We Lead the Jewish Response to Global Crises

When natural disasters or other calamities strike, we are the Jewish hands who help communities of all backgrounds and faiths rebuild. We’re on the ground from the very beginning, and we stay long after it’s over to make sure those communities get back on their feet. We also bring our expertise to slow-moving crises, like endemic poverty, food insecurity, lack of access to healthcare, the growing impacts of climate stress, the disproportionate effects of these challenges on women, and the plight of refugees.

We know the importance of promoting resilience and rebuilding the whole community — not just the roads. That’s why we’re committed to helping people chart a new future, develop a sustainable local economy, and prepare to weather the next storm or crisis.

We do this by deploying the best of Jewish humanitarian interventions and philanthropy; Israeli tech innovation; expertise in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals; and partnerships with Jewish communities from South Africa to Morocco on social action initiatives that are lifting lives every day.

We lead a Jewish response to global humanitarian needs, doing our part to make the world a better place for all humanity.

Our Impact in Numbers

countries where JDC has responded to a natural disaster or other crisis.

60,000+

victims of 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Morocco provided with shelter, food, clothing, heaters, blankets, medical aid, and livelihood programs.

5,190+

spine patients treated by Dr. Rick Hodes at the JDC Spine Clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia since 2006.

39,000+

patients reached through ImpactWell, the pioneering initiative from JDC and the Ruderman Family Foundation (RFF) bringing cutting-edge Israeli medical technologies and last-mile healthcare to Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, and beyond.

10,000+

lives transformed through TOV, the JDC program that brings Israeli agricultural technology (AgTech) and expertise to smallholder farmers in developing countries.

cutting-edge Israeli medical technologies piloted in Africa, reaching the continent’s most vulnerable people.

Tena

JDC launched the five-year Tena program in 2024 to promote health and wellness among the local population, including the 10,000+ members of the community awaiting immigration to Israel. The program is strengthening the Gondar-based Maraki Health Center with the aim of improving its primary care, maternal health, and emergency services in the Ethiopian city, and bringing healthcare directly to the doorstep of community members through health outreach and education programs.

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Disaster Relief

From Venezuela to Turkey, Haiti to Morocco, we’re on the ground when disaster strikes, working with communities to not just recover but truly rebuild and come back stronger than before. That’s why we lead innovative, sustainable solutions, and develop local capacity to ensure that the most vulnerable people in the hardest-hit towns and cities are better prepared to mitigate future emergencies. We leverage a century of rescue and relief experience to launch an effective response in places like Ethiopia, Jamaica and India, and throughout the the Ukraine crisis, where we’ve delivered life-saving aid and medical care and equipment to those impacted by the conflict.

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Israeli Medical Technology: ImpactWell

Hundreds of millions of people in the developing world lack basic medical care. To help meet these overwhelming needs, ImpactWell — the pioneering initiative from JDC and the Ruderman Family Foundation (RFF) launched in Ghana in 2023 and now expanded to Malawi and Zambia— leverages cutting-edge Israeli medical technologies and expertise to reduce illness and improve life expectancy in low-income countries. ImpactWell is now working alongside commercial partners, NGOs and local Ministries of Health to introduce portable diagnostic technologies and bring Israeli medical missions to build local capacity in point-of-care ultrasound for maternal healthcare, neonatal resuscitation care, trauma care, eye surgery, and more.

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Health Security: Dr. Rick Hodes

A CNN Hero with five honorary doctorates, Dr. Rick Hodes has given thousands a second chance at life. Living in Ethiopia for more than 35 years, Dr. Rick ran a clinic in the basement of a crowded public hospital in Addis Ababa, treating impoverished patients with spinal deformities — a program JDC launched in 2006. We’ve recently opened a fully equipped Spine Center and a national training program that will build the skills of local doctors to perform spinal surgeries in Ethiopia, as well as developing other innovative public health initiatives across the continent.

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Tikkun Olam Ventures (TOV)

Two-thirds of the population of Ethiopia are farmers. TOV (Tikkun Olam Ventures), JDC’s development assistance project in partnership with the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, leverages Jewish philanthropy and mobilizes Israel’s innovative agricultural technology (AgTech) and expertise to transform the lives of smallholder farmers in developing societies. Today, more than 10,000 farmers have multiplied their output with cutting-edge Israeli drip irrigation, hybrid seeds and digital finance technology — boosting their livelihoods and their communities.

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Women’s Economic Empowerment: Imagine More

Though women and girls still lag behind in achieving equal levels of health, education, and earnings in many parts of the world, they are also powerful agents of social and economic change, as well as a source of hope for promoting resilience. Initiatives in urban agriculture, beekeeping, and weaving give vulnerable women in South Africa and Ethiopia access to finance, technology, and the know-how they need to develop sustainable livelihoods, boost their income, and enhance their food security. Alongside our local partners, we catalyze innovative economic opportunities so that women can thrive and “imagine more” for themselves, their families, and their communities.

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