before his fellow soldiers and the entire audience. Seriously injured by a mortar explosion in Gaza, Shraabi credits Belev Echad with restoring not just his body, but his hope.
"I want to thank everyone here and Belev Echad," he said after his performance. "You help us not only to live each day but also to make our dreams come true, dreams we never thought we could accomplish."
The Viglers spoke with raw emotion about the philosophy driving their organization's work. Their stated dream, paradoxically, is to shut down entirely — because that would mean no more wounded soldiers requiring their help.
"They gave their bodies. We give them a future," Rabbi Vigler declared from the stage, where he danced alongside the soldiers.
Shevy Vigler emphasized the personal approach that defines Belev Echad's mission. "The moment our soldiers arrive in New York, they stop being 'cases' and become family," she said. "We are not treating a medical file; we are embracing a person, a hero. The bond forged here, away from the hospitals and the war zone, is the quiet, powerful force that allows them to trust again, to hope again, and to truly begin healing."
She added: "The enemy tried to break their bodies and their spirits. Our job, the job made possible by these 1,500 people, is to restore their souls. We walk with them every single day until their wounds of war truly become hearts of hope."
During the evening, a live stream connected the gala to the Belev Echad house in Or Yehuda, Israel, where soldiers thanked the donors and invited them to visit the facilities where donations translate into daily rehabilitation of body and spirit.
The $5 million raised will be immediately deployed to expand Belev Echad's medical, legal, and emotional support programs, helping wounded warriors transition from the battlefield back to productive civilian life.
In a city where political winds shift against Israel, Sunday night's gathering at Cipriani Hall stood as an unyielding declaration: the bonds of solidarity cannot be severed, and the debt to those who sacrifice will be paid — joyfully, faithfully, and with one heart.