The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) has been a leading organization supporting Israel for more than 60 years, helping to lay the groundwork for important social change. NCJW’s pioneering Israel programs foster and support education, promote the empowerment of women, and bridge the gaps in society for Israel’s most vulnerable women, children, and families. Donors to NCJW’s Israel Granting Program and to our advocacy and coalition work are helping to empower a new generation of women and create a bright future for the state of Israel and its most at-risk communities. An example of a grant program is Yad B’ Yad, which supports various grassroots organizations that serve at-risk children and their families, launched in 1998.

Two of NCJW’s most notable education programs in Israel are the NCJW Research Institute for Innovation in Education (RIFIE) at Hebrew University and the NCJW Women and Gender Studies Program at Tel Aviv University. RIFIE, a landmark project and vital component of NCJW’s overarching legacy of educational initiatives in Israel, was established in 1968 by NCJW. It promotes educational and social advancement by addressing the educational challenges and needs of children and youth. The Institute’s vast accumulation of knowledge and expertise facilitates its professional contribution to public policy-making in the field of education.

THE RABIN PEACE FUND, a travel scholarship for students from schools in South Dallas, was enabled by the DALLAS SOUTHWEST OSTEOPATHIC PHYSICIANS. Students wrote and were judged on essays entitled “Why I Want To Go To Israel.” Three students a year were awarded a $10,000 scholarship for a supervised tour to Israel. The purpose of this trip was to provide an Israeli educational opportunity to teenagers who would otherwise never have this experience.

From Ship-a-Box to Yad B ’Yad, from the NCJW Research Institute for Innovation in Education to the NCJW Women and Gender Studies Program at Tel Aviv University, from our partnership with US/Israel Women to Women to NCJW’s Israel Granting Program, from NCJW’s Israel advocacy to our NCJW Women’s Mission to Israel, NCJW has made a difference for women, children, and families in Israel for many years!

The Greater Dallas Section is proud to support community service projects in Israel annually through NCJW’s Israel Granting Program. In Dallas, our “Hello Israel” community service project has been introducing the history and culture of Israel to area 6th grade students as an education enrichment program for many years. Our volunteers, in effect, act as good-will ambassadors for Israel and the Jewish people. The Section has hosted study groups for members, addressing current issues in Israel. Also, we provided financial support to the “Ship-a-Box” project, headquartered in Jerusalem, and operated by NCJW volunteers in conjunction with the Israeli Ministry of Welfare. Through this project, our volunteers sent hundreds of parcels to Israel for at-risk children, immigrant children and their families for over half a century.