Responding to growing needs that have deepened over nearly three years of war, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is launching its annual holiday assistance program, allocating more than 24 million shekels (nearly $8 million) to assist 150,000 people with food and clothing vouchers.
Nearly two-thirds of Israelis will be forced to cut expenses to pay for basic household food costs, according to the latest survey conducted on behalf of the IFCJ ahead of the Jewish holiday season.
Some 43% of Jewish respondents anticipate needing to cut back on food expenses, with 32% estimating that they will need help to complete their holiday preparations. A total of 51% of respondents said they will cut back on entertainment; 44% will cut back on new clothing purchases; 20% will reduce transportation expenses; 15% will save on electricity; 8% will cut back on medication expenses; and 8% plan to reduce water consumption.
The study, conducted by Geocartography in July, surveyed 802 men and women over the age of 18, including 502 respondents representing a national sample of Israel’s population and 300 reserve soldiers.
The financial situation of 42% of Israelis has worsened since the outbreak of the war, compared to only 10% who reported an improvement in their financial status. Conditions worsened for 64% of Arab respondents and 38% of Jewish respondents. Among Jewish households, 43% anticipate needing to cut food expenses for holiday meals, with the expectation to cut back increasing as household income decreases. Among Jewish respondents, 32% estimate they will need financial assistance to address the holiday expenses, with many not knowing where they will get help.
“For three years, our lives have revolved around reserve duty, work and home,” said a reservist who has served multiple rounds since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. “These vouchers are more than financial assistance during a tough time. It’s the feeling that someone sees and understands the sacrifices we are making to protect our country and says thank you.”
Yael Eckstein, president of the IFCJ, stated that “three years of war have changed the landscape of those who need help in Israel and deepened the struggles of many families who have already been in dire financial situations. This holiday support serves to deliver a message of hope and mutual responsibility for better days ahead, ensuring that no family feels left behind. We thank our hundreds of thousands of donors around the world who stand by Israel and those in need, particularly in times of uncertainty and challenge.”
Alongside the elderly, low-income families and populations in financial distress before the war, new families and individuals—particularly those of reserve soldiers, injured soldiers and residents of the north—face new challenges.
IFCJ’s holiday assistance will be distributed through local authorities and social services partner organizations operating on the ground:
• 20,060 Tav HaZahav gift cards worth 800 shekels each will go to families supported by local social services and single-parent families in public housing;
• 4,550 food vouchers worth 800 shekels each for families assisted by charitable organizations;
• 1,000 food vouchers worth 1,000 shekels each for new immigrant families;
• 9,550 clothing vouchers worth 300 shekels each for children in welfare boarding schools and day centers;
• 2,316 food vouchers worth 250 shekels each for families supported by Eshel Yerushalayim Colel Chabad;
• 1,500 food baskets worth 200 shekels each for families and the elderly supported by Yad B’Yad;
• 2,150 food baskets worth 180 shekels each for families supported by Latet.
