As war continues to rage in the Middle East, New Yorkers have banded together to help support residents of distraught communities in Israel and Gaza — including one organization that’s giving direct support to Israeli Kibbutzim with the help of a local prominent legal mind.
Jeffrey Cohen, a retired justice of New York’s Appellate Division, has been at the forefront of the efforts to aid 23 Kibbutzim along the border with Gaza since members of Hamas first struck on Oct. 7 — helping to establish an emergency fundraising drive aimed at assisting communities that are still struggling with basic necessities.
The “Emergency Appeal For Kibbutzim Near Gaza” has raised over $300,000 since the efforts began, and the organizers pledge that “all donations will be allocated” directly to the emergency needs of the 23 most-in-need Kibbutzim in the area.
Initially founded as an organizing principle for local communities, Kibbutzim have become a staple of life for many Israelis, and, particularly in times of need, serve as a social safety net for members.
The unique structure of a Kibbutz, with comparatively few layers of bureaucracy, make them ideal for administering aid and ensuring that donations are utilized effectively, according to Cohen.
“The fund has no administrative costs at all — every dime goes to the actual families… the actual victims’ families,” Cohen said. “Without any question about this, every dime, every scheckel goes to the victims who are being relocated. God knows how much they will need in the future.”
Led by the long-established umbrella organization, the Kibbutz Movement, the emergency fundraiser breaks down their needs into three categories: Basic necessities like clothing and clean water; logistical support such as travel; and mental health resources to provide post-trauma therapy to those caught in the warzone.
For Cohen, this is far from the first time he’s stepped up to help Israel.
Almost exactly 50 years before Hamas’ attack in Israel earlier this month, the Yom Kippur War broke out in 1973 when a coalition of Arab states launched a surprise attack on Israel — prompting Cohen to volunteer with the Israeli armed forces.
“I deferred my law studies in my third year at Rutgers Law School to volunteer during the Yom Kippur War to assist my family,” he said. “We are reliving that nightmare exactly 50 years later.”
Cohen, now a lawyer with Abrams Fensterman law firm, has since refused to stop helping his relatives in Israel — turning his attention towards other ways that he can help, with a focus on the Kibbutzim that he came to know well while residing in the Middle East.
“With the recent death of my wife’s nephew in Kibbutz Beeri, and several old friends now held hostage in Gaza…the scope of horror for victims of these inhumane acts is unimaginable, and the worst is likely yet to come,” he said.
While he’s not sure how things will play out in Israel over the coming weeks and months, Cohen says he finds some measure of uneasy comfort while crusading for a good cause like helping the innocent civilians of Israeli Kibbutz.
“It’s a fool’s errand to predict exactly what will happen,” he told amNewYork Metro. “I’m not in the prediction business. I’m in the ‘helping my brothers and sisters’ business right now.”
Donations to the Emergency Appeal For Kibbutzim Near Gaza can be made online here.
