Firefighting embodies the strong alliance between these two countries. When facing a crisis, firefighters in each of the countries drop everything and travel to help the other.

With a tradition dating back to the fateful days following 9/11, in recent years, U.S. firefighting resources were deployed to support Israeli firefighters in the north of the country. Most recently, Israeli firefighters deployed to support their California brethren in the Wildfires of 2020.

Join us to hear

1. How the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs mobilized upon receiving the request for support;
2. About some of the seemingly simple travel obstacles that had to be rushed through, made so much more difficult during Covid-19, such as visas, airline tickets;
3. How the efforts were coordinated on the ground with CalFire;
4. The personal stories of Israeli and U.S. firefighters working alongside each other during these historic wildfires;
5. Hear from CalFire about how the Israeli team supported their front line efforts; and,
6. Lessons learned from this mutual aid experience, and how future cooperation will continue.

Streamed live from Israel and the United States, the program will feature:

Assistant Chief Nathan Barcklay
Amador-El Dorado Unit
CAL FIRE

Idan Braun
First Officer
Israeli Fire & Rescue Authority

Chief Scott Lindgren
Amador-El Dorado Unit
CAL FIRE

Itzik Oz
Head of Delegation
Israeli Fire & Rescue Authority

Hosts:

Itai Bar-Dov
Director U.S. Consulates Department
North America Division
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Shlomi Kofman
Israel Consul General
San Francisco

Moderator:

Wayne L. Firestone
Executive Director
America Israel Friendship League

Please share with your friends and family and register on Zoom or watch live on AIFL's Facebook page.