Category: Stories of Impact

Israelis from every walk of life gathered in the desert to dance. Instead, they were hunted.  

On October 6, 2023, Israelis from across the country gathered at the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel. It was a celebration—a night meant to unite people from all walks of life, to dance under the stars, to share music, and to experience freedom and connection. The desert echoed with joy, laughter, and the sound of life. 

Then, in an instant, it all changed. 

What began as a night of light and love was torn apart by terror. 378 festival-goers were killed, and 44 more were taken hostage. What was once a celebration of joy and community became a scene of unimaginable horror. 

But even as lives were shattered, a different story began to unfold—one of resilience, one that would refuse to be defined by violence. 

The Tribe of Nova: From Darkness to Light 

The festival—the joy, the unity, the freedom to be yourself, to celebrate life with those around you—was meant to be a night like no other. 

And then came the attack. 

What followed was chaos, devastation, and loss. But it didn’t end there. The survivors—those who had gathered in joy—came together in a way that was as beautiful as it was raw. They held on to the memories of what they had lost but also to the power of their shared strength. 

The Nova Exhibit isn’t just an art display. It’s a journey—an emotional, immersive experience that takes you from the joy of that night, through the terror of the attack, and into the light of hope and healing that followed. This isn’t a passive story—it pulls you in. You feel the celebration, the loss, and the power of community. You stand alongside survivors who, despite everything, found a way to rebuild. 

This exhibit is a testament to what happens when a community refuses to be broken. It amplifies the voices of the survivors and honors the lives lost. But more than that, it challenges us: to remember, to bear witness, and to stand in solidarity. 

Why Washington Needs to Hear This Story 

In Washington, D.C., the Nova Exhibit will invite us all to step into the shoes of those who lived through the unthinkable—to see not just the individuals affected, but the impact on an entire society, a culture, a way of life. 

This is a chance—our chance—to be part of something that goes beyond simply learning about tragedy. It’s about witnessing history, experiencing resilience, and understanding what it truly means to rebuild. 

A Call to Action: Stand with Us in Remembering and Rebuilding 

This is more than a story of loss—it’s a story of strength, survival, and rebuilding. The Nova Exhibit invites everyone—Jewish or not, local or global—to experience a story that must be remembered, understood, and carried forward. 

Stand with the survivors. Stand with those who refuse to be defined by pain. Stand with us as we embrace the light that will guide us all forward. 

Their story belongs to all of us. Let’s make sure we hear it. 

To learn more about the exhibit, ticketing process, and what to expect, visit novaexhibition.com. While the site currently highlights the Toronto tour, it offers a strong preview of what’s to come in DC. More information about the DC exhibit coming soon! 

We are deeply grateful to the generous donors who made it possible to bring this powerful exhibit to Greater Washington. Their support reflects the heart of the Federation’s mission: creating space for our community to gather, reflect, and bear witness; fostering understanding through education; and ensuring we remember—together. 

Photo Credit: Nova Exhibition Website

Major Chen Buchris, Deputy Commander of the Maglan Unit, was a brave and stoic warrior and leader. He dedicated his entire being to the army, and in his rare free time, he would return to his parents’ home in Ashdod. There, he trained, played guitar, and studied Mesillat Yesharim (The Path of the Just—a Jewish text on mannerisms).

Chen fell on the cursed October 7th Sabbath, during a charge he led in the battle to clear Nahal Oz of the accursed terrorists who had taken control of it.

The opening words of the book he so loved to study are: “The foundation of piety and the root of pure service is for a person to clarify and affirm what his obligation is in his world.”

After Chen’s Shiva and hearing about his pure character from his brother (who was a commander in the army—a combat officer like all the brave sons and daughters of the Buchris family), I took it upon myself to study Mesillat Yesharim in Chen’s memory.

It seems to me that there are no more precise words to describe a person to whom we all owe our lives. Chen, you will forever be, to me, the one who fulfilled his obligation in this world.

Photo Credit: Times of Israel

Guy Illouz was murdered when he was 26 years old. He was born and raised in Raanana, a town in the center of Israel. Guy was a musician; he spent most of his free time with a guitar on his lap. Guy was at the Nova Music Festival with a big group of friends. He got to his car but was not able to drive far enough before terrorists started shooting towards his car. His friend, Alon Werber, was shot while sitting next to him in the car. Guy was shot in the arm and hid in a tree, calling his parents and the police for help and saying goodbye. Guy was taken hostage, according to other hostages who returned home, was neglected in the hospital and died from his wounds.

I met Guy in high school; we both were in the same grade and we both were fans of HaYehudim. We didn’t talk that much, but we were friendly.

A couple of years later, I got off a bus and I saw Guy. He told me it was his first day in a Medics Course. Not long after that, we found out that we would be together. It was an immediate bond. We became so close that people thought we were best friends from before. We created a small group of friends for ourselves. We spent sleepless nights of laughter and practicing medical procedures and we became so close we would even spend our weekends at home together.

After the course, our group kept thriving. My friendship with Guy mostly involved being in nature and talking about music. Guy believed that music builds connections and can increase the good we see in the world. He loved his dog, George. He was a musical engineer for some of the greatest artists in Israel including Shalom Hanoch, Mati Caspi, and HaYehudim.

Since I found out that Guy was a hostage and hasn’t yet returned, some things, very simple things are just not the same. For almost three months, I had hope. I believed that Guy would come back. I hoped that he was ok. When I found out that Guy was murdered, grief took over any feeling of hope I had.

When I think about Guy I think about the music we listened to and played together. I think about the songs he wrote that I will never get to hear. I remember that he always chose joy over sadness, being with friends and talking about hard things with a smile.

Idan Reichel, an artist Guy and I loved to listen to rephrased Jeremiah 11.

רק מנעי קולך מבכי ועינייך מדמעה
כי השער יפתח לו
יבוא בו בסערה כשישובו לגבולם

Restrain your voice from weeping,
Your eyes from shedding tears;
Because the gate will open for him
And he will come in a storm when they return to their country

I met Roei during our gap year in Israel at Mechinat Rabin. We were in the same group, which basically meant we were together 24/7.

From the very beginning, Roei stood out. He was a star—everyone loved him. He always had someone to talk to, something to do, someone to help. He was a true leader—constantly stepping up, volunteering, and taking on big responsibilities without hesitation.

Even though he was incredibly popular, he somehow managed to make time for everyone. Roei had this rare gift—no matter who you were, he made you feel like you were his best friend.

He made time for me, too. That meant the world to me. He made me feel like I could talk to him about anything. He always listened, always had the right words.

I miss the little moments the most—laughing in class, our silly fights, our deep conversations. He made my day, every day.

When Roei died in the war at just 22 years old, I knew I wasn’t the only one broken by the news. That day was horrible for hundreds, maybe thousands of people—people he had touched in his city, in the Scouts, in the army, in the Mechina. He had so many people that loved him unconditionally.

Just before he went on his final mission to Gaza, he said, “If I die, please do something for youth at risk—but I’m not going to die, I’m coming back to do it myself.” I think it reflects exactly who he was.

April 24 is Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. We are reaching a pivotal time in Holocaust storytelling. There is an unprecedented amount of Holocaust denial and antisemitism, all while there are fewer survivors still alive to tell their own stories. There has never been a better time for younger generations to share Holocaust stories, so I recently got trained through Teach the Shoah to be a third-generation storyteller.

My grandmother, Johanna Neumann (1930-2017), escaped Nazi Germany and went to Albania. She was protected by Muslims in Albania, who hid her from the Nazis. In Albania, they live by the moral code of Besa to save the Jews. Besa translates into “the promise,” and it means to protect your guests. The Albanian government treated Jews like guests and even gave them fake documentation to make it easier for them to hide.

After the war, many of the Jews hiding in Albania ended up in Displaced Persons (DP) camps. My grandma and her family went to one in Italy, where my grandma realized how lucky she was to have been in Albania during the war. The majority of the other people at the DP camp had been liberated from concentration camps and were actively looking to reconnect with family and friends who may have survived the Holocaust with minimal success. A few months later, my grandmother and the rest of her family got visas to move to the United States.

My grandmother spent the rest of her life traveling the world to tell her story. I now tell her story too, wherever I can, to continue with the goals and lessons that she thought were the most important: the destruction hate can cause, to honor Albania for saving Jews, the importance of the Muslim Jewish and all interfaith relationships, to look out for each other, and never forgetting the Holocaust. These lessons are encapsulated in the way that my grandmother ended all of her speeches:

“Our Talmud says that he who saves a life, it is as if he saved an entire world. Hitler tried to kill me, and now I have 4 kids, 14 grandkids, and 33 great-grandkids. This is all due to the righteous people in Albania who saved my life.”

I feel this responsibility to make sure her story is not forgotten, and I continue to work on ways to carry on her legacy and the rest of the Holocaust survivors. They did not endure and survive against all odds for their stories to be forgotten.

This is my first Yom Hashoah as a trained storyteller, and I am fortunate to have so many excellent opportunities to tell my story. On Monday, I spoke at a public library with two other excellent speakers on each of our family stories. This experience was especially incredible because we have very different stories to share with the group. On Wednesday, I spoke to healthcare system employees as part of their discussion series on race and discrimination. This opportunity is unique since it will be targeted toward non-Jews and will encompass Holocaust education with the lessons of my grandmother’s story. On Thursday morning, I am speaking to a class of 6th graders. They asked me to come speak because they are currently learning about refugees, and my grandmother’s story is about the Jewish experience of being a refugee in Albania. Finally, Thursday night, I am speaking virtually – open to the public – for Teach the Shoah. This talk will be a lesson about rescuers during the Holocaust infused with storytelling.

While I am telling my own family story, I also try to find ways to encourage and empower others to share their family stories. Together, we can ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten.

Below are resources to share your family stories and connect with other Holocaust survivor community members:

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a fantastic resource to build on the details of your family story that may be missing. They have three outlets to do that research:

• Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database
• Collections Search
• Connect with a Researcher (to find documentation that is not yet online)

Living Links is a national organization that offers free training for 3rd generation Holocaust survivors and has groups in many cities around the country to connect those survivors.

• 3G DC Community
• Apply for Storyteller Training

Teach the Shoah is another training program in which any generation can be trained to tell stories.

• Become a Storyteller

Jamie Neumann is also a Marketing & Communications Associate for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

Sunrise Israel’s mission is powerful in any year: to bring joy, hope, and resilience to Israeli children—Arab and Jewish—battling cancer, along with their healthy siblings. Through free summer day camps and year-round in-hospital programming, Sunrise Israel creates safe, inclusive spaces where children can just be kids.

But in the wake of the ongoing war with Hamas, their work is more vital than ever.

The Dual Crisis of War and Cancer

Each year, 450+ Israeli children are diagnosed with cancer. For these families, life becomes a blur of hospital visits, treatments, and mounting financial strain. These children often face social isolation due to compromised immune systems, missing out of the support and connection from everyday childhood experiences.

War, meanwhile, has only deepened these challenges. Sirens, rocket fire, and evacuations have become the new normal, layering trauma on top of an already overwhelming reality. Healthy siblings, too, are affected—often feeling overlooked as parents focus on the child who is sick.

Sunrise Day Camps provide a crucial outlet, offering children with cancer and their siblings a place to laugh, play, and connect—bringing moments of joy and relief during an incredibly difficult time.

A Summer of Joy and Healing

This summer, despite ongoing wartime disruptions, Sunrise Israel is preparing once again to welcome children back to camp. In 2024, thanks to generous support from our community, the organization was able to extend its flagship summer camp from 10 days to 12—offering even more time for children and families to connect, recharge, and heal. Now, as donor attention continues to shift toward causes more directly tied to the war, Sunrise is working hard to maintain that expanded scope while navigating staffing challenges caused by school closures and reserve duty obligations.

In 2024, Sunrise Israel also launched the Resilience and Emotional Assistance Program (REAP) to address the emotional well-being of children with cancer and their families during wartime. Thanks to this initiative, the organization trained additional professional counselors and volunteers, reaching over 1,000 young cancer patients across Israel.

We’re proud that, through support from Federation—via an Israel Crisis Relief Allocation and a Jewish Community Foundation Endowment Fund grant—our community helped make these critical expansions possible.

A Mother’s Perspective: “This Is Beyond Precious for Me”

Sigalit, mother of Zohar and Asher, shared:

“Every year, the day after camp, Zohar makes a calendar. On it he counts twelve months and marks the day in the following year that Sunrise is due to start. He literally counts down all year long for the first day of camp. And for the duration of camp, for the first time in a long time, I can have a breather, a break. I know that Osher and Zohar are together, having the most wonderful time – both together and in their separate age-groups. When I’ve visited camp, I’ve seen it with my very own eyes – I’ve seen the joy of them being together, the pride each one has in being brothers. Being here at camp, while in the midst of a cancer journey, helps them strengthen and deepen their sibling bond. And this is beyond precious for me.”

Looking Ahead: How You Can Help

As charitable funds divert to war-related causes, Sunrise Israel is working hard to maintain its life-changing programs while becoming more cost-effective. In the coming year, they hope to identify new donor partners, source more in-kind donations of food and transportation, bolster supplies of toys and games for the hospital programs and continue training staff to navigate the multicultural dynamics of their inclusive programs.

Together, we can help children facing cancer and their families experience the joy, hope, and resilience they so deeply deserve.

Our Greater Washington Jewish community is providing essential aid to those in Israel and continues to send a powerful message of solidarity to Israel and Israelis in their time of need, from October 7th to the latest escalation of tension in the region with Iran and their proxies. Your generosity and our staff on the ground in Israel year-round with deep partnerships built over decades empowered Federation’s immediate and long-term response. Today, this includes addressing the well-documented and widespread trauma experienced by both Israeli soldiers and civilians since the onset of the war and support for economic development and resilience as well as direct community support to Israelis. As the economy suffers from the effects of war — due to the displacement of a quarter of a million people from their homes and businesses — Federation is committed to ensuring Israelis can receive critical financial relief. Below are the recipients of this round of funding.

Together, we are addressing Israel’s urgent and evolving needs. Our Israel Crisis Relief Fund grants to date total over $11.5 million, including our inaugural grantmaking efforts by the Fund for Women and Girls through the Jewish Community Foundation by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

Emergency Response

Emergency and Medical Care | $1,025,000

Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah, Assuta Ashdod Hospital/Medical Center, Barzilai Medical Center, Sheba Medical Center, and Soroka Medical Center (Be’er Sheva): Providing access to life-saving supplies and essential trauma counseling to help treat severely wounded soldiers and civilians, including to reach the 2,200 survivors of the Nova Music Festival, and purchasing oxygen tanks, defibrillators, trauma bandages, tourniquets, and more.

Emergency Volunteers Project (EVP): Deploying American disaster relief and rescue volunteer teams to Israel. Our funding will assist in recruiting and training American firefighters, medical professionals, and others to be deployed to assist Israeli teams and provide relief for the Israeli teams exhausted after weeks of providing life-saving assistance.

Mobilizing Support for Evacuees & Displaced Families | $550,000

Brothers and Sisters for Israel: Mobilizing volunteers and critical resources for those in need in partnership with the largest Israeli civil aid organization. Our funding will help provide essential support including accommodations for displaced families, food, water, clothing, medical equipment, assistance in locating missing individuals, and more.

Dror Israel: Funding evacuation efforts for displaced families and those seeking respite from violence. We are expanding and supporting essential therapeutic and educational programs for children and families in Rehovot and Ashkelon, with more locations opening as soon as deemed safe. Funding also covers daycare costs for children of hospital workers and other essential staff so they can treat the injured while schools across Israel remain closed.

Hostages and Missing Families Forum: The Forum is a volunteer-based organization focused on bringing Israeli hostages home. They are leading awareness campaigns in multiple languages around the world and providing professional assistance to advance the ongoing legal and diplomatic efforts to return the hostages. Our support will provide resources to continue this crucial work.

Caring for Victims of Terror and their Families | $500,000

Fund for Victims of Terror, a program of The Jewish Agency for Israel: Supporting families whose loved ones have been injured or killed, as well as those whose homes and property were damaged or destroyed, by providing immediate financial aid, counseling, housing, and more. A Jewish Agency representative personally visits victims to provide emergency aid within 48 hours as a statement that the Jewish people around the world are with them.

Trauma Response | $500,000

Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC): Providing immediate trauma response across Israel, including in Ramle, where ITC has opened a center to identify victims. Our funds will provide treatment at ITC’s 12 resilience centers in Sderot and surrounding communities — centers Federation has funded for years — and to train and support first responders, teachers, and community leaders managing this crisis.

Direct Support for Kibbutz Bordering Gaza | $250,000

Kibbutz Re’im: Assisting with recovery and rebuilding. The Kibbutz was overrun by Hamas on October 7th, with five Israeli casualties, multiple members taken hostage, and 200 suffering severe trauma. Hamas also overran a music festival on the kibbutz grounds, leaving hundreds dead and many others wounded or taken hostage. The funds will be used to help fund basic necessities while the kibbutz members are out of their homes as well as purchase and install closed-circuit cameras and early warning systems for the kibbutz perimeter to protect community members when they return.

Humanitarian Support for Soldiers | $186,000

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF): Providing critical medical and humanitarian support for IDF soldiers, including the 360,000 reservists called up for duty on multiple borders. This funding will help purchase medical equipment and supplies, including a portable x-ray machine, plasma kits, a critical response monitoring system, and a cardiology critical care kit.

Orr Shalom: Purchasing and delivering essential supplies to meet the needs of young adult civilians and soldiers operating in northern Israel and along the Gaza border, furthering the expanded mission of Orr Shalom, the leading Israeli non-profit foster care organization for at-risk youth.

Trauma Response

In December 2023, Federation made the following grants to assist those facing trauma throughout Israel:

Training Israeli Clinicians in Trauma Care | $1,800,000

Sheba Medical Center

Intensive Mental Health Training Courses: Funding will provide two-week intensive courses for certified mental health professionals with advanced psychology and social work degrees who may not have studied or practiced trauma in many years or ever, built on the expertise of Sheba’s trauma specialists. Participating professionals commit to at least one year of work in a public mental health clinic in northern or southern Israel.

Medical Simulation Training: Sheba is a leader in simulation-based medical education. Funding will provide simulation-based training courses (using sophisticated robotics and specially trained “patient” actors) for medical and other professionals within Israel’s formal and informal education and welfare systems. Courses will take place on-site in the northern and southern periphery towns and cities to increase the nation’s capacity for trauma care as the need continues to grow.

Trauma Services for Nova Festival Survivors and their Families | $325,000

SafeHeart Therapy Sessions for Survivors of Nova Festival: Funding will provide 26 weekly individualized therapy sessions for Nova Festival survivors. SafeHeart will also work to connect survivors with certified mental health professionals with understanding in treating trauma of the significance and nature of that experienced at the Nova festival.

Merchav Marpeh (‘Healing Space’): Funding will provide training to professionalize the operations of Healing Space, an emergency mental health facility established during the current war to care for thousands of traumatized young people who attended the Nova Festival. Their unique model offers a holistic, integrative, and community-based approach using yoga, music, art, and nature in conjunction with trained mental health professionals.

HaGal Sheli (‘My Wave’): ‘Tools from the Waves,’ an innovative program of HaGal Sheli, integrates physical activity (surfing) with structured emotional processing to reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress and empower individuals on their journey to healing. Funding will support five groups, totaling 75 young adults.

Trauma Care and Prevention for IDF Soldiers | $300,000

Bshvil HaMachar (‘The Path for Tomorrow’): Bshvil HaMachar helps IDF soldiers overcome combat-related trauma to help them return to normal life. The program includes professionally guided meetings, support-group activities, and ongoing personal support, as needed. Funding will provide 10 combat units (200 soldiers) with interventions for one year.

Economic Resilience

Your generosity has powered Federation to provide an additional $2 million in February 2024 to support economic development and resilience as well as direct community support to Israelis. As the economy suffers from the effects of war – due to the displacement of a quarter of a million people from their homes and businesses – Federation is committed to ensuring Israelis can receive critical financial relief. Visit our website to learn more about our more recent grants.

Jewish Federations of North American Israel Emergency Loan Fund

Funds will provide vital financial support to struggling businesses across Israel, particularly micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises affected by the conflict. With approximately 240,000 displaced individuals and economic disruptions nationwide, the program seeks to offer hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to mitigate liquidity issues. JFNA will leverage its network to coordinate philanthropic investments, partnering with established organizations to distribute funds. This collaborative effort aims to sustain businesses and stimulate economic recovery in affected communities.

Project Horizon

Recovery and Resilience for Israel’s Southern Communities: Funds will assist one or more deeply affected communities over the next 12-18 months. Overall, the program aims to provide immediate and medium-term humanitarian aid, facilitate community transitions, and offer concentrated assistance to the most impacted areas for preservation and recovery. Project Horizon assesses needs weekly and fosters collaboration to find tailored solutions. The recovery plan includes interim housing, mental health, education, and employment support. Led by major Jewish federations and Israeli businesses, the program prioritizes community empowerment, ensuring aid reaches where it’s most essential.

Unique Hardships

Your generosity has powered Federation to provide an additional $2.3 million in June 2024 to support the unique hardships faced by Israelis as a result of the October 7th attack and subsequent war.

Women | $250,000

The Chava Center – Collaboration of Sheba and Barzilai (Ashkelon) Hospitals – for Jewish, Israeli Arab and Bedouin women

Over 180,000 babies are born in Israel each year. Up to 20% of Israeli women suffer from postpartum depression and anxiety disorders – 36,000 new cases each year, of which 9,000 are defined as severe. The Ministry of Health estimates that this number will rise markedly post October 7th, especially in the western Negev region. Left untreated, these mental health challenges have a profound impact on families – testing marriages, elevating divorce rates, and negatively impacting the newborn’s physical and mental development. Maternal mental health is a key element for community wellbeing and strength. Since October 7th, the Center has also been treating new mothers who have been suddenly and shockingly widowed and must readjust to a new reality of caring for an infant on their own. To meet the escalating challenge, Sheba is collaborating with Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon to set up a local outpatient clinic using Sheba’s expertise from their Chava Mental Health Centers located at Sheba Hospital. Governmental sources are offering matching funds. This effort will open a new outpatient Chava Clinic in the Negev with Barzilai Hospital.

Soldiers and Their Families | $1.1M

Alin Beit Noam, Ilanot National Rehabilitation Center

Founded in 1941, Alin Beit Noam is a well-respected NGO dedicated to working with adults with significant physical and developmental disabilities and their families. The organization strives to bring about systemic change within Israeli society by making it more diverse and inclusive for people with disabilities, while changing attitudes of non-disabled individuals towards them. As the Iron Swords War continues, the Ministry of Defense projects that the physically disabled IDF veteran population of 57,000, will grow by 35% to 77,000. The Center aims at creating “reverse integration”, whereby people without disabilities integrate into spaces designed for those with disabilities, encouraging mutual familiarity, understanding and acceptance, changing attitudes and breaking down stereotypes. The 10,000 sq. foot campus is a National Rehabilitation Center that will provide holistic and unique rehabilitative treatment, including: medical clinics, physical and occupational therapy, rooms for individual and group psychological treatment, a semi-Olympic pool, hydrotherapy pool, sports hall, gym, adapted bike paths, and exercise studios – accessible to individuals with all forms of disability. It will also include a culture and leisure complex, as well as a hotel and synagogue.

Bshvil HaMachar (The Path for Tomorrow)

Established in 2009 to relieve IDF combat veterans of the acute emotional and psychological effects of combat-related trauma, Bshvil HaMachar interventional model develops activities set in nature facilitated by mental health professionals to facilitate the processing of combat experiences. Since inception, the organization has impacted 4,000 combat reservists. This round of funding will enable services to be offered to an additional 45 reservists, and over 60 combatants’ family members, helping them to return to productive daily life.

Evacuees | $500,000

JDC – Getting Victims of War Back to Work: Emergency employment initiative

The war in Israel has created an unprecedented strain on personal, family, community, and national resources. The economy is in distress, and the needs of vulnerable people are acute and growing daily. As of January 2024, approximately 280,000 people in Israel were out of the workforce – the highest jump in unemployment since the Covid-19 pandemic. With over 100,000 people still evacuated from their homes and businesses in Israel’s north and south in dire need for workers, Israel’s economy in the major conflict areas is facing a deep and growing crisis. There are significant challenges in supporting the return of evacuees not only to their homes, but to a life of normality and routine. The majority of those currently not able to work are part of the unskilled labor force, without post high school education, and were the “first out” of the job market when the war began. Even before October, they faced barriers to quality employment, with employers preferring those with qualifications and traditional educational backgrounds. These evacuees contend with low incentives to return to work and poor accessibility to good jobs, all the while dealing with personal and community trauma. In the meantime, businesses across these regions are also struggling to find new workers and face the risk of downsizing or even closure.

Partnering with McKinsey & Company, NATAL, the Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center, vocational colleges in the North and South, municipalities, hospitals, kibbutzim, and an array of employers, JDC’s emergency employment initiative, Getting Victims of War Back to Work, connects evacuees and other war affected jobseekers with in-demand jobs in Israel’s north and south, through counselling, trauma relief, vocational training, and guided job placement. This project will fund training and job placement of 1,000 people through 6-9 month training courses; employment rehabilitation for 500 participants; and mobile employment centers for 3,000 participants.
Young Adult Survivors of the Nova Tribe Music Festival and Their Families| $350,000

Nova Community

On October 7th, 3,882 young adults ages 20 – 30 attended the Nova Festival. 364 were brutally murdered that morning, 40 were kidnapped (5 released, thus far) and hundreds were wounded, many of them seriously. All suffered severe emotional and mental trauma. The producers of the festival have created an NGO to help “save lives, prevent severe depression, enable recovery from trauma, accessing services to build resilience, and chart a course of recovery and memorialize those who were murdered.” Founded in Israel in 2021, Nova is both a community and an internationally renowned festival of people who are bound together via a mutual love for music, dance, art, and spiritualism. Plans are to establish a Nova Healing Home, which will be a central hub for social gatherings to help community members remain connected, identify risks, encourage inclusiveness and more.

Merhav Marpeh (Healing Space Rishpon)

Founded in the immediate aftermath of the October 7th massacre, and backed by approved scientific research and methodology, Healing Space employs a holistic approach to repair the body-mind connection ruptured by trauma, and to build resilience. ICRA allocated $100,000 to the Healing Space as part of the round of allocations approved by the board on December 14, 2023. As the demand for Merhav Marpeh’s services has grown to respond to the broad and deep needs, the organization has expanded its services to support numerous additional populations. To-date, the Healing Space has welcomed 3,500 Nova Festival survivors; 120 bereaved families who lost loved ones at the Nova Festival; 1200 special forces and 3,600 police officers.

Youth | $87,000

Sunrise Israel

Sunrise Israel offers a unique 3-week summer camp, free of charge, to children fighting cancer between the ages of 3.5-17. By overcoming logistic problems and challenges that could pose risks, Sunrise has developed an enjoyable experience for children who are undergoing active treatments and has made it possible for them to attend camp. A key element of the program is to offer holistic care to the family, by enabling the siblings to enjoy the programs alongside their siblings facing illness. Children with cancer cannot attend regular camps, as their immune systems are extremely sensitive and standard camps are not medically supervised. The organization has communicated the unique challenges that children with cancer face during the war, especially those displaced. Given their already existing constraints on where they can be and how they can travel, Sunrise points to the added needs of the moment. Further, since the start of the war, children and families whose lives are already upended by medical and emotional turmoil, are dealing with greatly heightened disruption, anxiety and fear. Funds will enable the organization to run the full three weeks.

Neve Michael Children’s Village (Microgrant)

Neve Michael Children’s Village is the only multi-disciplinary children’s home in Israel to offer a wide range of professional services on one site, such as psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, social work, conventional and para-medical therapies and education. Established in 1943, this 7-acre campus in Pardes Hanna is a safe haven for children 5 to 18 years of age who have been removed from their homes by Israel’s Welfare Department due to extreme traumatic circumstances such as family dysfunction or neglect, violence in the home or mental, physical and/or sexual abuse. The interventions at Neve Michael, including therapy and educational support, have proven to be transformative, offering the children a pathway to recovery from their trauma and fostering hope for a brighter, more secure future, thereby attesting to the critical role of these supports in their healing journey. Since October 7th, the psychological and emotional well- being of children who already faced adversities have become more vulnerable. The war and its ramifications trigger or exacerbate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues, bringing to the surface previously experienced traumas or creating new ones. These children struggle with intense fear, anxiety, sadness, and confusion, which significantly hinders their ability to function normally in their daily lives, including their educational pursuits. This funding will provide therapy and educational support for youth at risk.

Operation Embrace: Therapy for Displaced Children (Microgrants)

Operation Embrace has been on the ground assisting injured survivors of terror attacks since 2001. Founded by former community leaders in the Greater Washington Jewish community, the organization points to numerous members of the GW Jewish community among its supporters. For its operations, the massacre of October 7th was unlike any other terror attack. Operation Embrace offers therapeutic programs and basic needs for hundreds of displaced families from kibbutzim along the Gaza border. Children from these kibbutzim suffer acute PTSD and are in need of alternative therapeutic programs to help them cope and reclaim their lost childhood. Children and their families continue to deal with the ongoing horror of their loved ones still being held hostage in Gaza. Many children are being temporarily housed in areas far from major cities such as the families from Kibbutz Be’eri who are now living in a hotel at the Dead Sea.

Operation Embrace’s mobile theater facilitates workshops in the Dead Sea region for the children of Kibbutz Be’eri. Through additional funding, Operation Embrace looks to increase its efforts to provide alternative therapeutic programs for children ages 5-17 in various kibbutzim.

Urgent Needs

Your generosity has powered Federation to provide an additional $900k in August 2024 to support the escalating situation in Israel and the urgency of the needs.

For months, it has been clear that the situation in Northern Israel with Hezbollah had the potential for significant escalation. As this becomes more likely, Federation’s Israel Crisis Relief Allocation Committee has taken a proactive approach and prioritized preparedness for a multi front escalation and emergency relief.​

Poriya Hospital | $600,000

Poriya Hospital is a critically important medical institution located near Tiberias. Poriya serves a diverse Jewish, Muslim, and Christian population in Tiberias, the Golan Heights, Jordan Valley, Lower Galilee, and various Kibbutzim and Moshavim. They also treat the United Nations forces stationed in the Golan Heights and in Southern Lebanon, the headquarters of which is in Tiberias, as well as domestic and foreign tourists visiting the Sea of Galilee and holy sites.

Poriya’s Trauma Unit provided lifesaving (multiple complex surgeries) treatment for Druze citizens from ages 12 to 22 years-old who suffered critical and life-threatening injuries in Hezbollah’s Majdal Shams attack and were airlifted to Poriya Hospital.

According to the Israeli Medical Association, there exists a large disparity between the scope of healthcare services available in Israel’s periphery compared to central Israel. Federation’s $600,000 grant will support the Trauma Unit at Poriya Hospital is vital to ensuring their effective response during the current escalating conflict and beyond.

Ofakim L’Atid | $143,000

Ofakim L’Atid, a well-respected Druze NGO, is organizing an effort to purchase much-needed above-ground cement security shelters to be immediately deployed in Druze towns in northern Israel. The need for such shelters came to light following the tragic loss of life of 12 Druze children on a soccer field in Majdal Shams.

In coordination with the IDF’s Home Front Command and the local Heads of Security in 5 Druze towns in the Galilee and Golan Heights, Ofakim L’Atid has secured 18 Negev Shelters manufactured by and Israeli company, Redimix. The shelters are fully approved by the Home Front Command and, once the funding is received, will be placed in five Druze towns within one-to-two days. Federation’s $143k grant will help provide 11 shelters helping to fill a gap until the Government of Israel can provide additional shelters.

“Galila – for a Better Future” | $75,000

“Galila – for a Better Future” was established by northern residents in 2006 with the aim of improving the quality of life in the northern region, both during peaceful times and security emergencies. Its staff and lay leaders, all Galilee residents, possess a comprehensive understanding of the area’s needs and evolving changes.

Galila is currently focused on addressing the frequent fires caused by Hezbollah attacks that have consumed over 12,500 acres of forests, open fields, agricultural land, and livestock in northern Israel.  While there is an acute shortage of suitable terrain vehicles and fire trucks in this region, their immediate focus is to raise funds to purchase firefighting gear.

Federation’s $75,000 grant to purchase firefighting kits to be given to other high-risk northern communities. Each set contains personal fire protection items (gloves, masks, suits, etc.), and portable firefighting capabilities such as water hoses and valves, fire extinguishing materials, etc.

American Friends of Orr Shalom | $36,000

Immediately following October 7th, a small group of Israeli volunteers, in collaboration with American Friends of Orr Shalom, an organization that provides services for at-risk Israeli youth, organized to provide critically important items to IDF reservists fighting in Gaza and in northern Israel.  While the IDF has sufficient resources to equip active-duty soldiers with the best, most modern equipment available, oftentimes, reservists have been left with older, less effective gear.

Federation’s $36,000 grant will help replenish its G’Mach’s inventory of tents, mattresses, sleeping bags, modern medical kits for medics and field physicians, boots, and more.

Emergency Volunteers Project (EVP) | $25,000

Federation’s $25,000 grant will help immediately deploy 5 Greater Washington Jewish and/or non-Jewish firefighters to Israel for two weeks at a cost of $5,000 per firefighter to cover airfare, insurance, food, inland transportation, and protective gear. Volunteers will assist Israeli crews, who are stretched thin and worn down due to the volume of fires in northern Israel.

Support in the North

As tensions rise in northern Israel, Federation’s Israel Crisis Relief Allocations Committee (ICRA) is focused on addressing emergency preparedness needs in the area in response to the escalation of the war on the northern front.

JDC-ELKA | $300,000

JDC-ELKA is an organization that works closely with the Israeli government, local authorities, regional clusters, non-profit organizations and the business sector in order to promote collaboration across distinct entities working towards common goals. They also focus on strengthening local and regional government systems across Israel.

This funding would support ELKA’s efforts aimed at strengthening Israel’s northern border region. In May 2024, the Government of Israel approved a resolution that will provide significant funding to support rehabilitation and development of Northern Israel; specific uses for those funds will be determined by the end of 2024. ELKA’s primary goal is to establish a regional and local operational mechanism that assists northern municipalities in accessing these funds in an impactful and strategic manner.

Kinneret Valley Northern Cluster | $125,000

The Kinneret Valley Northern Cluster is a union of 15 municipalities, representing approximately 200,000 residents, established with the aim of promoting regional vision and strategic cooperation between local authorities. Since October 7th, they have welcomed an additional 25,000 evacuees from northern Israel into their region. While warmly welcomed, this significant long-term population growth has put strains on the education and welfare systems. ICRA previously provided financial support to supplement educational equipment in temporary schools that have welcomed evacuees. They have identified a need for services for senior citizen (Jewish and Arab), youth and at-risk populations.

The $125,000 will fund workshops and trips for these populations, as well as after-school enrichment programs for over 60 children of Poriya Hospital employees.

Hostages and Missing Families Forum (US Branch) | $150,000

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum (“the Forum”) is a volunteer-based organization focused on bringing Israeli hostages home to their families and loved ones and providing holistic support in various domains, including security, legal, media, and diplomacy. The Forum is leading significant awareness campaigns, in multiple languages, all around the world and providing professional assistance to advance the ongoing legal and diplomatic efforts to bring the hostages home. Federation support will provide resources so they can continue to do this crucial work during this most tenuous moment.

In November, Federation awarded a $300,000 grant to the Forum. As we approach a full year since October 7th, with 101 hostages still in captivity, the ICRA Committee recommends an additional grant to continue supporting efforts to bring all of the hostages home.

Hillel Israel: Stories from Sapir College | $35,000

This microgrant to Hillel Israel would support a delegation of 4 students from Sapir College that will travel to Greater Washington for one week in September 2024 to engage with local campus Hillels and the community. JFGW will be holding an event with them. All participants are from the Gaza envelope region and have impactful personal stories to share. This will be an opportunity for the Sapir students to learn about the U.S. Jewish community and lay the groundwork for future relationship between Hillel Israel and our local area Hillels.

Orr Shalom Gemach | $250,000

As fighting continues and reserve soldiers are released and then reenlisted, equipment for the well-being of IDF reservists urgently needs to be replenished. Working with Israeli volunteers, Orr Shalom has improved the lending system whereby items are borrowed and returned upon the reservists’ release. All items purchased are fully vetted by battalion commanders within each combat unit.

The $250,000 will meet the immediate needs of IDF reservist soldiers in combat along Israel’s northern border.

IDF Disabled Veteran’s Organization | $125,000

As fighting continues and reserve soldiers are released and then reenlisted, equipment for the well-being of IDF reservists urgently needs to be replenished. Working with Israeli volunteers, Orr Shalom has improved the lending system whereby items are borrowed and returned upon the reservists’ release. All items purchased are fully vetted by battalion commanders within each combat unit.

The $250,000 will meet the immediate needs of IDF reservist soldiers in combat along Israel’s northern border.

Tribe of Nova Foundation | $125,000

Immediately following October 7th, more than 500 survivors and bereaved family members from the Nova Festival were drafted to IDF combat service without having had time to process their trauma. Most have served many months in Gaza and/or Lebanon with only brief periods at home. The Nova Foundation has recognized the importance and efficacy of engaging with groups of survivors and family members to allow them to focus and speak about their unique experiences with others who understand their experiences.

The $125,000 will provide this population with resilience and mental health programming, including weekend retreats that focus on healing, treatments and cultural activities; commemorative events for their loved ones; care packages to survivor and bereaved family IDF reservists during their service; full-day jeep trips, and more.

Women and Girls

The Jewish Community Foundation launched the Fund for Women and Girls in June 2023. The Fund is designed to promote social change, and to help shape an equitable world in which all women and girls can thrive. The Fund supports efforts to address immediate obstacles and systemic challenges holding women and girls back from reaching their full potential, domestically and in Israel.

Local leaders on the ground in Israel are continuing to help us understand the urgent challenges women and girls are facing in the aftermath of October 7th and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Specifically, our partners have emphasized the exponential increase in the need for:

• Trauma support services for all women impacted by the war.
• Push back against the spikes in sexual violence and intimate partner violence that occur during times of conflict.
• Resources for displaced women and families and financial support for single heads of households.
• Increased access to decision-making power so that more women can advocate on behalf of their needs and the needs of all women and girls.

In response, the Fund for Women and Girls has made two rounds of grants to support women and girls impacted by the Israel-Hamas war. The inaugural round of grantmaking directed $100,000 to organizations focused on trauma and therapeutic services, relocation support, and aid for single mothers. Our second round of grantmaking provides an additional $100,000 in ongoing support to organizations supporting women’s trauma and mental health needs, as well as to organizations focused on amplifying women’s voices and gaining access to positions of power and influence.

April 2024 Grants Announced:

Women-centered trauma and therapy services: Israel is in a mental health crisis and rates of intimate partner violence spike when a country is at war, making the work of the following centers that much more urgent.

Counseling Center for Women (CCW) | $20,000: Counseling Center for Women (CCW) is a therapy center run by women for women. It has a staff of 25 clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, and psychiatrists that treats more than 300 women each week according to women’s unique emotional and psychological needs. CCW is currently training other agencies in feminist therapy, contributing to Israel’s ability to cope with nationwide trauma. This general operating grant builds on our initial grant of $15,000 to expand their work and serve the growing number of women and girls seeking services.

Tahel Crisis Center for Religious Women and Children | $20,000: Tahel Crisis Center helps victims of abuse and their families overcome crisis; prevents further abuse by providing educational training; increases the awareness of abuse and domestic violence within the religious community; develops and implements “safety” programs and protocols for communities and institutions; and lowers the incidence of PTSD by providing post-trauma workshops. This general operating grant provides critical funds so that Tahel can care for an increasing number of women and girls who are seeking services to due the impact of the war and often unable to seek services through broader organizations

Building women’s power and influence: The gender gap when it comes to positions of political power in Israel is at an all-time high (Van Leer Jerusalem Institute puts it at 61%), which means women are not receiving adequate representation when they need it most.

We Power | $30,000: We Power promotes women’s leadership within all tiers of Israel society, increases awareness of gender inequality, and brings about social change to advance a more equitable civic society. We Power, which consults the U.N. on women’s leadership, recognizes that women in positions of power promote more balanced decision-making processes and allocate resources in a more equitable manner that better address women’s needs and concerns. This general operating grant will support We Power’s work to ensure that women have decision making power in Israel’s future.

Itach Ma’aki | $30,000: Known as Women Lawyers for Social Justice, Itach Ma’aki empowers women subjected to social, geographic, national, ethnic, and economic discrimination in Israeli society. Itach Ma’aki provides free legal aid and representation for women in need, promotes discourse about gender within Israel’s diverse communities, promotes female leadership, and advocates for important legal and legislative policies. This general operating grant supports Itach Ma’aki’s work to ensure that women have a seat at local decision-making tables.

Inaugural Grants | December 2023:

The Fund for Women and Girls focused its inaugural grantmaking on three urgent and unique needs: trauma and therapeutic services, relocation support, and aid for single mothers.

Women-Centered Crisis Response and Relocation Services

Bonot Alternativa | $25,000: Funding will provide support for emergency operations and centers, which is leveraging over 100,000 volunteers and deploy their team to provide treatments (e.g., psychologists, speech therapists, physical therapists, etc.) to services such as laundry and babysitting, as required. The first Bonot emergency communal center is up-and-running in Eilat where scores of families from Sderot and the surrounding kibbutzim are in hotels and empty flats. They plan to open 8 more centers.

Eden Association | $25,000: Funding will support the Eden Association’s ability to maintain psychological and trauma services for the 60 displaced young women (ages 12-18) who were evacuated from the Eden School in Kibbutz Karmiya (which is in the Gaza Envelope 3 km from the border) while simultaneously rebuilding the structures that were destroyed by missiles during the attack.

Women-Centered Trauma and Therapy Services

Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (ARCCI) | $15,000: The October 7th attack has created trauma for survivors and victims that is resulting in huge increases in outreach and need for services. This grant would help the ARCCI and nine regional Rape Crisis Centers (RCCs), the only centers in Israel whose main aim is to combat sexual violence, meet that need. The RCCs provide services, including hotlines, support groups, workplace education, help through the legal process, and counseling for victims of sexual violence.

Counseling Center for Women | $15,000: Funding will provide psychotherapy to community members impacted by the October 7th attack, including survivors of the music festival; citizens from the South who were able to escape the Hamas attack; evacuees; families who lost close relatives; journalists, social workers and other psychotherapists experiencing 2nd degree trauma; and others. The Center is also helping evacuees via support groups for single mothers, English-speaking Israeli women, women volunteering in emergency relief initiatives, and women with family members in the armed forces, among others.
Social Services and Financial Support for Single Mothers

Ruach-Nashit (Women’s Spirit) | $20,000: Ruach-Nashit helps victims of violence find employment and establish financial independence so that they can escape from situations of poverty and risk. Funding will support three social workers and help purchase computers for the organization’s southern branch. Their staff in the south have been overwhelmed with an increased flow of physical and psychological requests as well as growing needs from their participants, women survivors of abuse, many of them living in the cities that were infiltrated by terrorists.

Federation is continually identifying and evaluating the needs in coordination with the national federation system of 146 colleague organizations. Our Israeli staff is part of the Forum of Community Representatives that determines needs in coordination with NGOs, government offices, and the IDF.

Thank you to the Israel Crisis Relief Allocations Committee and the Fund for Women and Girls Emergency Grantmaking Committee for their dedication to helping those in need during this crisis.

Israel Crisis Relief Committee Members: Chair: Michael Friedman. Committee Members: William Kreisberg, Daniel Raskas, David Selden, Kevin Fishkind, Jillian Copeland, Liza Levy, Shary Levitt, Sophie Buslik, Zach Friedlis, Toby Frank.

Fund for Women and Girls Emergency Grantmaking Committee Members: Rachel Faulkner, Beth Swibel, Meryl Rosenberg, Lisa Benjamin, Stuart Kurlander, Marla Schulman, Amy Schwartz, Emily Berman, Jennifer Snyder.