Working in the field and attentive to needs, UJSF Israel is answering the call. Working through partnerships with Israeli associations, UJSF Israel is proud to share its achievements in 2019.

There is no doubt that the UJSF took strong steps towards involvement, innovation and action in helping the neediest in Israel. 2019 was marked by new initiatives aimed at Israeli society and francophone populations, with particular attention being directed towards childhood and youth, two of our focuses at the UJSF.
To demonstrate, we provided support to the Talpiot Children’s Village, which houses at-risk youth from the ages of 5-22, the School of Art and Expression whose purpose is to help young French olim [new immigrants] find their direction while promoting the French cultural heritage, especially theatre, a recognized therapeutic tool, and the Yad Rachel institution, whose educational and therapeutic centers receive children in need, providing them with vital support.
Of special interest is “Global Avenir” [Global future], the new UJSF program in Israel, which trains young francophones for the challenges of the humanitarian and social sector by offering them both theoretical teaching and practical training in Israel and abroad to prepare for lifelong service to humanity.
Finally, we would to note the active participation of the UJSF in financing scholarships to allow more than 200 children to enjoy proper vacations in 2019. This financial aid was provided through the Sderot Boston project, the She el [Of God] association and Lev Tov [Good heart].
According to the director of the UJSF Israel, Myriam Fedida, the organization aims to “operate programs with a measurable impact for ambitious goals in line with the priorities of our donors, applying synergies and partnerships to reduce costs.”
She adds that “inequality and social divides remain among the highest in the OCED with 2,345,000 people living below the poverty line, of which 1 million are children. These numbers leave us no choice but to strengthen our commitment to solidarity with Israel and Franco-Israeli society through our support of partners in the field, each with experience in the areas of intervention of the UJSF.”
Thus, the solidarity of the UJSF was strongly expressed in 2019 through the food bank of the Lev Tov association, the “Toit pour Tout” [A Roof for All] urgent housing program established by the Lev Haimaot [Heart of Mothers], the Sderot Boston project, which aims to help children exposed to fire of terrorist rockets in the south, and the Jaffa Institute, which provides women from disadvantaged areas the means need to escape their poverty and rebuild their personal and professional lives, not to forget the Nutritional Security program of the Latet [To give] association, which offers food aid to Israeli families in precarious situations through food packages.
Our contribution to the Beit Rachel Strauss high school, located in Jerusalem, which welcomes students with autism and various psychomotor handicaps that require individualized teaching, should also be added to the list.
Among the most notable moments of the year, we will never forget this Israeli Independence day unlike any before it: “While rockets were raining down on the south of the country two days before Independence Day, we experienced a magic moment when we succeeded in 48 hours to bring 200 families to the Jerusalem zoo to celebrate 70 years of independence in dignity like every Israeli,” Myriam Fedida notes with pride.
Her sole wish with for this start of 2020 is that “the generosity of our donors will allow us to continue to develop our programs with those that need us, always in the hope that they will become less numerous.”

David Hatchouel