Birthright Israel Alum Teddy Raskin Launches Nonprofit to Support Israel with Tal Ben-Maimon

Teddy Raskin, a Birthright Israel alum and trip staffer along, is a co-founder of Worldwide Friends Foundation, a 501c3 uniquely positioned to efficiently and effectively deliver humanitarian aid and protective tactical gear as worldwide crises arise.

After the attacks on October 7th Teddy, along with his other co-founders, quickly launched Israel Friends, operating under Worldwide Friends, and is committed to saving lives, supporting those affected by the ongoing crisis, and delivering help where it’s needed most. With significant professional experience in sourcing and logistics and a track record of getting critical military equipment to global areas of crisis, in the last few weeks, Israel Friends has partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Intelligence, El Al, the IDF, the MoD, Hatzalah, MDA, and other groups on the ground to provide critical aid to Israel quickly and efficiently.

Their work is making a huge impact in Israel. In just three weeks, the organization has helped 1,651 reservists get back to Israel, and has raised over $7M in donations and over $10M in purchases and in-kind donations and aid delivered. This equates to over 200 tons of protective gear, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid to help support. The war is not ending in the near future and the aid that is delivered goes directly to soldiers, troops, volunteers, and victims on the front line in Israel.

Teddy Raskin Speaks with Fox News

“This evolving sense of Jewish identity which has been completely lit ablaze our relationships with friends and folks in this generation who are stepping up in the name of hate and antisemitism,” shared Teddy.

Teddy’s love of Israel stems from a few things including his long-standing friendship with American-Israeli Tal Ben Maimon who showed him what it means to be Israeli, as well as Teddy’s transformational experience on a Birthright Israel trip.

Tal, whose grandfather was a founding member of Palmach, comes from a Zionist and IDF background and is an honorary board member of Israel Friends working on fundraising and partnership relationships. It is in his blood to support and fight for the Jewish people. He knows that the State of Israel is tied to the global Jewish community’s security.

“I am deeply dedicated to the state of Israel and want to ensure its safety and the safety of our community in everything I do,” said Tal.

Learn more about Israel Friends and how you can support their initiatives so they can continue to deliver critical and immediate aid to Israel throughout this ongoing crisis.