The Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton is part of The Jewish Federation of North America’s Network of small communities. The Network communities represent more than 200,000 men and women who care deeply about the global Jewish community and have raised upwards of $70 million since 2004.

The Network funds three innovative and time-tested projects that help vulnerable communities in Israel and the former Soviet Union. In addition, the Network is raising funds for Aliyah of Rescue, a Jewish Agency program that brings Jews living in hostile areas home to Israel.

Impact in Israel:

Lunch and Learn in Dimona, Israel

One in three children in Israel lives below the poverty line, and many of those at-risk children live in periphery cities like Dimona that have large immigrant populations, many single-parent families, and high rates of unemployment. Nearly 500 at-risk elementary students in 13 schools across this Negev city receive extra academic help and a hot meal each school day, along with subsidized schoolbooks and the opportunity to participate in class trips. Lunch and Learn participants show significant improvement in educational achievement, behavior and self-confidence, and continue to excel as they transition to middle school.

PACT in Lod, Israel

The young children of Ethiopian families face vast educational and social gaps, and their parents often lack the skills to get them the help they need. PACT (Parents and Children Together) provides comprehensive educational and community services for Ethiopian-Israeli families. As children move from daycare to preschool to kindergarten, a social worker guides their parents through the services available to them. PACT provides medical check-ups, promotes health awareness and supplies eyeglasses and hearing aids. Parents receive the tools they need to help their children succeed.