FRANKLIN, Mich. (BP) – Alfie supported, encouraged and comforted Rick Bloom from his bar mitzvah through law school, a loyal companion for 16 years before dying 43 years ago.
Alfie was a small poodle breed, a canine companion still dear to Bloom as he continues life at 71 years old with his current dog, Jadah, a 35-pound labradoodle. But Bloom still misses Alfie, gazing at his photo every day, he told Baptist Press.
“He got me through a very important part of my life,” Bloom, an attorney, certified public accountant and financial advisor in Franklin, Mich., said of the late Alfie.
When Bloom learned he could bless Israeli soldiers with the healing presence of dogs – in this case therapy dogs – he eagerly responded to the opportunity through Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF).
Bloom funded two dogs through the FIDF’s Emotional Support Dogs for Bereaved Families program. FIDF pairs specially trained dogs with veterans of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) suffering emotional trauma from fighting in the Israel-Hamas War.
“I love dogs. I know what dogs do to people. They have a certain relationship,” Bloom said. “I read that so many soldiers in Israel were coming home from Gaza with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). When the Friends of the IDF started this program, I said I have to be involved because I know how much dogs mean to people.”
Bloom, who is Jewish and still awaits a Messiah, also loves God. He expresses confidence that God is watching over Israel.
“I do know, and I am a believer that the Good Lord looks over Israel,” he said. “And I know that because Israel has accomplished incredible things. It really has been incredible what it has accomplished. And so I’ve got to believe that partly it’s divine intervention.”
Bloom funded two therapy dogs and had the opportunity to name them. He chose the names Alfie, honoring his childhood dog, and Jadah, after his current dog. Jadah is an acronym of sorts, Bloom explained.
“It stands for Jewish American Dad, because I bought her after my dad (Mitcheal) died,” Bloom said. “A for Alfie and H for Hilda, my mom. So that’s how I came up with Jadah.”
Bloom travels to Israel annually, this year meeting Jadah the therapy dog’s first assignment, a soldier suffering PTSD who had been afraid to even leave home.
“It was a thrill for me,” Bloom said of seeing the soldier with Jadah the therapy dog. “And what made it even better is you give money to charities, you very rarely can see what your money really does. Here I saw it. And I heard it from his mouth about how he wasn’t able to leave his house because of PTSD and how it affected his family.
“And now he’s living like a normal life because of Jadah, and to me that was so incredible that I could do something to help someone.”
Bloom respects the IDF, he said, and believes the soldiers protect not only the state of Israel but Jewish people globally.
“We’ve seen the explosion of antisemitism even in our country and around the world,” Bloom said. “It has affected me, but it hasn’t affected me to the point that it has dampened my support for Israel. That has not happened. My support for Israel is stronger than ever, and my attachment to the State of Israel is stronger than ever.”
Bloom was born in the U.S. but also feels an attachment to Israel. His parents were first-generation Americans. His grandparents immigrated here from Poland and Russia before World War II, but experienced rampant antisemitism in their countries of origin. Bloom said they often emphasized how blessed he was to be born in the U.S.
Supporting the IDF through the therapy dogs program means “everything” to Bloom.
“I think I’ve been very lucky in life because I grew up in America. I’ve had opportunities in this country and I’ve been able to do well. And I think that it’s part of my responsibility to give back and to thank the people who made sacrifices for me,” Bloom said. “I give to a variety of charities for veterans because I believe that the American veterans protected our way of life and we owe them an obligation. And I feel the same way about Israel soldiers.”
Bloom encourages others to donate therapy dogs through FIDF, the sole authorized U.S. partner of the IDF.
“I would tell anyone who loves dogs and knows the magic that dogs bring to people, that if you love Israel and you want to support the state of Israel, helping its soldiers is such a wonderful way of doing it,” Bloom said. “And at the same time, doing something for a dog. It gives a dog a purpose in life. So it really is a win-win situation to know that you’re really changing someone’s life who put their life on the line to protect freedom, really, freedom-loving people throughout the world.”
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