When a small business reopens in Israel, a whole community benefits. Paychecks resume, shelves restock, and a neighborhood regains its vibrancy and rhythm.
Jewish Federation Bay Area is proud to reopen an impact investing opportunity that puts our community‘s generosity to work helping Israeli small business thrive. Through a new pooled impact loan to Ogen, Federation donor-advised funds (DAFs) can provide low-interest capital to help small business owners in Israel get back on their feet. When the loan is repaid, the money returns to the DAF and can be granted or loaned again.
Ogen is an Israeli social lender and a partner we know well. Formerly the Israel Free Loan Association, Ogen was founded 35 years ago to help immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union settle in Israel. Since 1990, it has made more than 86,000 loans totaling close to $990 million, and it pairs its lending with hands-on mentorship.
Our relationship with Ogen has deepened loan by loan. The Federation has made three pooled impact loans to Ogen, in 2021, 2023, and 2025, totaling $3,982,600. Each one lets donors participate in Ogen’s lending approach: social interest rates paired with guidance that helps businesses succeed and grow. This new pooled loan builds on that foundation. Every dollar goes to Ogen, which extends credit so small businesses can keep operating and and employing staff.
Rebuilding Takes Root in Small Businesses
Small businesses make up 97% of Israeli commerce and employ 45% of the workforce. When they recover, the whole country gains strength, from the Galilee to the Negev.
Behind every number is a person whose livelihood is regained. Ruth Dvir, owner and pastry chef of Café Paris, was evacuated north after Gaza rocket fire struck her patisserie. An emergency loan of 100,000 NIS helped her reopen in late March 2024, after a closure of five and a half months. Her story shows what a well-timed loan can do. Capital reopens the door, and mentorship helps a business thrive.
Israel’s recovery is an economic story as much as a security story. Families need paychecks, suppliers need customers, and towns need open storefronts. Small business owners sit at the center of all three.
Impact investing meets that need in a way that grants alone cannot. A grant provides relief once. A loan recycles: the same dollars support one business, are repaid, and then support the next. A Federation DAF can do both with Ogen, with grants meeting urgent needs and loans building lasting economic strength.
Join Us in Rebuilding Together
Israel’s small business owners are not waiting for recovery. They are building it, reopening doors, and keeping people employed. Ogen gives that momentum a foundation, and donors give Ogen the capital to say yes to more people.
Every loan carries a message to a business owner in Israel: you are not rebuilding alone. Together, we can help them open their doors wider and keep them open for years to come.
For more information about Ogen and impact investing, email philanthropy@jewishfed.org.
