When the residents of the Kibbutzim around Gaza came out of their safe rooms, those who were fortunate enough to do so, most after hours and hours of terror and potentially with injuries, they fled their homes with very little. They still cannot return (almost 4 months later) and are living in temporary locations. They may not be able to return to normal life, such as school, work, etc either because they are too traumatized to do so or it's just not possible because it doesn't exist. They have so much loss - perhaps loss of family members, friends, belongings, sense of security, community, foundational understanding or sense of self. They have needs and they need someone to really hear what those are and to help them. A newly created organization, Project 24, has
stepped into this space. The story of the founders is incredible - two childhood friends, Daniel and Bubu. Bubu spent October 7th saving his family, neighbors, and random young men who had found their way to his Kibbutz running away from the Nova festival. He then had to flee his home and community. Once Daniel was able to get to him, he stayed with the relocated kibbutzniks to see how he could help. Not long after Project 24 was founded. It has 3 goals (as summarized by me:)
To empower people to move forward
Win-win relationships and partnerships, not one-sided
Make helping accessible - everyone can participate
Project 24 wants to make sure that the help is grounded in dignity and plays off people's natural skills, wants, talents, and resources. So, for example, if you are looking for a graphic designer, consider someone from one of these kibbutzim. Or if you have a bakery, sell a small challah and the proceeds go to fund a voucher for someone in Israel to buy a challah from a bakery in Israel.
Or if you're looking for a piece of art, consider the Lifeline Art project, which graphically represents a sample of the WhatsApp messages from her Kibbutz that morning. There are a number of projects already in the works that can be joined (just check out the members section of the website - becoming a member is easy - $24).
The other thing that struck me about this project is the personalized nature of it. There's some amazing things happening in Israel for giving on a grand scale, but for an individual person, they may need something specific. This idea hit home for me with an example Daniel gave. He said if you randomly give out clothing and a boy gets a plain green shirt, he may wear the shirt because he doesn't have much of a choice, but he will feel like a refugee. If you find out that he loves Obi-Wan Kenobi and get him a shirt with that on it, he will feel seen and heard and more at home with himself and his situation. It can be that simple and that huge all at once.
So, I am trying to raise up awareness of this organization because grassroots groups like this that are making a difference every day and for those of us who want to help, it's a great place to put some attention.
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