The daily barrage that sent more than 4,000 rockets into Israel from Hamas-controlled Gaza this past May inflicted casualties among innocent victims and spread terror throughout the country. During this extremely challenging time, a group of more than 300 immigrants (“olim” in Hebrew) from Ethiopia who had recently arrived were, like other Israelis, exposed to this wave of indiscriminate rocket attacks.
To provide immediate assistance to these new immigrants, who had arrived in December 2020 to be reunited with their families in Israel in a special state-sponsored initiative called “Operation Tzur,” the Jeffrey D. Schwartz & NaTang Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association (JTCA) donated US$50,000 to Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal (UIA).
The funds were used to move the immigrants to safer locations within Israel, provide accommodations for their families, and provide daily hot meals for them. They also provided emergency first aid packages, mobile bomb shelter units, and immediate financial support for families that lost their homes.
Shmulik Fried, Director of Friends of Israel, Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal (UIA)
According to Shmulik Fried, Director of Keren Hayesod Friends of Israel, “our efforts during the conflict in May was focused on the children from disadvantaged families, several of whom were trapped in bomb shelters for most of the day and lived in fear of their lives. We worked to move hundreds of children and their families from the immigration absorption centers in the south of Israel by taking them to the north and away from the rockets.”
Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal is the international fund-raising arm of the Jewish Agency, the Jerusalem-based non-profit organization that designs and delivers several initiatives that support the people of Israel. The Jewish Agency has worked hand-in-hand with Keren Hayesod-UIA to build the State of Israel since its very founding.
Over the past several decades, the Jeffrey D. Schwartz & NaTang Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association (JTCA) has supported the programs of the Jewish Agency through numerous donations to Keren Hayesod-UIA.
In an email from Shmulik Fried, he expressed their appreciation to Jeffrey D. Schwartz and the JTCA: “Thank you so much for your generosity and for your support for the people of Israel. In your next trip to Israel, I want to take you in person to meet the children and the youngsters that will benefit from your donation. The Hebrew word for charity is tzedaka, which derives from the word tzedek, meaning righteousness. King Solomon, the wisest of men said: ‘Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor’ (Proverbs 21:21).”
About the Jeffrey D. Schwartz & NaTang Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association
The Jeffrey D. Schwartz & NaTang Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association (JTCA) is a non-profit organization devoted to creating a platform for Jews in Taiwan to observe and celebrate their religion and heritage, for the broader community in Taiwan to engage with the Jewish community, and to build bridges between Taiwan and the global Jewish community.
The JTCA has long provided financial assistance to numerous organizations in Israel, the US, and Asia that support the State of Israel and the Jewish people. The JTCA is co-founded and funded by Jeffrey D. Schwartz, Founder and CEO of the Four Star Group, Inc., and Na Tang, the renowned musician, actress, and author. For more information, visit their website at www.jtca.org.tw
