Israel at War: The Challenges of 2024

We turned the page of the calendar year, but the challenges posed by the war are still with us. While we hope that 2024 will bring victory, peace, security, and the safe return of all hostages and soldiers, the reality is one of evolving and increasing needs.

Our Israel team continues to liaise regularly with the relevant government and civil society bodies, as well as the IDF Home Front Command to provide the philanthropic community with an up-to-date analysis of needs and areas in which they can be of greater impact.

• In past updates, I mentioned the issue of long-term rehabilitation and physical therapy for the wounded. This issue is becoming increasingly acute. There are only ~1,200 rehab beds in Israel, and since Oct. 7^th there have been over 6,000 wounded, 340 of which are still in serious condition, and 2,000 who have been left with a life-long disability. This is a many-fold increase in the usual volume, and one that will demand short-term and long-term attention.

• The economic cost of the war is reaching staggering proportions. The Israel Central Bank has forecasted that the war will end up costing Israel approximately 58 billion USD. So far, the costs are 600 million USD per week in loss of income from reservists alone, and 246 million USD per day in direct costs. Five reserve brigades were released from service this week, but the bulk of them are still mobilized. The needs generated are multi-faceted, from helping small businesses, to ensuring the resilience of the agricultural and building sector, to staving off a reduction of venture capital upon which the start-up economy is dependent. I mentioned in the past several loan funds, like OGEN, which provides interest-free loans, the Koret Foundation, the Shashua Family Foundation, and Social Finance Israel. JFNA is also creating a significant project to help the Israeli economy through both loans and investment products. These are sorely needed. JFN’s Impact Investment Task Force will hold an open session to present these new investment products this coming Tuesday, January 9^th, at Noon EST. Click here to learn more.

• There have been delays in the implementation of Tkuma, the government authority for the reconstruction of the Western Negev, but we are connecting with them on a regular basis. As Tkuma starts allocating funds, it’ll be clearer what gaps will remain that can be covered by philanthropy.

• Connected to that, many of the Gaza envelope community want to “build back better,” making their communities into models of sustainability or educational hubs. It’s important to support and encourage that type of thinking, which will help those communities regain a sense of agency and optimism.

• In the North, the situation is very tense. Between 80,000 and 90,000 Israelis have been evacuated from the border towns, and there’s a feeling that their plight doesn’t get as much attention (or governmental services) as those of the South. The needs of those populations are mounting, and paradoxically, it may take longer for the residents to go back to their homes because the IDF doesn’t control Southern Lebanon in the same way it’s gaining control of Gaza.

• Universities started the academic year (with an almost four-month delay). They are going to need support in several areas, from providing recovery classes to returning reservists, to dealing with trauma, to squeezing the academic year into a shorter time period. There are also anecdotal reports of Israeli researchers and academics getting the “cold shoulder” from colleagues abroad due to increased campus antisemitism. That impacts their capacity to get their papers peer-reviewed and published, and to participate in international research. While this is not a massive phenomenon, it’s one that funders need to be aware of. Funders can go farther, encouraging universities to invest in joint research projects and partnerships.

• The mental health situation continues to be problematic with a rise in substance abuse, and sadly, domestic violence. In good news, the earlier report of a dramatic increase in suicide has been, fortunately, proven inaccurate by the Health Ministry; data shows no difference from pre-Oct 7^th. While this is encouraging, the mental health issues are real and will only increase as soldiers return home with the expected baggage of PTSD (in an incident last week, a soldier suffering from PTSD woke up in the middle of the night, and semi-conscious began shooting blindly at his comrades. Luckily, there were no fatalities, but it served as a reminder of the stress that these young men and women are under.

• We mentioned the importance of municipalities and local authorities in responding to the needs of their residents. The centrality of their work is increasing, although there’s uncertainty due to the delay of the municipal elections (they were postponed again since a whopping 4,000 of the candidates are now on reserve duty – 70 of them for senior positions). Fortunately, the work that philanthropy has been doing in strengthening and building capacity at the municipal level is paying off, and more of that will be needed.

• There’s a need to keep the plight of the hostages and their families in the forefront, as a “routinization” of their suffering is taking place. While much of the world moves on, the material and emotional needs of the families are growing.

• Funders are grappling with secular grantees and partners that have been taking unacceptable positions during this crisis. JFN will host an event for funders to share best practices on how to deal with this issue both preemptively and reactively.

• I don’t need to remind you that antisemitism is still increasing, and the risk of violence against Jews is ever present around the world. Last week, for example, three Middle Eastern men were arrested in Argentina after receiving a suspicious package from Yemen. Funders need to continue investing in fighting antisemitism and in securing Jewish organizations in America and around the world. JFN has created a a mapping of organizations fighting antisemitism and antizionism. It is a large and daunting document, and we are offering a free consultation session of up to two hours with Yossi Prager, Senior Managing Director, JFN Consulting, to help navigate it. You can schedule yours by visiting our website.

• We presented a few weeks ago our work on future scenarios – trying to help the funding community think of the long-term impact of the crisis. You can watch the webinar here. JFN is continuing this future-oriented work by creating four working groups that analyze the long-term strategies needed in some key areas of the reconstruction.

• In that same vein, registration is open for those eligible to attend the JFN International Conference in Tel Aviv this March. There’s enormous interest in the philanthropic community to get together and dive deep into the issues that Israel and World Jewry are facing, and will continue to face in the future. It will be a “working conference,” with fewer panels and more interaction and discussion among funders and decision-makers. We’ll also conduct site visits to the South and other parts of the country. Please register soon, as demand is very high (registration fees are fully refundable until a week before the event and always in the case of force-majeure).

JFN continues to map the response of the philanthropic community, so share with us what you’re doing and the needs you are seeing. I want to remind you of our list of vetted needs that we update continuously, and the JFN Concierge Service, which offers support and advice customized to your specific needs. Members looking to respond to the crisis can utilize the Concierge Service to be connected with other members working toward the same goal, to find resources provided by our partners in the secular philanthropic space, and more. Write to concierge@jfunders.org. And as mentioned above, members should take advantage of the JFN Consulting Service.

As we’ve been saying since Oct 7^th, this will be a long crisis from which a new normal will emerge, and funders need to continue pacing themselves. However, we’ve been around for 4,000 years, so we’ve proven that we know how to do long term!

Am Israel Chai.