As we closely follow the evolving situation in Israel, our Toronto Jewish community is continuing to make a powerful contribution to the resilience and strength of the people of Israel.
In the wake of October 7th, nearly 15,000 families donated to UJA’s Emergency Appeal for the People of Israel. To update you on the impact of your giving, we are pleased to share details on UJA’s latest grants to our partners in Israel.
UJA has recently allocated $33,523,500 in emergency grants to critical projects in Israel. This builds on the $26,572,350 in previous emergency grants post-October 7th. For transparency, we have provided below a full list of our latest round of allocations.
While there are many ways to help, we take our responsibility to dedicate donor dollars to make the greatest possible impact for those in need seriously. This is why our strategy is based on two core principles.
First, our partner NGOs and communities in Israel have made it clear that, on the long road to recovery, they need Toronto’s support every step of the way. Our multi-stage approach began with trauma, first responder, and evacuee needs last fall. We have since transitioned to mid- and long-term needs. At this stage, our focus is resilience, enabling residents to thrive when conditions allow them to return home, and building forward better when it comes to these devastated border communities.
Second, we take a deliberate approach to uniting our partner NGOs to work in sync and secure funding partners who contribute matching dollars. This collaborative strategy enables us to stretch our charitable dollars and make an even greater impact as a community.
Our latest emergency grants, including matching dollars from partner funders, include:
-
A fund supporting the long-term recovery and rehabilitation of Sderot. $20 million (via the Sderot Foundation, with an extraordinary $1.8 billion in additional matching funds secured through partners) for crucial initiatives over the next six to seven years in the areas of education, mental health, community resilience, and leadership development. Our partners are advancing a comprehensive plan to help residents return to the city and surrounding communities to build a stronger regional future. Given the magnitude of this investment, UJA’s Israel & Overseas Committee will retain control over the fund and strategically select initiatives to support, enabling us to steward donor dollars and ensure we make an outsized impact in the years ahead.
-
Building the next generation of leaders who will revitalize southern Israel. $4.1 million (via MAOZ South and $4.95 million of additional matching funds through partners) to train 500 leaders who will spearhead 45 of the most important initiatives to strengthen the south and its economy over the next three years. The quality of civil society leaders at the forefront of southern Israel’s recovery will be vital to making the entire country stronger than it was before October 7th. With this critical grant, the south will benefit from high-quality local leaders who will drive the region’s rehabilitation.
-
Establishing a regional data centre for the Western Negev municipalities. $2.38 million (via the Western Negev Cluster, with $3.99 million in additional matching funds through partners) for a five-year plan to build a data centre, which will provide the 11 municipalities of the Western Negev Cluster with shared data collection and database management. This research—and the insights it provides—is critical for helping regional leaders best understand the evolving needs of residents after October 7th, strengthening local services for 300,000 residents, and putting in place policies and initiatives that will help the Western Negev recover and flourish.
-
Helping victims of war get back to work. $2 million (via the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee [JDC], with $11.7 million in additional matching funds through partners) for services to assist 1,000 evacuees and other victims of war, 450 newly disabled Israelis, and 250 other clients in eight communities. The majority of those currently not able to work do not have a post-secondary education and were among the first to lose their jobs when the war began. JDC’s emergency employment initiative, Getting Victims of War Back to Work, connects vulnerable evacuees and other war-affected job seekers with jobs in Israel's north and south through counselling, trauma relief, training, and guided job placement. It also assists local economies to build back their strength, which will help Israel’s south as it recovers.
-
Higher-quality services through the Tkuma (“Revival”) Administration, to rebuild and strengthen the Gaza border communities. $1.03 million (via the JDC, with $2.84 million in additional matching funds through partners) to improve services for 100,000 residents. As massive investments are poured into the Gaza border communities to rebuild and renew these areas, local authorities need more support to meet the increased workload. This investment will provide a blueprint for the recovery and development work and help local authorities manage the process for revitalizing these communities. This includes but is not limited to supporting the recruitment process for key staff who will enable new public construction, while also meeting the need for more local teachers and mental health professionals.
-
Establishing a training centre and laboratory for educational innovation and regional educational entrepreneurship. $1.17 million (via the Western Negev Cluster, with $566,000 in additional matching funds through other partners) over the next three years to establish a training centre to help transform education in the 11 municipalities of the Western Negev Cluster. The centre will enable training, support, and build a strong network of 6,000 teachers from 185 schools in the region, ensuring schools are better positioned to serve the vulnerable students of the region.
-
Emergency preparedness for the communities of northern Israel. $1 million (via the JDC, with $13 million in additional matching funds through other partners) for preparedness measures to support Israel’s northern communities amid mass displacement and the ongoing threat from Hezbollah. In partnership with UJA, JDC’s plan includes a two-stage approach that will be rolled out in 16 northern municipalities. It offers immediate community outreach to establish personal connections and distribute emergency kits, followed by direct assistance in case of an escalation, with flexible funding for local authorities to swiftly address specific needs. This proactive plan will elevate the preparedness of the region’s most vulnerable—including older adults, people with disabilities, and at-risk families—at this difficult and unpredictable time.
-
Establishing nine new student villages in the Western Negev. $900,000 (via Kedma, with $7.98 million in additional matching funds through partners) for a three-year allocation to attract and retain young adults and families who will help revitalize the region. Kedma offers hundreds of young Israelis a unique opportunity to live on and contribute to the development of Israel and its border communities. These new student villages will serve thousands of residents in these hard-hit areas, helping them to heal and recover.
-
Building a better future for the youth of Sderot through City at the Centre Sderot 2.0. $750,000 (in partnership with the Rashi Foundation, being matched by an additional $4.5 million through other partners) to build on the past success of the City at the Center for which UJA collaborated with the Rashi Foundation and Sderot Municipality. This initiative supports local services in early childhood development, English as a spoken language, vocational training, economic development, and meaningful education for teens. In the 2.0 version of the program, we will help develop much-needed adaptations and new practices in all the mentioned areas of work, so the children and youth of Sderot can recover and overcome their trauma and emerge stronger than ever.
-
Building capacity to maximize the impact of the Emergency Appeal for the People of Israel. $200,000 (via UJA Israel & Overseas) to support measurement and evaluation of the impact of Israel emergency fund allocations—and enabling more effective and impactful Israel emergency allocations in the future—as well as enhanced operational and logistical support for UJA’s presence in the region.
Click here for the complete list of our Israel emergency allocations since October 7th.
Thank you to everyone who generously donated to the Emergency Appeal for the People of Israel. We are only able to make a meaningful and enduring impact thanks to our incredibly caring community.
We also want to express a special thank you to the volunteer and professional leadership of UJA’s Israel & Overseas Committee, co-chaired by Adir Koschitzky and Berry Meyerowitz. The Committee’s exceptional dedication of time, thought, and expertise is enabling our community to make an unparalleled impact in Israel, for which we are grateful.
As we continue to monitor our investments and the changing needs on the ground, we will keep you updated about our grants and the difference we are making together.
When we wrote to you last October, I’m not sure any of us predicted that Israelis would still be in the midst of this crisis a year later, let alone facing attacks on seven different fronts. We remain awed by the heroism, strength, and resilience of the people of Israel.
And we pray that Israelis will finally know the security, peace, and healing they deserve—and the unconditional return of every hostage to their loved ones.
Am Yisrael Chai,
|
Jeff Rosenthal
Chair of the Board
|
|
|
Adam Minsky
President & CEO
|
|
|