Ilana Blumenthal Discusses Volunteering for Israel’s Defense

The Camden Public Library will host Ilana Blumenthal for an online presentation about her volunteer work on Israeli Defense Force (IDF) bases through an international program called Volunteers for Israel (VFI). The program will be held on the Zoom platform. Email jpierce@librarycamden.org to request a link to attend.

Blumenthal, who resides in Philadelphia, lived in Israel as a child. She is the great-grandchild of Eastern European Jewish refugees. She will discuss how her ancestors’ and immediate family’s deep involvement with and strong connection to the dream of a Jewish State have influenced her choices, actions, career, and activism. “My feeling of obligation to the Jewish community of the diaspora (the dispersion of the Jews beyond Israel), as well as the Jewish community in Israel, is what has led to my commitment to the IDF,” says Blumenthal.

Blumenthal has served on medical bases, communications bases, and air force bases, and currently works from the U.S. with VFI as Manager of Recruitment, VFI Educates Associate, and graphic designer. Her presentation will highlight the organization’s history and her experiences on the bases with other volunteers of various backgrounds.

In addition to her work with VFI, Blumenthal is presently the Creative Marketing Manager and VFI Plus agent for The Gil Travel Group. Prior to this, she spent twelve years in marketing, public relations, graphic design, and objects care and research at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. Blumenthal received a BA in theatre design and writing from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA and an MA in Museology with a focus on artifact management and care from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.