Jerusalem, October 8, 2023 — The American Jewish Joint Distribution (JDC), the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian organization, issued the following statement on the war in Israel:
The JDC family stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Israel at this tragic time. We join with countless people mourning the victims and praying for safety and peace.
In the wake of events on the ground, we immediately activated our emergency response team and protocols across Israel. In the south of the country, we have widespread, existing operations and programs providing support to those in the line of fire, including elderly, people with disabilities, children and families at risk, and other vulnerable populations adversely impacted during this war and in past conflicts.
We are simultaneously working with our partners in the Israeli government, municipalities, NGOs, and our broad networks to address increased need among these populations in the face of this unprecedented emergency. We will conduct ongoing assessments of emerging needs and deploy interventions to address them.
We are grateful to the Jewish Federations of North America and tens of thousands of donors for their support of JDC’s emergency response efforts. Donations to JDC’s emergency response can be made here.
Every week in Israel, 1 million Israelis are touched by social services created by JDC. Since its founding in 1914 to aid starving Jews in Jerusalem impacted by the outbreak of WWI, JDC has invested in excess of 10 billion shekels to improve the lives of Israel’s most vulnerable, to close social gaps, and to ensure opportunity for all Israelis.
