Volunteering & Giving in Israel
April 16th 2018
When it comes to giving, volunteering, and fundraising of any kind, Israel is one of the most charitable nations in the world. This is seen most visibly in the aid work and donations Israel delivers to people worldwide suffering after natural disasters and conflicts.
Volunteering and giving is also very important within Israel itself. There are numerous charities and organizations which provide medical aid, money, and support to those less well off or in desperate need of care.
Many of these organizations accept donations and even some volunteer work from people across the globe. Our favorite examples of such organizations include the following:
United Hatzalah Israel Rescue
The United Hatzalah Israel Rescue is a fully-volunteer emergency medical service (EMS) organization covering the whole of Israel. It’s independent and non-profit, and is the largest of its kind in the country, with approximately 4,000 medics, paramedics, and doctors. Together they form a web of emergency first responders who are able to get to the sick or injured using motorcycle ambulances (also known as ambucycles).
They treat patients until ambulances or helicopters can reach the scene. Across the country, the average response time to an emergency is less than 3 minutes and they are usually the first to arrive after a terrorist attack.
Neve Michael Children’s Home
Neve Michael is a children’s center located in Pardes Chana, 30 miles south of Haifa. It serves as a home away from home for 350 children aged 4 to 18 who have been removed from their homes, for their own safety, by Israel’s Welfare Department. Reasons for removal range from family dysfunction and neglect to violence and sexual abuse.
The children’s home has been in operation since 1943 and has taken in children from all over Israel. The children are given all the attention and care they need so as to heal and have a chance at a normal life.
Leket Food Bank
Leket Israel – The National Food Bank – is an Israeli charity that distributes surplus food to those people who need it most. Every year, in every country, millions of tons of still edible food are thrown away due to excess quantity or financial cost.
Leket Israel collects unused food produce from food manufacturers, hi-tech company cafeterias, hotel restaurants, farmer’s fields, and catering halls, and then distributes the recused produce to 200+ nonprofit organizations spread throughout the country. These organizations include homeless shelters, soup kitchens, elderly centers, and community help organizations, to name but a few.
FIDF – Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) is a not-for-profit corporation whose goal is to look after the wellbeing of the men and women who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Based in New York, the FIDF also takes care of lone soldiers and wounded soldiers as well as the bereaved families of those who have fallen in battle.
The FIDF work on a number of projects including building, refurbishing, and maintaining facilities related to military personnel including education and sports centers, synagogues, auditoriums, and memorial rooms. They also arrange numerous cultural, educational, and fundraising initiatives, all to help and show appreciation to Israel soldiers and their families, in whatever way possible.
