The Power of Giving, Spring 2010

Haaretz‘s commercial department has published the Spring 2010 edition of The Power of Giving.

This from the introduction:

Anybody who lives in Israel or who visits the country on a regular basis is certainly aware of the increasing polarization of Israeli society. The rich seem to be doing just fine and those who are struggling to survive are growing in numbers. NGO’s are focusing all their energy and resources in trying to bridge this growing socio-economic gap and provide a safety net for the more than 1.6 million citizens living below the poverty line – and especially for the 800,000 children included in that group. Organizations such as Pitchon Lev and the Jaffa Institute distribute food packages before Passover and all year-round.

A disproportionately high percentage of Ethiopian-Israelis are caught in this cycle of poverty. The Ethiopian National Project and ESRA are among the organizations who address their needs by providing supportive frameworks for Ethiopian-Israeli youths, thereby giving them hope and encouraging them to fulfill their potential.

The National Council for the Child is at the forefront of the ongoing struggle to help Israel’s at-risk children and provides support for disadvantaged and maltreated kids from all sectors of Israeli society.

Although many of the articles in this issue highlight these most pressing and basic problems, this issue of “The Power of Giving” also showcases such uplifting stories as the Jewish Agency for Israel’s “Aliyah on a Red Carpet” program, the American Friends of Magen David Adom’s “70 For 70” campaign, the Jewish Federations of North America’s “Negev Work Group” and Keren Hayesod-UIA’s 90th anniversary celebrations.