"We'll keep the command room running for as long as necessary. We're here to serve."
"We'll keep the command room running for as long as necessary. We're here to serve."
Without intent, 44Ventures founders and team established a prominent command room in the war - War Room 44. Tactical gloves, mattresses, and even portable fireplaces for heating tents - they receive requests from the field and deliver them, from the fundraising stage through the purchase to the rapid transport to the soldier who made the request
Lior Avisar
On October 7, we didn't sit down and plan to start a war room. It just happened fairly quickly and naturally between co-corkers who wanted to participate," says Tamar Sukenik, GM of Literally Media, a 44 Ventures company.
As the interview with Tamar Sukenik and Yaniv Ben-Atia unfolds, I am surprised by the scope of the command room's activity, which was kept under the radar.
"The special missions are what we love," says Ben Atia, CTO and Partner at 44Ventures. "Soldiers stationed under Mount Hermon contacted us. They sent pictures of tents soaked in rain and told us about the difficult conditions and the cold in their area. We wondered what the best solution for them was. Within two days, we brought them portable fireplaces suitable for their tents. Another unit asked for portable refrigerators. At first, we didn't understand why it was urgent - to cool drinks maybe? We made further inquiries. It turns out that this is for a unit that delivers blood units to the battlefield. We looked for a supplier, found donors, and brought them the refrigerators, which were already used in emergency situation that veryweek."
"I think that's what characterizes the group and connects us all," says Sukenik. "If I have a mission, and I'm in charge, and someone asked for a drone, gloves, or even a portable ultrasound - which is one of the more unique requests we got - there's no way we won't see it through. No matter what needs to be done, within one or two days, the item is in the hands of the soldier who needs it."
The mobile ultrasound was a request from a military doctor inside Gaza. Within two days, he received it. Hundreds of tents, thousands of mattresses, dozens of laptops and electrical appliances for the families of the evacuees, meals for soldiers, tablets for children with special needs, Go Pro cameras, walkie-talkies, mobile chargers, and tactical gloves. These are just some of the tens of thousands of items of equipment that the war room has supplied since the beginning of the war.
"There are also sad stories – soldiers with whom we were in direct contact, and also with their mothers and crews, and heard that they were hurt. It's crushing. Heartbreaking." they say. "Our goal is to get to the end of the day with the feeling that we've managed to help someone. We managed to bring something to a soldier who needed it - and we got a picture of him smiling in a dry tent or with a new mattress. That's what we're doing this for, says Ben Atia."
How did the war room start?
"On October 7 we were as shocked and horrified as everyone else. On October 8, the requests started coming in. From friends, friends of friends, employees who got called to reserve duty."
"At first, we just decided to help on the spot. Naturally, we felt that every request had to be fulfilled and the day needed to end with a photo of the soldier that got what he asked for on our Whatsapp group. And so it was. As we kept going, more requests kept coming in. The staff in our war room expanded and included people from all of our companies, among them Boldwin Group, who's co-founder and CEO Amit Tapiro is one of the war room's leaders and biggest engine. Our employees, our spouses, our families - all hands were on deck. Our homes became warehouses. The children brought out supplies for people who came to pick them up. Our parents drove some of the things too," adds Ben Atia.
And where did the money to buy so much equipment come from?
"Much of it from the group itself. We contributed hundreds of thousands of shekels to the efforts. Then, we started fundraising. Yael Bar Zohar and Guy Zuaretz, who are personal friends, helped us a lot. We even had evenings for the soldiers for which Yael hosted , and Guy sang,"..
Jacob (Kobi) Nizri, Founder and CEO of 44 Ventures, adds: "Beyond that, many of our team members are young people from around the world who made aliyah. They are in touch with their communities in Canada, the United States, and other countries. They connected us to many Jewish communities that were happy to contribute. The suppliers often provided the equipment for free or at cost. We also purchased the equipment from the affected suppliers in the south and north, thus strengthening someone else along the way."
Where is the activity going? Do you continue to operate the war room?
Ben Atia: "As time passes, raising funds and finding equipment becomes harder. But we keep pushing through. Where we are needed, at the intensity we are needed, we will be there."
"We have staff members who have been on reserve duty for months and are making requests to us." Sukenik adds, "As long as they're there, we probably won't stop. We adapt ourselves to the changing demands according to the seasons, and according to the fighting development. We are flexible. We are here to serve."
You can support the continuation of operations in room 44 by donating at the following link>>
