Read a story and give.
Read these personal stories brought to us by social services professionals around Israel. The names of all applicants have been changed to protect individual privacy. The names of the verifying social worker and agency are real. Photographs are illustrative only.
Ephraim, 25, dreams of living in his own apartment, finding a wife and building a successful life for himself. He is worried about the negative influence of his brothers, particularly one who is an alcoholic. The eight of them live with their parents in a two-bedroom apartment. Ephraim completed high...
Ivan, 80, worked as an engineer in his native Ukraine, then moved to Israel almost 20 years ago. He lives in a rented apartment with his wife, 75. Ivan receives certain benefits as a Holocaust survivor and has some income through Israeli social security and pension services. However, all of...
As a child, Natan, now 17.5, struggled to find himself. The oldest of seven children, he grew withdrawn and had trouble focusing on his studies, even though he loved learning. With support and treatment, Natan has learned to control his emotions and behavior and to accept authority. He is doing...
Ever since his son, Amir, now nine, developed meningitis seven years ago, Sammy has been plagued with anxiety attacks severe enough to keep him from holding a job. His wife, Iman, is a cleaner, but her earnings do not cover the needs of a family with four young children. She...
Ben, 21, is focused, diligent, and thoughtful. He has been working to support himself since he was 13, and, when he can, contributes to the household needs of is parents and five brothers (ages 11 – 17). The results of recent vocational testing suggested that he turn his talents to...
After the birth of her sixth child, four months ago, Carmella, 39, sank into such serious post-partum depression that she had to be hospitalized. This threw her family into crisis. The new baby daughter and her older sister went to live with an aunt, but Carmella’s husband, Caleb, 46, has...
Recently, nine-year old Gaby’s behavior has changed. Always quiet and reserved, she ripped the pages out of a book and sometimes lies on her classroom floor without a word or movement. When her team lost a game, she blamed herself to an extent that was out of scale. Gaby’s concerned...
Batsheva, 59, and her husband separated because of his violence – physical, verbal, and emotional – towards her. They are in the process of getting a divorce but for many years he has refused to give her a “get” (Jewish bill of divorce), making it impossible for Batsheva to move...
Until she was diagnosed with cancer, Betty, worked at a daycare center. Her small salary and her husband’s disability stipend were the family’s sole income. They lived in a tiny apartment with their two children, ages seven and one. Due to Betty’s current situation, she and her children moved to...
Until he started therapy, Ari’s autism led him to do things like emptying full bottles of shampoo down the drain and clogging the toilet so that it flooded the house. Therapy and the medications have helped Ari, 18, to refrain from such destructive behaviors. However, Ari’s parents are running out...
Nurit’s parents objected to Ofer when she started dating him at age 18, but nine years later, they are still together. They now have five children. Ofer, 35, has a criminal background but is trying to do better. He works full time as the manager of a warehouse. Despite the...
Boris needs hydrotherapy. It is the best cure for his ailments, which range from broken bones after a fall, to osteoporosis, blood clots, hypertension, and a tumor. Boris is a widower whose children don’t live in Israel; he is in touch with them and they have a good relationship, but...
Project ONWARD 2018
for the benefit of women in distress
Project ONWARD is an ongoing fund, created in order to address the needs of Israeli single mothers and young women who are attempting to overcome the challenges of poor housing conditions and inadequate resources and support. Project ONWARD funds basic needs (fridges, beds, ovens and washers), educational and vocational programs and computers that...
Project BOOST 2018
for the benefit of At-Risk Youth
Through our work with social services departments around the country we know how badly at-risk youth need our continuous support. We have therefore established Project BOOST, an ongoing fund, so that together, we can help them. The goals of Project BOOST are: To empower at risk youth to complete schooling...
Project RESPECT 2018
for the benefit of elderly Ethiopians
We’d like you to meet Moran and Dinah! Moran Yosef is the director of the Seniors Center for Elderly Ethiopian Immigrants (Ha’Moadon le’kshishei Yotz’ei Ethiopia) in Hadera and Dinah is the sports director. There are approximately 600 elderly Ethiopians living in Hadera. In our work with the municipal social services department over the...
Recently Funded Personal Stories
Malka has suffered from a degenerative joint disease since childhood. Now she is not only confined to a wheelchair but cannot do anything for herself. Her husband is her main caretaker, feeding her, showering her, dressing her, etc. He also is in charge of their three children, ages eight, five,...
Zohara’s husband left her after their now three year old was born. She became pregnant again during a recent failed attempt at reconciliation, and is now raising a young son and an infant on her own. Their father pays no child support. Zohara, 41, works full time as a nursery...
Although Orna has seven children, from three relationships, her mothering skills are poor, so most of them were removed from her care. However, she has a strong relationship with her youngest daughter, now 13, and one of the older boys has come to live with her as well. Orna lives...
Tikva made aliya from Ethiopia with her parents as a little girl. Now an adult with seven children, Tikva studied to be a personal coach, hoping to stay out of poverty while helping her clients improve their lives. But she had to stop working with the birth of her youngest...
A few years ago, Avi and Sarah had to give up their apartment because they could no longer pay the mortgage. They lost almost everything in the ensuing bankruptcy. After years of illness, Avi, 73, is completely handicapped; he has not been able to work for more than a decade....
Amit recently received custody of his three young children, after it was determined that their mother was endangering their lives. Amit takes care of them with empathy and love. It is clear that he always puts their needs ahead of his own. The children all suffer from emotional problems as...
When her husband was sentenced to 12 years in jail, the burden of running the household and caring for their three children fell on Edna’s shoulders. She is doing the very best she can under difficult circumstances. The government does pay her a stipend so that the family can subsist,...
It is clear to his parents and his teachers that Danny, 8, is struggling in school. His reading and math skills are a year behind where they should be. He gives up on tasks easily, leaves the room without permission, and bothers his classmates by yelling in their ears, making...