June 22, 2025: Crisis response

Whenever a war-related crisis hits Israel, two things happen. Diaspora Jewry immediately mobilizes to send money, food, clothing, and anything else that might be needed – while Israel-based institutions send out heart-rending emails that end with the words “Donate now” in large capital letters.

One of the first Diaspora organizations to respond to the current crisis with Iran was, as nearly always, the UJA Federation of New York. Its board of directors, early last week, authorized $10 million in emergency aid to support critical relief in Israel, especially in areas directly hit by Iranian missiles, such as Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, Ramat Gan, Bat Yam, and Tamra.

The funds will be used to strengthen emergency rescue efforts, to support hospitals treating the wounded, and go to organizations whose first responders are being deployed.

In addition, some of the funds will be earmarked for the delivery of meals to the most vulnerable sectors of society, such as older adults, Holocaust survivors, and people with disabilities. Funds will also be used to expand mental health care and to assist families of soldiers, essential workers, and volunteers who are helping children in bomb shelters. Funding will be allocated where most needed, said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of UJA Federation of New York, who also indicated that additional funds will follow the $10 million already approved.

But some of the beneficiaries of those funds have been quick to ask for more from both the Israeli public and Diaspora Jewry, with either stories of brave, life-saving deeds of their volunteers, or with heart-rending stories of starving children and families who lost almost everything.

There are also the schemers and scammers who take advantage of the crisis situation and the misfortune of others and send pleas for money for “nine orphaned children whose father died suddenly of a heart attack”; or funds to pay for “the treatment of a child with a brain tumor,” or money to support “an orphaned bride who is getting married the following day.” Some of these requests are recycled at yearly intervals and less. Naive people with generous hearts and wallets should be careful. If there are no contact details for the supposed beneficiaries, then charity should be directed elsewhere.

Among the people who take advantage of the tragedies of others are scavengers. There have been media reports of scavengers showing up at buildings badly damaged or destroyed by Iranian missiles, and taking whatever they could out of the rubble.

As for bona fide requests from organizations and institutions, those such as Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah, Yad Sarah, and Zaka Tel Aviv do fantastic work and are constantly in need of donations.

On the other hand, Supporters of Laniado [Hospital] are raising money by holding an auction of what was described as “valuable Israeli artifacts,” which may have given the impression of items from antiquity, but were in fact mostly documents and photographs of historic value, such as for instance the Yiddish sheet music published in New York in 1912 by the Hebrew Publishing company to commemorate the disaster of the Titanic.

A White House photograph of Golda Meir with president Richard Nixon was signed by her in Hebrew, while a photograph of president Chaim Herzog and his wife Aura pictured in London in March 1993 with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and her husband, Dennis, is also signed in Hebrew by Herzog.

Sports fans may be interested in a signed photograph of iconic baseball player Sandy Koufax, taken on the day after Yom Kippur, 1965, when he famously refused to play in the World Series on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The photo has an additional connotation now. The second game in which he did play was on October 7, and the photo is accompanied by a ticket to that game.

The auction is not only an emergency response to the war, but also an opportunity to own an item of Israeli and/or Jewish history, which will gain in value with the passing of time.

The online event, which was launched last week, is hosted by Curio Auctions. All proceeds will go towards the construction of Laniado’s Sheltered Emergency Hospital in Netanya. The variety of items will excite seasoned collectors as well as people with an interest in Israeli and Jewish history.

Given the current geopolitical situation, Eli Knoller, director of the Supporters of Laniado Hospital, is certain that potential bidders will be fascinated by a 1958 invitation to celebrate Israel Independence Day in Tehran.

“Every bid brings us closer to a future where patients in Israel will no longer need to be evacuated during missile attacks – they’ll be treated safely, without interruption,” said Knoller.

■ DESPITE THE disruptions that war is causing to normal life, Israeli academics are being honored by institutions in other countries, and Israeli academic institutions continue to honor foreign academics.

Nelken, of The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and the Silberman Institute for Life Sciences for studies of the cellular and network basis of continual learning, is researching the stability of memory through a project called MEMORAT.

He will study auditory continual learning in rat behavior, measuring the stability of memory and critically testing models of learning and memory. This project will address the deep puzzles of memory when memory load is high, a regime that has not been previously studied in animal models.

Ziegler holds the Henry and Manya Noskwith Chair in Mathematics at the Einstein Institute of Mathematics. She was awarded an Advanced ERC grant for research at the interface of dynamics, additive number theory, and algebraic geometry. Ziegler’s work has introduced methods from ergodic theory to resolve longstanding problems in combinatorics and number theory. Her research proposal explores frontier questions in dynamics, number theory, and additive combinatorics, and more recently, unveils new connections to stability phenomena in algebraic geometry.

Aharonov, from the HU’s School of Engineering and Computer Science explores the development of new quantum algorithms and the computational power of noisy quantum computers. Aharonov is leading research that tackles the two most critical challenges in quantum computing. The first lies in the field of computer science: Despite extensive research efforts, only a limited number of quantum algorithms and efficient algorithmic techniques are currently known. The second question concerns physics: quantum computers are closer than ever to physical realization, following recent demonstrations that error and noise correction can be effective in small-scale systems, she says. “However, we still lack a comprehensive theory explaining the impact of errors on the computational capabilities of quantum computers, and it remains unclear whether – and how – highly noisy quantum systems can be effectively used for computation.” Her research aims to attack both challenges together.

The goal of the HALFLIFE project is to develop innovative, evidence-based strategies to combat “ageism” – defined as stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination based on age. Unlike other forms of discrimination, ageism is unique in that most people, if they live long enough, will eventually experience it. With populations around the world rapidly aging, reducing ageism is now recognized as a global public health priority and a key pillar of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.

What sets Ayalon’s work apart is her bold move away from one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, she proposes a personalized, theory-driven approach that recognizes older adults not only as targets of ageism but also as agents who may (un)knowingly perpetuate it. This intragroup perspective shifts the narrative – acknowledging the complexity and multi-dimensional nature of ageism, including its implicit and unconscious forms.

The project will identify the most effective interventions to reduce both self-directed and other-directed ageism among older adults. Using an intervention accelerator model, Ayalon and her team will conduct lab and field randomized controlled trials in three countries, testing a portfolio of scalable solutions. These interventions will be co-developed with input from laypeople, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

Ayalon is internationally recognized as a leading voice in social and behavioral gerontology. She is one of just 50 individuals worldwide named to the United Nations’ inaugural “Healthy Aging 50” list, honoring leaders who are transforming the world to be a better place in which to grow older.

She is also a core group member of the World Health Organization’s global campaign to combat ageism.