I Love New York (And Israel)

It is now clear that the events of October 7 caused a tsunami-size crisis which impacted every facet of life in Israel and, indeed, throughout the Jewish world. Itzik Shmuli, the Director General of UJA Federation of New York's Israel Office, describes it as no less than a "seminal event" during which Israel is fighting for its existence and Jews all over the world are worried about the future of the country.

The Jewish community of New York has always come through for Israel in times of crisis but this time it has really gone above and beyond. "New York's Jewish community has broken every record during the last few months, mobilizing in support of Israel like never before," Shmuli confirms. In addition to extremely generous financial donations, the Jewish community of New York has been actively advocating for the release of the hostages held in Gaza, as well as for Israel's right to defend itself. Another important task has been to fight antisemitism at home, and especially on campuses.

$190 million in 6 months

Since October 7, UJA Federation of New York is the organization that has raised the most money for Israel: an astonishing $190 million — so far.

"Until now, 45,000 donors took part in our emergency campaign, contributing over $190 million to support Israel in its hour of need," Shmuli elaborates. Most of the funds have already been allocated to help an array of crucial initiatives that are making a real difference helping Israel cope with the horrible ramifications of October 7.

Approximately $85 million of the collected funds has been allocated to around 200 different emergency and rescue initiatives. In fact, already on October 7, UJA Federation of New York started sending emergency funds to help communities in southern Israel that were directly affected by the atrocities. The money was used to bolster their volunteer civil response teams, as well as to help evacuate residents from the region and for a variety of other emergency needs — of which there were many.

Large amounts of money were also used to help thousands of evacuees who were relocated to hotels in Eilat, the Dead Sea area and Tiberias. In particular, UJA Federation of New York directly helped dozens of NGOs that worked with evacuees on a daily basis, helping them cope with trauma, building resilience and funding informal education programs for children.

Although most of the focus was on supporting communities and residents from southern Israel, Itzik Shmuli stresses that from the beginning of the crisis they also looked to the north and were extremely concerned about the situation along the Lebanese border. Indeed, the situation in northern Israel has been extremely worrisome, and most communities along the border have been evacuated due to the high level of hostilities and the potential for an all-out war against Hezbollah.

"We provided emergency grants to all the regional councils along the northern border to help them improve their security. Communities located up to 3.5 km. from the border received large grants to help them through this difficult period," explains Shmuli. Communities that have been evacuated still must continue maintaining their essential infrastructure as well as meeting the needs of the evacuees, including providing improvised education services. Communities close to the border that were not evacuated also have much greater needs than usual and are contending with continual hostilities. Shmuli points out that these regional councils also received extensive support from UJA Federation of New York.

Supporting diverse populations

Funds raised by the emergency campaign have also been used to assist various other population groups that have been especially impacted by the recent events. One of these groups is the families of hostages held captive in Gaza. UJA Federation of New York set up a special Emergency Fund specifically for these families, most of whom have put their lives on hold since October 7 and have stopped working. The money is going directly to the families for their welfare needs. Thanks to this support, these families are able to focus on obtaining the release of their loves ones.

Survivors of the Nova Music Festival is another large cohort that requires intensive support in order to overcome the unbelievable trauma they endured, and to minimize their PTSD. UJA Federation of New York allocated $1 million to help these survivors on their path to recovery.

Moreover, since October 7, UJA Federation of New York has allocated funds to Holocaust survivors and at-risk youth throughout Israel. These disadvantaged populations have been receiving aid for years and it is important not to forget them, as their distress has only grown in recent months.

UJA Federation has also been very involved with Israel's major hospitals, focusing on supporting the rehabilitation of thousands of IDF soldiers and civilians who have been wounded and face an arduous uphill battle to regain their physical and mental functionality and reintegrate into society.

Shmuli believes that trauma treatment and building community resilience will be top priorities for Israel during the next decade. "Israel must deal with unprecedented numbers of people affected by trauma. The mental health system was weak before October 7 and now requires huge investments. We support trauma treatment in every sector of Israeli society," he asserts.

Ground-up approach

Itzik Shmuli was a member of the Knesset from 2012 to 2021, and served as Israel's Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services from 2021 to 2022. "I come from the government and believe in the government. The fact that philanthropy has been carrying the main burden of upholding civil society since October 7 is a seminal moment that shows that the government needs help. We had forgotten how much good exists in Israeli society. I am inspired by the fact that Israeli society has rediscovered itself and it is a great honor to support these efforts," he says.

Shmuli emphasizes that he and his colleagues are constantly in the field, traveling daily to communities in the North and South and visiting evacuees all over the country. UJA Federation of New York benefits from decades of experience working with Israeli communities and over the years has learned to allocate grants in a highly professional and efficient manner. "We have clear, coherent strategies. Our approach is from the ground up," he notes.

The current campaign is being managed by an Emergency Committee based in New York whose members are very involved with everything happening in Israel. In fact, they visit the country frequently to ensure that every dollar allocated makes the biggest possible impact. These leaders include Linda Mirels, President of UJA Federation of New York; Marc Rowan, Chair of the Board; and Eric S. Goldstein, CEO. Together with their colleagues and staff in New York and Israel, UJA Federation of New York is proving that the bond between the two largest Jewish communities in the world — Israel and New York — is stronger than ever.

For more information about UJA Federation of New York and to donate, please visit www.ujafedny.org >>

Click here for the print edition >>

Partnered with UJA Federation of New York