It's beyond our wildest nightmares to fathom the profound tragedy that has befallen the State of Israel in 2023. On Saturday, October 7th at 6:30 a.m., Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel with a mission to slaughter and kill innocent civilians. The brutality of these terrorists has already claimed the lives of 1,200 innocent souls, including babies, children, women, men, grandmas, and grandpas. Wo
men are being raped and dragged through the streets, people from all backgrounds are being burned alive, beheaded, and entire families have been savagely murdered in their homes. The unrelenting cruelty of Hamas has left over 3,000 people wounded, while 150 hostages – including the most vulnerable among us, babies, children, and the elderly – have been forcibly abducted to the Gaza Strip. The residents of southern Israel have survived, but they have nothing. Aside from their loved ones being murdered or kidnapped – their homes have been burned, they have no income and are racking up debts, they face difficulties relocating elsewhere in the country, and are struggling to meet basic needs. As the men have been called to reserves, mothers are faced with childrearing alone– which means neither parent is able to work and bring in income. We at Straight to the South are a grassroots group of Americans and Israelis bringing direct aid without the overhead costs of an established nonprofit. This is the fourth war between Israel and Hamas that we have organized ourselves to distribute funds, food, and supplies to local residents of southern Israel. We have fundraised for citizens of the South during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021. This experience has given us the connections and the know-how to make the most meaningful and effective impact. Because we are volunteers doing this as a labor of love, every single penny donated will go immediately and directly to these relief efforts.
****In addition, we have a matching agreement with a large American corporation, which has agreed to anonymously match each and every dollar donated.****
This campaign is being organized by Arik Praisman, Libbie Sagiv, and Jennifer Gutman. We are American-Israelis, residing in Israel, and have been volunteering in Israel advocacy together since 2006--when we began working together at The David Project in Boston, MA. Arik has served for over 10 years in the IDF’s Search & Rescue unit, and when he was called to the south during the war of 2014, he saw firsthand the immediate financial needs of many families. That spurred us to create our 'Straight to the South' campaign, where we used every dollar donated to purchase food vouchers that Arik hand-delivered to struggling residents across Southern Israel. We have made personal connections with community leaders, grocery owners, rabbis, social workers and others whom we have stayed in touch with over the years, and who we are in touch with now. We will be working closely with them to help us identify those that need support most. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write us a message here or via our page. On behalf of the struggling survivors of southern Israel – please donate whatever you can to make their lives a little easier after the horrors they've endured.
[P.S. If you make a donation of $1,000 and higher, and you need a tax-deductible receipt, please email us at [email protected]]
