Israel Events and Partnership Update

We are pleased to share that Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut will be presented online, so that we can still observe them together.

Yom HaZikaron
Monday, April 27, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom

Please join us to commemorate Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Day of Remembrance) to honour Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorist attacks. Our remembrance will follow the traditional Israeli Yom HaZikaron format, with poems, readings, songs and a moment of silence.

“As bereaved families live with their loss daily, we gather once a year to recognize their grief and pain, and to give them a communal hug,” said Geoffrey Druker, chair of Jewish Federation’s Yom HaZikaron Committee.

Click here for more information about how you can participate.

Yom Ha’atzmaut
Wednesday, April 29 at 11:00 a.m. via Facebook Live

Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) is hosting a virtual live global celebration to toast Israel’s 72nd birthday, and everyone’s invited! The one-hour online program will feature music, celebrity guests, and more than a few opportunities to collectively celebrate Israel’s Independence Day. Click here for more details and to RSVP. 

Todah Rabah to our official sponsors, the Georgian Court Hotel, Jewish Independent and PearTree Financial, and to the many community partners, donors, and ticketholders who generously supported our previously scheduled Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration. We look forward to celebrating with you in person next year.

Update from our Partnership Region
Our Israel and Overseas team has been working closely with our partners in Kiryat Shmona to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on their ability to address community needs in our partnership region of the Upper Galilee.

COVID-19 presents Israel with its first major crisis that isn’t based on security, but rather a pandemic with major economic implications. We are currently funding 12 different programs in our partnership region in the Gahil Panhandle, spanning social services, at-risk youth support, and community building programs. With all businesses and community organizations other than essential services forced to close their physical doors, all in-person gatherings have stopped until further notice, and programs have shifted to an online or volunteer service. Program leadership are assessing the situation daily, and adjusting their respective action plans to meet the needs of our region as best they can.

Here are some highlights:

Beit Vancouver Network – Better Together
Beit Vancouver’s network of volunteers have helped distribute medicine, activity kits, and more than 3,400 meals and Passover packages to seniors and low-income families. In addition, they are preparing Passover dinners for hundreds of families, and have created online programming for children. Here’s a short video that shows them in action.

Net@
Program coordinators in our partnership region are transitioning their Net@Kiryat Shmona students to online classes and supporting them remotely, so they can continue to learn the computer skills that will help them reach their full potential.

GalilUp Leadership Program
Participants have developed several online platforms to help the community stay connected with regional catering businesses, department stores, medical clinics, and other essential services.

Kedma Student Villages
Our Kedma coordinators have shifted their operations to focus on two vulnerable sectors: senior services and agricultural enterprises. Students in every village are available for necessary agricultural work and are responsible for contacting at least one household to ensure elderly residents have what they need.