Philantropists from the 'Commitee of 18' at Tel-Nof Air Force Base. Photos: Itamar Moatty, IDF Spokesperson

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On Sunday (July 12), a group of American Maccabiah promoters and philanthropists, Committee of 18, joined pilots and soldiers from the IAF at the Tel-Nof Air Force base.

The Committee of 18 was created with the distinct purpose of promoting Maccabiah games- which take place in Israel- all over the world. “We gathered a group of people who understand marketing and understand what makes the Olympics a success, and we try to bring it to Israel for the Maccabiah,” explained Steve Soboroff, the head of the Committee and a businessman from Los Angeles.

Soboroff explained that the Maccabiah games get a lot of attention in Israel, but that the rest of the world seems to be in the dark regarding this event. “The group was created in order to raise funds to make the Maccabiah an event that will be seen everywhere in the world.” This year, Steve was able to organize coverage of the games on satellite television all over the world. “120 million homes in the world will be able to see the games this year compared to zero in past years,” he explains.  “For us, it is important to work for the Maccabiah games in order to raise the level of awareness and bring people to Israel to see what they are fighting for and to understand the importance of the cause.” He continued and concluded, “People have to know that without the IDF, Israel would not exist and that it is important to support the existence of the Defense Forces.”

Steve Soboroff head of the 'Commitee of 18' and Jamie McCourt CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers

The group was later taken to the main runway of the base, where Jamie McCourt, CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers and recipient of the Hebrew University Scopus Award, watched F-15 planes takeoff. “The purpose is to support the Maccabiah-- and the Dodgers support the games,” says Jamie, who lived in Israel in the 70’s and has never wavered in her support of the State. “It is a magnetic place, people are confident, charismatic and live their lives to the fullest because they never know what might happen.”

Moreover, the group met with Pilot Capt. Yuval, who gave them some information about the history of the Night Leaders squadron and the complex operations that they have executed as well as the training that they undergo. “Our squadron is in charge of transporting soldiers and elite units into combat areas,” explained Capt. Yuval. “The Yasur helicopter is also used by unit 669 for search and rescue operations”. To conclude, the group saw the actual helicopters from the inside and spoke with some of the pilots there.