UPDATE FROM THE FIELD

Days of Respite Since the start of Operation Protective Edge, The Jewish Agency has provided days of respite for over 60,000 children and teens, ages six to eighteen, from ’s southern region and communities near the Gaza Strip. The outings for the children were made possible thanks to the contribution of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and Keren Hayesod-UIA. The Chairman of The Jewish Agency, Natan Sharansky, said, “Thanks to the quick response of our partners at the Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod-UIA, The Jewish Agency was able to provide a response in real time for residents of the South.” We acknowledged the solidarity and generosity of the Jewish communities of the diaspora in a thank-you ad that was published in Yediot Acharonot and Yisrael Hayom. To view the ad, click here.

Aliyah and Absorption Absorption Centers During Operation Protective Edge, approximately Approximately 4,000 olim live in absorption centers, and participate in 2,000 new olim arrived in Israel, including hundreds of other Jewish Agency absorption programs, in the range of fire, and they are young people who made without their parents: supported by Jewish Agency staff members who provide both group and Over 800 from France, over 400 from North America, individual assistance. and over 550 from the former Soviet Union. In addition to the staff of the absorption centers who have been working around the clock all over the country, olim who live in absorption centers Out and About with Olim have also been providing assistance to soldiers and their families. At the absorption center in Mevasseret, for example, the olim sent a large delivery At the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, to combat soldiers. The residents of the Ibim absorption center raised participants of the Jewish Agency’s ConnecTLV project, 6,000 NIS to help purchase equipment for IDF soldiers. in cooperation with Beit Brodetsky and Ha’aguda Lema’an Hachayal – the Association for the Wellbeing The olim at the absorption center in embraced the family of of Israel’s Soldiers (AWIS), initiated and organized the Captain Zvika Kaplan from Kibbutz Merav, who was killed in an incident in collection of snacks and various items needed by Gaza several days ago, leaving behind his wife, Adi, and their two young reserve soldiers. Participants also attended a workshop children, ages three and five. The absorption center received a donation of on the subject of how to conduct effective public clothing for the olim – and the olim used it to open a “store” in which they relations using digital media, during which the sold the clothing for 2 NIS per item. StandWithUs organization provided practical Together, they collected 600 NIS, with which they purchased toys for the two orphaned children. information to 50 new olim, students, and tourists from Additionally, children at the center wrote emotional letters to the family. all over the world, and tools to help strengthen Israel’s image internationally. As long as the Operation continues, ConnecTLV will Amigour provide olim with professional support services, helping Throughout Operation Protective Edge, Amigour has continued to build bomb shelters in communities near them cope with the situation with the assistance of The the Gaza Strip, and it has been handling the repair of shelters in cities in the South so that shelters will provide Jewish Agency’s Hechven Center. In addition, a page has a greater degree of protection to residents. The process of providing and fixing shelters is almost completed in been added to the project’s website that lists crucial the city of Sderot, where Amigour constructed 5,000 shelters after being selected by the Israeli Government to information about the situation and instructions in manage the project there. Thus far, three Amigour apartments have been directly hit by missiles, in Sderot, various languages, including lists of bomb shelters in Ashkelon, and Netivot. Luckily, only the properties were damaged, and no one was hurt. In addition, as the the area and emergency phone numbers. Additional project manager on behalf of the Property Tax Division of the Israel Tax Authority, Amigour is repairing damage meetings are being planned, in which ConnecTLV staff caused by the missiles and is fixing apartments that were damaged. members will update the olim directly and provide The CEO of Amigour, Yuval Frankel, said, “Amigour has not forgotten its target population, and we are providing information about what is happening in Israel. ongoing assistance to the 2,260 elderly Holocaust survivors and new olim in ‘Golden Years’ housing. We help In the first two days of the Operation, participants of this population socially, provide shelter equipment for emergencies, and offer assistance with social activities At Home Together (Babayit Beyachad) in put taking place in the shelters. We worry about individuals who are stuck without food and medicine, especially together more than 70 boxes filled with items for those who are 80 and 90 years old.” soldiers, including letters and pictures from children. New olim from a variety of countries, retirees who Helping the Soldiers reside at Amigour’s Abba Hushi Absorption Center, students from the Technion, and others came, made The Jewish Agency provides assistance for lone soldiers and offers support for their parents who live abroad. contributions, and helped sort and pack the boxes, The Jewish Agency also helps olim who have been hurt in the fighting, in coordination with the IDF. which were then sent in a truck to soldiers in the South. In recent weeks, many different initiatives have been established all over the country to help the residents of the South and soldiers in combat. One of these initiatives was the establishment of a comfortable place where soldiers can rest and relax in Maslul. Thus far over 4,000 members of the security forces, on their way Partnerships to the South, have stopped for a break at Moshav Maslul. They needed help running the operation, so The This week saw the opening of Joint Community Week Jewish Agency decided to assist by allowing employees who want to volunteer there to do so. If you would like activities, part of Toronto’s partnership with Eilat-Eilot, to take a day “off,” at The Jewish Agency’s expense, to volunteer at the R&R center at Moshav Maslul, with the arrival of 16 young boys and girls from the contact Ronit Pe’er in Human Resources: 02-620-2542 or ronitp@jafi.org. Diller teen program in Toronto. The group did not cancel the annual Diller summer camp in Israel, and they arrived on an El Al flight this week. Shlichim For the full article, click here Approximately 1,400 Jewish Agency Shlichim work in communities in 60 different countries and are involved in bringing Israel’s story to the Jewish world, and connecting Diaspora Jewry to Israel. Since the beginning of the Operation, Shlichim around the globe have been promoting a range of initiatives to create dialogue and raise awareness about what is happening in Israel. Watch the following clip expressing support for Israel, prepared by Shlichim at Camp Ramah together with the campers and staff. To view the clip click here In addition, the World Zionist Organization is working to strengthen national pride among soldiers of the IDF and Israel’s citizens. In a joint campaign in cooperation with Yediot Acharonot and YNet, Shlichim of the World Zionist Organization, together with Shlichim of The Jewish Agency, ask that of the Diaspora post pictures of themselves holding the Israeli flag, with the slogan, “Together we will win.” To read the article, click here Experiencing Israel Approximately 6,500 Jewish youth from all over the world are currently in Israel participating in Jewish Employee Organization Agency programs. Most are here in frameworks of The Employee Organization collected over 100,000 Israel Experiences Ltd., a Jewish Agency educational NIS – a third from the Employee Organization, a third subsidiary that serves high school students and from the management of The Jewish Agency and a participants in Taglit-Birthright, Onward Israel, Masa third from the management of the World Zionist Israel Journey, and other programs. Organization – for the purchase of over 3,000 toiletry Internal Communications, The Jewish Agency for Israel Recently, 57 young people completed the Masa kits, which will be distributed to soldiers in the programs at the Technological College of Be’er Sheva: Nahal, Golani, Givati, Shiryon, and Totachim Brigades 16 graduated from the doctors’ program (of whom 87% by employees of The Jewish Agency and World passed the Israeli medical licensing exam), and 41 Zionist Organization. graduated from the digital media program. At a festive In addition, the Employee Organization decided celebration on Thursday, July 24th, 37 of them received to hang a sign at the entrance to the “National their Israeli citizenship cards. An additional 14 are Agencies” building on King George Street returning briefly to their home countries to collect the in , stating, “The Jewish Agency and World paperwork necessary for immigration to Israel. Zionist Organization employees embrace the soldiers Altogether, 89% of the Masa program participants at of the IDF and pray for their safe return home.” the Technological College are currently making Aliyah. Despite the security situation, not only has registration for Masa Israel Journey not decreased – we have 700 more registrants than we had at this time last year.

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