In times of crisis, our collective response reveals who we are as a people. Following Oct. 7, global Jewry immediately mobilized, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into Israel to support victims of the attack, their families, displaced people and others. As a community, we should be proud.

But in our exemplary support for Israel, some of us may have inadvertently neglected other vital causes that express our deepest values as Jews.

As managing director of the Livelihood Impact Fund, a foundation that seeks to improve the lives of the global poor and supports various organizations in Africa, and as CEO of OLAM, a network of over 80 Jewish and Israeli humanitarian organizations working in international development, humanitarian aid and global service, we have witnessed rapid shifts in philanthropic priorities since Oct. 7 — and their unintended negative consequences.

Many of OLAM’s partners – organizations that provide healthcare, economic opportunities, education, water, sanitation, and more to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations – have seen their funding dramatically reduced as Jewish donors have pivoted to address urgent needs in Israel and to fight antisemitism around the world. Several partners report losses as high as 40-75% of their overall budgets since that tragic day.

At the same time that Jewish philanthropy has shifted to meet internal needs, some non-Jewish donors have chosen to distance themselves from Israeli and Jewish humanitarian organizations, leaving these organizations struggling to fill significant financial gaps. Although at times the motivations underlying these funding shifts could only be inferred, often they have been shared explicitly.

For OLAM’s Israeli partners, this decrease in funding coincided with tremendous personal loss, logistical challenges and skyrocketing costs. Almost all had staff who were called up to reserves and/or had loved ones on active or reserve duty. Some had staff who were evacuated from southern and northern Israel, and are still unable to return home safely. Many had staff or volunteers who were forced to return prematurely from their placements abroad. A founder of one OLAM partner was taken hostage; another was killed.

Even in Israel’s darkest hours... Continue reading

Dyonna Ginsburg is the CEO of OLAM. Jeremy Hockenstein is managing director of the Livelihood Impact Fund. This opinion piece was originally published in eJewishPhilanthropy, on September 17, 2024. The above excerpt has been reprinted with permission.