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UJC DEFINES SPENDING PRIORITIES FOR ISRAEL EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN More Than $100 Million Raised To Date Earmarked for Specific Emergency Needs in Israel In a historic collaboration, United Jewish Communities (UJC) leadership met Thursday with representatives of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), the Prime Minister's Office and the Israeli Ministry of Finance to determine spending priorities in Israel for the more than $100 million raised to date for UJC's Israel Emergency Campaign. The significant amount of funds being raised from North American Jewry by United Jewish Communities (UJC) and the Jewish Federations of North America for emergency relief in Israel will be allocated to address security, medical, immigration, child welfare and other humanitarian needs in Israel. "Today's meeting, and the process that led to and will follow the meeting, represent a watershed moment in the Israel-Diaspora relationship," said Jodi J. Schwartz, Chair of the UJC Israel Emergency Work Group. "For the first time, leaders of UJC and the Government of Israel have worked together with our partners at the Jewish Agency and the JDC to identify and strategize on how to meet critical needs of the citizens of Israel arising from the terrorist attacks and the ongoing conflict." The emergency campaign was launched on April 8 by UJC and the Jewish Federations of North America as a continental, grassroots response to the continuing economic, humanitarian and financial needs of Israeli citizens as they endure the ongoing conflict and Palestinian terrorist attacks against the Jewish homeland. This campaign follows an earlier and more targeted fundraising appeal, Israel NOW, which has been folded into the emergency effort. Hundreds of millions more dollars are expected to be raised in addition to the more than $119 million raised to date. Israeli government officials, including Avigdor Itzchaky, Director General of the Office of the Prime Minister, and Ohad Marani, Director General of the Ministry of Finance, briefed the group on the ongoing and expanding emergency needs created by the situation. The funds being raised by the Israel Emergency Campaign will be directed toward five general areas of critical need in Israel: keeping Children Safe - child safety and protection programs, such as security around schools, summer and after-school activities, and trauma treatment; hospitals and other medical needs; security initiatives, such as posting neighborhood civilian guards and protecting neighborhoods; immigration to Israel by Argentineans facing severe economic challenges; aid to Israeli citizens directly impacted by the conflict and terrorists. "This was a historic meeting not simply because of the extreme context within which it occurred," said Karen Shapira, Chair of the UJC Israel and Overseas Pillar, "but because representatives of the North American Jewish community sat together in the same room with members of the Israeli Ministry of Finance and JAFI and JDC leadership to cooperatively find ways to best support the Israeli people at this time. The results of this process will have an enormous and positive impact on the lives of Israelis." The recommendations will be presented to the UJC Board of Trustees for approval this month. United Jewish Communities (UJC) represents 189 Jewish Federations and 400 independent communities across North America. UJC provides life-saving and life-enhancing humanitarian assistance to those in need, and translates Jewish values into social action on behalf of millions of Jews in hundreds of communities in North America, in towns and villages throughout Israel, in the former Soviet Union, and 60 countries around the world.
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