UJC DONATES EMERGENCY FUNDS TO SDEROT

A press release I got from the UJC:

For Immediate Release
January 18, 2008

Contact:
H. Glenn Rosenkrantz, UJC Media Relations
212.284.6572, glenn.rosenkrantz@ujc.org

Steve Rabinowitz, Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications
202.265.3000, steve@rabinowitz-dorf.com


UNITED JEWISH COMMUNITIES AND JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA MAKE $400,000 EMERGENCY ALLOCATION TO AID SDEROT YOUTH

New York - January 18, 2008 - United Jewish Communities (UJC) and the Jewish Federations of North America today allocated $400,000 to provide respite programs for youth in Sderot, the Israeli city under near-constant attack from deadly rockets launched by terrorists based in the Gaza Strip.

The dollars will support a one-month initiative, beginning this Sunday, to take nearly 2,000 Israeli youth out of range of the rockets one day per week. In a safer environment, they will have the opportunity to receive trauma counseling and participate in education and recreation programs.

More than 100 Qassam rockets have been fired into Sderot and surrounding areas this week alone, many of them causing severe physical injuries, psychological trauma, and property damage. In recent years, 13 Israelis, including eight in Sderot, have been killed by the rockets.

"Israelis living in Sderot and the areas around it are holding the border for Israel against those who are intent on the destruction of the Jewish state," said Toni Young, chair of the UJC Israel Emergency Campaign Work Group. "Thousands of them are children and youth. We of course admire their fortitude and strength, but we clearly recognize that they need support and respite from the daily challenges and stresses of terrorist rocket fire. We will be with them now and in the future."

The youth-focused program is a joint initiative between UJC and its overseas partner agencies, the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), at the suggestion of Israel's Ministry of Education.

Including the allocation made today, UJC and the Jewish Federations of North America have so far spent $13 million from a special campaign, the Israel Emergency Campaign, to address the needs of Israelis in Sderot and surrounding areas. The campaign has raised a total of $360 million since it was established in August, 2006.

JAFI and JDC are currently identifying additional critical needs in Sderot, Ashkelon and the western Negev region of the country. The Israel Emergency Campaign Work Group is expected to review these in coming weeks. UJC and the Jewish federations have so far earmarked $3 million for additional needs in the region.

I'm glad they made the donation. Now, how about others do the same?