Three years, hundreds of millions: JFNA report details Diaspora impact on post-Oct. 7 Israel

A new JFNA report details the allocation of $908 million raised by the Jewish Federations of North America to support Israel after the October 7, 2023 attacks. Funds were distributed across medical and trauma relief, economic relief, community resilience, and education, with over 800 grants to more than 400 organizations.

The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) released a report detailing the allocation of $908 million raised across its network to support Israel following the October 7, 2023 attacks and subsequent conflicts with Hezbollah and Iran. Of the total, $252 million was allocated through the central Israel Emergency Response Committee, which operated for two years until fall 2025, while the remainder was distributed directly by individual federations. The committee distributed 800 grants to over 400 organizations across four pillars: lifeline services, medical and trauma relief, economic relief, and community resilience. Key allocations included over $47 million for immediate relief for displaced families, $27 million for medical care and rehabilitation, $23.2 million for mental health and resilience programs, $19 million for vulnerable populations including elderly and disabled, $30.9 million for terror victims, $4.5 million for reservists and their families, $19 million for education and youth-at-risk, and over $48 million for the Israel Small Business Loan Fund. The report quotes Rebecca Caspi, JFNA's Israel office director, and includes anonymous accounts from a grandmother in Nahariya and an injured soldier in rehabilitation. The framing relies on positive, impact-focused language without critical oversight or independent evaluation.