The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) announced last week that it was launching a new fund for those affected by the Iran war, particularly for those who have lost family members, sustained wounds, or lost their homes because of Iranian missile attacks in Israel.

Last Wednesday, the agency announced it had already raised $10 million from private donors, half of its $20 million goal.

JAFI’s chief development officer, Danyelle Neuman, told eJewishPhilanthropy that the fund was established in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod.

The Rising Lion Fund, named after the military operation of the same name, is based on the principle of the Fund for Victims of Terror, which was established following the Second Intifada and has been providing for the needs of terror victims and their families for 22 years.

The need for creating the Rising Lion Fund arose as the Victims of Terror Fund covered those affected specifically by domestic terror acts but did not provide assistance to those experiencing loss due to wartime attacks.

The fund will provide 4,000 NIS directly to the bank accounts of bereaved families, the wounded, and those whose homes have been damaged by Iranian missiles to the point of being officially declared “uninhabitable.”

Following the initial donation, those who qualify can apply for a grant of up to 25,000NIS in the next three years.

“Together with big organizations like JFNA and Keren Hayesod, we have the know-how and the ability to pivot quickly and to really implement the [Jewish] global mutual responsibility,” Mark Wilf, JAFI’s chairman of the board of governors, told eJP.

“That is what it is about: to assist those who are obviously suffering the impact of the war and to galvanize Jewish communities around the world who want to help. There’s been a tremendous outpouring of a desire to help and of feeling the responsibility.”

Image -  Chaim Goldberg/Flash90