How You Can Help Those Impacted by the Fires in Israel

The URJ has announced a donation of $25,000 for fire relief efforts on behalf of the Reform Movement. Please join us.

For the last week, Israel has been ravaged by fires that destroyed tens of thousands of homes. The extent of the damage is still unclear, but since last Tuesday, 110 different fires have been identified in what is considered to be the worst fire crisis in Israel’s history. In Haifa, the largest city affected, more than 1,000 homes were destroyed and more than 60,000 people were displaced.

Officials believe that many of the fires may have been caused by arsonists. Complicating the matter is the dry weather in Israel, which allowed the fires to spread rapidly and far. Jordan, Greece, Turkey, the Palestinian Authority, and the United States have all sent firefighting support to put out the fires and prevent them from spreading further across the region. Thankfully, as of Sunday, there have been no new fires.

The Reform Jewish community, led by ARZA, is committed to helping Israel rebuild and to providing relief.

The Government of Israel will help support those families whose homes were destroyed in the fires, but you can help by donating to the following efforts:

• Donations to ARZA and ARZA Canada will go directly to Keren B’Kavod, the humanitarian arm of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, to help support those in need.
• Donations to the Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel Fire Emergency Fund will be directed appropriately following an assessment of urgent and emerging needs.

Join us in supporting relief efforts on the ground. Together, our support will help Israel begin to heal.

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