Every year our Rabbinical Assembly organizes a campaign on behalf of our global colleagues for Masorti Israel and Masorti Olami. While understanding the needs of Masorti Olami, we appreciate their recognition that currently, it is necessary to focus our RA’s attention on supporting the needs of Masorti Israel.
Our Masorti Movement in Israel needs us now. From a kehillah in the Gaza envelope, to our shuls in the north, to others whose members have suffered direct hits from the rockets, kehillah members and NOAM graduates are defending our country in the standing army and the reserves. Many of our kehillot are hosting evacuees, soldiers, and the general public. In addition to all of the war time work that our colleagues in Israel are doing, while supporting their own families as well, they continue to hold together their shuls, schools, and institutions through programming for children of evacuees and those out of school, pastoral care, daily t’fillot with families of the hostages, zoom t’fillot, and much more (Please see below for details).
Now more than ever, the Masorti Movement in Israel, the NOAM youth movement, our kehillot including our rabbis and lay leaders, need our support. As so many Israelis are looking to connect in times of distress, our Movement is providing responses that are meaningful to Israeli society.
In this time of war, we are asking you to donate generously to our RA Masorti Campaign.
Masorti Movement Responses to the Israel-Hamas War
The Masorti Movement, NOAM and our kehillot are running various activities to help those affected by the war: from spiritual and physical assistance to evacuees, to preparing meals for soldiers to programming for evacuee children. We have initiated programming based on information available during the first days of the war; we will continually evaluate and update these programs to meet needs as they arise and will keep you informed:
Emergency Initiatives
Direct Support for Evacuees, Soldiers and the Bereaved
Reaching 400 evacuees, 500 soldiers, Hundreds of bereaved families
- Kehillot in Ketura and Hannaton are hosting evacuees and soldiers.
- Preparation of meals, providing other physical needs.
- Meals and care packages for soldiers.
- Respite programming for evacuees, especially children.
- Provision of physical needs for Shiva houses.
Cost: $250,000 (Oct-Dec)
Pastoral and Emotional Care
Reaching 100 rabbis & leaders; 20,000 kehillah members; 50,000-100,000 members of the Israeli general public; 20,000-50,000 Jews abroad
- Our rabbis are available to take calls from and make visits to people who have lost loved ones or have been evacuated.
- Kehillot provide additional pastoral care for members.
- Care for the carers – professional support for our rabbis and kehillah leadership.
- Public prayer gatherings and composition of new prayers in response to the war.
- Accessibility for prayers for people with disabilities.
- Connecting Jews abroad through online prayer services, briefings and updates.
Cost: $36,000 (Oct-Dec)
NEW Emergency Action Coordinator & Emergency Grants
Supporting all emergency efforts
- Staff member to coordinate movement-wide activities and provide logistic support.
- Provision of small grants to local kehillah initiatives.
Cost: $30,000 (Oct-Dec)
NOAM and youth
- Supplementary programming for children out of school.
- Emotional support and physical care for NOAM soldiers.
- Gap-year members assisting in support centers for evacuees and people with special needs.
- Transportation for NOAM members to provide programming at evacuee centers.
Cost: $10,000 (Oct-Dec)
With Blessing-
Rabbi Andi Merow and Rabbi Steven Lindemann
RA Masorti 5784 Campaign Co-Chairs
