The Jewish Federations of North America said it had raised more than $30 million in emergency aid for Israel during the first four weeks of Operation Roaring Lion, with funds directed toward terror victims, displaced families, reservists, and mental health and resilience services.
According to a recent statement published by the organization, the money has gone toward assisting vulnerable Israelis, supporting people spending long hours in shelters, operating mental health hotlines, and matching volunteers with needs on the ground. The figure, the group said, does not include tens of millions of dollars more that help fund the emergency work of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and partnerships between North American Jewish communities and Israeli towns and kibbutzim.
“We are proud to make a difference in the lives of Israelis, those who have been displaced, who have lost loved ones, who need shelter, economic support, or other essential services,” said Gary Torgow, chair of the Jewish Federations of North America. He added that funding provided since October 2023 was being deployed alongside new resources to meet evolving wartime needs.
In a separate leadership message ahead of Passover, Torgow and Jewish Federations president and CEO Eric Fingerhut said the organization had continued mobilizing support for Israel as the war with Iran continued, while also helping North American Jewish communities understand developments through briefings and webinars. Since the war began on February 28, the group said it had hosted five expert-led webinars attended by more than 13,000 participants.
“By the end of week four of Operation Roaring Lion, Jewish Federations had mobilized over $30 million in emergency response,” Torgow and Fingerhut wrote. They said the funds were supporting “victims of terror, the displaced, vulnerable Israelis, reservists and their families,” as well as nationwide resilience efforts.
Passover
The Passover message also framed the campaign as part of a broader wartime effort by Jewish communities in North America to stand with Israel and maintain communal solidarity during the conflict. Torgow and Fingerhut wrote that some Jews this year would celebrate the holiday at home, while others would do so “in bomb shelters and some under fire in Israel and also in Ukraine.”
Jewish Federations, an umbrella body representing dozens of Jewish communities across North America, has been a major fundraising and emergency response channel for Israel since the October 7 massacre and the wars that followed. The organization said it was continuing to assess emerging needs on the ground as the conflict entered its fifth week.