The Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror has distributed emergency grants
to residents of the South who have been injured or whose houses were damaged by
the rocket fire.
The funding, provided by the Jewish Federations of North
America, amounts on average to $1,000 per terror victim and is intended to help
residents with their initial recovery after an attack.
According to the
Jewish Agency, representatives of the fund visited the homes of families who
have suffered from rocket fire and distributed the emergency funds.
“The
assistance provided by the Jewish Federations of North America is a
demonstration of the solidarity that Jews around the world feel with the
residents of southern Israel,” said Jewish Agency chairman Natan
Sharansky.
“These Israelis have had to cope with an extremely difficult
reality for the last few days, dealing with the terrible pain of those who have
been injured and those whose loved ones have been killed,” he said.
In
addition to the grants, citizens who are recognized as victims of terror by the
National Insurance Institute can apply to the Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims
of Terror to receive additional assistance of up to $5,000.
The Jewish
Agency says that it has also turned to other Jewish communities around the world
to raise money in order to bring children and youth in the South to regions away
from the conflict zone, for respite from the attacks.
Sharansky has been
in contact with the Prime Minister’s Office to consult on fundraising efforts
for the purchase of mobile bomb shelters and other social and humanitarian
activities for the population of southern Israel.