As soon as rockets began falling in Israel in July 2006, the Federation began working to assist our family halfway around the world. From the start, the Federation pledged significant funding of its own to help meet the immediate needs on the ground in Israel. We established a special Israel in Crisis campaign, raising more than $20 million from the L.A. Jewish community to support the Jewish homeland.

As with many of the Federation’s crisis-response endeavors, the initial focus was on providing immediate aid where it was needed most. This included sending Israeli children to summer camp in safer parts of the country; offering intervention programs for seniors and the disabled; and treating terror victims with direct counseling. As the immediate crisis abated, the focus shifted to include the long term costs of rebuilding the country – physically and emotionally.

One hundred percent of all donations collected were sent – without any overhead – to service organizations working on the ground in Israel. It is the commitment of the Jewish people – and The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles – to provide maximum aid in times of greatest crisis. We continue that tradition always.