Keren Hayesod Update - October 2020 | Keren Hayesod

For the People of Israel

Update – October 15, 2020

Home PageNewsletter October 2020 #2

Dear Friends of Keren Hayesod,

We have just concluded the holiday period in Israel. Normally, this time of year would be a joyous time, celebrating the different Jewish holidays with friends and family and preparing to start the New Year full of energy and hope. It is commonly known in Israel that things slow down around the time of the holidays and once they are over, life returns to normal and the pace begins to pick-up. However, this year is different.

Israel is still under lockdown; children are not in school and places of work are shuttered. While the number of cases of those who are testing positive for the Coronavirus has decreased, Israel is still in a state of emergency and the people of Israel continue to need our help.

In previous weeks, the number of those testing positive each day were reaching above 9,000 cases. This week, however, the number of daily cases and the percentage of positive tests has decreased.

This newsletter is meant to serve as an update on the current situation in Israel, emphasizing the current needs of those in Israel’s periphery and the crisis facing Israeli society. In addition, it is our hope that we can provide you with exciting and positive news and update you with ways in which you can continue supporting Keren Hayesod and the people of Israel.

What’s New This Week:

This week, the Government of Israel has approved the Aliyah of up to 2,000 Ethiopian Jews who are waiting in Addis and Gondar to immigrate to Israel. The 2,000 Ethiopian Jews are part of the thousands who are still waiting, hoping to make Aliyah to Israel and be reunited with their families.

Keren Hayesod will continue to work with the Jewish Agency for Israel to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the new immigrants and assist them in having an easy absorption process.

There will be a need for long-term support, as the 2,000 immigrants will be housed for at least two years in Keren Hayesod-supported absorption centers.

The specific needs will be addressed in upcoming newsletters.

By the Numbers:

92,000+ Ethiopians brought to Israel

145,000+ First and second-generation Ethiopian Jewish immigrants currently living in Israel

167+ Flights over the last decade from Ethiopia to Israel

8,000+ People waiting in Ethiopia to make Aliyah and be reunited with family members in Israel

$2,000 Cost of Aliyah per person from Ethiopia

$4,000,000 Needed immediately for our pre-Aliyah efforts in Ethiopia, flights and more

Covid 19 in Israel

Israel’s Ministry of Health has reported (as of Monday, October 13, 2020) that Israel continues to see the rate of transmission decreasing, indicating a downward trend in infections.

However, despite the somewhat positive news, the people of Israel are still in need of your support in order to ensure that they receive the necessary tools needed to adjust to the new, harsh reality and difficult circumstances.

At the end of September, it was reported that the number of unemployed people in Israel passed 900,000, with nearly 75% of these people “who registered since September 17^th are registering for at least the second time since March”. ^*2

Coronavirus statistics in Israel (as of October 13, 2020) *1:

012345678901234567890123456789,012345678901234567890123456789 Cases

012345678901234567890123456789,456789001234567890123456789 Recovered

012345678901234567890123456789 Serious cases

0123456789,123456789001234567890123456789 Deaths

Keren Hayesod supports many different programs throughout Israel, which provide critical resources to those in the periphery, especially for the youth-at-risk, some of whom are children of new immigrants.

Your support is crucial to ensuring the wellbeing and continued livelihood of the people of Israel.

Some of our projects that are in need of support are:

Youth Futures

Youth Futures is an important social project that provides essential social assistance to 5,000 at-risk children and their families.

Unfortunately, during the first lockdown in Israel, the project was forced to temporarily put all of the trustees (320) on unpaid leave.

Trustees and staff still maintained connection with the children and families while assisting as much as possible from a distance.

The program was able to resume activities in May, however, due to the second lockdown, the activities have been put on hold.

Keren Hayesod continues to assist those that will be further affected by the economic crisis by providing food packages for families and funding that will allow activities to resume.

Support Youth Futures

Donate Now

Youth Villages

Youth Villages provide social and education interventions that enable students to cope with integration difficulties, working to break the cycle of poverty and become contributing members of Israeli society.

Youth Villages provide students with a full secondary school education, nutritional meals, a safe place to live and receive psychological and physical treatment.

During the first lockdown, the children of the Youth Villages, who live full-time at these villages, had to leave. Those who did not have a family to go back to, stayed at the village. Full services were provided to them by the dedicated staff and funds were needed to continue this work.

Now, during the second lockdown, the same situation applies – some children have stayed at the Youth Villages. The current needs are to assist in helping the children who are remaining at the Villages during this time.

The current needs are to assist in helping the children who are remaining at the Villages during this time.

Donate Now

It is our hope that you will be able to continue supporting those in need and working together with Keren Hayesod to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the people of Israel.

Keren Hayesod supports many projects, which will be highlighted throughout the course of the next several newsletters.

Thank you!

^{*1 – Data provided by The Times of Israel and N12.}^*2^{– Data and information provided by an article published in the Jerusalem Post (September 30,2020)}

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