For the People of Israel

5.3.2021

Home PageNewsletter March 2021

To our Keren Hayesod worldwide family, we ask that you please keep Julia Koschitzky (Yehudit bat Simcha Nachma), Keren Hayesod’s Honorary President, in your thoughts and prayers.

Dear Friends of Keren Hayesod,

We are three months into 2021 and a year since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Israel. While Israel continues to lead the way in vaccinations administered per head of population, Israel is still heavily burdened with new variants of the virus and an economy that has been gravely impacted due to the extended lockdowns.

Keren Hayesod has continued to work throughout these difficult times to ensure that the people of Israel receive support and that their critical needs are met. From helping new immigrant children to receive tablet computers that would allow them to participate in virtual schooling to ensuring that Israel’s elderly were given food and hygiene products, we made it a priority, and will continue to do so, to make sure that no one is left behind.

The ongoing COVID-19 situation has further perpetuated the needs of Israeli society, despite the glimmer of hope that Israel will slowly begin to emerge from this crisis. Your support is still needed to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of the people of Israel.

Our Work Continues:

There are various ongoing needs, including helping new immigrants who, despite the crisis, have continued to make Aliyah. We are expecting to welcome 250,000 new arrivals over the next five years. In the meantime, new immigrants who arrive in Israel immediately enter quarantine and during a lockdown, are forced to begin their schooling remotely. Tablets have become a necessity for all new immigrants in order to help them integrate into their studies while in lockdown.

In addition to new immigrants, Israel’s elderly population has been suffering greatly from the pandemic, as they receive minimal income and depend on payments from the National Insurance Institute and lack family support to help cope through this difficult time.

From additional cleaning hours, to protective equipment, Israel’s elderly, mainly Holocaust survivors and immigrants from the Former Soviet Union, who live in Amigour Sheltered Housing – a Keren Hayesod supported project, are in need of additional support that will help protect them from the virus.

Click here to support Israel’s new immigrants and elderly Holocaust survivors.

On a positive note, while the pandemic has changed all of our lives drastically, we continue to see positive stories emerging from our projects and programs that remind us of how powerful we are when we stand united.

Young Jewish Doctors from Around the World Head to Israel

Anna and Alina, both 24, came to Israel with the Masa Doctors program, where they have been integrated into Israel’s healthcare system in order to help fight the coronavirus pandemic with their medical training. Anna and Alina are twins from Ukraine who were among 90 participants that arrived in Be’er Sheva to help Israel during this critical time.

Masa Israel Journey is an umbrella organization for 200 accredited programs providing young Jews from around the world with long-term immersive experiences in Israel. For some, like Anna and Alina, Masa can be a gateway to moving to Israel and building a new support network. Keren Hayesod is proud to support this unique and incredible program, which has brought more than 160,000 participants from 62 countries to Israel since 2004.

masa program

Israeli Students Volunteer to Help Fight Loneliness

Our Choosing Tomorrow Project, which is done in partnership with The Jewish Agency for Israel, encourages young adults to volunteer and make an impact in their communities. A special track in this program has been established, giving Israel’s young adult students an opportunity to help fight loneliness during the pandemic.

Amit (24) and Yosef (91) have developed a special friendship thanks to the program. They were joined together before the pandemic, but over time and throughout these challenging months, their relationship strengthened.

Choosing Tomorrow

These are just some of the many things happening within Keren Hayesod. It is our hope that you will continue to follow us in order to see how we continue to work to have an impact on the people of Israel, thanks to your generous support.

The people of Israel need your support now, more than ever before.

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