Israel

Magen

May 31, 2019 by

Of the more than 150,000 Ethiopians currently residing in Israel, more than 50% live below the poverty line. Included in these numbers are thousands of teens who arrived as babies or young children and hold no memories of their place of birth.

Dr. Stu Chesner, a clinical psychologist who has had far-reaching impact on the treatment of at-risk children in Israel, worked in the “system” for many years and became familiar with the struggles of these at-risk teens. He founded Magen to guide these teens as they mature and become productive adults by providing a holistic approach to academic, emotional and social intelligence. Included in this approach are activities to help them understand their heritage and culture.

Our funds are used for administrative expenses.

Kaima Hukuk

July 19, 2018 by

When you visit Kaima Hukuk on the shores of the Kinneret you quickly understand the isolation of this part of the country. That isolation means scarce resources for young people who have struggled to fit into more traditional classrooms. It was for this population that Efrat Noy, along with several educators and social workers, created Kaima Hukuk. Their alternative classroom attracts kids between the ages of 14- 21.

Many teens who cannot be recruited to the IDF come from similar backgrounds as the young Kaima farmers. Working with a program that facilitates national service activities, Hukuk’s empowering environment lets them fulfill this requirement as they flourish and set an example for younger participants. Our funds are directed to the construction of a packing house where young farmers assemble the CSA packages.

Nivcharot: Haredi Women’s Movement

July 13, 2017 by

It all began with a Facebook campaign. Frustrated by the lack of women’s representation in the Israeli government’s religious parties, Esty Shushan discovered she was not alone and founded Nivcharot (No Voice – No Vote), the first and only organization of its kind in Israel. Nivcharot’s advocacy training and leadership seminars encourage Haredi women to “find their voice” in public, social and political life. As one participant shares, “I want to be a part of a people, a community…I also acquired a community of women like me, who aspire to do good in their sector and beyond.”

Nivcharot raises awareness and allows for open conversations on once-taboo topics such as divorce, birth control and arranged marriage. Despite an ever-changing government and Covid, Esty and the women she has inspired continue to be a driving force for change.

Our funds help underwrite the cost of the women’s symposium.

Achlah – The Heyanut Center

June 27, 2017 by

“I strive to put myself in someone else’s shoes and to see every human being as a whole. … It is important for every person, regardless of their disabilities, to live a full life in the community, together with all of us.”

For more than 10 years Johanan Flusser worked in a school that catered to kids with serious mental challenges. There, he saw the complex problems these kids and their families faced — including being caught in a system bogged down by bureaucracy, insensitivity, and frequent misdiagnosis. After seeing the downward spiral this often caused, Johanan started Achlah-The Heyanut Center, the only multi-disciplinary institution in Israel that provides hope and solutions to families in crisis, especially those with special needs children. Johanan and his team work without bureaucracy to provide personal assessment and guidance, directing each child and family to suitable resources and a better quality of life.

Our funds underwrite the program’s modest administrative expenses.

Necha Malka

August 26, 2014 by

In Israel, Shira Gilor, a resident of Hashmonaim, thought she knew her neighbors well until the day she was approached by a local mother. The woman confided that she did not have enough food for her children. Quietly, Shira delivered a package to the family, an event which became a personal turning point, as she pondered the food waste she witnessed around her.

Shira knew that this woman’s situation was not an exception, and so began her grassroots, neighborhood operation to secure food and discreetly feed her hungry neighbors. Necha Malka (named for the mother of a generous community member who wanted to help Shira) serves 24 families vetted by local social workers.

Volunteers facilitate the work and supermarket scrip (which we help underwrite) makes possible the purchase of any food that is not donated.

Pesia’s Kitchen

October 28, 2013 by

Back in the 1920’s, Safta (Grandmother) Pesia was a legend in her hometown of Volozhyn, Poland. Home to a famous yeshiva, the village had more than its fair share of hungry people, and nothing gave Pesia greater pleasure than providing nourishing food to those who needed it.

Many decades later, two grandchildren of Pesia, cousins Gideon Ben Ami and Pnina Raphael, are doing the exact same thing in Tel Aviv and beyond (and are even assisted by some of Pesia’s great-grandchildren). As Gideon often remarks, “It is a human right to have access to healthy food.” To help make that possible, Pesia’s Kitchen feeds nearly a thousand people daily. Since 2012, nearly 2000 tons of perfectly good food (including fresh produce) rescued from local sources has reached Holocaust survivors, refugees, survivors of domestic violence, homeless shelters — anyone who is hungry.

Our funds are used to underwrite administrative expenses.