Day one of our sixth (!!!) wounded veterans NYC tour kicked off with a whirlwind of activity. Ron, Or, Yogev, Dor, Gil, Michael and Shani touched down in John F. Kennedy at 3pm and were greeted by the Belev Echad A-team.
From there, our boys, as they are already known, made a quick stop at Bellevue Hospital, to offer their support and good wishes to Levi Rosenblatt, a 22 year old Yeshiva student and victim of a Brooklyn synagogue stabbing on early Tuesday morning.
They were then whisked off for a lavish dinner at Prime at the Bentley Hotel, where they celebrated their arrival and Shani’s birthday. The New York Times winningly quipped that “glatt is the new hot.” Following dinner, the boys were greeted by their host families and given the chance to connect. And connect they did. As one host, Yaara Bank-Plotkin, put it:
They are so amazing. I finally told them to go to bed because I know they’re tired and I couldn’t stop talking to them. Thank you so much for bringing such wonderful boys to my home! I can’t believe their stories. Makes all my worries seem ridiculous.
