The LIBI Fund, a philanthropic fund that supports the IDF, increased its support of Judaism within the military in 2009, according to the Voice of Israel government radio station. The investments were made at the request of donors who asked that their contributions go to these causes.

One such donation was a Torah scroll that was donated to the Tel HaShomer synagogue by the congregation of Georgian Jews in Moscow.

In all, six ornate Torah scrolls were donated to IDF bases in 2009, with a combined monetary worth of NIS 800,000. A uniquely designed synagogue, shaped to look like the burning bush in which G-d revealed Himself to Moses, was constructed at the Bahad 1 officer training base, at a cost of NIS 5 million. Of this investment, NIS 4 million were contributed by the Ruderman family.

Thousands of Psalms books were contributed and handed out to soldiers fighting the Gaza terrorists in the Cast Lead operation. Other funds went toward creating an “Awareness-Mobile” which drives  between IDF combat units in the field and spreads Jewish awareness.

Lt.-Col. Dr. Arik Siton, Head of External Relations at the LIBI Fund, said that contributions through the fund to religious projects shot up by several dozen percentage points in 2009.