The Jewish Agency for Israel launched a new fund on Wednesday to provide direct, immediate grants to victims of Iranian attacks during the current conflict, eJewishPhilanthropy has learned.

The new fund — dubbed the Roaring Lion Fund, for Israel’s name of the military operation — operates in the same way as the Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror, offering immediate grants of NIS 4,000 ($1,300) to anyone directly affected by the war, including those injured in the attacks or anyone whose home was damaged or destroyed. The recipients do not need to apply for the grants and are instead automatically identified by local authorities, who pass the information along to the Jewish Agency. 

“In addition to financial assistance, the Jewish Agency will offer emotional resilience services to those affected, including individual support, workshops and group therapy designed to strengthen long-term wellbeing,” the organization said.

The Jewish Agency launched a similar fund, the Rising Lion Emergency Fund, last summer, during the previous war with Iran. As the Fund for Victims of Terror is exclusively designed for victims of terrorist attacks, the Jewish Agency determined that it could not issue grants through that fund to victims of war, necessitating a new funding mechanism. Despite being officially distinct, both the Rising Lion and Roaring Lion Funds are overseen by the Fund for Victims of Terror team, which is led by Ayelet Nahmias Verbin.

“The Jewish Agency’s Roaring Lion Fund embodies our community’s deepest commitment to mutual responsibility,” Mark Wilf, chairman of the Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors, said in a statement. “In moments of profound crisis such as the current war, we show up for one another without hesitation. This powerful gesture of solidarity from world Jewry to the Israeli people serves to strengthen resilience and forge meaningful bonds of connection. This is how we rise — together — and emerge stronger than before.”

The new fund was launched with initial support from the Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod, World Zionist Organization and additional donors, the Jewish Agency said, noting that it is still looking for additional funding partners. 

“In these challenging days, the heart of the Jewish people is here in Israel — with the families who have lost their loved ones, with the wounded and with those whose homes were destroyed in an instant,”Doron Almog, chairman of the Jewish Agency, said in a statement. “At this moment, we are measured by our actions, which are expressed through rebuilding and renewal.”

The Jewish Agency noted that in addition to its victims fund, the group is also providing support through an “emergency response center” to new immigrants, lone soldiers and residents of its Amigour senior housing facilities, as well as Diaspora Jews participating in its Israel programs.

“From the moment the war began, we activated The Jewish Agency’s emergency response center. Our ability to respond in real time is based on our years of experience and our partnership with Jewish Federations of North America and our partners around the world,” Yehuda Setton, CEO of the Jewish Agency, said. ”The spirit of Jewish mutual responsibility reveals its strength precisely at moments like these and sends a clear message to the people of Israel: You are not alone.”