HOD BEZALEL

The Cat Association: Saving Lives in Israel and Around the World

Lodge Bezalel was honored recently to present Jason Blankfield – live from Israel on Zoom – to talk about how special forces, such as his Unit 669, the elite Airborne Search & Rescue Unit of the IDF, are saving lives when Israel comes under attack. He invited our Lodge Bezalel brethren and brethren in lodges throughout the world of HOD to support the extra efforts his fellow members of the Cat Association are taking to help Israeli citizens and former active members of his unit.

Jason is a former commando and current reservist in the unit, which is within the Israeli Air Force. It’s purpose is to do whatever it takes to save a human life, regardless of the time, location or level of danger. He described the actions he took during the round of rocket attacks last May to ensure the safety of his brother, recently arrived in Israel, and his wife before continuing to share insights about Unit 669’s role in similar operations. The Unit 669 Video shows how the unit responds within minutes of an incident.

Since leaving active duty, Jason has become involved in the Cat Association, a non-profit formed by the alumni of Unit 669 in 2014 to serve civilians and formerly active members of the unit.

For civilians, the Cat Association provides medical emergency kits to families living in areas most endangered by rocket attacks. Every family receiving an emergency medical kit also receives intensive training on using the kit, which includes tourniquets, bandages and other first-aid materials. The purpose is to enable people to provide immediate care for the estimated six minutes it takes for first responders to reach the site of a disaster. You can learn more about the kits from this two-minute news broadcast.

The Cat Association also provides a range of resources for its deactivated members, including scholarships for college and graduate educations (a large number of students go on to medical school). Scholarship recipients, in turn, commit to giving back 8,000 hours of community service over their lifetime. The Cat Association also provides PTSD counseling for all deactivated members and continues to support lone soldiers from Unit 669 and provide ongoing mentoring services for all who need them.

Anyone interested in providing emergency medical kits (they cost US$100 – and donations are matched by an organization in Israel) or donating to the Cat Association can do so by clicking on this link. Donations are tax-deductible in the US, Canada and the UK, and donors receive a letter from the organization as their receipt for the amount donated.

Our speaker, Jason Blankfield, is also happy to answer any questions about the Cat Association and arrange for an online presentation from Israel to any other HOD Lodge or other Jewish organization. He can be reached by email at jason@jasonblankfield.com.