In the wake of Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas’s brutal attack shook Israel to its core, dozens of families launched initiatives to honor loved ones lost to terror. These grassroots efforts, born of raw grief, offer glimmers of hope in a fractured time. Yet history shows that many such initiatives shine briefly, then fade. What does it take for grief-born philanthropy to endure decades, not months? 

As the co-founder of Keren Malki, a charity thriving 24 years after my daughter’s murder, I’ve learned that longevity hinges not on grief alone but on clarity of mission, disciplined governance and a drive to adapt to evolving needs.

On Aug. 9, 2001, my 15-year-old daughter Malki, an American-Israeli, was killed in a Hamas terror attack at the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem. A woman, Ahlam Ahmad Al-Tamimi, planned the attack and transported the human bomb, his guitar case packed with explosives and nails for maximum devastation. Tamimi remains free in Jordan despite U.S. charges, a wound that still stings my wife Frimet and me. 

Yet, from this unbearable loss, we built Keren Malki, a foundation that channels pain into enduring good.

Immediately after the shiva, the seven-day mourning period prescribed by Jewish tradition to anchor mourners in community, I began the process of registering Keren Malki. By a haunting coincidence, the certificate was issued on Sept. 11, 2001 — a date soon etched in global memory as a symbol of tragedy. 

As we approach our foundation’s silver anniversary, I am reflecting on why Keren Malki endures while many grief-born initiatives falter.

Our mission was clear from the outset: to empower families to care for children with extreme special needs at home, avoiding the cold isolation of institutionalization. Malki’s devotion to her profoundly disabled youngest sister, Haya, who requires round-the-clock care, inspired this vision. Malki’s patience and her joy in tending to Haya’s needs became the blueprint for Keren Malki’s work. 

We provide practical support through three core programs: funding therapies too often inaccessible through Israel’s healthcare system; supplying home-based equipment like wheelchairs and communication devices; and deploying a therapist-on-wheels service to bring care to families in Israel’s remote peripheral communities — a solution we pioneered to fill a gap the government has yet to address.

Since 2001, Keren Malki has supported thousands of Israeli families — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze, religious, secular, rich, poor — delivering millions of dollars in aid. In 2024, we assisted over 300 children with conditions like cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and rare genetic disorders, enabling them to thrive at home, surrounded by love. 

Consider Sarah, a 10-year-old with severe neurological challenges. Her family couldn’t afford a communication device, but Keren Malki funded it and a therapist to teach her to use it. Today, Sarah expresses her needs and dreams, transforming her family’s daily life. 

Or take Ahmed, a Bedouin boy with muscular dystrophy. His mobility device, provided by Keren Malki, allowed him to attend school for the first time. 

These stories are the heartbeat of our work, turning narratives of despair into dreams of possibility.

What sustains Keren Malki isn’t emotion but strategic discipline. A clear mission keeps us focused: We prioritize families’ resilience over institutional solutions, ensuring children remain at the heart of their homes if that’s what the families want. Rigorous governance — transparent finances, accountable leadership and regular impact assessments — builds trust with donors and families alike. 

Most critically, we adapt. When we saw families in Israel’s periphery struggling to access therapies, we launched our therapist-on-wheels program, now a lifeline for dozens of communities. When new technologies emerged, we embraced them, funding cutting-edge communication devices that unlock children’s potential. This responsiveness ensures we remain relevant, even as societal and medical needs evolve over decades.

The post-Oct. 7 wave of grief-born initiatives underscores a broader truth: These efforts are more than memorials — they can be laboratories of resilience. They test solutions that larger, bureaucratic institutions often overlook. Yet too often, philanthropy leaders dismiss such charities as emotional outbursts, underestimating their potential to drive systemic change. Keren Malki’s model — nimble, family-centered, inclusive — shows how grief-born organizations can strengthen civil society’s capacity to heal trauma. Our work transcends politics, religion and ethnicity, uniting families in a shared commitment to parental love and dignity.

To funders, I offer this challenge: See grief-born charities as investments in adaptive, enduring good. Backing them doesn’t just honor the past; it builds a more responsive future. Keren Malki’s 24 years of impact prove that small, mission-driven organizations can achieve outsized results, from empowering individual families to reshaping how society supports its most vulnerable. 

As we enter our 25th year, I invite funders, volunteers, and communities to join us. Support these initiatives, listen to their stories and help them grow. Judaism has a word for this ethos: chesed — doing good for others with no expectation of reward. It defined Malki’s life and drives our mission. 

Grief need not define us; it can inspire us to create something greater than our pain. Keren Malki is proof that from loss, love endures, and good things grow.

Arnold Roth is the co-founder of Keren Malki.