We are living through Israel’s darkest time and want to share with you how ELEM’s work has been impacted.
The last few days have been heartbreaking for all of us. ELEM, as always, is not leaving anyone behind. Our staff and volunteers are working around the clock to support thousands of at-risk youth who are dealing with various issues and emotional distress that have escalated due to the situation. As a matter of fact, the numbers of young people in our 24/7 shelters have doubled.
We are boosting our presence in our shelters and online services to meet the growing need. We are also making sure that the young mothers we help in the south receive care packages to answer the basic needs of both mothers and children. Our teams are also present on the ground to provide emotional support and trauma therapy to teens in the evacuation sites of infiltrated communities.
This trauma is one we are all sharing. In the wake of the brutal attack on the rave party, Sigal Levy, Lior Hadad and Yonatan Richter, ELEM staff member and volunteers from our Good People program went missing. Another volunteer, Yasmin Bira, from our Young Mothers program is missing as well. We have now learned that Sigal is confirmed dead. The entire ELEM community is praying for the safe release of the hostages and are grieving for those we lost.
In a few days ELEM will mark 40 years of life-saving work. The event is an opportunity to learn more about youth at risk during this emergency and join our efforts to care for them. Above all, it’s a chance to come together as a community. We are here, but our hearts are overseas in Israel.
We are still assessing the new needs in this new landscape but know that funds will be required to allow us to expand our services to meet these needs. If you are interested in helping us, you can make a donation today. You can also email us if you want to help further.
We also launched a page with updates on our work during this difficult time. You can see it here.
With tremendous gratitude,
Lenore Ruben, President (USA)
ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel
We have also launched a page with ongoing ELEM updates:
