Israel is at war. Here’s what’s happening and what your support is doing.
Since February 28, Israel has been under sustained missile fire from Iran. More than a dozen people have been killed. Thousands of families have been displaced. Hezbollah has now joined the conflict.
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati has been investing in the partners, programs, and infrastructure that respond to exactly this kind of moment. That work is active right now.
Families whose homes are taking direct hits are receiving emergency financial grants within 48 hours. This means money for food, bills, and the first steps toward rebuilding. The Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror was built with Federation investment over two decades. It was ready the day the sirens started.
Elderly residents in Jewish Agency senior housing, many of them unable to navigate sirens and shelter safely on their own, are receiving food packages delivered to their doors. JDC’s mental health specialists, already stationed in 200 municipalities across Israel, are fully deployed.
New immigrants living in absorption centers are spending long hours in shelters. The Jewish Agency is there, with shelter activities, mental health support, and supplies, making sure no one is alone.
Approximately 6,000 young adults in programs like Birthright, Masa, and Onward are stranded in Israel with airspace severely disrupted. The Jewish Agency is providing lodging and travel help to get them home. Our Federation has personally contacted every known local resident traveling in Israel, and all are safe.
With 110,000 reservists called up since the beginning of the war, the Reservists National Headquarters, launched with Federation support, is operational nationwide, mapping mobilized families and directing assistance in real time.
None of this is being built from scratch. It exists because Jewish communities like ours made long-term investments in the people, systems, and partners that show up when it counts.
This is what kol Yisrael arevim (all of us responsible for one another) looks like. If you’re able to give, now is the moment.