Just in time for Rosh Hashanah and the High Holy Days this year, The Fellowship has allocated and distributed support to 150,000 Israelis through food and clothing vouchers. The aid effort began with food boxes for beneficiaries, but in light of a survey showing that two-thirds of families in Israel are cutting back on food expenses ahead of the holidays, The Fellowship prepared and distributed thousands of food and clothing vouchers through staff, volunteers, and partners.
Our President and Global CEO, Yael Eckstein, said, “Three years of war have changed the landscape of those who need help in Israel and deepened the struggles of many families who have already been in dire financial situations. This holiday support serves to deliver a message of hope and mutual responsibility for better days ahead, ensuring that no family feels left behind. We thank our hundreds of thousands of donors around the world who stand by Israel and those in need, particularly in times of uncertainty and challenge.”
In collaboration with local authorities and partners, more than 35,000 vouchers have reached families supported by social services, single-parent families in public housing, and olim (immigrant) families. At least 3,500 food boxes have gone to elderly Israelis and Holocaust survivors, while 9,550 clothing vouchers went to children in boarding schools, day centers, and orphanages.
This aid also includes a matching grant from The Fellowship that funds additional food packages for military reservists and their families, as well as elderly residents of Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Bat Yam, and Yehud. Last Thursday, Fellowship staff visited the logistics center in Tel Aviv, where volunteers were preparing boxes for distribution. Volunteers even included families and their children who wanted to perform good deeds before the Jewish New Year.
The Fellowship is proud to begin the new year by making such a difference in response to the immediate needs of Israel and her people. We thank our generous donors and wish you shanah tovah, a Happy New Year.
“Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts’” (Leviticus 23:24).