While Israel is a developed nation with high literacy rates, there is a significant gap between rich and poor. The region’s most vulnerable—such as those with disabilities, single-parent families, the large number of new immigrants, the elderly, and people injured through terrorism and conflict—often struggle to afford basic necessities.
Our partners in Israel are acutely aware of the needs around them and have, for many years, been supplying humanitarian aid stations across Israel with essential goods. The projects they support include assistance for new immigrants, the homeless, unemployed people, Holocaust survivor centres, Jewish-Palestinian reconciliation initiatives, and facilities for the disabled.
Crossroads’ previous shipment to this group enabled them to assist more than 30,000 people—mostly children—by providing new clothes. As the director said: “Impoverished children haven’t done anything to deserve poverty, and usually their parents haven’t either… they’ve simply fallen into unforeseen circumstances.”
The goods in this shipment are particularly focused on assisting refugees and other new arrivals to set up their new homes.
Like Crossroads Foundation, our partner group relies largely on volunteers for driving, unloading and distribution of goods. They have developed a system by which they can deliver and unload an entire 40-foot container of goods at up to 6 distribution centres throughout the country in under 24 hours!
Homeless men enter a “free café” sponsored by our partner. Single men are particularly vulnerable because they are low priority to receive accommodation assistance.
There has been a large number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Israel since the beginning of hostilities in their country. Our partners have provided thousands of them with clothing, household goods and food packages to help them get established in their new homes.
Following Crossroads’ first shipment to this partner, the director reported: “When you dress a child in new clothes, it helps their self-esteem and confidence when everything else in their life is going wrong.” When shoes were distributed in one town, she said: “I can’t even express how happy they were, how they even hugged their shoes. Some have never received a gift like this in their entire life. One boy even kissed his shoes and wanted to keep them under his pillow!” This shipment will include many more clothes, as well as basic household furniture, to assist new arrivals in setting up their homes
