Israel Fire Relief Fund

$22,964   raised
GOAL: $20,000

232

 Donors

Join our community of supporters and we can make a difference

This campaign is currently closed.

#IsraelUnderFire:

For the last several days, Israel has experienced a devastating wave of terror-related arson that has ignited massive fires across the entire country.

Thousands have been displaced, dozens hospitalized. The damage is widespread and the fires are still raging.

Credit: Tom Saimon

Credit: Tom Saimon

Pizza, toys, diapers, clothes… These are some of the things our tireless volunteers have been distributing around the country to aid the families affected by the brush fires.

Join us in providing help to those in need. Join us in giving back to a country that is always on the front line of disaster response.

Join us and let’s put out the fires, together.

Toda and Am Israel Chai!

More details:

  • Over 400 fires have raged around the country
  • 100,000 people evacuated so far
  • Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Russia and other countries have sent firefighting aircraft to assist
  • 8 arrested on charges of arson, terrorism confirmed
  • Thousands rallying to assist the firefighters
  • AirBNB has waived their service fee for those taking refuge from the flames
  • Muslims & Jews alike are uniting on social media to denounce these attacks

What we’re doing (A.K.A. Who’s Getting The Money?):

Liami Lawrence of the KeepOlim movement and his crew are working tirelessly around the clock, communicating with the victims, the municipality, the emergency forces and contractors to ascertain exactly where our funds are best put to use. They have set up 32 collection centers around the country for people to bring in donations ranging from clothes and bedding to toys and diapers.

 Liami Lawrence, founder of the KeepOlim Movement, shares a photo of his living room, now full of cloths and more, donated by generous citizens around the country

Liami Lawrence, founder of the KeepOlim Movement, shares a photo of his living room, now full of cloths and more, donated by generous citizens around the country

In addition, we’re coordinating with the group that’s helping the residents of Neve Tzuf, one of the hardest-hit towns, rebuild. Scroll down for live updates as they develop.

Our roadmap:

  • Single Mothers: We’ve been shifting our focus to them since they’ve largely been overlooked by other relief organizations. They have very specific needs and we need to excercise sensitivity when addressing them.
  • Housing: Many don’t have structural insurance, and even fewer people have insured the contents of their homes. This means that until the fires are officially declared terrorism, assuming that they ever will, folks are struggling to rebuild.
  • Contractors: We aren’t just raising funds, we aim to get the most out of each donation. That means reaching out to service providers, eg. builders, painters and carpenters, and working out discounts and pro-bono deals. There are many who want to help, and we’re seeking them out.
  • Bureaucracy: many entities are keen on raising funds for the cause, but are then stuck in their own red tape which means that unfortunately, on many occasions, it takes too long for those in need to receive the help they require. We aren’t just handing out checks. We’re using the funds directly to pay for repairs, paint jobs, etc. and are updating our long list of expenses and recipients real-time.
  • Transparency: We’re doing this by the book. Everything we do has a very clear paper trail, and we are coordinating using project management software that not only allows us to track our progress and keep on top of this operation, we will be using it to publish regular and concise reports in the interest of transparency.

Though we will only be able to receive the donations at the end of the campaign, which is 13 days from now, we haven’t been sitting around waiting, and have been using—and exhausting—our own funds driving around, handing out pizzas, collecting clothing, purchasing baby formula, recruiting property-owners who’ll donate rooms through AirBNB…

At this point, we need your assistance. We need the word out, we need to drive traffic to the campaign and reach as many potential donors as we can, whether on social media, email lists and personal networks. In return, I will personally document the stories of the people benefitting from your efforts, and will publish them on Humans of Jerusalem, and you’re free to share them as well.

If you need assistance from the fund, or can donate items or services, please fill out this form: https://goo.gl/forms/WJaqOw8Acz6OZMXv2

Supporters

Who we are:

This endeavor is bigger than any one person, and so Humans of Jerusalem has partnered up with some of the biggest pro-Israel entities worldwide to raise awareness of the crisis, as well as raise much-needed funds for victims of the fires. Some of our amazing supporters include:

We will be sure to post updates as they come—stay tuned!

*This campaign is officially backed by Jewcer, which means they are forfeiting the fees for all donations. Thanks, Jewcer!


*Update: There have been reports of issues with PayPal. Jewcer has investigated and realized it is due to the fact that they set the processing fees to zero. To correct this, they have restored the fees but have promised to donate them all back into the campaign. As for us, thank God, we have jobs and are doing this in our spare time. No


Live Updates:

Nov 27 19:30

Simcha Jessel from Humans of Jerusalem here:

Just arrived in Haifa, first order of business is to touch base with our people on the scene. I’m heading to Romema, a local neighborhood where a camp has been set up for the volunteers. Photos shortly!

Nov 28 17:53

An open letter from the founder of Humans of Jerusalem:Open Letter

Nov 28 17:00

Liami Lawrence from KeepOlim here:

I’m proud to say that we’ve expanded to 32 collection centers country-wide, and we’re getting more donations than we can handle.

Tomorrow, we’ll be renting trucks to transport everything to our two staging areas in Zichron Yaakov and Haifa, where they’ll be sorted and distributed. If you’re in need of assistance or can provide a service or an item, use this link and we’ll be in touch with you: https://goo.gl/forms/WJaqOw8Acz6OZMXv2

Nov 28 22:44

Humans of Jerusalem:

“I’ve been a firefighter for the better part of twenty years. When the fire broke out in my backyard, I didn’t hesitate. There was a fire hose nearby and I didn’t want to waste time waiting for the trucks to arrive. The thing you need to understand is that with forest fires, the priority is putting it out, whereas in an urban area, you first focus on extraction. What we had here was not a simple call, because the fire had spread from the trees nearby to the building, so we had to refocus our efforts and make sure everyone was safely out of the building before we returned to containing the fire. Thank God, we got it under control with no serious injuries. My whole team got free tickets to the Air Supply concert, which was really cool. Now, we work on rebuilding, and we’ll get through this, just like we’ve done in the past”.

Join our community of supporters and we can make a difference

This campaign is currently closed.

More Ways to Learn About this Cause

  • November 27, 2016 11:20 am

    Michael Mendelson from Israel’s Voice here:
    I’m out here with my crew of volunteers, where Simcha of Humans of Jerusalem will be joining me shortly. We are shifting our focus from handing out pizzas to firefighters, to seeking out and aiding single mothers in need of assistance. There is no insurance for terrorism, and the government is only helping the people whose houses have been completely destroyed. We’re virtually the only ones looking out for these people, and we need every bit of help we can get! As soon as Simcha gets here, he’ll be uploading pictures of our work in the interest of full transparency. Stay tuned!

  • November 27, 2016 7:14 am

    Simcha Jessel from Humans of Jerusalem here:
    I’m driving up to Haifa to aid our team in the field. I’ve got my camera so I can share some of the amazing stories my guys have been sending my way. Stay tuned!

2016-12-26
Anonymous donor
2016-12-21
Anonymous donor
2016-12-20
Anonymous donor
2016-12-16
Anonymous donor
2016-12-15
Mayefsky Family
$100
"Keep strong, am yisrael chai!"
2016-12-14
Anonymous donor
$100
2016-12-13
Anonymous donor
2016-12-13
Marilyn West Warshal Foody
$50
"May the season of giving reflect in our givings to the Homeland. Shamah!"
2016-12-11
Anonymous donor
$360
"To the families that had suffered the losses from the fire"
2016-12-11
Anonymous donor
$36
2016-12-11
Anonymous donor
2016-12-07
Anonymous donor
2016-12-07
Anonymous donor
$500
2016-12-06
Anonymous donor
2016-12-06
Anonymous donor
2016-12-06
Anonymous donor
2016-12-05
Anonymous donor
2016-12-05
Anonymous donor
2016-12-05
Anonymous donor
2016-12-05
Ken and Nancy Levin
$100
"In honor of our dear friends, Rabbi Natan and Rachel Lobel"
2016-12-04
Daniel
$36
"Love and blessings from Sydney, Australia."
2016-12-04
Anonymous donor
"in honor of my loving father"
2016-12-04
Anonymous donor
2016-12-04
Anonymous donor
2016-12-04
Anonymous donor
2016-12-04
Anonymous donor
2016-12-04
Anonymous donor
2016-12-03
Anonymous donor
2016-12-03
Anonymous donor
2016-12-03
Anonymous donor
2016-12-03
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
merle & lester levenbaum
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
"hatlaja"
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Ruthanne Ranz-Appell
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
$100
2016-12-02
Leah Goldshmidt
$36
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
$100
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Cindi and Jared Gellert
$36
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Frank Fein
$36
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
2016-12-02
Anonymous donor
$36
"am Israel Hai! YHWH bless Israel"
2016-12-01
Anonymous donor
2016-12-01
nancy w.
$18
2016-12-01
Anonymous donor
$180
2016-12-01
Anonymous donor
2016-12-01
Yehuda Stebbins
"Thank you Jerry from Detroit for coming ti help."
2016-12-01
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Benjamin Schalit
$12
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
$12
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
ILANA DREYER
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
"God Bless Israel"
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Angela Lim
$18
"Love, Blessings & Shalom throughout the Holy Land of Israel. Amen."
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-30
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Seth & Rivki Huttel
$100
"Am Yisrael Chai!"
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
"The Holy Spirit rain down on Israel and heal the land. Amen"
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
$75
2016-11-29
kenneth cabarrus
$18
"DIVINE INTERVENTION IN YESHUA'S NAME, AMEN!"
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Jeremy Abramson
2016-11-29
SAMUEL KHIN
$36
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
$40
"For the residents of Haifa, in solidarity, as you build up again. With love from Jerusalem."
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Petite Safranit
$100
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Doris Greyeyes
"Prayers to God's chosen people for restoring this beautiful land."
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
$500
"Stay Strong!"
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
$50
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
$150
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
$25
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
"For my beloved Isreal and all who have been affected by this fire."
2016-11-29
Anonymous donor
$100
"In memory of Larry"
2016-11-29
Richard Kronenfeld
"In honor of the wedding of Chris Ford and Lana Wilder"
2016-11-28
Mr. & Mrs Frank Seiden
$36
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Eliezer Gevirtz
$18
"Bracha V'Hatzlacha to all who help!"
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
$100
"May G-d bless and protect Israel and Israelis! Shalom!"
2016-11-28
Helene F Lockspeiser
"Chazak v'ematz!"
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Nina Litvak
$18
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
$36
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
$36
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Dara Frank
$180
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
carol
$180
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
$500
2016-11-28
JACK BICKEL
$36
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
$100
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Cherie Koller-Fox and Everett Fox
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Susanna Levin
$100
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Paul J Goodnick
$36
"Chazak V'Ematz"
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
"In memory of Rena Goldenberg"
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
robert b mack
$500
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Michael Kurtz and Lisa Cleff Kurtz
"Rebuild. We love you. We need you. Thank you Isreal."
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Goldie Gross
$100
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
$18
"Zyama Faynberg for speedy recovery"
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Goldberg Family (Queens, NY)
$180
2016-11-28
Victoria Jewish Discussion Group
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Mike Pica
$20
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Jeremy Brownstein
$54
"For the victims of the fires across Israel"
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
$20
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-28
L. Liebman
2016-11-28
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Josefa Josie Angel
$40
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Lisa Weber
$18
"Heal speedily our beloved country!"
2016-11-27
Lance and Nicole Leffler
$36
"Davening for you all."
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
"May Hashem continue to watch over and protect eretz Israel and those who love her. <3"
2016-11-27
Eugene Feldman
$100
"Great thank you to the volunteers and quickest recovery of normal life for the victims of this horrific fire"
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
"for our son"
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Frances Davis
$50
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Rita Janoe
$100
"A small gift from my heart to you!"
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
David Harrison
$50
"My very best wishes to all who have suffered in these fires and to those helping them."
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
"Thank you for taking care of our community!"
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
$100
"Israel forever"
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Eggleston Family
$36
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Jerusalemite
$15
"may the victims be able to return to as close to normal as possible soon! שכל מי שנפגע יחזור לשגרה-כל שניתן במהרה!!!"
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Judy storm
$36
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
$30
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
$180
"Behatzlaha! Am Israel Chai!"
2016-11-27
Dani Klein
$36
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Tara
"We are one and will always let love prevail over hate"
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
$50
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
"Hold strong Hashem is with you every step of the way."
2016-11-27
Anne and Meir Sendor
$100
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
$1000
"Thank you for all you are doing"
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
$18
2016-11-27
Ariele
$36
"Praying for everyone affected by these fires. Praying for our country."
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
2016-11-27
The Israel Network
""If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?" Ethics of the Fathers, 1:14"
2016-11-27
Anonymous donor
"Praying for you all."
2016-11-27
Vivienne Foster
$50
2016-11-26
Israel and Grissell
2016-11-26
Jason Adams
$18
"It's finally up! Sharing the hell out of this, keep up the good work!"

Israel Fire Relief Fund

$22,964   raised
GOAL: $20,000

232

 Donors

Campaign organizer profile img
Campaign by
Humans of Jerusalem
Central District, Israel

Simcha Jessel is a Canadian-born journalist and the founder of Humans of Jerusalem. Based off Humans of New York, the world-famous blog created by Brandon Stanton, whose colorful stories of ordinary people from the street inspire and connect people from across the globe, it has inspired many cities around the world to create similar projects of their own. Fiercely proud of his Jewish/Israeli roots, he has always viewed it as an honor and a responsibility to document the people and the stories he has had the privilege of collecting throughout the course of the five years he has spent as a photojournalist and documentarian in the region.

  • A Like of Appreciation
    8 claimed

    Every bit counts! Donate now and invite your friends to do the same!

  • Pizza for Firefighters
    29 claimed

    A team of volunteers has been tasked with driving around the country delivering pizza for the courageous emergency response units. Show your appreciation by sponsoring a pie!

  • Baby Items
    41 claimed

    16 collection centers have been set up around the country and are accepting donations of food, clothing etc. Some items need to be bought, including diapers, baby formula, toys and more.

  • Make a kid smile
    25 claimed

    Hundreds of kids have been made not only homeless but lost everything they owned. Your contribution will outfit a child in the basics needed plus buy a few toys to help bring their smile back.

  • CHAI It Up!
    18 claimed

    There are over 500 families who have lost everything. Your generous donation can make a huge difference, purchasing them food, clothing, household items; not to mention the love they will feel receiving the items.

  • A Super-Big Thanks!
    4 claimed out of 10 available

    Has anyone ever told you how awesome you are? Well, I'll do you one better! If you're ever in Jerusalem, drop me a line, and I'll interview you for your very own story on Humans of Jerusalem! How cool is that?! You deserve it for making a real difference in this crisis.

  • We Are Family
    9 claimed

    And family looks after their own! 500 US greens will buy a family everything they need to get through the immediate crisis, including clothes, bedding, toys for the kids and plenty of food to go around!

  • Don't see the amount you want to donate? Every contribution helps!

If you find this campaign interesting, you might also like these ones:

by Rav Dror & Emunah Project Inc
  • 24%funded
  • $7,123raised
  • 45 days to go
  • 41 donors
Bring Them Home Now

abducted, free the hostages, iron swords

by Hostages and Missing Families Forum
  • 8%funded
  • $160,926raised
  • ongoing
  • 612 donors
Stand With Israel – Emergency Support for Victims of Hamas’s Terror

Send aid to those in need through on-the-ground organizations

by Jewcer Emergency Fund
  • 73%funded
  • $5,822raised
  • ongoing
  • 72 donors