Working with our organizational partners, we build and strengthen connections among communities around the world.
Our funding in Israel provides support to at-risk youth and creates a civil, democratic, and just society for all Israelis.
Our funding throughout Europe and the former Soviet Union provides food and medicine for homebound seniors and programs that educate and inspire the emerging generation.
Our work in Israel and in Jewish communities around the world is made possible by supporters of Federation’s Community Campaign, and by the following funds at the The Jewish Community Foundation:
- Amalie and Henry Schudamak Fund
- Programs in Israel Restricted Fund
- Rudolph Geringer Programs in Israel Fund
- Dr. Livia Ross Scholarship Fund
- Sam and Dora Ruvkun Advanced Planning Endowment for Projects in Israel
- Alexander & Ethel Levens Fund
Our Partners in Israel and Overseas
JDC is the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization. Since 1914, JDC has exemplified the value that all Jews are responsible for one another and for improving the well-being of vulnerable people around the world. Today, JDC works in more than 70 countries and in Israel to alleviate hunger and hardship, rescue Jews in danger, create lasting connections to Jewish life, and provide immediate relief and long-term development support for victims of natural and man-made disasters. Learn more about JDC.
The Jewish Agency for Israel has worked to secure a vibrant Jewish future since 1929. Instrumental in founding and building the State of Israel, The Jewish Agency today serves as the official link between the Jewish state and Jewish communities everywhere, inspiring a collective sense of Jewish purpose.
Globally, The Jewish Agency cultivates meaningful engagement with Israel and facilitates aliyah. As the Jewish world’s first responder, The Jewish Agency addresses emergencies in Israel and rescues Jews from countries where they are at risk. Learn more about The Jewish Agency.
World ORT is the world’s largest Jewish education and vocational training non-governmental organization, delivering the best practical education for those in need. Through a network of schools, colleges, training centers and programs in Israel, the former Soviet Union, Latin America and other countries, ORT works for the advancement of Jewish and other people by supplying them with the necessary skills, knowledge, training and education to foster economic self-sufficiency. Learn more about World ORT.
Dror Israel is a youth movement that fights for a democratic Israeli society. At its kibbutz in Akko, Dror Israel educators mentor at-risk youth in the area, giving them a support network, a social outlet, and the skillsets to succeed as Israeli citizens.
Stories of our work in israel and overseasVIEW ALL
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Encountering Israeli Culture: An American on Birthright
Max Coleman was a participant on the East Bay Community’s Birthright Israel trip this summer. He is sharing reflections, stories, and photos of what he experienced on Birthright in Israel for ten days with us. As Birthright came to a close and we had to bid our Israeli friends farewell, many of the Americans on […]
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A Birthright Shabbat in Jerusalem
Max Coleman was a participant on the East Bay Community’s Birthright Israel trip this summer. He is sharing reflections, stories, and photos of what he experienced on Birthright in Israel for ten days with us. While all of the participants in Birthright have Jewish ancestry, many have little religious background and have never participated in […]
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Preserving Memory at Yad Vashem
Max Coleman was a participant on the East Bay Community’s Birthright Israel trip this summer. He is sharing reflections, stories, and photos of what he experienced on Birthright in Israel for ten days with us. “It is not enough just to remember. Their lives will in a sense continue as they are fulfilled through you.” […]
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Spirituality and Kabbalah on Birthright
Max Coleman was a participant on the East Bay Community’s Birthright Israel trip this summer. He is sharing reflections, stories, and photos of what he experienced on Birthright in Israel for ten days with us. According to Kabbalistic tradition, there are four sacred sites in the land of Israel: Jerusalem, Tiberias, Hebron, and Tzfat. Each […]
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Jewish Identity: A Special Kind of Group Membership
Max Coleman was a participant on the East Bay Community’s Birthright Israel trip this summer. He is sharing reflections, stories, and photos of what he experienced on Birthright in Israel for ten days with us. When my cousin came back from a Birthright trip several years ago, my family immediately pestered him about his experience. […]
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Talking About Israel Across Difference
Recent news coming out of Israel has been tough. Violence on the Gaza border has escalated. Israeli LGBTQ activists have held a nationwide strike to protest a surrogacy law excluding gay couples. A Conservative rabbi was arrested for performing non-Orthodox weddings. The Knesset passed the nation-state bill enshrining Israel as the national home of the […]
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Making Educational Waves: An Urban Educators’ Kibbutz in Akko
Starting at a Garden Party “There were 25 people there. The garden looked amazing. The food was delicious. It was very friendly. We knew many of the people already, so it wasn’t awkward. It was a very comfortable feeling. It was like coming home.” That’s how Roei Tau felt coming from Akko to the East […]
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Celebrating 70 Years of a Jewish Homeland
Seventy years ago, the 2,000-year dream that the Jewish people would return to Jerusalem became a reality. Since then, Israel has developed into a modern, thriving country. Federation and Foundation strengthen the special bond between Israel and the East Bay, a relationship based on shared responsibility and values. Working with national and international partners, we provide support […]
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Last Chance: Dudu Tassa & The Kuwaitis @ The UC Theatre (New Opening Acts Announced!) ????
To celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday, we must party hardy! In this spirit, we invite you to celebrate Israel’s seventieth with the talented Israeli-Iraqi-Yemeni folk rocker Dudu Tassa, backed by his band The Kuwaitis, who have taken the stage at Coachella and toured with Radiohead on their most recent North American tour. Dudu Tassa is also […]
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Meet Israel’s Gluten-Free Brew Guru
Growing up amid the smog and congestion of Los Angeles, Bryan Meadan dreamt of someday escaping to Israel. He could just picture himself living in the lush green Galilee, spending his nights with friends drinking beer under an open, starry sky. With help from Federation partner The Jewish Agency for Israel, he made aliyah the […]
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Renowned Chef Hosts Federation-Supported MasterClass in Bedouin village
Federation Funded Initiative Promotes Healthy Eating for Ramadan The Negev Funding Coalition serves as an incubator for innovative pilot projects. It has recently allocated funds to run a series of culinary workshops across the Negev. In the Bedouin village of Segev Shalom, Chef Dr. Rani Polak gave a culinary workshop to thirty-two elementary school volunteer educators. Polak’s class provided participants […]
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Federation Grant Helps Russian-Speaking Jew Find Unity and Kinship in Israel
Oleg Salamatov was born in Turkmenistan three years before the Soviet Union dissolved. Although most of his relatives left the country for Israel, Oleg and his mother stayed behind. He grew up living under an authoritarian regime where he was discriminated against for both being Jewish and for speaking Russian. Oleg eventually fled his home […]
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Federation Provides Emergency Assistance to Victims of Tzfat Wildfire
On Sunday, July 16, a wild brushfire swept through the Canaan neighborhood in the northern city of Tzfat, fueled by exceptionally hot, dry weather. Hundreds of individuals and families were evacuated from their homes, some of which sustained irreparable damage and will need to be entirely rebuilt. Federation’s overseas partner, The Jewish Agency for Israel, […]
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One Week Later: The Impact of Birthright
Word of the Day: Ooshy Booshy Our trip leader Shane trying out some graffiti after our graffiti tour in Tel Aviv (Photo by Lauren Frisch) It has been a week since I got back from Israel. I’m mostly recovered from exhaustion and jetlag, so I want to take this chance to share some final thoughts. But first, […]
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Started as Strangers, Ending as Family
Word of the day: Achim Translation: Siblings We started off as strangers, but by the end of our trip, our multicultural group of Israelis and Americans became one big (very tired) family. Posing with graffiti on a graffiti tour in Tel Aviv Food of the day: Halva Halva is a delicious treat made of sesame paste, […]
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Yalla — to Masada!
Word of the day: Yalla Translation: Let’s go We’ve been busy over the last three days, so we used that word a lot! Food of the day: Last night we camped in Bedouin tents, then woke up at 4 am to hike up Masada and watch the sunrise. While there we ate this delicious dinner […]
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Love, Birthright Style
Though they come from different worlds, it usually doesn’t take long for participants and Israeli soldiers on Federation-sponsored Taglit-Birthright Israel trips to form lasting friendships. Every once in a while, one of those relationships develops into something more. Like this romance between Hannah, an all-American girl, and Gilad, an IDF soldier she met on her […]
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Gone Shpazaming
Word of the day: Shpazam How to use it: This word was invented my our Israeli tour guide Elinoy. It should be used anytime you don’t know how to say a word in English or Hebrew, or just as much as possible. Example: Everyone go shpazam and meet back here in an hour. Here is a photo of Elinoy shpazaming on a […]
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Tzfat is Yofi
Word of the day: Yofi Translation: Beautiful Food of the day: For lunch I ate a Yemeni sandwich from a market in Tzfat. The food stand sold only one sandwich, so it was easy to decide what to eat! The bread was chewy and lightly fried, and stuffed with melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and delicious […]
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Falafel and the beach — Sababa!
Sarah Plovnick is a participant on the East Bay Community’s Birthright Israel trip. She is sharing photos of what she’s experiencing, Hebrew words she’s learning, and glimpses of what life is like on a Birthright bus for ten days. Yalla! Word of the Day: Sababa Definition: Cool How to use it: In response to […]
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Choosing Tomorrow: Creating Opportunity
Lianne Dym is a sixth-year medical student, originally from Rehovot, currently living in Be’er Sheva. She’s a participant in Choosing Tomorrow, a program that encourages and gives incentives for college students to begin their careers in Israel’s underserved areas, creating opportunities for both the students and the communities around them. Choosing Tomorrow students participate in […]
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Yisrael Hofsheet: Creating Inclusive Spaces in Israel
For many years, Tel Aviv Councilman Mickey Gitzin didn’t think about issues like religious freedom. But then he visited the United States, and had a revelation. “I realized that there is actually more than one way to be Jewish,” he said. “And the distinction in Israel, between the secular and the religious, actually pushes people […]
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Dror Israel: Empowering At-Risk Youth
Dror Israel is a true grassroots movement — its mission is to create an equal, just, and democratic society for all people in Israel. Education and mentoring is a huge tool they use to that end; at kibbutzim from Akko in the north to Mizpe Ramon in the far south, its educators help at-risk youth […]
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Choosing Tomorrow: Serving Israelis in Need
“We should be active citizens who challenge anything we see as unjust.” Lianne is a medical student living in Be’er Sheva, in southern Israel. Be’er Sheva is one of Israel’s poorest major cities; one third of its residents live at or below the poverty line. Lianne is a member of Choosing Tomorrow, a program that […]
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JCC Warsaw: Poland’s Jewish Revival
“There is a Jewish future in Poland.” Poland used to be home to the world’s largest Jewish community, but after the Holocaust and communist rule, public Jewish life was nearly extinguished. Today, new JCCs in Warsaw and Krakow are catalyzing a remarkable change — Jewish life is on the rise. And through everything from kosher […]
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Dror Israel: Shiran’s Story
“I remember when Shiran came to the youth club for the first time. She didn’t talk. The whole year, she just sat and refused to participate in any of the activities,” explained Mirit, Coordinator of the Dror Israel educational kibbutz in Akko. Shiran is from a working-class neighborhood in Akko, Israel. After her grandmother died […]
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Healing the Negev Through Art
For many, the city of Sderot doesn’t evoke aesthetics. It’s not a wealthy place. There’s the constant threat of rocket attacks from neighboring Gaza. And tensions run high between longtime residents and newer students and young professionals. Though Limor Max and Sharon Ken-Dor are such newcomers, they immediately detected in the city’s troubles a potential […]
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A Ticket to Freedom for Lana and Thousands of Others
Lana Alman escaped the U.S.S.R. with her family as a small girl with assistance from Federation-supported agencies. The generosity she was shown inspired her to pay it forward to help other immigrants professionally and through volunteering with Federation partner the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). This is her story. “While my dad stood in […]
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Yiddish Musician Finds Harmony with Grant for Israel Trip
Lifelong musician and opera singer Anthony Russell’s journey to Israel started with music. He was inspired by a Yiddish singer he heard on the soundtrack of a movie. He then started performing classical music that was written in Yiddish. Eventually, he converted to Judaism. Anthony had always wanted to go to Israel. “I was ready […]
