MISHMAR HANEGEV, Israel, July 31 – United States Secretary of Energy and former Governor of Texas Rick Perry visited the Amirim Battalion Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base in Mishmar HaNegev on July 23, as part of his Middle East trip to discuss regional energy and cybersecurity issues.

Secretary Perry visited the base to tour a synagogue donated to the IDF soldiers last year by his close friends, philanthropists The Honorable Dr. Jeffrey and Barbara Feingold of Delray Beach, Florida, who are supporters of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF). The Feingold family provided the transformational gift that made Dr. Jeffrey and Barbara Feingold Family Synagogue, Sefer Torah scroll, and beautiful outdoor garden possible. Soldiers of the IDF Amirim Battalion, a national communications battalion, can use these facilities to pray, celebrate, and relax. It is the first synagogue on an army base in the Negev.

“Visiting Dr. Jeffrey and Barbara Feingold Family Synagogue on the Mishmar HaNegev Army Base was one of the highlights of my visit to Israel,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “I salute Jeffrey and Barbara Feingold who are dear friends of mine for their continuous acts of generosity and their unwavering commitment to the Israel Defense Forces and the Jewish State of Israel.”

The Honorable Dr. Jeffrey Feingold said: “What an honor that U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, a dear friend of our family, while meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, made a special trip to tour Dr. Jeffrey and Barbara Feingold Family Synagogue on the Mishmar HaNegev Army Base that we dedicated on June 2018. It means the world to my wife Barbara and I that Secretary Perry was able to visit our synagogue and share this special place with us and the soldiers of the Amirim Battalion.”

Barbara Feingold added: “There was no higher honor for myself and my family than to dedicate the beautiful synagogue, Sefer Torah, and garden to the soldiers. We are proud to serve as tireless advocates for the Israel Defense Forces through the Friends of the IDF.”

Below please find photos of Secretary Perry’s visit to the IDF base and Feingold Family Synagogue. Photo credits: Matty Stern, U.S. Embassy Jerusalem.