Connecting the Diaspora with Israel

Dr. Andrew Hutter, an orthopedic surgeon who lives in Livingston, recently was elected as international and national chairman of the board of directors of Israel Bonds.

His election comes at a time of record-breaking investment in the state of Israel — $2.7 billion during 2023. That is more than double the average annual sales of Israel Bonds, which fortify Israel’s economy.

The Hamas attack on October 7 generated $1 billion in subscriptions by November 7. Israel Bonds has raised more than $50 billion in global investments since the organization was founded in 1951.

“That’s a tribute to our lay leadership and our staff, who reached out to people who bought Israel bonds in that month after the war,” Dr. Hutter said. “A significant number of people had never bought Israel bonds before.”

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Sales in 2023 included purchases from more than 15 state and municipal governments and institutions.

Israel Bonds has been important to Dr. Hutter since he got involved in the organization 20 years ago. “It’s the best way to connect Jews in the Diaspora to Israel, and we’re not in competition with any other Jewish organization,” Dr. Hutter, 66, said. “We’re not a charity. We’re a safe, stable investment. You get your money back, with interest.”

Dr. Hutter, who is a member of the modern Orthodox Congregation Etz Chaim in Livingston, feels both honored and humbled to assume leadership at a time of war in Israel. “We have a mission to deal with, and I have an excellent group of dedicated board members around me,” he said. “We’re going to all work together so we can continue the success that we’ve had.”

Dr. Hutter’s involvement with Israel Bonds started in the medical division. At that time, his father, Dr. Robert Hutter, a pathologist, was being honored at an annual New Jersey dinner. Organizers asked if he and his father could be honored together because they wanted to get the next generation of doctors involved.

A few years later, Andrew Hutter became chairman of the medical division in New Jersey. Eventually he took on the role of state campaign chairman. Fifteen years ago, he began serving on the national board of Israel Bonds.

Dr. Hutter said that the lay leadership in the Greater MetroWest area is one of the best in the country. “We’ve always had people who have been involved on a national basis,” he said.

He describes New Jersey leadership as a “well-oiled machine. We really have reached out to the entire community. The amount of money we’ve raised for Israel Bonds in MetroWest is on a par with cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.”

Hutter’s wife, Barbara Hutter, has been the regional chair of the Women’s Division. His children, Lindsey and Jared, also are involved with Israel Bonds.

The medical division of Israel Bonds takes physicians to Israel. “This gives people an experience of what it’s like to be in Israel,” he said. The first division trip was in 2009. The 12 doctors on that visit, including Dr. Hutter, learned about trauma response and toured major medical centers and medical venture capital firms.

“It’s been very exciting to see the innovations in Israel, like replacing an aortic valve through the groin instead of doing open heart surgery, seeing it happen before it becomes mainstream in the U.S.,” Dr. Hutter said.

The same memorable trip to Israel brought physicians to Sderot while it was under attack by rockets. “We really felt that we were part of the community there,” Dr. Hutter said.

One of the Magen David Adom volunteers they met told them that he’d saved the life of his own grandson. On another trip, Dr. Hutter was introduced to the 669 unit, the Israel Air Force’s tactical rescue unit. “Not only is it a military unit, but they also respond to civilians with major trauma,” he said.

Being active in the medical division “changed the scope of people that I interacted with and has allowed me to have a greater influence on a number of doctors and connect more people to Israel,” Dr. Hutter said.

He is most impressed with the Israel Bond mentorship program. “When I started with Israel Bonds, there was no formal mentorship program. But when I got on to the national board, there were some senior leaders who took a liking to me and took me under their wing and taught me about Israel Bonds.” Since then, the group has instituted a formal mentorship program.

Israel Bonds gets stronger every year, Dr. Hutter said, and that’s because each generation of leaders helps inspire the next one. “We understand that the success of this organization is the future,” he said.