Terrorism in Israel can occur at any time, but in some locations is a daily threat. Victims live with loss of dear ones, severe injuries, emotional trauma, and property damage.

In the immediate aftermath of attacks, many victims face urgent challenges such as a need for after-school childcare while a parent or sibling is hospitalized, to take unpaid leave from work, or to replace belongings destroyed by rockets. Additionally, terrorism’s effects can linger with victims their entire lives. It may take years to acknowledge post-traumatic stress or confront other problems that don’t just disappear. While Israel’s National Insurance Institute provides significant services to victims, these services often don’t fully meet each victim’s needs.

The Fund for Victims of Terror (FVOT) ensures that victims of terror attacks in Israel receive the treatment and assistance they need. Within 24 to 48 hours of an attack, a trained Jewish Agency representative visits victims or family members at the hospital or at home. They bring words of comfort on behalf of the world Jewish community along with immediate emergency aid of $1,100 with no questions asked. In the following months and years, we provide additional services and grants of up to $6,300 per family for recuperation efforts such as long-term psychological care, camping programs for affected children, college scholarships, financing for job retraining, and more, based upon an evaluation of the victim’s needs. The Fund coordinates with government agencies to meet the victims’ needs without duplication of services.

The Jewish Agency for Israel, together with the Jewish Federations of North America, established the Fund for Victims of Terror in 2002 during the height of the Second Intifada, when sustained acts of terror threatened the lives and livelihoods of countless Israeli civilians. Since that time, over 6,500 families and individuals whose lives have been torn apart by war and terrorism in Israel have received immediate financial assistance and related supportive services in order to improve their quality of life and ease their recovery and rehabilitation. The FVOT’s ability to provide a wide range of intervention and assistance is the result of a joint effort of The Jewish Agency and the Government of Israel.

We cannot erase the trauma of terrorism. But through our partnership with The Jewish Agency, you empower victims of terror to restore order and joy to their lives. Investing in the Fund for Victims of Terror helps keep Israelis strong in the face of fear, and demonstrates that they have supportive friends around the world. While thankfully 2017 was a period of relative calm, we continue to stand ready to respond immediately to future emergencies.