Israel at War: Supporting Jewish and Israeli Women's Organizations

During the weeklong pause in the combat, we saw heartwarming images of rescued hostages meeting their families and continued to feel the anguish of those still captive.

Since Hamas broke the truce and operations resumed, we are following anxiously for more news of the hostages and praying for our soldiers on the front line to bring us, and the world, a swift and decisive victory over the absolute evil that Hamas represents.

In the meantime, as we’ve been doing since the beginning of the war, we continue to bring you updates from the field to highlight areas in which funders can have a greater impact.

• As we’ve been saying, trauma is developing into a major health care concern for Israelis. For example, the trauma organization ERAN reported receiving 50,000 calls a day, compared to 3,500-5,000 calls before the crisis began. It’s believed that a third of all Israelis experience symptoms associated with forms of PTSD. The release of hostages both assuaged and reopened wounds, especially when hearing accounts of torture and mistreatment of children. Besides the immediate needs, we are already working on larger systemic long-term responses for the massive health care challenge this will represent.
• 52,000 K-12 students are displaced, and classes are taking place in improvised facilities. Though in the last week, the government has begun taking a more active role in this issue, by and large organizations like IsraAID and others are still providing much of the educational programs on the ground. As time extends, the urgency of this challenge increases.
• The evacuees of the north report receiving fewer – and less organized – services than those of the South. That is compounded by the uncertainty of the military situation. It’s important for funders to focus on that region as well.
• Cities in the “second layer” of the Gaza envelope (mostly Ashkelon, Ofakim, and Netivot) are still targeted by Hamas rockets and are dealing with a range of issues resulting from the war, from the economic to the psychological. Those cities were never affluent to start with, and their social services are now stretched incredibly thin. For example, there are 3,500 welfare recipients in Ashkelon alone. Vulnerable populations, people with disabilities, and the elderly are particularly exposed. Funders are encouraged to be attentive to those cities.
• Of the many betrayals that the Jewish people have experienced in this war, probably none is more painful than that of the women’s organizations that remained silent and/or denied or relativized the mass sexual assault that occurred on October 7^th and beyond. Funders are encouraged to support Jewish and Israeli women’s organizations. JFN has compiled an extensive list of vetted organizations in that space, and our staff can guide you on who and what to support. Please write to us at israelcrisis@jfunders.org.
• We’ve also completed a mapping of organizations fighting antisemitism and antizionism. With over 50 organizations, it is indeed a difficult field for funders to navigate, that’s why our newly launched consulting service is offering one hour of consultation to JFN members free of charge. You can learn more about JFN Consulting and request a consultation with Yossi Prager, Senior Managing Director, JFN Consulting, by visiting our website.
• I’ve spoken in past updates about the challenges and opportunities of higher education. Israeli universities are also feeling the impact of the crisis. For example, Tel Aviv University has 6,000 students in reserve duty. Not only will those students need trauma counseling upon return, but also academic support as many will have lost critical class time. This is not a minor issue. Israel depends on a highly skilled professionals, and a diminution of the quality and quantity of university graduates is a major threat to the economy and the society.
• The Israel Rises platform has already fielded over 110 projects from nonprofits on the ground. This is a particularly useful tool for funders that don’t have a professional staff and want to have concrete, vetted opportunities to help in the relief efforts.
• While continuing to support immediate relief, JFN is shifting its focus to the reconstruction work that will need to take place after the war. This crisis has created both the need and the opportunity to think anew many systemic issues, from integration of Haredim to mental health structures; from economic resilience to urban planning; from fighting antisemitism to civil service leadership; from security to education and more. In the next few days, we will be announcing the creation of funders working groups to focus on long-term rebuilding. This is a process that will build toward our JFN International Conference in Israel in march, which will be a working conference under the theme The Power of Rebuilding Together. This “Am Israel Chai” conference, will give us an opportunity to make sure that the Israel that emerges out of this ordeal is stronger, better, and more cohesive.
• Finally, at this time of the year, funders will be asked to contribute to their “usual causes.” While we encourage funders to re-examine their contributions to secular organizations, we insist that this is NOT the time to defund local Jewish agencies in order to more robustly fund Israel relief. Rather, we must do both. Poverty stricken Holocaust survivors in America, students in Hillels, day-school kids, and camp counselors must not be punished for what Hamas did! As we’ve been saying from day one, this is the time to go above and beyond.

In that vein, we need to be conscious of the historical importance of our response. This is the defining crisis of our generation. We need to make sure that this is also the finest hour of Jewish Philanthropy.

You can find our previous updates here, which are still relevant, and our list of vetted needs that we update continuously here. The JFN Concierge Service, which offers support and advice customized to your specific needs, can be reached at concierge@jfunders.org. JFN members should utilize their complimentary hour with JFN Consulting by reserving a meeting here.

Stay strong, and never doubt the certainty of victory.

Am Israel Chai.

Andres