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the sydney jewish report | April 2022
AROUND
T H E
COMMUNITY
Enduring success
UIA On Yom Ha’atzmaut, Keren HayesodUIA acknowledges the strength of its partnership with the State of Israel. David Ben Gurion, the first Israeli Prime Minister, said that “the merits and achievements of Keren Hayesod-UIA are engraved in the soil of the homeland and treasured in the soul of the nation.” Former Israeli Transport Minister MK Itzhak Ben-Aharon said that “Keren Hayesod-UIA was an Israeli fund before there was an Israel. The State of Israel would not have been established if not for Keren Hayesod-UIA … without its path of building the country and laying the foundations of a Jewish society.” For 102 years the organisation has helped build the infrastructure and institutions of Israel, always delivering on the national priorities of the State. Since its inception, aliyah and the needs of the Jewish people have always been its central tenets. That is evident in the 3.5 million olim Keren Hayesod-UIA has supported. Although the Israel of today looks very different to that of days gone by, the need for aliyah has not diminished. In fact, 2021 saw an increase of 30% on the previous year’s figure and in 2022 it is estimated that 50,000 people will make Israel their permanent home.
A Ukrainian refugee finds safety in Israel The situation in Ukraine and rising antiSemitism highlights the importance and relevancy of aliyah as a lifeline for many. In the past month, Keren Hayesod – UIA has welcomed 11,000 Jewish Ukrainian refugees, with a further 7,000 arriving soon. They are being housed and supported through various absorption programs in the hope that they will lead successful lives in Israel. They will now experience their first Yom Ha’atzmaut in Israel – a true celebration of their independence.
While simultaneously building the human capital of Israel, Keren HayesodUIA’s innovative and supportive programs for youth-at-risk and the elderly remain a high priority. For youthat-risk, particularly in the periphery, its mentoring and educational services, such as youth villages, Youth Futures and Net@ are turning disadvantage into opportunity. More than 7,500 low-income seniors, mainly Holocaust survivors and immigrants from the former Soviet Union, are cared for through the
organisation’s Amigour project. That provides affordable housing, enabling these people to live with dignity and respect. The reach of Keren HayesodUIA’s extended family enables it to act as the bridge for global Jewry and strengthen the diaspora’s connection to the Jewish homeland, highlighted through gap year programs such as Masa. With continued community support, the organisation will reinforce its partnership with the State of Israel and maintain its profound impact.
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