A special group of 18 NYPD Jewish Russian speaking officers is visiting Israel in order to participate in an official ceremony in memory of the military and civilian victims of terrorism in Latrun, Israel.
The American policemen, who are members of the Russian American Officers Association (RAOA), are staying in Israel as part of a special program organized by the World Forum of Russian-speaking Jewry (WFRJ) and the World Zionist Organization.
In Latrun, the delegation will lay a memorial wreath as a symbol of their solidarity with Israel in its war on terror.
The officers visited the memorial complex of Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem, where they learned about the history of the liberation of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.
The officers also traveled to the southern Israel city of Sderot, got acquainted with the work carried out by Israeli police, visited sites of national and historical significance, and are scheduled to participate in a special seminar on management and leadership that will include a variety of trained animals within the frameworks of the program.
The American delegation will spend Yom Haatzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, on May 6th, in a particularly unique fashion. During the exclusive Israeli training program, the American police officers will turn into "shepherds" in order to master a number of management and leadership skills.
"These types of programs are an investment not only in Israel's future, but also the Russian-speaking Jewish Diaspora. This visit serves as a means of strengthening the Russian-speaking NYPD officers' support for Israel, as well as the Jewish State's fight on terror, which New York police are unfortunately familiar with first-hand," stated Alexander Levin, President of the World Forum of Russian-speaking Jewry.
The Head of the World Zionist Organization Avraham Duvdevani emphasized that "This project is a symbol of pride and Jewish might.’’
‘’Jews are able to defend themselves because they have a strong Israel and because even in the Diaspora, they can attain influential positions such as NYPD officers, who will no doubt reach high standing ranks within the American police establishment,’’ he added.