Israel’s recent war with Iran caused an unprecedented financial toll in the Jewish state, with an estimated $1.3 billion of damages to property. Some 30,000 homes were destroyed or damaged by Iranian missiles during the recent war, and over 15,000 Israelis are homeless.
Tax Authority Director Shai Aharonovich warned at a press conference last week of “challenges of a magnitude we’ve never faced in the history of Israel.”
Amir Dahan, the Tax Authority’s head of compensation, said that “there has never before been this level of damage” sustained during a war.
“We’re dealing with complex, large-scale damage,” Dahan said. “Normally, we see damage to a single wing or room, and demolition is rare. This time, we know immediately which buildings must come down.”
Jewish kehillos around the world, organizations, and even some countries have sent help to Israel to rebuild.
Last week, the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) announced that it had allocated $10 million in Israel Emergency Funds to 19 partner organizations to be directed to post-war rehabilitation.
“We want every Israeli to know that the North American Jewish community has their backs, and will continue to step up in meaningful ways, whether that means supporting hospitals, upgrading conditions in public bomb shelters, or helping evacuees and victims of terror,” said Jeff Schoenfeld, the incoming vice chair of JFNA’s board of trustees.
The Jewish Agency has been allocated a fifth of the funds to provide immediate aid to those rendered homeless by missile attacks, bereaved families, and severely injured victims.
Another two million was allocated to provide essential equipment for hospitals, including Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, which sustained a direct hit to its surgical floor.
Last week, a diplomatic representative of Taiwan visited Bat Yam, where a 10-story residential building was reduced to rubble and seven people were killed.
Diplomat Abby (Ya-Ping) Lee toured the site and said, “Taiwan is once again among the first to work with civil organizations to save lives. We are sending a very clear message of solidarity to our Israeli friends: You are not alone.”
Ynet reported last week that a Jewish community in Foshan, a city in central Guangdong Province, China, which is a major industrial hub, has reached out to Israel to offer aid.
Chabad shliach and Chief Rabbi of Foshan, Rav Gadi Luzon, sent a letter to Eran Siv, chairman of Israel’s Renovation Contractors Union, offering aid via the city’s vast supply of construction materials.
In his letter, Rabbi Luzon emphasized Foshan’s status as one of the world’s leading centers for advanced construction manufacturing and supplies.
“Foshan is a global hub for the production and supply of building materials and construction services,” he wrote. “Given the situation in Israel and our desire to help the people of Israel, we wish to assist with all matters related to sourcing materials for reconstruction.”
The offer includes help with procurement, manufacturing, transport, and import of a wide range of materials, such as aluminum products, glass (including custom windows and shutters), carpentry, doors, interior and exterior cladding, tiling, piping for water and electricity infrastructure, sanitary equipment, kitchen fixtures and furniture, and even skilled labor.
“We have long-standing relationships with major manpower corporations in China, who have already expressed willingness to recruit and vet professional workers across all construction trades and scales,” Luzon wrote.
. “We’ve discussed this in the past with Israeli government officials, and perhaps now—facing the challenges of reconstruction—there’s an opportunity to renew that cooperation,” he added.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
I pray & agree that every bldg in Israel 🇮🇱 must be restored to full pristine glory, but no-one should give even a penny to restoration of gaza:- Let gaza rot in putrid abjection.