Following the murderous Hamas attack on Israeli communities and IDF bases in Israel’s south on October 7, 2023, the State of Israel was plunged into one of the most difficult periods in its history, facing unprecedented challenges in the areas of security, economy and morale. Upon hearing of the magnitude of the onslaught, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation immediately took steps to assist the State of Israel and its residents by providing support to rescue and relief organizations, as well as to graduates of its leadership programs, who have been working tirelessly to meet the needs of the hour.
So far, the Foundation has granted more than $2.5 million to support the Israeli non-profit organizations and soldiers of the IDF, with an emphasis on the communities surrounding Gaza. The donations were made within a few days of the outbreak of the war, and their impact is already evident on the ground.
Main contributions included:
- Association for the Advancement of Community Centers in Israel – A grant of $520,000 was awarded to community centers for crisis support and activities to strengthen local communities. The funding was allocated for centers within immediate missile range, centers servicing the Bedouin community and centers outside of the South that are hosting evacuees. Funds will also be used so that community centers can provide families with games and leisure kits, laptops or tablets for online schooling, and educational activity packages for evacuees at hotels.
- Youth Movements and Pre-Military Academies – The Council of Youth Movements in Israel, Council of Youth Organizations in Israel and Council of Pre-Military Academies received a total of $400,000 to help mobilize members of youth movements and youth organizations and students at pre-military academies to support affected families and communities. The funding will support visits to the wounded in hospitals or at home; assistance to evacuees, bereaved families, and families of abductees; and activities for children and elderly people whose day centers have been closed.
- NATAL Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center – NATAL, which provides support to victims of trauma due to terror and war in Israel, received a grant of $360,000 for recruiting new volunteers for their phone assistance line and providing long-term psychological treatment to trauma victims.
- Friends of Magen David Adom – Magen David Adom (MDA), the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, was awarded $300,000 for first aid equipment.
- ERAN Emotional First Aid – ERAN, a nonprofit organization that offers initial response and emotional support on the phone and online, received a grant of $200,000 for recruiting new volunteers to serve as first responders on their emergency hotlines.
- ELEM Youth in Distress – The risk to youth in distress in times of war is exponentially greater than it is to other youth. ELEM, an organization dedicated to treating vulnerable and troubled youth, received a grant of $130,000 to bolster its teams and reinforce its online chat services.
- Yedidim – Yedidim, a non-profit organization dedicated to emergency roadside assistance, was allocated $100,000 to provide soldiers on the front with essential equipment such as portable phone chargers, utility tools, flashlights, and digital watches, which were distributed by its network of volunteers.
- Eilat Foundation – Many of the refugees from the Gaza border areas were evacuated to Eilat. The Mandel Foundation allocated the Eilat Foundation $100,000 to provide these evacuees with food vouchers.
- ZAKA – The Foundation awarded a grant of $50,000 to the ZAKA search and rescue organization toward the provision of helmets and protective vests for their volunteers.
- Grants to Graduates – In addition to the grants listed above, the Foundation awarded $350,000 to initiatives that are being run by Mandel graduates to support the residents of communities that were attacked. Examples of the initiatives include a day camp for children of evacuees, logistical training for Haredi volunteers on the home front, food vouchers and hot meals for families in which a parent has been called up for reserve duty, kindergartens and schools for evacuees at hotels in the Dead Sea and Eilat, and more.
In addition to its grants in Israel, the Mandel Foundation donated a matching grant of $12M to the Cleveland Jewish Federation’s Israel Emergency Campaign.
The Foundation's donations express its absolute and unquestionable commitment to the State of Israel, to its resilience and to the welfare of its residents during these difficult times.
