Thanks to your support, Jewish Federation moved immediately to help Israelis in crisis. In coordination with Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), our Pittsburgh Federation has provided tens of thousands of dollars in direct aid to help those in immediate crisis through some of our international partners: the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC). Some of the way these funds have helped:

• Emergency cash assistance to victims of terror
• Trauma care from ITC to stave off post-traumatic stress disorder
• Physical renovations to bomb shelters at JAFI Absorption Centers in southern Israel
• Financial assistance to businesses and homes damaged by missiles

Because of you, we stand with Israel and provide immediate relief in this time of need. Thank you.

Read more below about our Community Relations Council's work to support Israel in Pittsburgh. Get updates from our Partnership2Gether region of Karmiel/Misgav in Israel and from our international partners.

Advocacy in Pittsburgh & Israel

The Community Relations Council has been working tirelessly to monitor reactions and responses to the situation in Israel and ensure that the wider Pittsburgh community is receiving accurate information about the conflict.

• The CRC released a statement last week in response to the escalating violence, which can be read in full on our website.
• We have compiled a growing list of resources to contextualize the outbreak of violence and keep the community informed.
• CRC has contacted local congressmen to request their support in ending the violence. Jewish Federations of North America has also provided an easy and accessible platform to reach out to your representatives.
• In partnership with contacts throughout the Pittsburgh community, CRC is monitoring instances of misinformation and working to counter these with accurate information about the conflict.

Other critical work continues to keep our community informed and to combat misinformation and anti-Israel sentiment:

• Partnership2Gether will host a series of webinars to provide background knowledge on the situation and give insight into the effects on our Partnership region of Karmiel/Misgav.
• Our Director of Israel & Overseas Operations, Kim Salzman, has written an op-ed that will be published in this week's issue of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.

International Partners

Your support for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Campaign flows through our international partners, including JAFI, JDC, ITC and more to help people responding to the crisis in Israel. Some of their recent actions include:

• As of May 16, JAFI’s Victims of Terror Fund has provided direct assistance to 170 households in total, including the families of six people that were killed and six that were injured.
• JAFI is providing support to 3900 new immigrants, many of whom do not yet speak Hebrew, living in their Absorption Centers in southern Israel, where they have only 15-45 seconds to seek shelter when rockets are fired. You can read the full update on JAFI's response to the crisis here.
• JDC staff are working with families living in poverty and distress to resolve urgent issues. Responses range from releasing funds for food and other basic needs to families who are sheltering from rockets, to assisting a family who lost all their possessions when a rocket destroyed their home in southern Israel.
• In the Gaza Envelope alone, ITC is treating over 2,000 people a day through home visits, hotline assistance, group intervention and support for First Responders. Over 62% of the population in southern Israel is receiving some form of psychosocial care.