A year after the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is working to spotlight mass vulnerabilities among millions of Israelis who continue to face displacement, trauma, unemployment and the challenges of those still living under fire in the country’s north. The organization is also urging that more be done to address these needs.
As such, it is partnering with local and national governments, NGOs and the business sector to address the new reality facing Israelis. Multiple initiatives will address widespread trauma, stress and fear among some 55% of Israelis, coupled with a severe uptick in post-Oct. 7 depression, anxiety, loneliness and substance abuse among Israeli youth.
“These tragic events plunged millions of Israelis into a state of vulnerability that requires large-scale efforts to help them bear the reality they now face. We must care for them now as their situation only worsens,” said JDC CEO Ariel Zwang. “As we enter the Jewish New Year, we must redouble our efforts to help vulnerable Israelis rebuild their lives, and will pray for the return of the hostages, and for peaceful times ahead—may this all come soon.”
JDC has directly aided more than 450,000 of the hardest-hit Israelis, both Jews and Arabs, in the past 11 months with emergency aid and services. These efforts are supported by Jewish Federations and tens of thousands of foundations, families, corporations and individual donors.
Additionally, 100,000 Israelis seek employment, including evacuees and reservists who have returned from military service without jobs, with an estimated 40% of employed evacuees at risk of losing their jobs. There has also been a large-scale decline in the physical, mental and social capacity of the elderly, Israel’s founding generation, according to soon-to-be-released data from the Meyers-JDC-Brookdale Institute.
