Stay informed with these news sources
Other ways to support Israel and our community
Click here for actions you can take to help bring the hostages home now. Bring Them Home Now (Hostages and Missing Families Forum of New York) is seeking donations to help support event production, transportation, security arrangements, catering and more. Donations from the community are relied upon to ensure dignified events and comfortable conditions for the families arriving from Israel. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit here.
- Attend a rally in support of Israel
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Reach out to those with family or friends in Israel
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Speak out in support of Israel
Resources
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Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event: A recovery guide for parents, teachers, and community leaders: From the Child Mind Institute, and also has age-appropriate information. It is the middle length of the previous resource and the next one.
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Israel at War- Guidelines for Families and Individuals: This longer resource guide from Ohel, a social service agency serving children and families in Brooklyn. It also gives age-appropriate information.
- Helping Children with Tragic Events in the News: From PBS Kids, this article is more general about helping kids cope with tragic events, and is better for younger kids.
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Copies of Noa Tishby's book, Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, are available to borrow from the Synagogue office. Please come by to pick up a copy.
Volunteer in Israel
If you are planning a visit to Israel, you can make a meaningful contribution with the gift of your time.
If you are thinking about volunteering, please take a few moments to view this informative slideshow created by a group of women who lived the experience. It will help you identify resources to make an informed decision about volunteering in Israel either as part of an organized Volun-Tour or independently. Or watch the recorded presentation.
Sar-El Volunteers for Israel provides organized opportunities for civilian volunteer service on IDF bases. Email johanna@sar-el.org or click here.
Israel Food Rescue Mission is a joint effort of HaShomer HaChadash, Kol Israel and Brothers in Arms, in response to a war-related manpower crisis on Israeli farms. Volunteers may sign up for five or more days (paying their own way) or for a year-long stint doing agricultural work and sleeping on the farm. Click here to volunteer for the Israel Food Rescue Mission or email rabbirandybrown@gmail.com.
Mission Hinenu is helping understaffed hospitals by processing paperwork for licensed medical personnel (physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, therapists, psychologists, pharmacists) and non-medical personnel patient transport, feeding and other tasks) able to come to Israel to volunteer. Mission Hinenu works in partnership with the Health Ministry to find and place hospital volunteers efficiently.
Another volunteer portal for foreign physicians willing to come to Israel for two weeks is run by Nefesh B’Nefesh in collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and The Jewish Agency for Israel. Doctors with valid licenses from North America, the UK, South Africa, Australia, and the EU may apply. Click here for the NBN physician volunteer application form.
Jewish National Fund-USA is running five-day volunteer missions in Israel. Participants (ages 18 and up) will be housed in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv and spend four to six hours per day working in agriculture, packing food or gift baskets for displaced families, patients or soldiers, or assisting with logistical duties at an IDF base. Click here to sign up and to get more information on JNF-USA volunteer missions.
Startup Reserves for Israel , based in New York, is recruiting tech workers to give support, guidance and staffing to some 25 companies in Israel’s high-tech sector. Apply to Startup Reserves for Israel here or email info@startupreserves.org
Pantry Packers of Jerusalem ordinarily provides Meals on Wheels to 37,000 families every month, and also runs soup kitchens. To schedule a volunteer activity at Pantry Packers, email volunteer@pantrypackers.org or click here.
OneFamily needs volunteers to provide a range of services to victims of terror, from cooking and baking to visiting injured people in the hospital and more, as well as administrative support services such as social media, photography and answering phones. Apply to volunteer at OneFamily here.
Adopt-A-Safta is welcoming foreign volunteers, with access to a vehicle, to deliver Shabbat meals to isolated seniors on Friday mornings. Many of the recipients are Holocaust survivors in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Volunteers may complete this form online to help Adopt-A-Safta with meal delivery.
Organizations to contribute to
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Hostages and Missing Families Forum of New York The forum is engaged 24/7 in raising awareness, policy promotion, media, logistics, and personal assistance to families and delegations — all volunteer-based. Since Oct 7th the organization has formed a community for advocacy and support involving thousands; established a network for American families of hostages and a platform for support and action; generated significant media presence through articles, interviews, and podcasts; initiated a weekly 1,000-member running group, symbolizing solidarity; produced informative webinars with expert speakers reaching over 2,000 viewers; distributed thousands of awareness materials and organized city-wide banner displays; enhanced relationships with key political figures for sustained support.
WhatsApp updates: https://bit.ly/FamiliesHQ-USA
Mailing List: https://bit.ly/Subscribe_Families_Forum_NY
Our new website: https://www.hostagesforumny.com/
Online store: http://bit.ly/47gDXLp
Donate (tax-deductible): https://bit.ly/Donations_WA