BAL HARBOUR, Fla. – A former Bal Harbour resident now living in Israel returned to South Florida this week to help raise money for Israeli soldiers.
He and a group of parents in the area have now raised more than $4 million for the soldiers.
“I’m not a soldier, I’m not a medic, but what I can do is help the kids on the front lines,” said Paul Hamburger.
Hamburger lived in Bal Harbor for 11 years and moved his family to Israel several years ago.
“I have not done any work,” he said. “These are 19-year-old kids that are on the front lines. These are our kids.”
When the attacks from the terrorist group Hamas on October 7th occurred, Hamburger told Local 10 News that he knew he needed to rally parents to help.
Hamburger said he dropped everything and came to his former neighborhood to raise money.
He created the website OnepeopleIsrael.com, and to date, they have raised nearly $4.5 million, and the soldiers are getting much-needed supplies.
“It was very difficult. We haven’t been in touch with him for nine days,” said Ari Briggs, who has two children currently in battle.
“I’m grateful to everyone there who recognizes that we are all one family,” said Leah Klein, who was a prosecutor with the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office.
Klein says she is now living in Israel and has a son fighting in the war.
“It’s with a heavy heart but a tremendous amount of pride,” she said.
“They have seen the massacre and they say ‘This is not how we are supposed to behave today,’” said Hamburger.
For more information on the one-people organization that Hamburger and other parents founded, click here.