Standing with Israel

In these difficult weeks since Hamas unleashed a nightmarish string of terror attacks on Israel, Jewish Chicago has stood together as one family, united in our unbreakable solidarity with our Israeli brothers and sisters.

Our Chicago Jewish community’s connections to Israel run deep, and we have all been riveted to our screens, each shouldering personal anguish, grief, and horror over the unfolding trauma to our greater Jewish family.

Yet, even under the incredible weight of our emotions, JUF has been tireless in our response to the Israeli people in their hour of need.

I am so proud of the work we have done together, which started from the moment the war erupted and hasn’t stopped since. We have held tight to each other–and to our love for our Jewish homeland–and transformed our rage and sorrow into action.

As soon as news of terrorist infiltration broke, JUF swiftly advanced $5.5 million to our partners on the ground, who are providing emergency assistance to Israelis round the clock.

Even as the first rockets were falling, JUF opened the Israel Emergency Fund to provide direct support to the victims of terror and to the Israeli people.  Soon after, the JUF Executive Committee met in an emergency session to approve initial allocations and infrastructure for our ongoing response efforts.

As Jewish Chicago goes to press, this incredible community has contributed $26.5 million to that Israel Emergency Fund, and the first round of emergency relief allocations, totaling $8 million, have been sent to Israel, including:

• $2.5 million to JAFI’s Victims of Terror Fund, which provides immediate cash assistance to families of those killed or injured;

• $2 million each to first responders United Hatzalah and Magen David Adom;

• $1 million to NATAL, which provides victims and their families trauma care; and

• $500,000 to our partnership region of Kiryat Gat, Lachish, and Shafir to provide support for needs identified within and by those communities.

JUF’s Israel Emergency Fund will continue to meet needs on the ground in Israel for the duration of this conflict and beyond, backed by an extraordinary human services infrastructure. I hope you are as proud as I am that this infrastructure was built through our Chicago Jewish community’s longstanding support of the JUF Annual Campaign, which funnels a steady stream of resources for human services in Israel–in both good times and in bad.

Those human services are also provided in partnership with JUF’s Israel office, under the leadership of Director General Ofer Bavly. Throughout these difficult days, Ofer and his team have been operating with the utmost professionalism under almost unendurable stress. They have been in constant, almost hourly communication with JUF leadership. They have put aside their own personal fears and grief to provide us continual updates and briefings–including an online community briefing by Ofer just 48 hours after the violence began, which was attended by over 1,000 people.

For our part, JUF leadership has worked to bring our community together to show Israel–and the world–our solidarity.

We hosted a powerful, community-wide Israel solidarity gathering on Oct. 10 attended by thousands of people at NSCI in Glencoe, where Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and other elected officials and community leaders delivered stirring remarks.

JUF leadership has continued to articulate Israel’s perspective–and our Chicago Jewish community’s steadfast support for the Jewish State–in multiple appearances on major media outlets, by speaking at numerous community events, and in communicating with elected officials and interfaith allies.

Simultaneously, JUF’s security team is working hand-in hand with Jewish institutions across our community to safeguard their facilities at this time of potentially heightened risk.

For now and the foreseeable future, our hearts are in Israel. We mourn the dead. We pray for the healing of the wounded, the safe return of those taken captive and the protection of the brave young soldiers defending our homeland and our people.

And we marvel at the stories from the front lines that speak to the resolve and spirit of the nation, where Israelis have come together across denominations and political differences to support one another.

In the weeks and months to come, we will do everything in our power to show them that we stand with them, now and forever.

We are–truly–together for good.

To donate to the JUF’s Israel Emergency Fund, please visit juf.org/IsraelEmergency. 

David Golder is the JUF Board Chair.