Kyle Blank, at The Blogs

Kyle Blank

Sep 9, 2026, 4:25 AM

Twenty-Five Years Later: What September 11 Taught Me About Showing Up

I was ten years old on September 11, 2001. Growing up outside New York, I had always understood Manhattan as part of the landscape of my life, but that morning I was across the river in New Jersey when...

Aug 26, 2026, 10:24 PM

National Grief Awareness Day: What Grief Has Taught Us

Grief has a way of changing how we measure time. There is life before loss, and life after it. For many Israelis, October 7th, and the war that has followed, became that dividing line. Since then, every holiday, birthday, family...

Jul 2, 2026, 8:37 PM

One Thousand Days Later. Two Democracies. One Shared Responsibility

This week, two anniversaries arrive just one day apart. On July 3, Israel marks 1,000 days since October 7, 2023. One thousand days since Hamas carried out the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel’s modern history, murdering families in their homes,...

Apr 16, 2026, 1:45 PM

Two Year Anniversary since Iran Shot at Israel: Nation That Remembers—and Because It Does, It Endures

Israeli air defense systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv amid a fresh barrage of Iranian rockets on June 16, 2025. (Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

Two years have passed since the night the skies over Israel were streaked with fire. Two years since sirens echoed not just in Sderot or Kiryat Shmona, but across the entire country. Two years since Iran tried, and failed,...

Apr 6, 2026, 5:47 PM

Messages from Soldiers, Strangers, and Friends: A Passover Under Fire

Dear Friends, In the past five weeks, my wife and I have received hundreds of messages checking in on us and sending love and prayers for our safety. On Passover night, as I reflected on the past weeks and years, and...

Feb 4, 2026, 3:38 PM

Planting Deep Roots: A Tu’Bishvat Reflection

I recently took some of our Israel Friends co-founders back to Matanya Farm for the first time since we planted our first tree there, last summer. Then, it was the middle of July, the air was thick with heat...

Jan 27, 2026, 10:10 AM

Remembrance and Resilience for the Next Generation

My son was just two months old when Hamas attacked our homeland on October 7, 2023. The feelings I have felt every day since – anger, despair, and fear, for his safety and our country – have caused me...

Aug 14, 2024, 12:43 AM

Reflections on Tisha BaAv 2024

Some 2,000 years ago the People of Israel were slaughtered in their own streets. For many of us, the ability to fully understand this reality has evaded us for our lifetime. That was until 10 months ago. 10/7 has...

Jan 15, 2024, 10:31 PM

Terror in our City – 15 Jan 2024

15 January 2024 TLDR Today there was a violent, murderous terrorist attack in the city that we are currently living in (Ra’anana, Israel). My wife and six-month old son are, thankfully, fine. I do not yet know if friends of ours...

Dec 26, 2023, 1:15 AM

A Harvard Christmas with Hamas

Spending the holiday season at Harvard was a special time while working toward my degree, as my classmates from around the world, from all faiths, shared their richest childhood memories and cultural nuances. In an environment where sharing was encouraged,...

About Me

Kyle grew up in the New York area and moved to Israel on his own at the age of 18 to volunteer in the IDF and with MDA. He holds a BA from IDC Herzliya (Reichman University) and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has spent the past 10-years working in consulting and venture capital. Kyle Blank is the Executive Director of Israel Friends, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Israel and its people through critical aid, defense initiatives, mental health programs, and long-term recovery efforts. Kyle lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and two sons.