The Good People Fund
For many years, Marla Gamoran provided a meaningful way for people to volunteer on-site for Israeli organizations. As COVID made that work impossible, English B’Yachad was born. English language volunteers, working from their homes in the States, tutor Israeli young adults from the Ethiopian and other disadvantaged communities, to improve economic opportunity. The outcomes are profound!
Our funds are used for their minimal administrative expenses.
Refugees arrive in the US from all over the world, for a variety of reasons, but what they are all seeking is a safer life for themselves and their children. Founded by Shoshana Akabas Barzel, New Neighbors Partnership has welcomed families from more than 32 different countries, including Afghanistan and Ukraine. Newly arrived families are matched with local “partner families” with slightly older children that share 2-3 clothing “hand-me-down” packages per year, creating a long-standing personal relationship between families. And through the Summer Book Project each child in their program (more than 400) received a new book to read over the summer.
Our matching funds are directed to the salary for additional staff.
Nir Lahav grew up on a kibbutz in Israel where farming and working the land always had great relevance — “a place where there is an encounter between body and mind, one that, I believe, can do ‘wonders.’” he says. He knew that there were certain populations that could benefit from such an experience. After speaking with a friend doing research on PTSD, he realized that many IDF soldiers who have returned from service with this diagnosis — an estimated 58,000 — could be helped by a therapeutic farm. He maintains “… the combination of agricultural work, group support and appropriate group therapy can help those coping with PTSD.”
And so, with the help of four friends, Ruca’s Farm has become a reality. Numerous fruit trees have been planted on the donated land, staff has been hired.
Our matching funds are used for land development.
Based in Beersheva in the Negev where there are thousands of African asylees, Negev Refugees Center provides food, social support and children’s programming through a mostly volunteer staff, one volunteer in particular is a refugee himself. Unlike in Tel Aviv where there are many, many organizations set up to help this group, there are very few in this region.
Our funds provide supermarket scrip.
Sexual abuse within Israeli society (and elsewhere) has finally come out of the shadows and is receiving the attention it deserves. As the Executive Director, Shana Aaronson and her staff are deeply committed to providing multiple ways to support victims of this trauma. Working with compassion, they offer victims access to therapy and other communal resources. But, perhaps, most important is their belief in the victim, so often missing in these circumstances. Magen also works to educate the community and promotes full transparency. For them, victims’ needs take precedence.
Our funds are directed to advocacy and investigatory staffing.
For Roni Lee, helping the more than 200,000 other elderly Israelis living alone became her life’s passion. Together with Matan Asulin they created Heart to Plate (in 2021) which has now become Roni’s Neighbors after Roni’s tragic death at the age of 28. Roni had been reorganizing this work to address the epidemic of loneliness that plagues the country’s elder population. The new multi-faceted program will offer numerous programs, utilize technology and advocacy and ultimately, change the face of aging in Israel.
Our funds are directed to administrative expenses.
