Support Israelis

Israelis Need Us. Now.

Attacks on Israel have plunged millions of people into fear, uncertainty, and profound vulnerability. Communities already strained to the breaking point by nearly three years of conflict now face a new chapter of instability, grief, and disruption. From children traumatized from spending hours in bomb shelters to disabled Israelis who’ve lost their homes to missile attacks, there is no corner of the country unscarred.

This is a painful and critical moment for Israelis — and JDC is there to work hand in hand with the hardest-hit communities facing an uncertain path forward.

JDC is deploying emergency services and mobilizing critical resources to support Israelis in need from Nahariya to the Negev to help them recover and rebuild in the months ahead.

Since October 7, 2023, we have directly aided more than 1.6 million Israelis — including the elderly, people with disabilities, children and families at risk, and those living in poverty. As the crisis deepens. JDC is expanding our life-saving efforts and delivering urgent support where it is needed most.

During this moment of heightened global tension, JDC is also in constant contact with Jewish communities around the world to help them feel secure, supported, and resilient.

Immediate Emergency Response

JDC has activated emergency aid nationwide and expanded wartime innovations that have proven essential over the past two-plus years of war, including:

• Local first responders throughout the country using the emergency supplies and training provided by JDC that saved lives during the last war with Iran in June 2025
• A national mental health initiative placing specialists in 200 municipalities and providing proven mental wellness interventions across Israel
• Rapid deployment of JDC’s digital emergency response and mental health tools, including:
• A public service campaign to ensure all Israelis have access to vital information
• Nafshi, JDC’s comprehensive digital platform offering 800+ accredited mental health tools and resources
• Emergency guidance and coping resources for families, caregivers, and frontline professionals
• Respite kits distributed to shelters and evacuee hotels to help children cope
• Tailored mental health and resilience programs for Ethiopian Israelis, Arabic‑speaking communities, and vulnerable older adults

If you have loved ones in Israel, please direct them to JDC’s digital emergency response and mental health resources to help them navigate these difficult days.

Supporting the Most Vulnerable

JDC is prioritizing support to the most affected and under-resourced cities and towns, focusing on older adults, people with disabilities, evacuees, families at risk, and those made newly vulnerable — such as individuals who have lost homes or livelihoods and children and youth displaced by the conflict or living in frontline communities. This work includes:

• Our Emergency Assistance Package to help the most vulnerable in communities hit by missiles:
• Humanitarian aid, including clothing and essential supplies for people who lost homes
• Emergency rescue and medical equipment for first responders
• Community caseworkers ensuring uninterrupted care for vulnerable older adults and people with disabilities
• Funding for the affected communities to address urgent, evolving needs
• Emergency Housing Program assisting vulnerable families whose homes were destroyed to navigate government aid, secure temporary housing, and start rebuilding their lives with dignity
• In hard-hit northern municipalities, deploying community caseworkers and strengthening local welfare systems to support vulnerable residents
• Our Back on Track employment rehabilitation teams reaching out to individuals whose trauma has been reignited by the current escalation and expanding this program to communities newly affected by the war

Helping Communities Recover and Rebuild

Even as the emergency response continues, JDC is working on:

• Revitalizing local economies affected by closures and unemployment
• Strengthening and rebuilding frontline social infrastructure
• Supporting long-term recovery in regions like the North, home to 35% of Israel’s population and again sustaining bombardment

We are developing and deploying sustainable solutions on a national scale, working in partnership with Israeli NGOs, the business sector, the government, and municipalities. This builds on decades of experience creating innovative social services to uplift the country’s most vulnerable populations. Before the war, 1 million+ Israelis benefited weekly from this work.

Founded in 1914 to help starving Jews in Jerusalem at the outbreak of World War I and instrumental in building the country’s social service sector, JDC is the trusted organization leading national initiatives to ensure that Israelis are strong and resilient, now and for future generations.

Throughout this devastating war, JDC’s life-saving emergency response in Israel has been both rapid and continuous. We are identifying and meeting new and emerging needs to ensure that the most vulnerable people and communities can endure, recover, and be part of building Israel’s future.

JDC’s emergency response is made possible by special appeals of the Jewish Federations of North America and thousands of generous donors.