The Money You Give. The Impact You Make.
May 1970: Golda Meir was the Prime Minister of Israel. Jerusalem had been liberated just three years earlier, and there was a feeling of optimism and joy throughout the country. Despite terrorism and fear of war, Israelis remained jubilant. The population was close to three million people.
On May 24, 1970, over 4,000 members of Toronto’s Jewish community held the first Walk with Israel to support the historic homeland of the Jewish people. They started a tradition that has lasted for 50 years.
May 2019: Israel has evolved from the ‘Miracle on the Mediterranean’ to ‘Start-Up Nation’ a high tech dynamo that is a world leader in scientific and technological research and development. The country’s outstanding achievements have created a global perception of Israeli power, although the threat of terror and war remain. The population is close to nine million people.
On May 20, 2019, over 20,000 members of Toronto’s Jewish community will participate in the 50th anniversary Walk with Israel, reflecting Israel’s place at the heart of Toronto’s Jewish community.
SO HERE’S THE QUESTION: Does the money I raise on the Walk really make a difference?
Yes! You are making a powerful difference to the people of Bat Yam, Eilat/Eilot and Sderot. These are cities where the need is great, and UJA has made strategic partnerships. Your impact on the residents of these cities is powerful, and life-changing.
Our work in Bat Yam
Your efforts matter in Bat Yam, a coastal city of roughly 160,000 people on the Mediterranean Sea near Tel Aviv. Nearly 40% of its 160,000 residents are new immigrants (Olim) from Ethiopia, the former Soviet Union and France. Absorbing so many Olim from so many different cultures, speaking so many languages, has created unique challenges for these new Israelis, and for the wider Bat Yam community. Today, UJA uses the money you raise to fund innovative educational programs, including:
- Initiatives that help Israeli youth and young adults from under-resourced communities participate in and share in the benefits of a strong and growing economy
- Educational opportunities to ensure all Israelis can pursue their dreams and contribute to their country
- Projects that nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders, and help maintain Israel’s status at the forefront of hi-tech and scientific innovation
You are helping to give youth and young adults a chance to learn the critical skills needed to achieve success, and ensure Israel benefits from a trained workforce prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.
Fundraising goal for Bat Yam: $190,000
Our work in Eilat / Eilot
You are making a difference to the people of Eilat and Eilot, Israel’s southernmost communities bordering Egypt and Jordan, and within sight of Saudi Arabia. At 450 km away from the centre of Israel, there are limited cultural, social, educational and employment opportunities. Despite the beauty of sun, sand and surf, Eilat/Eilot’s distance from the centre of Israel has led to slower growth and fewer economic options for residents of this desert region. But your support, and UJA’s investments over the past 25 years, are helping to promote economic growth, and attract the skills and talent needed to foster a green ‘Silicon Valley’ in Israel’s southern frontier. You are helping to encourage a more resilient, hi-tech ‘green’ economy, and to nurture leaders in scientific research and development by investing in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs for all students in Eilat/Eilot. By funding the education required for jobs in a technology-based economy, you are helping to provide students in the region with a more promising and prosperous future, and to ensure Israel’s continued leadership in global hi-tech and scientific innovation.
Fundraising goal for Eilat/Eilot: $160,000
Our work in Sderot
You are making life better for the people of Sderot, a city less than one kilometre from the border with Gaza. Its citizens face the threat of daily rocket attacks, and they are still struggling to absorb a huge wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. Sderot’s children suffer from the stress of repeated bombings, and from a lack of services and educational opportunities that students in major Israeli centres take for granted. It’s a city ‘on the periphery’ of Israeli society, and poverty is a persistent problem. You are helping fund projects that offer scientific enrichment, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and leadership development opportunities, which are key to a better future for the people of Sderot. You are making a difference by supporting UJA’s investment in the city’s new Science Centre as part of a Regional Development Plan for the northwest Negev. This state- of -the- art facility will provide cutting-edge educational content in an environment where children and teens can study, explore, socialize and be inspired to learn and grow in safety, free from fear of rocket attacks. It’s an investment in sustainable education, community infrastructure and local human capital, to encourage local expertise and educational opportunities to train the future leaders of Sderot.