Thanks to its many years of experience and its deep-rooted infrastructure, the Jewish Federations of North America were uniquely poised to respond rapidly and efficiently to the horrific events that unfolded in Israel on October 7, 2023. While the Jewish world took in the shock of the horrific attack during those first critical days, Federations lost no time in mobilizing their extensive network. "By noon of that day, heads of Federations were already calling Israel and asking, 'What do you need?' By sundown, there was already relief on the way to help," recalls Eric D. Fingerhut, CEO and president of the Jewish Federations of North America.
Just a few days later, Fingerhut convened a special Board meeting to discuss launching an emergency campaign. "We understood quickly that this was something of a magnitude that required significant resources," he notes. Although at that time it was very difficult to estimate the scope of what would be needed, they set an ambitious goal for the campaign: $500 million. Amazingly, the Israel Emergency Fund actually raised close to $800 million by February – easily surpassing the original target. These funds are making a very real difference for millions of people: they are being allocated to hundreds of initiatives and NGOs that are providing crucial services throughout Israel.
Making a huge impact
Fingerhut likes to compare the Federation system to a well-prepared fire department. "You don't build a fire department when the house is on fire. That's too late. The current crisis is a perfect example of why you need to have a 'fire department' that is well equipped and well trained," he explains. "We have 146 Federations that maintain the infrastructure not only for local needs but also for global Jewish relief and rescue."
As it began processing the shocking events that transpired on October 7, North America's Jewish community realized that Israel would need an enormous amount of support to survive this tsunami-size event. People were eager to donate money that would be used efficiently and responsibly. Many were used to making annual donations to their local Federation and jumped at the opportunity to support the newly launched Israel Emergency Fund. Many others, who had never before donated to Federations, or at least not recently, also contributed generously to the campaign. "We had a huge number of new donors. People appreciate the role of Federations and the efficacy of contributing together with hundreds of thousands of others, knowing that their money will make a bigger impact," Fingerhut points out.
Supporting a wide range of NGOs
The Federations' impressive infrastructure and professionalism made it possible to swiftly and efficiently raise and allocate record-breaking amounts of money. A committee was set up to identify the needs on the ground, determine which organizations were best positioned to respond, and to vet the hundreds of proposals that poured in. Every effort was made to ensure that the money would be put to immediate use helping to alleviate the physical and mental distress being experienced on so many different levels.
Part of the Israel Emergency Fund was directed towards such basic necessities as providing food security and shelter to Israelis affected by October 7th and the subsequent war, including to those who were evacuated from their homes. NGOs such as LATET, Leket Israel and Pitchon Lev were able to deliver many thousands of food packages and hot meals thanks to Federations support.
To date, close to $40 million has been allocated directly to Israeli communities that enjoy long-standing partnerships with sister cities in North America, including $4.1 million through The Jewish Agency's Partnership2Gether program. This money is making a real difference for residents in affected regions in both southern and northern Israel by helping them address their communities' most pressing needs.
Several major Jewish organizations that have long been core partners of Jewish Federations received substantial allocations to help them implement their responses to the Hamas attack and its aftermath. These include The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), which so far has received $84 million in emergency funding from Federations since October 7th, and The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which has received $18 million to assist thousands of Israelis. These figures include JFNA allocations from the Committee and the JFNA Loan Fund as well as designations from federations and donors.
All in all, $63.4 million of the total allocated funds has been granted to 158 NGOs that provide lifeline services such as food, clothing and medicine, as well as assistance with funerals, housing solutions and educational support for evacuated children. Among them: the municipalities along the southern and northern borders, the cities of Ashkelon, Sderot and Kiryat Shmona; the Association of Well-Being of Israeli Soldiers; Foundation for the Welfare of Holocaust Survivors; Yad Sarah; and many more.
A further $26.3 million has been allocated to organizations in the field of medical and trauma relief. This amount was divided among 83 organizations including medical centers and other healthcare-related NGOs throughout Israel that provide direct care to individuals in need. Federations has also allocated $29.5 million to initiatives dedicated to economic relief efforts, and $17 million to various community resilience and rebuilding projects.
Loans for struggling small businesses
During October and much of November, the Israel Emergency Fund focused on offering immediate relief to the huge number of Israelis whose lives had been turned upside down by the catastrophe and needed urgent help. Many NGOs said that this early funding was critical in enabling them to maintain their operations.
As the war progressed and the funds raised by the Federations' campaign continued to grow, allocation decisions began to take into consideration longer-term needs. In particular, the issue of mental health and trauma relief came to the forefront as it became apparent that this would be a massive challenge. At first, emergency funds flowed to shore up overwhelmed psychiatric hospitals and supporting evacuees, first responders, populations with special needs, and soon after combat soldierts. Accordingly, the Israel Trauma Coalition has so far received a total of $3,150,000 from the Israel Emergency Fund. The NGO runs 12 resilience centers and provides numerous vital mental health and psychosocial services, including emotional support hotlines. Following October 7th, it has bolstered its staff and expanded its services in order to cope with the unprecedented number of Israelis who have experienced trauma.
Another major focus of this phase is to bolster Israel's struggling economy, which has been severely impacted by recent events. Small businesses, in particular, have suffered enormously as many owners and employees were absent for months while serving in the reserves. Under the leadership of Jeff Schoenfeld, co-chair of JFNA's Israel Emergency Fund Allocation Committee, a major loan fund has recently been established – the Israel Emergency Loan Fund – dedicated to helping small businesses affected by the war in Gaza. The goal is to raise $100 million that will be used for offering zero- and low-interest loans to small businesses across Israel that may not be able to obtain loans from banks or other sources.
These loans will be offered to struggling small business owners through NGOs and for-profit financial institutions working in collaboration with Federations. Schoenfeld estimates that with $100 million of philanthropic capital, the lending platforms would be able to issue $400 million in small business loans. "Nothing anywhere close to this scale is going on in Israel right now," he says.
The remarkable campaign spearheaded by the Jewish Federations of North America is clearly bringing some much-needed light to a very dark situation. The generosity of tens of thousands of people who donated to the Israel Emergency Fund has been crucial in enabling Israelis to cope with the recent disastrous events, and has also reaffirmed the strong bond that links the global Jewish community with Israel.
For more information and to donate to the Israel Emergency Fund, visit www.jewishfederations.org
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