JDC Top Executive Details Plan for Aiding Recovery and Rebuilding Northern Israel As northern Israel was barraged with katyusha rockets in its war with Hezbollah, JDC joined with the UJC/Federation system and its Israeli partners to bring vital relief to the region's most vulnerable — the elderly, the disabled, and children — and to all sectors of the community. Even now, with a cease-fire in place, the conflict-related needs of those in the fire zone remain great. Many Israelis require immediate assistance as they pick up their lives after over a month in shelters or away from home. At the same time, the prolonged and intense assault has created deeper, more enduring needs that will take months if not years to overcome. The UJC/Federation system has now asked its overseas partners to craft a post-conflict recovery plan. JDC professionals have prepared a range of programs designed to ensure the recovery of the conflict regions — both in the north and in the Gaza border area. The proposed interventions will ensure that Israel will be able to respond effectively to all of its citizens in need — Jews, Moslems, Christians and Druze — and be equipped in the event of renewed conflict. The plan is being reviewed and funding is expected shortly. Steven Schwager, Executive Vice-President of JDC, explains that the organization's tack is one of assisting Israel not only to recover from the devastation, but to thrive. As former President Clinton advocated following the tsunami, Schwager's vision is one of "building back better." "We looked at the needs of those in the North from the lens of the traditional populations we serve," he says. "Residents need to be better off…not just where they were before. We aim to create a better, more vibrant Galilee for those returning and for others who want to be a part of a new Galilee." To achieve this vision, JDC's proposed programs focus on three areas: (1) Recovering from the Impact of War; (2) Laying the Foundations for the Future; and (3) Boosting Economic Opportunity. JDC's first efforts will be focused on helping the most at-risk residents who stayed in the North deal with post-traumatic stress. "Children and their families were confined to bomb shelters — concrete rooms never intended for long-term use — for 34 days," notes Schwager. "Many elderly and Israelis with disabilities could not even make it to shelters or had basic services, such as food and medical assistance, suddenly cease. These experiences will certainly have repercussions that we want and need to address." The second component involves enhancing the organizational effectiveness of the municipalities. "We will assist in reviewing lessons learned from municipalities who had successful disaster plans to ensure that all municipalities will be better prepared for future emergencies," says Schwager. He adds that the conflict in the north demonstrated that having an infrastructure in place for building civil society is paramount in being able to deliver necessary services when times are quiet or when tragedy strikes. As an example of this success, Schwager points to the AMEN youth volunteer program, which JDC has been nurturing for over three years during non-crisis times. "We mobilized this already developed network, especially youth from central Israel who dedicated themselves to preparing activity kits to entertain and teach children who were spending days and nights in terror in bomb shelters," he shares. "Now, having seen the value of companionship for children and elderly who live in the conflict zone, our goal is to create more opportunities for locals, Americans and others to volunteer to visit, paint, spend time with kids after school, and do other activities. It is critical to have a human touch, people-to-people connections." JDC's third set of programs will focus on supporting the region's economic recovery. "We aim to capitalize on our newest initiative, TEVET, which helps 'hard to employ' Israelis — immigrants, young adults, Israeli Arabs, the ultra-Orthodox and Israelis with disabilities — find and keep decent jobs so they can move from being extremely vulnerable to self-sufficient," explains JDC's Executive Vice-President. "Again here we will take the infrastructure we had begun to build in partnership with the Government of Israel and raise it to the next level so that those citizens who endured the greatest setbacks during this crisis can overcome their dire circumstances to become proud pioneers of a new Galilee." JDC Proposed Programs in the Wake of Israel's War: 2 Page Overview Adobe Acrobat (pdf – 128 KB) 6 Page Report Adobe Acrobat (pdf – 130 KB)

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