This Passover, there will be more than 1,600 more empty seats at Seder tables in Israel. Family members grieving the loss of their loved ones after the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel. 123,000 displaced Israelis, from both communities bordering Gaza and those in the line of Hezbollah’s fire in the North, will not be able to celebrate at home. 

 
Jewish Federations are working hard to ensure that families have support they need during the holiday. The Israel Emergency Fund that has raised over $806 million recently allocated funds for three organizations working to support Israelis through the upcoming holiday: Navah, Shuvu Achim, and Eshel Chabad.  

 

With the support of a $35,000 grant, Eshel Chabad will enable thousands of evacuees to enjoy a Seder experience in one of more than 300 locations across Israel. 

 

Navah’s “Empty Chair” project, founded in 2003 during the Second Intifada, is dedicated to supporting bereaved families of IDF soldiers, victims of terror, and disasters. Their “Empty Chair” project seeks to support bereaved families on one of the most-family focused nights on the Jewish calendar-Seder night. Bereaved families are invited and hosted at hotels, including a communal Seder. 

 
This year, Navah will hold an event for 400 people for a 3-day, 2-night stay in Jerusalem, with the support of a $65,000 grant from Jewish Federations. During this time, they will be comforted by entertainment, therapeutic workshops and activities led and supervised by mental health professions. And it will all be done within a supportive, nurturing, and comforting environment.  

 
Bereaved families will have the chance to share their pain at the holiday table, while also experiencing the sense of belonging that is associated with the Passover holiday. 

As Navah prepares for this holiday, another program – Shuvu Achim – is working to ensure people have Kosher food for Passover.  

The Shuvu Achim pre-military academy in Israel was founded in 2014, following the brutal kidnapping and murder of three teenage boys, Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel. Each Passover and Rosh Hashanah, the seminary runs a Kosher food basket distribution program.  

This year, with the support of a $50,000 grant from Jewish Federations, it was decided that they would focus on aiding the widows of IDF soldiers, and the families of evacuees, mainly from northern Israel communities, for this Passover is the first without the father of the family. 

With the support of a $35,000 grant, Eshel Chabad will enable thousands of evacuees to enjoy a Seder experience in one of more than 300 locations across Israel. 

Of the $806 million raised by Federations, $410 million has been allocated to the most pressing needs on the ground through nearly 300 partner organizations and NGOs.