City Club member Eli Cohen’s parents were married in the Highland Gardens. In 2012, Eli joined our community as a 19-year-old summer intern and proceeded to graduate from McGill University in Canada with a degree in Finance. Instead of dedicating his career to international banking, Eli decided to take on a BHAG.

Since Eli is ultra-athletic by nature and competitive in spirit, he joined the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). After spending six months learning Hebrew, he spent two years in the Israeli army’s Special Forces Unit. Within hours of Israel declaring war on Hamas on October 7th, Eli was on a plane headed back to Israel to fulfill his duties as a reservist. For the past three months, in addition to his service on the front lines of this terrible war, with help from his family and friends, Eli has raised over $60,000 to buy winter clothing and other necessary gear for his troops. 

Before proceeding further, once again I would like to state that all opinions expressed in this forum, including my own, are personal and put forth in accordance with City Club’s philosophy of Securus Locus to invite further honest dialog. That said, please allow me to share my position regarding the current conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas. 

As a Middle-Eastern Jew growing up subject to extreme antisemitism, I consider myself pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian, anti-Hamas, and anti-Iran. I believe the October 7th Iranian-backed Hamas attack against the Israeli civilians was barbaric. I believe Israel has the full right and an obligation to defend herself by all means. I believe Hamas is solely responsible for the disproportionate number of Palestinian casualties by integrating its fighters into the civilian population and by hiding in schools, hospitals, and mosques.

There are two sides to every story. I respect the opinions of those who may be pro-Palestine and pro-Hamas and invite them to engage in this dialogue. I also believe in right and wrong, good and evil. I believe Hamas’s goal of wiping Israel off the map is evil. Just as important, I believe the true meaning of community includes the obligation to help one of our own caught up in this terrible war.

As an American, Eli is not in Israel fighting to save Jews but the Jewish way of living. Please consider helping Eli help his troops by donating to his cause directly via Venmo @elicohen1230 (four-digit verification number: 0940), via your City Club membership account, or online at Growing Wings: https://www.growings.org

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide to Eli and his troops. We will make sure to invite Eli to a Member Monday session to get a first-hand account as soon as Eli gets back, hopefully soon.

— Sina.