“Today Kiryat Shmona residents, especially the children and elderly, are suffering from trauma. Businesses and factories have been closed; the city’s education infrastructure has been damaged. We have witnessed the strength of these people despite this tragedy, and we wanted to respond swiftly and comprehensively,” she said.

She continued, “We know that while most of northern Israel was dramatically impacted by the Katyusha rockets, no city encountered the number of rockets and the damage, both physical and psychological, to the extent of Kiryat Shmona,”

“The Jewish Agency reached out to us because they believed it would be important for the largest Jewish community in the world to invest in Kiryat Shmona,” said John S. Ruskay, executive vice president & CEO of UJA Federation of New York.

Five grants total USD 9.3 million

USD 2,676,960 to the Jewish Agency for Israel to reach out to 3,756 students, ages 6 to 18, in 11 schools through programs that provide individual attention, one-on-one counseling, social and cultural opportunities, and professional staff support.

USD 2,635,000 to the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to aid Kiryat Shmona’s economic recovery, strengthen the municipality’s organizational resilience, and boost the resiliency of its vulnerable elderly and disabled residents.

USD 2,123,060 to the Israel Trauma Coalition for the development of a walk-in treatment center for the entire community, and a school-based support network within the high school system at the Danziger School.

USD 1,657,400 to Livnot U’Lehibanot to bring together teams of North American Jewish volunteers and local Israelis to repair and install plumbing and electricity into approximately 100 shelters, and design 30 bomb shelters that will serve as community and youth centers during times of peace, creating community and empowering and strengthening the resiliency of residents.

USD 102,000 to fund the Israel Association of Community Centers to upgrade the Kiryat Shmona Municipal Library to serve as an educational, social, and cultural center for the entire population.

This summer, UJA Federation of New York appropriated USD 10 million from its reserves to immediately send to Israel for humanitarian assistance. In addition, UJA Federation has raised USD 44 million through the Israel Emergency Campaign (IEC), which was launched in conjunction with the effort of United Jewish Communities (UJC), which has raised more than USD 300 million.

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