After Oct. 7, Israel’s border communities need long-term philanthropy - opinion
Israel is approaching an election period, creating uncertainty around government commitments that many organizations assumed would help carry emergency initiatives into the next stage.
In the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, Jewish communities worldwide demonstrated remarkable generosity, swiftly creating emergency funds and accelerating decisions that normally take months. Donors asked a simple question: What is needed now? This response enabled organizations in Israel's border communities to act quickly, respond to evolving needs, and establish new initiatives in areas facing evacuation, loss, and uncertainty.
As we enter a new phase three years later, the emergency is no longer new, and philanthropic institutions are questioning their strategic priorities, focusing on long-term planning and conventional funding cycles. Meanwhile, Israel is approaching an election period, which creates uncertainty around government commitments that many organizations relied upon to carry emergency initiatives into the next stage.
Communities do not recover according to either philanthropic or political calendars. Projects launched during the emergency are now reaching the point of becoming sustainable. The danger is that the transition from emergency response to long-term recovery may disappear precisely when communities are ready to cross it. In one border community, a compound is ready to become a new Kedma student village, with students prepared to move in and contribute to education and community rebuilding.
However, the village has not been opened yet. Additional protective shelters are still required, and emergency funding is running out.
Entering a community recovering from war requires time. Organizations cannot simply arrive with a program; local leaders and residents must first decide to trust them, share their needs, allow outsiders into a disrupted community, and make room for new groups. This trust-building process can be seen in other border communities, such as Menara on the Lebanese border and Sufa and Urim in the western Negev.
These programs, born or expanded during an extraordinary period, now depend on relationships that cannot be created overnight. The challenge now is to build a transition period between emergency response and long-term recovery. This transition is not about every emergency initiative continuing indefinitely or replacing government responsibility.
Instead, it requires time for responsible philanthropy to identify which successful emergency investments have earned communities' trust and can become locally sustainable with additional support.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
