CAM Israel Emergency Support Fund Update: More Than $1.1 Million Already Distributed to Organizations On the Ground

In response to the worst antisemitic attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) launched an emergency fund to support relief organizations in Israel providing direct assistance to the people and communities impacted by the violence.

The response has been overwhelming, and as of Friday more than $750,000 had been raised for the Israel Emergency Support Fund.

All of the contributions are being matched by CAM donors, meaning that at least $1.5 million will be given to a broad array of organizations that will help Israeli society heal and rebuild from the brutal atrocity it suffered on Oct. 7.

CAM has already begun to disperse the money to ensure it will have an immediate impact at this time of urgent need. So far, more than $1.1 million has been distributed, including around $900,000 in the past week alone.

“We’re so pleased to facilitate this amazing generosity, which is making a true difference on the ground,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman said. “The repercussions of the horrors of Oct. 7 will be felt for years to come, and we will do everything we can — today, tomorrow, next week, next month, and long into the future — to help the State of Israel and the Jewish people overcome this terrible tragedy.”

Eight of the organizations receiving support from CAM just this week included: Perach Israel ($50,000), which is providing shelter and other essential aid to evacuated special needs residents of southern and northern Israel; Courage Kitchen ($125,000), which is offering chef-prepared meals to displaced families, Nova music festival survivors, IDF soldiers, and medical personnel; Project Eden ($100,000), which runs a post-hospitalization residential care facility for girls ages 12 to 18 with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, Simcha Layeled ($90,000), which is giving assistance to special needs children and youth who are no longer receiving the same level of support as before due to the security situation; the Ofakim Community Resilience Center ($125,000), which is helping meet the urgent needs of the residents of the southern development town, where more than 50 people were murdered in the Oct. 7 attack; Atlas Hotels ($157,500), which is hosting evacuated families from southern and northern Israel at its 16 properties; Alon & Ella ($140,250), which has mobilized 5,000 volunteers to help those affected by the attack and is operating a 24/7 command center operates to receive and coordinate immediate assistance requests; and Katef el Katef – Shoulder to Shoulder ($127,500), which is providing grants to small business owners in southern Israel to help them overcome the crisis.

Other recipients have included:

• – Chaverim Israel Family Services ($10,000)

• – Empowering Ethiopian Women ($10,000)

• – Israel Strong Foundation ($15,000)

• – Kfar Aza Fund ($10,000)

• – Kibbutz Nahal Oz ($10,000)

• – Kibbutz Nir Oz ($10,000)

• – Kibbutz Sufa  ($10,000)

• – The Lone Soldier Center ($10,000)

• – Magen David Adom ($10,000)

• – My Israel ($10,000)

• – Netiv HaAsara ($10,000)

• – One Family Together ($10,000)

• – Soroka Medical Center ($10,000)

• – The Kibbutz Movement ($10,000)

• – The Koby Mandell Foundation ($10,000)

• – United Hatzalah ($10,000)

• – Ze Benafshi ($10,000)

• – Sderot Foundation ($15,000)

• – Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council ($15,000)

As tens of thousands of Israelis were forced to leave their border area homes in recent weeks, Perach Israel jumped into action to ensure those with special needs whose life circumstances made the evacuation process even more complicated were not overlooked.

CAM learned of Perach Israel’s efforts, which were launched before it even had secured funding for them, and decided to grant financial backing from the Israel Emergency Support Fund.

Some 50 persons with special needs are now being hosted at Perach’s communal village in Rosh Haayin.

“We simply could not leave these people behind,” CAM COO Yigal Nisell said. “We are very proud to be sponsoring this program.”

Courage Kitchen is a civil initiative led by a group of Israeli chefs who have come together to feed those in need. The operation involves 70 volunteers responsible for coordination, cooking, and distribution. It has the capacity to deliver up to 2,000 meals daily at a cost of 30 shekels (a little more than $7 per meal).

Since Oct. 7, Courage Kitchen has already provided around 30,000 meals, and aims to deliver 30,000 more in the days and weeks ahead.

Project Eden, recognized by Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Services, specializes in treating girls with sexual trauma inflicted by family members, who also often come from backgrounds of neglect and poverty. At the facility, 55 girls live in a safe, non-judgmental environment for two to six years and undergo a deep therapeutic process based on a unique treatment model developed by Eden professionals.

Unfortunately, the Eden facility is located in the war zone, forcing its current residents, who would be at risk of more abuse if they returned temporarily to their family homes, to be evacuated to a new location.

Simcha Layeled is currently engaged in two special projects — running a post-trauma prevention program for 250 special needs children and their family members from communities impacted by the violence and providing transportation and accommodation for families of special needs children who are being evacuated from their homes.

The Ofakim Community Resilience Center has been activated since Oct. 7 to coordinate the activities of volunteers who are answering the calls of local residents seeking mental assistance. The volunteers are also distributing food and medicine to people in need.

Atlas Hotels is providing evacuated families with a room, three daily meals, and  activities for children. Currently, only 50% of the families receive subsidies from the state, and others have had their expenses covered for only a few days. So Atlas Hotels is offering a lifeline to hundreds of families not getting state support, allowing them to stay in safe accommodations while their home communities continue to be in danger zones.

Alon & Ella has developed two projects to address current needs in Israeli society. The first is “Tablets for Education,” providing 670 tablets to children evacuated from the Gaza border region to facilitate remote learning until they can return home and attend school physically again. The second is “Clothing for Evacuees,” providing clothing sets — including pants, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt — to displaced families who fled their homes without having time to pack their belongings.

Katef el Katef – Shoulder to Shoulder is supporting more than 300 families who own small businesses in cities hurt by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and its aftermath, including Sderot, Ashkelon, Ofakim, and Netivot. The organization provides 6,600 shekels (around $1,700) to each family that owns a small business. The small business owners are also given coaching and mentoring on how to best deal with the current circumstances.

If you have not done so yet, you can contribute to the Israel Emergency Support Fund HERE.