Programs Archive - Page 7 of 13 - The Good People Fund

Roni’s Neighbors

For Roni Lee, helping the more than 200,000 other elderly Israelis living alone became her life’s passion. Together with Matan Asulin they created Heart to Plate (in 2021) which has now become Roni’s Neighbors after Roni’s tragic death at the age of 28. Roni had been reorganizing this work to address the epidemic of loneliness that plagues the country’s elder population. The new multi-faceted program will offer numerous programs, utilize technology and advocacy and ultimately, change the face of aging in Israel.

Our funds are directed to administrative expenses.

Fighting Online Antisemitism

Over the past 5-6 years antisemitism and cyberhate have gained even greater ground around the world. Tomer Aldubi, founder, later joined by attorney, Nir Kaplan, began Fighting Online Antisemitism (FOA) only two years ago. FOA has more than 200 trained volunteers across the globe who monitor seven leading social media platforms, reporting hateful content to those platforms and raising awareness of the phenomena of cyberhate among the general public (through educational workshops and webinars).

Our grant is used to help expand the volunteer corps, as well as for administrative expenses.

My Child’s Cancer

A cancer diagnosis is devastating to anyone, but when it is your child, the grief and confusion can be overwhelming. For Oded Grinstein and his wife, then living in Israel, there was one overarching goal — to find the best possible medical care for their nine-month-old daughter. Their exhaustive research led them to a major cancer center in the U.S. where a doctor with many years of experience with this specific type of rare cancer successfully treated the child. The Grinstein’s journey inspired them to create My Child’s Cancer which provides access to research, advocacy and support to families who are embarking on this journey.

Our grant was directed to funding expert opinions on neuroblastoma cases.

Al-Baqour

Al-Baqour, appropriately translated as” first fruits” was started by Shlomit Somech-Lehmann, an Israeli social worker and activist, and Dr. Foad El Sana, a Bedouin pediatrician. Each, through their respective work, recognized that Bedouin children and their parents do not receive sufficient support through traditional Israeli government programs resulting in critical developmental delays. To address this serious deficiency, they began Al-Baqour which runs programs for parents and toddlers including small lending libraries in Family Health Centers where young children can access books and parents are taught the importance of reading to their children. In addition, Bedouin women are trained in techniques like story-telling, music and movement.

Our grant is directed to their music and movement program.

People of the Book

A fluent Arabic speaker and former journalist, Rabbi Elhanan Miller saw that many Muslims he knew didn’t have a clear understanding of Jewish practices and beliefs. What better way to effect mutual understanding and friendship between people in the Middle East with different religious and cultural backgrounds than education? People of the Book uses short animated videos that explain Jewish faith and ritual in Arabic and compare them to similar Muslim practices. The success of Rabbi Miller’s approach is best found in the tens of thousands of subscribers who access the People of the Book social media channels. Our funds are used for website development and administrative expenses.

ZA’AKAH

Asher Lovy grew up in the insular Haredi community of Borough Park, Brooklyn, and was sexually, physically and mentally abused by his mother.

The silence within that community – where discussion of such aggressions was neither welcome nor acknowledged – was unbearable. “I needed to go out and yell about it,” says Asher, who now heads ZA’AKAH (Hebrew for “outcry”) to advocate for survivors of child sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community.

ZA’AKAH raises awareness of child sexual abuse, creates channels to address it and support survivors … and seeks to break the silence. A volunteer-based Shabbos and Yom Tov hotline provides peer-to-peer support, for example, and the organization helped pass the landmark Child Victims Acts in New York and New Jersey to give survivors a path to justice. Our funds cover administrative expenses.