The brutal Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, marked a turning point for Israel: hardly a family escaped death, loss, and immense hardship. The ongoing war, with all its consequences, continues to affect the entire Israeli society. And yet, light and hope have been brought into the lives of many: because you and many other loyal supporters, through your donations, enabled Christians Standing with Israel (CSI) to provide urgently needed assistance as part of the "Israel at War" emergency campaign.
By Hannah Bartholomew
On the very day of the Hamas attack on Israel, October 7, 2023, Christians Standing with Israel launched the "Israel at War" fundraising campaign to provide rapid assistance. This aid is multifaceted: from evacuations and emergency financial assistance to essential supplies and trauma therapy, the support spans a wide range of needs. To achieve this, Christians Standing with Israel (CSI) collaborates with various aid organizations in Israel, such as Keren Hayesod, The Jewish Agency, and The Jerusalem Foundation, as well as smaller partners like Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL), Taglit, and the Koby Mandell Foundation.
Thanks to personal contacts and long-standing friendships with Israelis, CSI was also able to directly support affected individuals and families. We forwarded the majority of the donations to our two largest partner organizations in Israel: Keren Hayesod, the world's leading charity for the people of Israel, and the Jewish Agency, the Jewish immigration organization. Read here about how your donations have made a valuable difference.
Financial aid for terror victims and small businesses
Becoming a victim of a terrorist attack has profound psychological consequences for those affected, in addition to the material damage. Therefore, support for victims of terrorism consists of immediate financial assistance and, if needed, longer-term payments, as well as various trauma therapy measures. Since October 7th, more than 12,500 grants and loans have been distributed to families and individuals.
Financial assistance was also provided to small businesses that had unexpectedly found themselves in dire straits: for example, because company premises and property had been damaged, employees had been deployed to war, or business activities had disappeared. By the end of July, Keren Hayesod had provided financial support to approximately 2,000 small businesses, and the Jewish Agency to a further 3,174. In addition, the Jewish Agency granted around 745 loans.
Aid for hospitals
The hospitals in Ashdod and Ashkelon, which were particularly strained at the beginning of the war due to their proximity to the Gaza Strip, received urgently needed equipment: This included medical devices for ultrasound, X-ray, and surgery, as well as ventilators and defibrillators. Vacuum mattresses were also provided. The hospitals' medicine cabinets were and continue to be restocked.
The war poses a particular challenge for the elderly and families with young children. Therefore, vulnerable population groups received special assistance. This included providing aid to 25,000 elderly people living in poverty and with limited mobility, many of whom were Holocaust survivors. In addition, more than 24,700 food baskets and 5,500 hot meals were delivered to those in need. Furthermore, many urgently needed air-raid shelters were set up in senior citizens' homes.
A comprehensive emergency plan was implemented for socially vulnerable children and their parents. More than 15,000 children and parents received immediate assistance, therapy, and access to extracurricular learning centers. The Jewish Agency distributed 700 financial grants, provided over 330 computers for distance learning implemented due to school closures, and offered more than 280 therapy services.
Support for Aliyah and new immigrants
With the global rise in antisemitism, the urgency to support Aliyah—the immigration of Jews from around the world to Israel—is also increasing. Numerous informational events and integration preparation courses for Aliyah were organized worldwide. These events took place primarily in France, but also in Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Great Britain, and Argentina. In addition, approximately 1,500 new immigrants evacuated from Israel after October 7th received emergency financial assistance. In total, more than 2,500 new immigrants were evacuated from the border region with the Gaza Strip or from Israel's northern border and housed in reception centers.
Aid missions in Nitzana and Kerem Shalom
Thanks to personal contacts and friendships, CSI was able to organize targeted aid missions in Nitzana, on the border with Egypt. CSI staff helped with the harvest and developed a travel program that also enabled other volunteers to help in Nitzana. This direct support strengthened the local community and helped address immediate challenges.
In Kerem Shalom, a kibbutz on the border with the Gaza Strip and Egypt, CSI was also able to provide targeted assistance thanks to long-standing friendships with local Israelis. Through contact with Roni and Ofer Kissin, who miraculously survived the Hamas massacre, CSI was able to provide financial support to four religious families. In these families, two husbands had been seriously injured and two had been murdered.
Support for Holocaust survivors
A central component of CSI's aid projects remains the multifaceted support for Holocaust survivors. Café Europa, run by the Jerusalem Foundation and sponsored by CSI in 2023, offers Holocaust survivors social and cultural activities, as well as support through resource centers and home visits. For many Holocaust survivors, the massacre was a déjà vu experience, reawakening their struggle with trauma.
Café Europa responded by adapting its lecture program: Loneliness and anxiety are to be combated through energizing community and distractions such as gardening, singing together, musical events, technology introductions, and sports activities. Around 500 Holocaust survivors benefit from these offerings. In July, a classical music concert was also given by the Israel Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, to which approximately 100 seniors from Café Europa were invited.
Another CSI partner organization in Israel, Nini Czopp, offers trauma therapy for Holocaust survivors and has also received support for its activities through donations. CSI's smaller partner organizations have also responded to October 7th and its aftermath.
The war is affecting all areas of life, including organizations whose focus is not normally on victims of terrorism. However, the need for assistance is so great that many organizations are restructuring their programs or launching new ones to address the crisis. The organization Taglit usually offers young Jewish adults free educational trips to Israel to strengthen their Jewish identity and deepen their connection to Israel. CSI has now supported them in setting up additional evacuation shelters.
The Koby Mandell Foundation, which supports bereaved and traumatized individuals through a variety of activities, has expanded its range of recreational programs for children, families, adults, and especially women who have lost loved ones: Since the outbreak of war, 300 new families have been enrolled in the foundation's programs. These programs included 14 recreational trips, each tailored to a specific bereaved group, such as spouses or children of victims of terrorism.
Be'ad Chaim, an organization dedicated to protecting unborn life, also received additional support from CSI to help mothers in particularly difficult situations. One of them is Michal with her baby; her husband, Alexander Geisel, is a hostage in Gaza.
Another CSI partner organization, the Jewish National Fund Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL), received funding to support Kibbutz Ruchama. KKL typically focuses on reforestation efforts following forest fires in Israel. However, due to the current situation, it has also taken on social projects. Ruchama was spared on October 7th because the kibbutz is located 11 kilometers inland. It has taken in approximately 250 evacuated families from the destroyed neighboring kibbutz, Kfar Aza. Plans are now underway to build a much-needed primary school within the kibbutz, as well as an after-school program. The donation from CSI was used for the first classroom.
Recreation trips for terror victims
CSI also runs its own program for victims of terrorism. Through this program, victims of terrorism are invited to the Black Forest in Germany to gain some emotional and physical distance from their experiences. This is also the case for friends Shay and Avishay from Kfar Aza. Shay narrowly survived the massacre on October 7th, but his parents were taken hostage to Gaza. His mother has since been released, but his father remains at large.
Even though the need in Israel remains immense and the trauma suffered will take much time to heal, we have been able to achieve a great deal of good together with our partners in Israel – thanks to your donations! We have witnessed how people have been touched by the support from Germany – both the recipients of the aid and the helpers in the country. Thanks to your support, we can do what we feel called to do: be a blessing together – standing with Israel, heart and hand.
Much suffering has been alleviated, and diverse forms of aid have been provided – yet hardship persists. Tens of thousands of Israelis remain evacuated, destroyed villages have not yet been rebuilt, and the war is not over. Therefore, our fundraising campaign "Israel at War" continues. Thank you so much for your support!
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 138. You can order the newspaper here . We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
