Tag: crisis response

As you’re no doubt following in the news and through your personal networks, Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones into civilian areas across Israel in response to Israel’s efforts to degrade Iran’s nuclear capabilities. More than a dozen civilians have been killed, including children, with hundreds more injured across multiple cities. Israelis are living under constant threat and Jews around the world are watching with worry and solidarity.

What sets Iran’s attack apart is the scale and the intent, aimed at civilians rather than military targets. Israel remains focused, strategic, and aiming its attacks squarely at neutralizing immediate and long-term threats.

Even as the situation continues to unfold, one truth is clear: Israelis are once again under fire. And once again, our community is ready to respond.

Our Onward Israel participants—13 young adults from Greater Washington—have been in Israel since June 4. Following the attacks, they were moved from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea for safety. Federation staff have been in touch with them directly, offering support, care, and connection. We are proud of their resilience and maturity in facing this moment.

Federation’s Role: Strategic, Informed, Impactful

We are in close contact with our partners on the ground in Israel and monitoring real-time updates from our Israel Office Director, who is actively guiding our response—even while navigating their own safety during attacks.

Our investments over the past two years continue to play a critical role in supporting Israelis as they respond to the new challenges being faced. Trauma response systems and municipal partnerships are operating as intended, reflecting the resilience those investments were designed to build. That said, public shelter needs are significant, and our partners—the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)—are well-positioned to respond if additional support is needed.

Thanks to our long-term work in Israel, which strengthens education, community development, and civil institutions, and the rapid-response infrastructure of our Israel Crisis Response Allocation (ICRA), we can respond quickly, responsibly, and in partnership.

One of our newest grantees, Kinneret Valley Cluster (KVC), a regional coalition, is working around the clock in 15 communities in the North of Israel. Its CEO, Dror Lalush, is meeting with regional mayors and other executives to understand needs throughout the region. In a recent conversation, Dror expressed deep gratitude for the Federation-funded shelter that is currently enabling his staff to continue operating safely from their headquarters.

This moment underscores the value of having strong, trusted partnerships already in place before a crisis begins.

What’s Next?

We are tracking developments in real-time. As new needs surface, we’ll continue to share updates from our Israel Office and other partners. For those looking for a trusted way to support Israel right now, we are here and committed to meaningful, coordinated impact.

In moments like this, the Federation’s strength is your strength. Together, we stand committed—with resolve, resilience, and with an enduring bond between our community and the people of Israel.

Burned tents. Twisted metal. Scorched earth and scattered shoes.

That’s what visitors will see when the Nova Music Festival Exhibition opens in Washington, DC—a raw, immersive experience that brings the events of October 7 into sharp, unflinching focus.

Hundreds of young people were dancing under the stars at a peace festival. By morning, 378 were murdered. Others were injured, kidnapped, or left to carry unbearable memories. The exhibition tells that story—using the very objects left behind.

Why Here, Why Now

This city doesn’t just shape laws—it shapes narratives. And those narratives are still under attack.

Nearly two years after the October 7 massacre, Jewish students continue to face harassment for wearing a Magen David. On Wednesday, May 21, two Israeli Embassy workers were shot and killed outside of the Capital Jewish Museum.

Posters of kidnapped Israelis are still being torn down in local neighborhoods. And there are still people—some in public leadership—who question whether the attacks happened the way survivors describe them.

Bringing the Nova Exhibition to Washington isn’t just about remembrance. It’s about truth. It’s about urgency. And it’s about making space—for people to see what happened, sit with it, and decide what kind of world they want to build in response.

A Space to Witness and Understand

The exhibition goes beyond explanation—it brings people inside the experience. Through survivor testimony, personal artifacts, and immersive design, visitors move through the joy of the festival, the terror of the attack, and the heartbreak left in its wake.

It’s hard. It’s raw. And it’s necessary.

Because in a time when facts are debated and grief is politicized, bearing witness becomes a moral act.

But this is also a place for connection—for shared grief, honest dialogue, and the strength that comes from seeing one another fully.

What’s Ahead

Federation is proud to help bring the Nova Exhibition to Washington—together with partners here and in Israel. This is a space for truth-telling, healing, and solidarity—not just for the Jewish community, but for anyone who believes in dignity and human rights.

Ticket sales are now open at novaexhibition.com. Learn more, share this story, and come experience this powerful exhibition for yourself.

This isn’t just about what happened. It’s about what we choose to do now.

Photo credit: novaexhibition.com

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.

On April 3, Federation welcomed Professor Itzik Kreiss, Director General of Sheba Medical Center, to Greater Washington to discuss our ongoing partnership and Sheba’s response since October 7.

As the largest recipient of funding from Federation’s Israel Crisis Relief Fund, Sheba has played a critical role in caring for those affected by October 7 and its aftermath, from treating casualties and returning hostages to helping people cope with trauma.

Federation’s support has also helped Sheba expand Israel’s capacity to provide trauma and mental health care for the long term.

Intensive Mental Health Training

Two-week intensive courses help experienced psychologists and social workers strengthen their expertise in trauma care. Participants commit to at least one year of work in a public mental health clinic in northern or southern Israel, helping bring specialized care to communities where it is needed most.

Medical Simulation Training

Sheba is using its expertise in simulation-based medical education to train medical, education, and social-service professionals in communities across northern and southern Israel. By bringing this training directly to communities, Sheba is helping expand the country’s capacity to respond to trauma as needs continue to evolve.

But the work is about more than treatment and training. Professor Kreiss spoke about helping people imagine “the day after”: how individuals, families, and communities can begin to recover, rebuild, and look toward the future.

That same idea extends across Federation’s response in Israel. Support from Greater Washington has helped provide trauma and mental health care, assistance to displaced families, economic recovery, and other critical services while building capacity for the years ahead.

Your support helps Federation strengthen communities, care for people in times of crisis, and build a resilient Jewish future.

The Jewish Women’s Collective Response Fund, a new effort led by the Hadassah Foundation and Elluminate, is awarding grants of $25,000 each to support, elevate and empower Israeli women in the aftermath of October 7th.

The Fund — representing the commitment of a total 11 Jewish women’s organizations throughout the country — was created by The Hadassah Foundation and Elluminate to support Israeli nonprofits actively and effectively working to give voice to women and advance equality in government and civil society as Israelis reprioritize and rebuild during and after wartime.

The five Israeli organizations receiving grants, each for $25,000, are:

• The Adva Center, based in Tel Aviv, advances equality, social justice and gender-responsive policies in Israel, including giving voice in the Israeli government to women at a time when they are often excluded from decision-making.
• Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, based in Jerusalem, raises awareness within Israeli communities and government of gender-based sexual violence and harassment; provides support, resources and advocacy for survivors; and leads calls internationally for accountability for the sexual terrorism committed against Israeli women on Oct. 7.
• Itach Ma’aki – Women Lawyers for Social Justice, based in Tel Aviv, empowers and gives voice to Israeli women facing social, geographic, national, ethnic and economic discrimination by providing legal aid, engaging with activist groups and other allies, and identifying and promoting changes in national policy and legislation.
• The Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center, based at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, promotes the status and rights of women in matters of family law and works to end gender discrimination and inequality in Israel through advocacy and legislative change.
• WePower, based in Azor, works to elevate women to influential and decision-making positions in Israel, focusing on erasing the gender gap in public and political arenas by identifying potential female leaders and training them for leadership positions, promoting gender-aware legislation to remove barriers, and advancing gender equality as a societal foundation.

All five are current or recent grant recipients of the Hadassah Foundation.

“We believe that women have and are bearing the brunt of this war, in multiple respects, revealing both specific and broad inequalities and challenges in familial, social, economic and civic spheres,” said Audrey Weiner, Chair of The Hadassah Foundation.

“These five grantee organizations have been and will continue to be on the forefront of changing the status quo for women and girls in Israel at a time when their voices and place in government and society are no less than crucial to the country’s reemergence from October 7th.”

In addition to Elluminate and The Hadassah Foundation contributing partners include the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago; the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh; the Women’s Amutot Initiative of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation; National Council of Jewish Women; Propel – The Jewish Women’s Fund (San Francisco); The Fund for Women and Girls at the Jewish Community Foundation of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington; The Miriam Fund (Boston); Women of Vision of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia; and Women of Reform Judaism.

The collaborative fund represents the second time the Hadassah Foundation has convened Jewish women’s funds to provide emergency support for Israeli women’s needs. In 2020, in response to the Covid pandemic and resulting increase in domestic violence, it brought together four other women’s funds to provide financial resources to three Israeli nonprofit organizations that support survivors of domestic violence.

“Out of the darkness of October 7th came a real opportunity for leading Jewish women’s organizations to come together in the moment and to meet the moment,” said Stephanie Garry, President of Elluminate.

“We saw not only an opportunity to step out of our individual silos, but most importantly the imperative to do so, and create a collaborative paradigm of what women’s leadership can and should be to meet outstanding needs, work for permanent change, and unleash the visionary and philanthropic power of our collective community.”

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Federation remains closely attuned to updates from the region and deeply committed to meeting the critical needs of Ukraine’s more than 200,000 Jews.

Current and Future Needs in Ukraine

A year into the crisis, Jews from Ukraine need us more than ever. The country is in the midst of a bitter winter, and temperatures frequently drop below freezing. Escalating violence has damaged Ukraine’s electricity and heating infrastructure, leaving many without light or warmth. As a result, Ukraine’s Jewish community faces daunting winter-related challenges on top of economic decline.

To meet these urgent needs, Federation and our global partners are working around the clock to provide:

• Winter survival aid to 22,000+ individuals—wood, coal, canned and dehydrated food, utility subsidies, heaters, warm clothes, blankets, sub-zero sleeping bags, and electric bedding.
• Conversion of JDC Hesed social service centers and community centers into warming hubs equipped with generators.
• Expansion of JOINTECH—JDC’s remote care and online community program—providing technology-driven trauma support and critical services.
• Resettlement support for Jewish refugees in Europe, including food, medicine, housing, trauma care, scholarships, and workforce training.
• Healthcare support for non-Jewish populations in Ukraine and refugees, including hospital aid and telemedicine equipment.

Our Collective Impact

Thanks to your generosity, Federation’s Ukraine Emergency Fund and Federations across North America have raised $73 million to date. These funds are being leveraged to create matching grants to local Jewish Federations, helping social service organizations expand capacity for displaced Ukrainians in their communities.

In the first year of response, your support helped:

• Deliver lifesaving services—food, medicine, and homecare—to more than 43,000 Jews in Ukraine, including poor, elderly, and newly impoverished individuals.
• Distribute over 800 tons of humanitarian aid.
• Evacuate over 13,000 Jews from Ukraine, including 170 urgent medical evacuations.
• Provide winter survival aid to tens of thousands, including heating subsidies and fuel supplies.
• Support over 40,000 Ukrainian refugees at border crossings through food, shelter, medical assistance, and guidance.
• Answer more than 67,600 emergency calls via hotlines.
• Provide nonsectarian medical and psychosocial care to 20,000 Ukrainian refugees and supply hospitals with vital medical devices and training.

On the Ground: Gil Preuss Represents Greater Washington

In March 2022, Federation CEO Gil Preuss joined one of the first Jewish Federations of North America humanitarian missions to Poland and Ukraine’s border. He brought donated supplies, met volunteers and refugees—mostly women, children, and the elderly—and shared updates through Twitter and video messages.

Gratitude for Our Global Partners

We are grateful to our global partners—the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Jewish Agency for Israel, and World ORT—for their tireless work caring for those impacted by the crisis.

Thanks to you, we’re making a difference. And with your continued support, we will help Ukraine’s Jewish community survive, recover, and rebuild.