The need is so great that more than $183,000 raised through the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Israel NOW campaign to support Milwaukee’s Partnership 2000 program in the Sovev Kinneret region in Israel has already been dispersed — despite the fact that the campaign is ongoing.
According to Jerry Benjamin, chairman of the federation’s Israel & Overseas Committee, “We’ve begun to distribute the cash that’s come in so far even though we are in the process of raising more. Each of the three projects we intend to support needs the money now to get going.”
Benjamin, along with the other 42 Milwaukeeans who participated in the recent MJF Together-B’Yachad Mission to Israel Feb. 10-18, made the initial disbursements to get the programs off the ground while visiting the region, which includes Tiberias, the Jordan Valley, the Lower Galilee and five smaller communities surrounding the Sea of Galilee.
The projects include equipping an emergency room in Poriya Government Hospital and providing security systems for elementary schools in Tiberias and the Lower Galilee region.
“When you’re there and hear the Israelis tell us how our help and support makes these projects possible is very heart-warming. With the economic disaster Israel is experiencing, we are really helping to save lives and protect school children,” he said.
Based on the disbursement of $300,000 of the $500,000 Israel NOW goal, symbolic, pro-rated checks were distributed during the mission. The hospital received nearly $77,000 toward its $125,000 anticipated allocation; Tiberias, $61,000 of its $100,000 anticipated allocation, and the Lower Galilee region, $46,000 toward its $75,000 target allocation.
The actual money is being forwarded to the region through the Jewish Agency for Israel, one of the federation’s two overseas partners. All the money raised locally for the campaign will be dispersed by JAFI to the region.
Benjamin added, “When we send money to Israel, the faces of the recipients are usually abstract. But being in the region and seeing the people who will benefit from our effort really tears down the barriers of distance. It was an incredible experience.”
Jane Gellman, chair of the P2K cluster of Milwaukee, Tulsa and Minneapolis-St. Paul and president of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, said, “It was a thrill to see people in the region react to money they truly need.”
In terms of fundraising, Gellman said that this initial disbursement gives the projects a sense of credibility that “enables the Israelis, themselves, to raise more money to complete their projects. They can go to other organizations and show them ‘what the Americans have done.’”
Gellman credited Benjamin with working hard to determine the region’s greatest needs within the Israel NOW guidelines set by the United Jewish Communities, the umbrella organization of North American Jewish federations.
“In relaying the funds to Israel as soon as they are received, it has become so important for people to pay their pledges as quickly as possible. The money will impact the lives of lots of people,” she said.
Bill Appel, one of the mission co-chairs, said, “While giving the money is very nice, it’s not just about money. We showed the people in the region that we have an interest there and that we will make good on our commitment to them.”
Jody Kaufman Loewenstein, MJF general campaign chair, said, “For me, being in Israel personalized the Israel Now campaign because I met the people and interacted with them. And they are our partners.
“I came home with a renewed sense of purpose for the [Israel Now] campaign. The needs are so pressing — especially now because the region is so reliant on tourism. Over 70 percent of the people are out of work.”
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