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Jewish Community Support for Israel

On Monday, July 21, hundreds participated in a joint JCPA-JFNA call to hear about the work of our partners on the ground in Israel aiding Israelis during this difficult time. A range of actions is being undertaken, including providing respite and psychological counseling to affected families, tailored and individual care to at-risk communities, and camps and activities for children who have been stripped of a sense of normalcy and a day-to-day routine. By the time of the call, the JFNA had already allocated millions to these groups during the current crisis, and leaders speaking on the call outlined their accomplishments and strategies.  Monies collected by JFNA are being fully dedicated to programs on the ground, not to administrative overhead.

The callers heard from: Alan Hoffman, Director General of the Jewish Agency for Israel; Eliot Goldstein, Deputy Director, Global Resources of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; Tali Levanon, Director of the Israel Trauma Coalition; Rakefet Ginsburg, Kehillot Development Director of the Masorti Conservative Movement in Israel; Rabbi Gilad Kariv, Executive Director of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism; Avital Govrin Chief Development Officer of World ORT; Grace Rodnitski, Director of International Relations for the Ethiopian National Project; and Ilan Halperin, Director of Resource Development and Missions at the UJA Federation of NY.

The Jewish Agency for Israel is providing one-day respite trips for tens of thousands of children, supplying medication and emergency funds for victims of terror, and delivering psychological counseling to families and staff. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is helping at-risk communities including the elderly, the physically and mentally disabled, and economically at-risk families. Caseworkers tailor aid to each individual’s specific needs, whether it is portable toilets or hot meals, and provide safe getaways to individuals and families. Israel Trauma Coalition is providing a “social Iron Dome,” including psychological care for families of soldiers fighting in Gaza and evacuees. Among other things, the group provides local counselors to the Bedouin community.

Masorti Conservative Movement in Israel has provided an opportunity for 600 children from the southern areas of Israel to go to camp in the north, where they can take emotional refuge, and has provided day camps for children so their parents can go to work. Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism is sending volunteers to community centers in the south and hosting families with special needs at kibbutzim for respite trips. World ORT is creating activities for children in shelters and families of soldiers, and the Ethiopian National Project is conducting respite camps. The UJA Federation in New York is crafting activities for residents closest to Gaza.