Helping Communities & Disaster Relief

Helping those in need after a disaster is one of our core commitments, something we have been doing since the mid-1800s.

During the summer and fall, we created disaster preparedness kits that were delivered to Sam J. Stone B’nai B’rith Covenant Apartments in Peoria, Ill. We also packed kits for Levi Towers, B’nai B’rith’s senior housing facility in Hot Springs, Ark., as part of the annual senior housing conference.

In July, we opened our Israel Emergency Fund to assist during Operation Protective Edge, Israel’s defensive maneuvers against relentless Hamas rocket attacks.

Through this fund, B’nai B’rith supported the residents of Sderot, Israel. Located just one mile outside Gaza, Sderot is in the direct line of fire for Hamas rockets.

With just seconds of warning to flee to a safe shelter when Hamas launches its rockets, the scars of those in this community are deep.

The fund contributed to the Gvanim Association for Education and Community Involvement, which helps support the Sderot municipality. Our donations supported a respite weekend for those working around the clock to keep their city running.

In the fall, we opened a disaster relief fund to support our partner IsraAID as it organized teams to combat Ebola in West Africa. These teams provide assistance in educating the local population about disease transmission and also dealing with the social issues that are impacting the community due to the crisis.

Our dedicated volunteers posted close to 100,000 service hours in 2014.

Communities around the country continue to bring service programs to their community. Our devoted volunteers bring food daily to children in need at schools and shelters through the B’nai B’rith Bagel Brigade in the Los Angeles area.

Volunteers deliver food for various Jewish holidays via Project H.O.P.E. (Help Our People Everywhere) that serve the poor and elderly in their community. These programs also include clothing and household items collection campaigns.

The Pinch-Hitter program and Operation Brotherhood find B’nai B’rith volunteers lending a hand at hospitals and community centers to help Christians take time off from work on Christmas day.

B’nai B’rith Great Lakes Region launched a college scholarship program to provide a local resource for students in their community looking for financial assistance with the high cost of college tuition. The fund grants scholarships to high school seniors in Michigan.

The 32nd annual Great Lakes Golf Classic raised funds to benefit and strengthen B’nai B’rith programs.

In Texas, B’nai B’rith hosted a talk featuring a Holocaust survivor. Some 700 people turned out in Austin to hear his story while Georgetown, Texas, residents learned about B’nai B’rith’s history in Cuba and our Cuban Jewish Relief Project.