Israel Emergency Appeal
 

As part of a continent-wide emergency appeal for Israel after October 7th, The Jewish Federation of Rockland raised close to $800,000 - by the end of June - towards our aspirational goal of $1,000,000. We are glad to share that a new initiative begun in June 2024, partnering with Congregation Sons of Israel-Nyack to fund two Magen David Adom ambulances replacing ones lost on October 7th has already raised over $185,000 of the $230,000 (over 80%) of the dollars needed to order the ambulances. With the completion of this element of the campaign, Rockland will have raised over $1,000,000 from 1200 donors to support Israel in its time of greatest need.
 

Our community has come together like never before, including several fundraising concerts like those put together by Orangetown Jewish Center, Temple Beth Shalom and Hillel of Rockland, as well as blue and white bagels for Israel raising funds at a local New City bakery, and several synagogue based initiatives, most notably that of Shir Shalom; but every one of our synagogues were truly remarkable in their partnership with our campaign.

This would be amazing in and of itself, but our work is part of an incredible effort from more than 145 Federations and additional associated communities that has raised an astounding $850 million for the Israel Emergency Appeal in the last 9 months. These funds have been used to meet the immediate needs of victims of the invasion, families of the murdered, wounded, kidnapped and bereaved, the over 250,000 Israelis who have been and still are internally displaced refugees from their homes in the Gaza envelope and Israel’s northern border communities, thousands of new immigrants displaced from their absorption centers, and many more Israelis in need. These funds have addressed many needs, including:
 

• First responder support for organizations like ZAKA, Magen David Adom, and many others
• Immediate funds for victim families
• Medical and health and mental health/emotional support needs including counseling, trauma, and respite needs
• Housing & Transportation
• Security including emergency reinforced shelters
• Clothing, food and hygiene needs
• Child care and education at all levels from infant to high school
• Assistance for families whose breadwinners have spent months in uniform

We also raised a small amount of directed funds for security needs, helping the vulnerable locally, and ongoing support for Leket Israel, confronting food insecurity in Israel.
 

Looking ahead, Federation will consult regularly with our partners at Jewish Federations of North America to assess ongoing needs in Israel. We foresee continuing needs as Israel hopefully moves from a war footing to a reconstruction phase. We plan to continue utilizing microcampaigns - online directed campaigns leveraging matching donors - for causes such as emergency relief, security, and helping the vulnerable right here in Rockland.