Immediately after the war in Israel and Lebanon began on July 12, the American Jewish community responded. E-mails shot furiously as American Jews struggled to find a way to help Israelis.
Among those responses was Milwaukee’s community-wide Israel Crisis Fund, which was launched nationally by the United Jewish Communities (See the July 28 Chronicle).
It was described then as a “quick and dirty” campaign, aimed primarily at raising enough funds to send children from northern communities to summer camps in central and south Israel and to improve and update conditions for those who remained in the north.
With the crisis in its fourth week, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation reports that the fund has received more than $400,000 in contributions from 331 donors. National contributions reached $57 million.
But the needs have continued to rise. On Wednesday, August 2, following a UJC board of trustees recommendation, the executive board of the federation voted unanimously to mount a two-line “sped up” annual campaign to respond to Israel’s ongoing emergency.
“The MJF made [this] decision because of the daily escalating needs in Israel,” said Jane Gellman, co-chair, with Moshe Katz, of the Israel Emergency Campaign.
“No matter what goal we set today, it seems inadequate for tomorrow. It will take all of the skills the federation has accrued over all of its years to meet the needs of Israel and our community. We know the needs of the community and they cannot be forgotten.
“We think we can do this best by attaching the [newly named] Israel Emergency Campaign to the Annual Campaign,” she said. “It’s the Annual Campaign structure that best enables us to reach the most people and make them understand these ever increasing needs, so it seemed only logical to combine the two campaigns.
“Our goal is to move it out as quickly as we can to get the money to Israel as soon as possible,” Gellman said. The Annual Campaign was set to begin formally at the end of the month but has been moved forward to begin immediately. UJC estimates that the campaign will run only a few months.
“This campaign can do more because it is supported by the Israeli government ministries who have worked with Israel’s two largest social service networks — the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee — to develop a prioritized listing of needs, according to Richard H. Meyer, MJF executive vice president.
“The magnitude of the emergency is such that only our system is able to respond in the most effective way,” he said.
The campaign goal was originally set at $300 million, said Jody Kaufman Loewenstein, the UJC trustee who represents Milwaukee.
But in a live Web cast on Monday, Aug 7, during which UJC treasurer Kathy Manning formally launched the campaign, she said that an additional $200 million in needs has subsequently been identified.
“As a major community and historically philanthropic partner, Milwaukee has been asked to contribute over $2.5 million,” Meyer said after the executive committee meeting last week.
“This is about social service delivery. This is not about guns, but about the immediate needs of displaced citizens, children, the elderly and the infirm, who are at risk [as a result of the war in Israel],” Kaufman Loewenstein said.
“The needs are absolutely immediate. The money is being transferred as it comes in and directed to the population at greatest risk. Our community has always responded quickly and I know that they will again,” Kaufman Loewenstein said.
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