At age 17, Liora Attias-Hadar was homeless and pregnant, looking to rebuild her life after moving from Israel to the United States.  

“She was scared and unsure how she would survive. She remembers sitting on a park bench, afraid to close her eyes. Because on the streets, sleep could be dangerous,” Attias-Hadar said, referring to her younger self. 

She shared that story on Wednesday night, more than two decades later — and now as the CEO of American Friends of ELEM — with more than 200 attendees at the group’s annual gala, held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in downtown Manhattan. Attias-Hadar credited the work of groups like the one she heads, which is the American partner of the Israeli nonprofit for at-risk youth, with helping her turn her life around. “Something life-changing happened. A counselor from a youth shelter found [me]. The shelter offered food, safety and a warm place to sleep — but as important, it offered compassion and understanding,” Attias-Hadar recalled.  

“What inspires me every day is seeing young people discover that they are not defined by the trauma they’ve lived through,” Attias-Hadar said at the event. “After a crisis, or when they’ve been displaced, ELEM gives them a safe space to start over, to find stability, and to believe in themselves again. That transformation is why our work is so urgent and why every moment counts.” 

ELEM, whose Hebrew acronym stands for “Nonprofit for Youth in Crisis,” was founded in 1982 to address issues such as domestic violence, sexual exploitation, homelessness, school attrition, substance abuse, depression, suicide and breakdowns of families among Jewish, Arab, Druze and Christian youth. According to the organization, it supports more than 13,000 teens and young adults ages 14-26 each year across 40 cities in Israel with an annual budget of approximately $17 million. 

The evening honored actor Jonah Platt and Ari Ackerman, co-owner of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team, Jewish philanthropist and a social media activist. 

“Why ELEM? When they asked to honor me, I didn’t know that much about this incredible organization,” said Ackerman. “But when I jumped in and learned about it, I was hooked. I was hooked because what they do every day, like me, is fight for children. They give young people safe spaces, mentors and a chance to see a future for themselves.” 

Platt, the recipient of ELEM’s lifesaver award, which the organization established in 2010 to recognize individuals who protect vulnerable youth, encouraged attendees to “be an ambassador of Jewish people, of goodness.”

“What we have to do is advocate for ourselves as people, taking up space in public, normalizing that Jews are here, we are a part of the fabric of the world, of this country, we are proud of it and we are not going anywhere,” said Platt.

The organization did not disclose the amount raised from Wednesday night’s event, but said that the funds will benefit ELEM’s year-round programs and emergency initiatives helping displaced youth in hotels, kibbutzim and schools, including Nova Music Festival survivors and teens with friends who were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.