Tzedakah for Israel (Where to Contribute)

Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat 

Meir Panim (A Friendly Face)

Meir Panim was extablished in 2000 by Dudi and Rivka Zilbershlag in memory of their sons who passed away from a rare liver disease in order to prvide procfeesional, immediate and effective basic ssolutions to those who are less fortunate while availding labeling them and maintaining their dignity and sensitivity.

They operate seven projects:
Meir Panim Soup Kitchen and Meals on Wheels
Power of Giving - distribution center of 2nd hand items
Meals for Children - subsidized and free meals for schoolchildren who need them
Healing Care - private medical services to those in need
Charity and Justice - legal services to those in need
Vocational Training Centers
Recycling

Table to Table

Israel's Food Rescue Network (much like Second Harvest in the US)

Table to Table is a food rescue organization dedicated to feeding the hungry of Israel. Table to Table harvests excess fresh food from caterers, cafeterias, manufacturers, grocers and farmers and delivers the food to soup kitchens, food pantries, senior citizen centers, homeless shelters and other places that serve those in need.

Table to Table provides food to over 50 non-profit agencies serving Israelis in need. Table to Table's consistent, free deliveries of food help these agencies to maximize their limited resources and to provide fresh, high quality food to the populations they aid.

Table to Table serves many food programs throughout Israel, but they have a waiting list of many programs that desperately need more food.

Kids 

Friends of the Israeli Scouts (Tzofim)

Friends of Israel Scouts, Inc. was incorporated in 1995 encompassing programs that began in the early 1960s to develop and maintain the connection between the Tzofim (Israel Scouts) movement in Israel, the ONLY youth movement in Israel that is both non-political and non-sectarian, and the Jews of North America. Friends of Israel Scouts, Inc. recognizes that the youth of Israel are both her hope and future.

Migdal Ohr

Migdal Ohr (Hebrew for "Tower of Light") was established in 1972 for the express purpose of providing education and social guidance to the children from underprivileged and problem homes in northern Israel. Overcrowded apartments, one-parent families, homes with drug problems, impoverished, crime-ridden families--these are the target populations from which Migdal Ohr draws its over 6,000 pupils at all levels of the educational spectrum. Its goal - to transform these students into loyal and productive citizens of Israel.

Shanti House (Beit HaShanti)

Beit Hashanti, established in 1984, is a unique home for homeless and street youth and whose aim is to look after youngsters in distress and who have suffered abuse; who are at odds with the authorities and/or have dropped out of formal treatment frameworks, or who have been abandoned by their parents. For many youngsters Beit Hashanti is a last chance before the slide into life on the streets, as well as a last opportunity to be in a warm and loving home.

The 13,000 youngsters helped by Beit Hashanti from 1984 to 2002 fall into two categories:

* The first category (9,300 youngsters) comprises youth who remain at Beit Hashanti from 24 hours to 7 days. They are returned to their homes or to the institution from which they ran away after receiving encouragement and support, and following discussions with their parents or with the caring institution. The aim is to prevent their descent into a street life of vagrancy, prostitution, drugs and alcohol.
* The second category (3,700 youngsters) is made up of youth with nowhere else to go. For these boys and girls Beit Hashanti becomes their home, where they stay from a few months up to a number of years.

Larger Than Life

Established in 1998, by parents of children with cancer, "Larger Than Life" is a humanitarian voluntary organization serving sick children all over Israel. The aim of the organization is to improve the quality of life of children with cancer, regardless of race, nationality or religious affiliation. The organization cares for children of all faiths: Jews, Christians, Druze and Muslims. Its activities take place in cooperation with all of the hospitals in Israel.

Israel Tomorrow Program

The Israel Tomorrow program is a six-year curriculum for high schools throughout Israel, which teaches the skills needed to work together for a better Israel.

AMIT

AMIT enables Israel's youth to realize their potential and strengthens Israeli society by educating and nurturing children from diverse backgrounds within a framework of academic excellence, religious values and Zionist ideals.

At present, AMIT's almost 17,000 children come largely from impoverished and/or dysfunctional families; significant numbers are new Ethiopian and Russian immigrants, as well as young people of Sephardic backgrounds. During its long history, however, AMIT has served diverse populations, responding to the crises, challenges - and tragedies - of Jewish history.

Health 

Magen David Adom

Actually, this links to the American Friends of Magen David Adom (Red Star, which is what Israel has instead of the Red Cross).

NATAL

NATAL stands for Israel Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War. They are a non-profit, non-affiliated and an a-political association.

Israeli Guide Dog Center for the Blind

The Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind, established in 1991, has one objective - to enable blind and visually impaired Israelis achieve independence, mobility and self-esteem through the use of guide dogs. The primary activity of the staff is the forging of a successful, working "Partnership" between the guide dog and his visually impaired owner.

Shilo

SHILO was established as a non-profit organization in 1976 by a group of family doctors, social workers, and nurses, aims to encourage responsible sexual behavior, thereby reducing the risk of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, and to provide assistance to women and couples facing unplanned pregnancy, including legal abortion.

Ezer Mizion (Israel Health Support Organization)

Ezer Mizion offers an extensive range of medical and social support services to help Israel's sick, disabled, elderly and underprivileged populations. Since its founding in 1979, Ezer Mizion has grown to become one of the largest non-profit organizations in Israel, benefiting over half a million people every year.

Ezer Mizion's diverse line-up of services includes the world's largest Jewish Bone Marrow Donor Registry and specialized programs for children with special needs, cancer patients, the elderly, and terror victims.

Beth David Institute - The Center for Deaf-Blind Persons

Because of their dual disability, deaf-blind people can rarely benefit from services offered by organizations for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and or/by services offered to the blind and visually impaired, and the Center for Deaf-Blind Persons specifically serves these unique needs of this population. Therefore, the Center focuses on providing this population with a variety of rehabilitation services. Over the past 15 years, the Center has successfully initiated, developed and provided rehabilitation services and social programs for deaf-blind people. The Center's staff strives to allow the deaf-blind clients to learn to live independently in as many situations as possible.

Marbeh Tzedakah, Marbeh Shalom 

The More Justice, The More Peace

Kav La'Oved (The Worker's Hotline)

Kav LaOved (worker's hotline) is a non-profit Israeli NGO, dedicated to the protection of worker rights. Kav LaOved helps the most vulnerable in Israeli society: 250,000 Migrant workers (10% of Israeli workforce), Palestinians working in Israel and Jewish settlements, ethnic minority citizens, and people employed via sub-contractors. These workers are subject to withheld payment, under payment, confinement, and criminal abuse. Most of them have no representation or access to institutional help. Due to their nationality, legal status, social-economic background, cultural-linguistic barriers, or gender, these workers are less likely to be familiar with their rights, and less capable to guarantee their implementation.

Israeli Center for Social Justice

The uniqueness of the Israeli Center for Social Justice resides in promoting discussion among the government, the civil society and the business sector; in developing a multidisciplinary approach; and by promoting new venues to enhance the principles of social justice, equality of opportunity and social solidarity.

Military 

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF)

FIDF is actually the American partner to the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (AWIS). Money is used for (among other things) building, maintaining and operating 17 modern and sophisticated facilities; establishing and renovating hundreds of clubrooms and fitness rooms on IDF bases; and the constant caring for each and every IDF soldier.

A Package from Home

A Package from Home sends thousands of packages to Chayalim Bodedim (soldiers without family in Israel) and combat soldiers. These packages are filled with anti-fungal socks, warm hats and gloves, t-shirts or 2 piece long underwear sets, numerous assorted candy, chocolates, and snacks, toiletries. Sometimes shoe polish kits, shaving cream, flashlight and batteries, coffee, and/or pocket knife are included in the packages. Each package contains a letter of appreciation from children and adults from all over the world for their part in securing our country.

Pizza (and More) for Israeli Soldiers

Send pizza, ice cream and soda (Coca-Cola or Pepsi) to serving front line Israeli soldiers, including reserves. Also send BURGERS! Hot vegetable soup! Cold Fruit soup. And don't forget to add your warm greetings of suppport and gratitude.

Fighting Terrorism 

Pups for Peace - Detecting Terror to Save Lives

Pups for Peace is a common sense, innovative program being developed for a previously nonexistent problem: the wide-scale use of suicide (homicide) bombings and bombing attacks against a civilian population.

The Pups for Peace strategy is simple: Deploy trained dogs at checkpoints and extensively throughout Israel, at public and private gathering places. This will result in limiting the smuggling of explosives into Israel, detection of explosives and bombers as they are moving to their targets, and early warning or prevention of bomb attacks in progress. Additionally, the presence of a large volume of trained dogs will boost the sense of security and enhance peace of mind for Israeli civilians who must go about their day-to-day lives. If this program can be successful in Israel, it can be placed in service wherever civilians are being threatened and attacked by terrorist bombers.

Pups for Peace will not end terrorism, but it is simple, practical, and immediate in terms of the life-saving results it can provide. The existing explosive detection dog program of the IDF, the "Oketz" unit, actually had 90 finds in 2002 and will exceed that number in 2003.All experts agree that more trained dogs will be able to stop more attacks and save lives. Pups for Peace is focused on applying innovative explosive detection techniques and methods to the challenge of defending civilians from terror attacks.

[Hat tip to Eliana R. who made me aware of this organization through her Bat Mitzvah project.]

Misc. 

Yad Sarah

Yad Sarah is an Israel-wide network of volunteers aiding disabled, elderly, and housebound people aimed at making home care possible.

Ezrat Avot - Caring Through the Generations

Ezrat Avot offers social, cultural, educational and nutritional services to help the elderly poor and their families within a supportive community, promoting intergenerational relations through educational programming and providing after-school tutoring of underprivileged children to break the c

Since its inception over a quarter century ago, Ezrat Avot has been a pioneer in providing storefront services to the elderly, making it possible for them to remain in their homes. The organization owes its special legacy to the Yemenite sage Rabbi Shlomo Gamliel, who immigrated to Israel in 1948 with Operation Magic Carpet. Distressed by the poverty of his elderly neighbors, Rabbi Gamliel founded Ezrat Avot as a soup kitchen in his home when he was 106 years old!

The Abraham Fund

The Abraham Fund Initiatives works to advance coexistence, equality and cooperation among Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens by creating and operating large-scale initiatives, cultivating strategic grassroots projects and conducting public education and advocacy that promote its vision of shared citizenship and opportunity for all of Israel's citizens.

New Israel Fund

The New Israel Fund works on the following issues in Israel: Civil and Human Rights, Social and Economic Justice, Religious Pluralism and Tolerance, Arab and Bedouin Citizens, Education, Environment, Immigrants and Women's Rights.

EMUNAH

Throughout Israel EMUNAH operates 5 children's residential homes, 135 day care centers and after-school programs, award-winning educational institutions including the Torah and Art High School and the Appleman College of Art and Technology, crisis counseling centers, parenting classes, and services for the elderly and homebound.

EMUNAH is working to improve the lives of the people in Israel, one child, one family at a time and has been since 1935.

Friends of Israeli Firefighters

The Israeli firefighters, the unsung heroes of Israel, are ranked among the best fire fighting and rescue services in the world, and are considered the number one specialists in responding to acts of terror. Today, with the increased vulnerability of the civilian population, Israel Firefighters and Rescue Services have become Israel's most vital security asset.

The Friends of Israel Firefighters (FIF) was established to meet the challenge of outfitting Israel's firefighters with the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities they need to continue performing their job of protecting and saving the lives of Israel's citizens.