Family mentoring program in Sderot, Israel

For more than 25 years, the Jewish Community Federation has focused on programs that reflect the unique values of our San Francisco community. We address needs and relate to target populations that others might not, or who would otherwise fall by the wayside. We follow our programs closely, making sure they are implemented effectively and efficiently, with a maximum of accountability from our own office in Israel.

One of these program that the San Francisco Federation is funding is Atzmaut (“Independence”) - a comprehensive, family-based program for Ethiopian Jews, which provides intensive mentoring to the entire family, relating to the needs of the children at school, the difficulties of their parents in finding work, and to parent-child relationships and family functioning. The unique approach of our community is apparent. The Ethiopian-Israeli community in Sderot is only 120 families – small by government standards. Both government and philanthropic funds are overwhelmingly directed to those towns in which there are large concentrations of the Ethiopian community. Often those living in the smaller places fall by the wayside. And of course, in Sderot, only 1Km from the Gaza border, their needs are no less compelling. A recent missile attack forced Batsheva, Atzmaut’s Program Director in Sderot, (herself Ethiopian-Israeli) to her family's shelter. She realized she was using breathing techniques from trauma relief workshops she'd arranged for Atzmaut participants. Asked how living under fire had affected her work, she explained, “It is not easy working when you are worrying about your family, but it gives me strength to know that I have to help those who need help more than I do.” The critical need for this program, clear every day, is all the more highlighted in times of crisis. Additional gifts directed to this program will increase the number of families and children receiving help. Give now.