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Dear Friends,
I know many of you are interested in knowing how you can help Israelis who are
suffering and fighting for their lives. First I’ll quote my colleague, Rabbi Haim Shalom from Jerusalem: “People are asking what they can do to help from wherever they are in the world. Mostly I will say - keep believing in the best of Israel, keep believing in the possibility of peace, keep believing that there is a future for all the peoples of this land.”
But you might also be able and willing to make donations to help fund pressing needs. I’ll share here several possibilities for donation. The first four were suggested today in an email from the Reconstructionist movement:
Magen David Adom
Magen David Adom is Israel’s “Red Cross”. It has activated all 1,400 of its
ambulances and is treating the wounded, often while under rocket attack and gunfire themselves. MDA EMTs are among the casualties.
Your help is desperately needed to put more ambulances on the road and to
replenish supplies for both EMTs and paramedics and for MDA’s blood services division, which is supplying blood for the wounded.
DONATE HERE: https://afmda.org/
World Union for Progressive Judaism Emergency Appeal
Reconstructing Judaism is a member movement of the WUPJ. Their emergency
appeal is focusing on providing funds for immediate needs, informal educational programs and childcare, elderly assistance, mental health counseling, and more.
DONATE HERE:
https://wupj.org/emergency-appeal-to-help-israeli-victims-of-terror/
New Israel Fund
NIF’s network of NGOs in Israel have a 4-part emergency response plan they’ve
activated, and they are asking for donations at this time to implement it. The plan focuses on:
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Basic care for the most vulnerable groups: While the country reels from this attack, we must make sure that no communities are left behind. Families in the kibbutzim near the Gaza Border are still not reunited and may not have the access to care that they need. A number of Bedouin citizens from unrecognized villages in the South have been killed and many more injured. With very little infrastructure – including very few bomb shelters — and decades of neglect by consecutive governments, this community needs urgent support to ensure that basic care is available for those injured, left homeless, and for those needing arrangements for the dead. These are just examples of two vulnerable groups that need our help right now.
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Combating violent speech and incitement online: Ever since news of the attack first broke, right-wing extremists have been calling for revenge and attempting to escalate an already dangerous episode by inciting hatred and fomenting violence in mixed Arab-Jewish cities and towns throughout the country. Learning from past experiences, we know how quickly and easily these kinds of inciting messages can spread and lead to conflicts and conflagrations on the ground. We need to help de-escalate, de-platform and disempower these voices online.
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Preventing inter-communal violence in mixed cities: Through focused efforts with municipalities, the media, and local grassroots leaders, we have to work to prevent the spread of violence into mixed Arab and Jewish cities.
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Mental health and trauma counseling: We know that yesterday was among the most terrifying and traumatizing days for Israelis in recent memory. People are shocked and reeling and we know that when that shock begins to fade, there will be a massive need for trauma counseling and mental health support for many, including civil society leaders, who will need to show up for their communities and lead long-term efforts even as they deal with their own trauma.
DONATE HERE: https://www.nif.org/nifs-emergency-response-plan/
Dror Israel Emergency Response
“Our educators in Sderot, Ashkelon, Beer Sheva, Rehovot, Tel Aviv, Rishon Letzion,
and other affected communities are assessing all the critical needs and addressing them. Educators are in touch with students, program participants, neighborhood leaders and groups, making sure they are safe and accounted for. Emergency initiatives include:
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Supporting evacuees: Day care and programs for traumatized children and youth are desparately needed for families who have been evacuated from Gaza border communities under attack to Dead Sea Hotels, our boarding school in Mitzpe Ramon, and more.
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Youth counselors in bomb shelters: In underprivileged communities where people don't have safe rooms in their homes, our experienced youth educators are running therapeutic and educational programs for children and families in Rehovot and Ashkelon, with more locations opening as soon as deemed safe.
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Day care for children of hospital workers and other essential staff: We are currently fielding requests from hospitals throughout Israel to set up day care centers for children of doctors, nurses, and staff so they can treat the injured while schools are closed.
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Support for children and families sheltering in place: We are providing in-person and online programming, distributing activity kits and other educational materials in Sderot, Ashkelon, Rehovot, and more.
DONATE HERE: https://www.drorisrael.org/donate
In addition to those suggestions, I’m sharing some other possibilities suggested by
colleagues and friends:
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You can donate directly to the needs of soldiers through Friends of the IDF:
https://www.fidf.org/
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The Israeli democracy movement has pivoted to supporting Israel’s self-defense (but have certainly not given up on their democratic struggle). If you wish to channel your support through them, you can do so here:
https://beactive.co.il/project/70943
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To help with trauma and PTSD support:
https://www.afnatal.org/
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Soroka is the major hospital of the Negev:
https://www.soroka.org/
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Many of us are also particular connected to Hadassah, it’s hospital and it’s other urgent projects. Donate here:
https://hadassah.gospringboard.com/secure/israelatwar
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The Jewish Federations of North America are raising funds here:
https://form.jotform.com/232792945496978
May the peace of no-killing return soon, and then may it blossom into real shalom,
all the pieces fitting together in dignity and wholeness.
Rav Jeremy
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