There were 300 people who joined the KKL-JNF Israel mission, despite missile attacks

Speaking at a panel on support for Israeli society after October 7 at the Jpost Miami Summit, Shariel Gun, Director of the Fundraising Global Resource Development Division of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund, described how KKL-JNF sprang into action immediately following the attacks of October 7.

“The KKL-JNF Board, led by Chairwoman Ifat Ovadia-Luski, immediately reacted,” he said. “We quickly sent help to the municipalities and regions that needed money, and we helped evacuate hundreds of families from the north and from the south to the center of Israel.” Gun added that KKL-JNF’s education department also played a key role with families that were forced to spend many weeks and months in cramped hotel rooms, engaging children in creative activities. 

He recalled that one of the most touching moments during this time was an Israel solidarity mission that KKL-JNF arranged for donors from around the world this past September. “We thought that no one would come, because Israel was under missile attack. Every day, the news was bad. Fortunately, more than 300 donors came to Israel. They were with us, and they helped us. One evening, the hundreds of donors stood and sang Hatikvah and Am Yisrael Chai. Everyone was crying.”

Irit Oren Gunders, another panel participant, heads Ohr Lamishpachot, a non-profit organization that assists bereaved parents of fallen IDF soldiers in the long and continuous process of returning to an active and productive life. She described how the organization, which began in 2006 helping five families, today assists 13,000 bereaved parents, brothers, and sisters of these families in more than twenty different projects, including a scholarship program for siblings of fallen IDF soldiers.  “This is my life’s mission,” she says.

Ravit Rossler, mother of fallen IDF soldier Dvir Haim Rossler, a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade who fell in action on October 7, praised Ohr Lamishpachot for their assistance. “My son was a hero. All he ever thought about was protecting his friends. He wasn’t thinking of himself. This is a difficult time, But the Or Lamishpachot Foundation is really helping us to continue living.” 

Moshe Moreno, whose brother Emmanuel Moreno was killed in combat during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, lost his son Master Sergeant Itay Moreno on October 11 on Zikim Beach when he was killed by Hamas terrorists.  Describing the battle in which his son fell, Moreno said, “He saved all his team, and he sacrificed his life for others.” Like Rossler, Moreno praised Ohr Lamishpachot for its efforts in helping him return to his life.

Eli Rowe, founder and President of Hatzolah Air, recounted how his skills and passion for emergency medicine helped him in developing Hatzolah Air into an organization that provides lifesaving emergency medical air transport to those in need, regardless of their location. “Today, we get requests from Hatzolah branches around the world,” he said. The organization’s team of volunteer pilots, medical professionals, and support staff respond to emergencies around the clock throughout the world.