Dear Yahel Israel Community,
As we all continue to grieve and process the recent devastating events in Israel, we would like to provide you with an update regarding Yahel’s emergency response. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, our Emergency Relief Fund has now raised over 160,000 NIS. We are proud to be able to channel these funds to support grassroots initiatives through our trusted partners across Israel. Together, we are making a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by recent events.
1) Supporting Affected Families in Rahat: Our partners in the Bedouin community of Rahat have been working tirelessly to support the families affected by the events on October 7th. Yesterday, they delivered food and activity kits to a family that lost their son in the village of Um-Namila. Today, there is a project planned for Jews and Arabs to come together to pack additional food packages for families from the Gaza Envelope towns and for Bedouin families who have lost loved ones.
2) Aiding Communities in Lod and Ramat Eliyahu: In Lod, we have sent additional funds to Patisserie Lilly to aid their ongoing efforts to provide food to soldiers and others in need. In Ramat Eliyahu, we have assisted the welfare office in purchasing games and activity kits for children from welfare families. This support is crucial, especially considering the absence of school and afterschool programs, coupled with the ongoing rocket attacks on Rishon. Work in both of these cities has seen the tireless commitment of our partners’ staff and volunteers in helping the most vulnerable families.
3) Supporting Asylum-Seeker Communities: Our assistance also extends to the asylum-seeker community in South Tel Aviv. In partnership with Elifelet, aid has been provided to 80 families who are in immediate need of baby formula and diapers. Additionally, our longstanding partner in Lod, Tesfa, has reached out to us for help in supporting asylum-seeker families in their area.
4) Impact of recent funds in Kfar Aza and Ofakim: We would also like to take this opportunity to highlight the impact of the funds we sent earlier this week. In Kfar Aza, the funds were allocated to two families who suffered tragic losses in the attacks on October 7th. In Ofakim, the funds helped feed 10 families who were victims of the recent violence.
