As part of the Board of Deputies and Hostages and Missing Families Forum initiative for synagogues to "adopt" a hostage and make their name heard, Westminster Synagogue is proud to adopt Elkana Bohbot. Elkana celebrated his 35th birthday in captivity, and his son has just celebrated 4th birthday, without his father and best friend. We have sent them a gift from our community, but pray that he gets his most desired present, that his father returns home soon 

Elkana had gone to the Supernova festival with friends and, before losing contact, he spoke to his wife, Rivka, and mother telling them he was helping to evacuate the wounded. According to his brother Yaakov, the first thing Elkana did was to put the musicians he was in charge of on taxis to get them out - sacrificing his own safety. Hours later, his family found a video of him posted online by Hamas. Elkana is a go-getter, a big kid,  and a huge lover of music. He was always the person who could connect you with the right artists, and has always been there for family and friends, most recently celebrating his brother's wedding a few weeks before Oct 7th. Elkana had just opened an ice cream shop in Tel Aviv, everyone has tried to make ice cream like Elkana, but no one can come close. He was looking forward to bringing his son to the new store. Instead he is being held hostage by Hamas.

There is a a seat reserved for Elkana during our services and events and we'll keep him and the other hostages in our minds and our prayers. To find out more about the BoD initiative, click here.

To donate to Elkana's family, to support them in this truly horrific time, please do click here.   

Living Together - The Living Together bilingual kindergarten was established in 2018 by parents from Kibbutz Evron and the adjacent Arab village of Mazra’a who believed that if the children from the two communities met and played together, speaking both Hebrew and Arabic, this would help to promote tolerance and coexistence in the future. The kindergarten is located on the grounds of Kibbutz Evron, six miles from the Lebanese border. It is within the local government area of the regional council Mateh Asher. Living Together is a registered charity and recognized by the Israel Ministry of Education. Since the current war began the kindergarten has been forced to suspend operation because it does not have an adequate safe room to which the children can retreat in the event of a missile alert. The children badly need to return to at least a semblance of their previous routines. Living Together therefore urgently wishes to build the safe room and resume offering child care. It is soliciting the funds needed for this purpose. The approximate cost is $61,000 of which $13,000 has been raised. In lieu of donation Kibbutz Evron provides land and operating services at no charge. The regional council will not contribute because the kindergarten does not meet the council’s criteria. I am writing to you as a supporter of the kindergarten to explore the possibility of obtaining contributions from Westminster Synagogue towards construction of the safe room. 

MyIsrael - Before 7th October, our portfolio consisted of 18 causes, all working to improve lives for at-risk populations and for those affected by poverty, loneliness, abuse and special needs. Since the attacks, Myisrael has responded to hundreds of requests for funding from existing and new causes, and we have conducted due diligence in record time so that we could respond to the needs as quickly as possible. This year our Appeal will go to provide trauma therapy for those who have been affected by the war. This is a need that will go on well after the fighting stops and that Israel will be dealing with it for a long time to come. The UK community's support for Israel is vital, now more than ever.

Meir Panim -  a non-profit organization in support of Israel, was established to promote, support and further activities which are committed to providing both immediate and long-term relief to the impoverished- young and old alike- via a dynamic range of food and social service programs, all aimed at helping the needy with dignity and respect. 

Magen David Adom Support Israel’s national emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, which is on the frontlines of saving lives in Israel. Michael Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies will match donations 1:1 that made to Magen David Adom through this link.

Atzum - Justice Works  “Adopt” a family for a year, a family of one, or chillingly, more than one, of the murdered, or abducted to Gaza. ATZUM, in cooperation with the social workers and case workers of two organizations assisting those families, has identified families who have lost everything - their livelihoods, homes, possessions, and the lives and/or freedom of their loved ones. $20,000 USD will provide +/- 6,000 NIS monthly assistance for a year. Hopefully, the State will by then have developed better frameworks of relief, which will still, inevitably, be inadequate. To best facilitate that, please contact the Chief Exec who can provide the bank wire details. 

UJIA Emergency Community Appeal Right now 5,000 Shabbat meals are being delivered right now to Ashdod, Ashkelon, Be'er Sheva, Dimona, Netivot, Ofakim and Sderot. Helmets, flak jackets, emergency communications equipment and generators for first line responders are arriving along the northern border. Vital supplies including soaps and hygiene products as well as nappies for babies and toddlers are being delivered to affected communities in the South. Next week even greater needs will emerge. Only you can make sure that we have the funds to respond immediately.

United Hatzalah Our existing inventory of medical supplies and equipment that was supposed to be sufficient for the next year is now completely depleted, and we need to order more. These supplies can be ordered and delivered over the course of the next week to ensure that UH volunteers have everything they need to respond to the ongoing attacks. Our medics are on the front line and in need of support and reinforcements as they respond to lifesaving calls.

NATAL - the Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center Apolitical organization providing multidisciplinary treatment and support to direct and indirect victims of trauma due to the terror in Israel.

Tag Meir Project Urgent Response Tag Meir responds within 24-48 hours of a hate crime by organising solidarity visits to the victims, such interreligious activities are designed to develop mutual trust and solidarity amongst various sections in Israeli Society. Our response team visits affected communities, bereaved families and hospitalized injured victims. In addition we visit vandalised and damaged sites to help with the clean up, refurbishing and planting olive trees together on site.

Israeli Children's Fund Providing Israeli children who have lost one or both parents to acts of terrorism, or who have one or both parents being held hostage, with the security and stability they need to thrive.

HIAS HIAS provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world and advocates for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives. HIAS is implementing an initial 30-day response plan seeking to focus critical needs as well as core emergency capabilities to address crisis in Israel. These include: a Help Rush Emergency Aid to Israel campaign.

Solution not Sides Help us to tackle polarisation in the UK around Israel-Palestine, and build trust between communities by delivering our youth education programming to students around the UK, in schools, youth groups, community spaces and universities. The non-partisan programme has been formulated with the input of both Israelis and Palestinians as well as senior members of Jewish and Muslim communities, and is designed to prepare students to make a positive, solutions-focused contribution to debates on Israel-Palestine.

The Bereaved Families Forum The Bereaved Families Forum (sometimes known as the Parents Circle-Families Forum) was started by Yitzhak Frankenthal (left) in 1995, a year after his 19-year-old son Arik was killed by Hamas. He declared that as a religious Jew he could not justify seeking revenge for his son’s murder. Despite his pain, he said, the only ethical response to the loss of his son was to try to prevent further deaths and suffering. So, he set about contacting other bereaved families, both Israeli and Palestinian, and persuading them that reconciliation was a better objective than revenge.

The Jewish Agency Fund The Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror has been providing immediate, critical financial assistance to victims and their families. We have already disbursed hundreds of grants, arriving with checks within 24-48 hours, and anticipate distributing more, while also following up with long-term overall recovery and rehabilitative support.

CST CST prides itself on providing all of its services to the Jewish community entirely free of charge. This means that security is provided on a ‘need’ basis rather than on ability to pay. CST is a registered charity. We rely on donations and without your support we cannot maintain and develop our work. Your donation will enable us to provide expert security protection and advice to help secure synagogues, communal buildings and events.

JAMI Mental Health Jami supports many hundreds of people each year impacted by mental health problems, enabling those isolated because of their mental distress to become re-engaged with their family, friends and local community. We improve mental health understanding for thousands more people through training, seminars and other educational sessions. Jami has never been more needed to deliver life-saving mental health services now, and to grow to meet the increasing demand from adults and children in our community.

Leket As Israel entered its second week of the evolving crisis on its southern and northern borders, Leket Israel has launched 3 emergency relief programmes with a combined budget of £4.9million to provide: Meals for the Housebound & Evacuees (Leket is delivering an average of 5,000 hot meals daily. These meals are sourced from southern caterers); . Essential Dry Goods and Baby Supplies )Leket is actively providing essential supplies to affected families in the South and those displaced to Eilat and the Negev desert. Our relief parcels contain crucial staples such as rice, couscous, pasta, and canned goods.  We are also distributing diapers and baby formula to support young families.) Direct Financial Support (Leket is extending support to thousands of families through debit cards, recharged weekly. This programme operates in collaboration with local welfare departments in the South to assist those whose income has been affected by the conflict or who face challenges in accessing their usual sources of aid.) We appeal to you, for your support during this challenging period. Your contribution, no matter the size, will make a significant impact and help provide essential meals, supplies, and direct financial aid to those in need. 

Temple Sinai Operation Tourniquet We’re focusing exclusively on Combat Tourniquets. We’re in direct contact with the IDF to find the supply gaps and give each soldier a chance to save their own and other’s life by directly proving them with a tourniquet. Over the last week we’ve handed thousands of tourniquets directly to soldiers throughout Israel. We just partnered with a 501c3 and are fundraising for 3000 new tourniquets this weeks. Each one is $20. 

New Israel Fund The New Israel Fund UK have moved rapidly to shelter and provide for those fleeing the kibbutzim, towns and Bedouin villages attacked by Hamas; prevent violence in mixed cities and promote community cohesion; and expand trauma support services. Please give what you can and support NIF’s crisis appeal.

With thanks to Daniela Kendal, a leader on iTrek, who created a Support Israel list which you can find here, as well as JFN for their similar webpage of ways to support which you can find here.