SparkIL launches competition to boost support for businesses affected by war

SparkIL, a platform enabling peer-to-peer lending, is set to hold a Hanukkah "Sparkathon" competition geared at bolstering support for small Israeli businesses impacted by the Israel-Hamas War, the organization said on Wednesday. 

The competition is reportedly expected to take place between December 16-20 in Jewish schools, where students will be able to involve their families, synagogues, and communities in finding loans or lenders for businesses. 

The competition score for each school will be the total sum of each individual loan collected by the students, with the organization monitoring the process via a specific code given to each school.

According to the organization, the competition's winning prizes will be a Judaica art piece originating from a business within the SparkIL network, a gift card to the sum of $180, and a pizza party. 

'Triumph of light over darkness'

SparkIL CEO Na’ama Ore commented on the relationship between Hannukah, "a celebration of hope, resilience, and the triumph of light over darkness," and the goals of the event.

"Just as the light of the Hanukkah candles brings warmth and strength," she noted, the loans "bring new opportunities and resilience to businesses in need,"

Ore added, "We hope this initiative is a long-standing Hanukkah tradition for Jewish communities around the world for the foreseeable future.”