Our hearts and thoughts  are with our brothers and sisters in southern Israel, as well as all our friends and relatives throughout the country, as this horrific attack and the fallout continue to affect us all.

More than anything, we wish to support those living in communities hit by the Hamas terrorist attack, and send prayers to all Israelis called up to serve in the IDF and other volunteer services.

Many in the Israeli humanitarian sector have shifted their focus temporarily from other global issues to lend their professional experience to all those in need at home, in Israel.

OLAM and SID-Israel are collating information on the work of Israeli organizations that belong to one or both of our networks, and are responding to the situation. Read below to learn more and click on the links to support their efforts.

Please note: This list will be continually updated in the coming days.      

Access Israel and the Purple Vest mission are actively engaged in various efforts to support people with disabilities and the elderly during these challenging times. These initiatives include: identifying suitable accessible accommodation options and facilitating connections for people with disabilities who require it; operating a dedicated call center for people with disabilities and the elderly; disseminating life-saving information to organizations, service providers, volunteers, emergency teams, and essential services to aid people with disabilities during emergencies; training volunteers and essential services teams on accessible emergency responses, evacuation procedures, and effective communication with people with disabilities during emergency situations.

*Afya Foundation is sending requested medical supplies to Israel to support municipalities, rehab centers and hospitals.  It is working with JDC, it’s Israeli partner, to coordinate with the Ministry of Health in order to assess needs on an ongoing basis and overseeing distribution of supplies.

*American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) has activated its emergency team and protocols, to support those now in the line of fire — including the elderly, people with disabilities, children and families at risk. JDC is working closely with its partners in the Israeli government, local municipalities, and fellow NGOs to address increased need among those hardest hit by this crisis.

*AJEEC-NISPED, in partnership with the Shared Emergency Center for the Negev Bedouins, is managing an array of volunteers, social-emotional responses, informal education activities, and a diverse set of services to the Bedouin residents of the Negev. (To donate, choose: Immediate emergency response for the Negev Bedouins – under “Select a project”)

*Cadena is providing psychosocial support to children who have been evacuated from their communities in the south.

*Dream Doctors has launched its Healing Heart Operation: sending clowns to assist hospital staff, offering support to the injured at medical centers in the south, and providing support to families from the south who have sought refuge in hotels. They are committed to create pockets of peace and comfort in this distressing situation.

*Early Starters International has opened up safe spaces for evacuated children in three areas around the country – Ma’aleh Hahamisha, the Dead Sea, and Eilat. Aside from donations, they are seeking preschool educators to volunteer. Fill out this form if you’d like to volunteer. (In a show of unity, the CEO of UK-based OLAM partner, The Step Up, who was in Israel with volunteers who work with children, stepped up themselves when they heard about the safe space, and deployed a seven-person volunteer delegation to one of the areas.)

*HIAS is launching emergency operations, both directly and through partners, to serve populations affected by the recent violence. HIAS will follow its well-established emergency response protocol to meet the needs of displaced and other crisis-affected people with interventions such as: supporting displaced families with basic needs, including non-food items such as hygiene suppliesk and blankets; cash and vouchers to those displaced; and mental health and psychosocial support.

Humans for Humans has provided psychological aid and food to those in need, and is now urgently seeking donations for basic life support medical equipment. Contact by WhatsApp only, and only in order to donate or to be connected to someone supplying equipment: +972-54-325-6494

*Innovation: Africa has shifted its focus to providing solar stations to units on both the Gaza and Northern borders. The demand for solar energy to charge phones and provide electricity among Israeli soldiers is extensive and this will allow them to inform their loved ones that they are safe and sound. Each station costs $850, and 100% of any donation will go directly to Israeli soldiers.

*IsraAID is partnering with local organizations and civil society initiatives working in Israel’s south and with evacuees to support their efforts to meet immediate and long-term humanitarian needs of affected communities. They are focusing on psychosocial support, stress relief activities, and relief supplies as needed, and has deployed a team of protection and mental health specialists. This response is funded by IsraAID’s Emergency Fund, and IsraAID is taking donations, but is also encouraging donors to give to organizations providing emergency first aid to survivors, including Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah, and other verified organizations.

*Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC) has activated emergency protocol, mobilizing all its resources and providing remote trauma services, such as hotlines and therapists on call.

The Jewish Agency for Israel is providing immediate assistance to those whose homes were directly hit by missiles, and supporting those injured and evacuated to hospitals as well as families of the deceased.

Latet is seeking volunteers to package food for Holocaust survivors and families in need at the logistics center in Har Tov, in the Beit Shemesh industrial area. Contact Gal: 054-3421989 or Reut: 054-6635504

Lev Echad, an Israeli volunteer force that operates during times of crisis, is mobilizing volunteers for a variety of purposes, including organizing lists of missing persons, maintaining contact with 5,000 elderly residents of southern Israel, arranging hospitality in the north and center of the country for residents of the south, running educational programming for children of first responders, etc. They are also looking for donations of equipment, including protective gear, vehicles, hygiene products, etc. To volunteer or offer support, contact their hotline: 050-444-8108 or 072-213-3281

Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service, is on the frontlines, with emergency ambulances, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles, to provide medical care and medical supplies.

Monday.com is an online project management and collaboration platform designed to help teams streamline their work processes and improve productivity. Monday.com offers its support in creating and operating platforms for  operations and management of volunteers, resource distribution, data coordination for hospitality offers, and any other efficient system management needed in the coming days. Contact Anton Driz directly:  0546577113.

NATAL – the Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center provides multidisciplinary treatment and support to victims of trauma due to terror and war in Israel.

*NATAN‘s volunteers – with expertise in medical, trauma, and psychosocial support – are working on four main projects: They established a medical clinic in an area where many people from the south have been relocated; youth movement counselors are working with displaced children and teenagers, many of whom are traumatized; NATAN is recruiting social workers who can go house-to-house in the city of Ofakim to offer individual assistance to traumatized victims; volunteers are providing psychological support to police officers who have been responding to the attack.

Rescuers Without Borders-SSF have deployed teams of volunteer medics to treat wounded victims, and are in urgent need of medical equipment and protective vests.

*Save a Child’s Heart‘s Israel medical teams at Wolfson Medical Center and Sylvan Adams Children’s Hospital are treating victims of the attacks. They urgently need more medical supplies and equipment.

Shinua Hevrati (Social Delivery) operates in partnership with other Israeli organizations to collect furniture, clothing, toys, food, and other products from large retail businesses around Israel, many of which have excess products, and distribute them to displaced Israelis. Each delivery costs $3,000 USD (for trucks, gas, logistics, etc.)

Smart AID is distributing essential relief items, including food, hygiene and dignity kits, socks, toys, blankets, and tablets for children and families in kibbutzim in the south, as well as areas in the north that have absorbed thousands of evacuated families. They are also providing technical support to help local first responders in the south provide emotional support to with families coping with trauma.

focusing on providing necessary gear and supplies, including tents, mattresses, and warm clothes, to families from southern Israel forced to evacuate their homes. They also plan to use their technological expertise and experience in disaster zones to set up remote “smart classes,” and provide students with tablets, wifi, and other equipment so that they can take part.

Street Medicine Tel Aviv has expanded its humanitarian response to respond to the emerging needs of people experiencing homelessness, and is providing life-saving medical care for those people, whose number has intensely increased since the war began. The organization is seeking medical equipment and donations to continue caring for this marginalized community.

*The Step Up, a UK-based organization whose team was in Israel on the day of the attacks, immediately went to work delivering food and games to families from the south and setting up a website where people from around the world can send letters of support to Israeli soldiers. They have since set up “Kits for Kids,” to prepare, package, and distribute “resilience Kits” for children who’ve been evacuated. The kits are aimed at relieving stress and maintaining emotional well-being, so the children can begin to heal from the trauma they are experiencing.

*United Hatzalah is mobilizing all 7,000 of its volunteers. In close coordination with IDF medical teams, it has already treated 1,000 civilians and soldiers and dispatched approximately 100 of its rescue vehicles, ambulances, medivac helicopters, and mobile intensive care units, as well as armored vests, helmets, and a significant amount of medical equipment and personnel, to southern Israel.

*VIP Partnership is managing ReGrow Israel, an initiative managed by focused on securing the future of farming communities devastated in the Hamas attack. ReGrow is working hand-in-hand with local communities to tackle their greatest needs, and it funds strategic initiatives so their farming and agriculture can thrive in the months and years ahead.

*World ORT is providing psychological and educational support for its students, and their parents, from its Kfar Silver Youth Village, located just 8 miles away from the Gaza border. The village is a school for 1,100 8th-12th grade students; many live in the kibbutzim most desperately affected by the violence, and 40 actually witnessed many of the traumatic events on October 7th.

*OLAM partner

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