Executive Director of IDF Widows and Orphans Organization - USA - Honoring the fallen, strengthening the living and inspiring the future.
Chicago
Joined March 2009
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I am excited to announce that I've joined the American Friends of @IDFWidowOrphan Organization as its inaugural executive director.
Our mission is simple - to support the families of Israel's fallen heroes.
Please see my interview with @eJPhil
ejewishphilanthropy.com/dani…
Dan Elbaum retweeted
Just to state the obvious:
It’s entirely possible to oppose aid to Israel— whether on moral, foreign policy, or financial grounds — without promoting the fiction that such aid, or Israel itself, is responsible for what Americans pay for their groceries.
Dan Elbaum retweeted
In Remembrance of Beirut
#OTD in 1983, a terrorist bombing at the Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, claimed the lives of 241 U.S. service members, including 220 Marines, serving as part of the Multinational Force in Lebanon.
On October 23, a suicide bomber drove a truck laden with explosives into the barracks where U.S. Marines were stationed on a peacekeeping mission. The attack devastated the building and became one of the deadliest days in Marine Corps History.
The Marines in Beirut were deployed to help restore peace and stability amid escalating violence in Lebanon. Despite the dangers they faced, they carried out their mission with courage, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to one another.
The Beirut bombing left a lasting mark on the #MarineCorps and the nation. We remember the lost lives, honor the wounded and survivors, and recognize the families and loved ones who continue to carry the weight of that day. Their sacrifice remains woven into the legacy of every #Marine who has answered the call to serve.
Today, we pause to remember the 241 American service members who never made it home and honor their courage, sacrifice, and devotion to duty.
They came in peace. They will never be forgotten.
Semper Fidelis
#BeirutBombing #NeverForgotten #SemperFi #RememberTheFallen
In Israel, a Druze boy whose father fell in battle told me the friends he made through IDFWO are among those he trusts most. Our gratitude must live on in the families left behind.
My piece for @JNS_org:
jns.org/opinion/dan-elbaum/o…
Dan Elbaum retweeted
Shocking poll results of the Shia community in Lebanon. If the survey was not conducted by a reputable company, Statistics Lebanon, I would have dismissed it because the results show a truly stunning collapse of support for Hezbollah among the Shia community. This collapse is an undeniable fact based on my conversations with Shia friends in Lebanon, following social media production by Shia (including videos and thousands of comments on popular Facebook pages for Shia communities), and the testimonies of Shia journalists and scholars. Still, the numbers are surprising.
The most shocking results:
- 42% of Shia feel disappointed, angry or worried about the conduct of the leadership of Hezbollah
- 37% trust in Hezbollah greatly, 22.4% trust to some extent, 23.6% do not trust Hezbollah much, 15% do not trust Hezbollah at all. Previously 85% expressed trust in Hezbollah
- 52% do not trust Hezbollah's social & service institutions (likely due to favoritism in distribution)
- 52.4% do not trust the media outlets affiliated with Hezbollah.
- Only 2% would prefer to send their children to schools run by Hezbollah (Mehdi and Mustafa schools)
- 42.3% believe Hezbollah has not achieved any of its goals and that the costs of the war were exceedingly high
25% believe Hezbollah achieved only part of its goals and the costs of the war were exceedingly high. A total of 67.4% put together.
14% say it's too early to tell
- 63.3% support a deal with Israel (either direct talks, through mediation, or a total regional agreement)
- 9% support a deal that will be sponsored by Iran
- 66.4% support handing over Hezbollah's weapons to the state
29.6% support preserving Hezbollah's weapons
- 51.1% see he Lebanese Army as the biggest contributor to guaranteeing security in the long run
16.5% see Hezbollah this way
- 71% Believe war & peace decisions should only be made by Lebanon's leadership
12% Support Hezbollah making its own decisions on these matters
- Only 5% believe using force is legitimate to express opposition to the government's position on disarming Hezbollah
- 80% see their Lebanese identity as more important than their sectarian or partisan affiliation
Source: al-Jadeed TV discussion with the CEO of Statistics Lebanon
youtube.com/watch?v=Tb_e5rTC…
Thank you, Landenberger Family Foundation! Your $1M endowed gift to IDF Widows & Orphans funds scholarships for children who lost a parent serving Israel, in perpetuity. It keeps college within reach for kids who've sacrificed so much. 🇮🇱
Via @ejphil: ejewishphilanthropy.com/land…
I love 🇮🇱
An extraordinary Israeli military operation from last year has now been revealed.
An Israeli Navy submariner was deep into a secret operational mission, at what was described as “one of the farthest points an Israeli force had ever reached,” when the submarine commander received a devastating message: the soldier's brother had been killed fighting in Gaza.
The submarine could not simply turn around. It was in the middle of an important mission far from Israel, and returning to port could have taken weeks.
The commander called the soldier into his small cabin and told him his brother was gone. The two stood there crying together. His mother was then connected to him through the submarine's communication system.
Then the IDF decided to do something extraordinary: “Do the impossible and bring him home.”
The Navy and Air Force secretly put together a rescue operation. A ship carrying a special force was sent toward the submarine, a helicopter was prepared, and secret meeting points were set at sea. The operation was approved at the highest levels.
About 24 hours later, the message finally came: “The journey home can begin.”
The soldier was taken from the submarine in the middle of its mission and brought back to Israel in time to stand at his brother's funeral and say Kaddish.
The submarine then continued its secret mission and returned to Israel only weeks later.
When it finally entered port, the fallen soldier's family was waiting on the dock to thank the commanders who had done everything possible to bring one brother home so he could say goodbye to the other.
Dan Elbaum retweeted
@UEFA has approved the Israel Football Association’s request for the national team to wear black armbands in tonight’s match against @IrelandFootball in memory of those murdered in the October 7 massacre.
May their memory be a blessing.
Dan Elbaum retweeted
This man is a hero.
Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain of flydubai Flight 1073, fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit.
Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door - allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers.
Together, their extraordinary courage saved 174 lives.
Indian. Israeli. Emirati.
Different nationalities. One extraordinary act of courage. 🇮🇳🇮🇱🇦🇪
We wish Captain Machchhar a full and speedy recovery.
Dan Elbaum retweeted
Passengers of the FlyDubai flight on the way to Israel sing “And the main thing is—not to be afraid at all”:
180 people who came within a hair’s breadth of a terrible end.
Dan Elbaum retweeted
Statement from Ambassador Yechiel Leiter (@yechielleiter):
This Shabbat, we celebrate the holiday of Sukkot.
God commands the people of Israel - ושמחת בחגך - rejoice in your holiday.
I look at this commandment of joy, an emotion that should come naturally on a holiday, as a reminder: even when joy isn't the first emotion that we feel, there are still moments of light to look forward to.
Even as our family gathered at Neriyah's bedside, riddled with worry, we received a moment of joy - the birth of another granddaughter.
And, as we feel the world praying with us for Neriyah's health, I am reminded of another mitzvah for Sukkot - holding the four species of traditional plants together. Just like this commandment is only complete when you hold different elements together as one, making the whole stronger, so do the prayers from around the globe: unifying people from different faiths and circumstances, amplifying the power of every wish and hope for our son's recovery.
I wish you and yours a happy Sukkot, and Shabbat shalom 🕯️🕯️
Sending prayers.
Dan Elbaum retweeted
What a great idea for Bar and Bat Mitzvah families!
Proud of this new initiative from IDF Widows & Orphans USA. We’re giving Bar & Bat Mitzvah families a meaningful way to turn a milestone into a mitzvah—and bring hope to a child who has lost a parent defending Israel. Please help us spread the word 💙🇮🇱
mitzvah.idfwousa.org
Reading @MattiFriedman’s Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai this Yom Kippur — the true story of Cohen singing for soldiers at the front during the Yom Kippur War, sometimes under fire.
A perfect, haunting read for the hours between services. Highly recommend.
Dan Elbaum retweeted
Please read EVERY SINGLE WORD of this 👇
Here’s what the media doesn’t tell you about the caricature of Israel you have in your mind.
In less than two hours, over 7 million Jewish Israelis will mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Some will go to synagogue. Some will go to the beach. Nobody will drive unless they have to. Many will not eat or drink for 25 hours, religious or not.
Then you have over 2 million Arab Israelis who will go on with their lives as usual. Many will not drive in mixed cities out of respect for their Jewish neighbors. Nobody will drive in Jewish neighborhoods. And the hospitals will only be filled with Arab doctors and nurses to let their Jewish colleagues observe the day at home. (The opposite happens on Ramadan.)
Not long ago I went out to run a few last-minute errands before the holiday begins. Every Arab I interacted with – at the dry cleaners, in the supermarket, in the elevator – wished me an easy fast.
Every one.
It happens every holiday. Any holiday. Their holidays and ours.
This is the real Israel. A country filled with Jews and Arabs that get along better than anywhere else on this planet, that nobody shows you because it’s simply not newsworthy.
It’s everyday life.
To all those who observe – have an easy fast.
גמר חתימה טובה
I love this video and I love this country.
Wishing everyone a G’mar Chatima Tova and a safe and easy fast.
Dan Elbaum retweeted
In an op-ed for The New York Times, I argue that saving Gaza & its Palestinian people requires resisting Hamas, weaving in personal themes, addressing issues with the Left & "pro-Palestine" movement & proposing a vision for Gaza's future Transformation.
nytimes.com/2026/09/04/opini…
Dan Elbaum retweeted
Please RT this for more visibility 🙏
Have a child with a B'nei Mitzvah coming up? Want to do a big mitzvah? Partner with @IDFWidowOrphan USA to raise funds for kids who've lost parents that were in the @IDF
A New B'nei Mitzvah Opportunity from IDF Widows & Orphans USA createsend.com/t/r-EBC0E3E6E…
Contact @dan_elbaum for more details.
Proud of this new initiative from IDF Widows & Orphans USA. We’re giving Bar & Bat Mitzvah families a meaningful way to turn a milestone into a mitzvah—and bring hope to a child who has lost a parent defending Israel. Please help us spread the word 💙🇮🇱
mitzvah.idfwousa.org