October 22, 2023

By Nancy B. Greer
President & CEO

When I first saw horrific images from atrocities that were inflicted on innocent Israelis two weeks ago, time froze for me. To see the depths of barbaric crimes that Hamas terrorists carried out against innocent mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandparents, children, and dancing young people was to see, in one heart-stopping moment, “pure, unadulterated evil,” as President Joe Biden told the world.

These past two weeks have been days of emotion and tension unlike any other in recent memory. Shock. Fear. Grief. Fury. A sense of unreality. A grim realization that eight decades after the Holocaust, the hatred that our people have faced since time immemorial erupted yet again in a spasm of unspeakable violence.

These past two weeks have brought something else as well—a gathering resolve to fortify our resilience and go from strength to strength. To stand with Israel. To come to the aid of the terrorists’ victims. To help them to heal and to cope. To begin the rebuilding. To rally ourselves to act. Right now. All of us.

Your Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, with the support of partner organizations in our region, has opened the Seattle Israel Emergency Fund. Please click here to give. Every cent raised locally will go directly to partners providing critical services on the ground in Israel. The funds raised are allocated through the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the national organization best equipped to assess the many needs holistically and ensure dollars are put to their most effective use.

Our goal is to raise $4 million, an ambitious but doable share of a collective effort that is taking shape across our country. The broader Jewish community—sharing deep grief and united in resolute determination—is joining hands to support our sisters and brothers in our Jewish homeland in their hour of urgent need. As we have done before. 

We are experiencing an existential time of grief and pain because of the horrors of October 7, a date that will long remain seared in our collective memory. Our people’s millennia-long journey has taught indelible lessons about the enormity of our resilience and the power of our strength. We will prevail and we will press forward with our tireless work for a world without barbarism, where hate has no place, where all can live in a secure and enduring peace.

Am Yisrael Chai.