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.
Regina, 36, lives with her mother, grandmother and 2 children in a very basic apartment in Ashdod. Regina had been working but was forced to stop due to health issues. She has yet to receive disability benefits but does regularly receive payments from the fathers of her two children. Regina’s...
Liora, 57, has been using the same pair of reading glasses for 10 years because she can’t afford new ones. She worked for 23 years as an aide to the elderly, but the job led to anxiety attacks, depression, and uncontrollable fits of crying. A few months ago, she fell...
Ayelet, a single mother with a six-year old daughter, is a full participant in a program that teaches women to be independent; she is learning parenting skills, financial management, and how to stand up for her rights, and receives career counseling with the goal of earning enough money to support...
When Tali was 23, she fell in love with a much older man. He had a criminal history and was addicted to drugs but after her parents’ divorce and her mother’s choice to move away from Israel, he offered Tali appealing warmth and support. Eventually, they decided to marry and...
Tziona, 21, lives at home with her two older sisters and seven younger siblings. Her mother is a housewife and her father, although he puts in long hours as a handyman every day, does not earn enough to cover the family’s needs. Their clothing and furniture are all second-hand and,...
Zohara, 14, needs therapy to help her learn to control her emotional swings and deal with her father’s abuse, so that she can begin to move forward in life. Her mother, Shira, recognizes the importance of this treatment for her daughter, but cannot afford it. Shira and her husband have...
Since her six-year old son broke his hand in a fall from the top bunk bed in July, Rachel is too scared to let him continue to sleep there. She is a single mother to her two young children. She keeps their small apartment clean and neat, and as appealing...
Dina has a very clear plan about how she wants to grow her business, increase her customer base, and develop sufficiently stable earnings that she can stop relying on her state stipend as a divorcee without a job, and declare herself an independent contractor. Until recently, Dina ran a small...
Mazal, 54, managed to maintain the same refrigerator for 30 years. The refrigerator that she got when she got married outlived the marriage and fed 5 children. Now divorced and supported by social services and some support from her children, Mazal’s fridge is beyond repair. Her social worker has turned to...
After winning her first battle with cancer, Ziva trained as an art teacher. She loved using these skills. However, a second bout has left her weak and fragile. She can no longer carry her art supplies around and worries that too much contact with other people will result in serious...
A bitter and drawn-out divorce that included physical and verbal abuse, has left Raya, 33, and her three children emotionally traumatized. Raya already suffered from foot problems have handicapped her and cause her constant pain. She is seeing a therapist and takes medications for her physical and emotional problems, but...
Nir, 55, suffers from schizophrenia and has a heart condition, both of which keep him from being able to hold a job. His wife also has health issues that do not allow her to work. The disability stipend that they receive from the government is not large enough to cover...
Project ONWARD 2020
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 2020
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 2020
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
Chani (10) is the youngest of her parents’ 10 children. It was clear soon after she was born that her development was delayed, as she reached various milestones later than her siblings did. She started in special education at age three. Chani loves her school and particularly enjoys playing with...
Neither Pnina nor Ron is able to work. She is trying to recover from an operation after a slipped disc; he has medical problems as well. Their oldest daughter lives and works in Tel Aviv, but their other four children are at home. Their oldest son works, while the 12th,...
Irina, 24, moved to Israel with her parents when she was 16. A year later, she moved out of their home and has lived on her own since then. She is no longer in contact with her parents. Irina has supported herself with various jobs over the years but because...
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...
Eden, 63, made aliya from Ethiopia 14 years ago. Her husband died en route to Israel, and she arrived as a widow. Because of her medical problems – diabetes, high blood pressure, liver problems – Eden is unable to work. She relies on her old age stipend from the government....
Raya, 81, is a Holocaust survivor. Widowed, she now lives with her daughter and her daughter’s family in a small apartment. The home is neat and clean, but they have little money. Raya suffers from an array of medical issues, from diabetes, to carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension, polyps, and pain...
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...
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...