The Jewish Women’s Collective Response Fund, which includes the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Women of Vision group, recently announced five grants to support Israeli nonprofits actively and effectively working to give voice to women and advance equality in government and civil society as Israelis reprioritize and rebuild during and after wartime.

“Women of Vision of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is proud to be a contributing partner to this national collective effort and its mission to empower Israeli women, change inequitable policies and address sexual trauma,” said Women of Vision Chair Andi Barsky. “Together, we can maximize our impact to ensure women’s voices are heard and that women have a path forward for healing and recovery.”

Created by Elluminate and The Hadassah Foundation, the new and jointly established Jewish Women’s Collective Response Fund — representing the commitment of a total 11 Jewish women’s organizations throughout the country — marks a significant mobilization and collaboration by Jewish women’s organizations post-Oct. 7 to elevate and empower Israeli women.

“We believe that women have and are bearing the brunt of this war, in multiple respects, revealing both specific and broad inequalities and challenges in familial, social, economic and civic spheres,” said The Hadassah Foundation Chair Audrey Weiner. “These five grantee organizations have been and will continue to be on the forefront of changing the status quo for women and girls in Israel at a time when their voices and place in government and society are no less than crucial to the country’s reemergence from Oct. 7.”

In addition to the Jewish Federation’s Women of Vision, other contributing partners of the  Jewish Women’s Collective Response Fund – which was envisioned and spearheaded by Elluminate and The Hadassah Foundation – included the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh, the Women’s Amutot Initiative of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, the National Council of Jewish Women, Propel – The Jewish Women’s Fund (San Francisco), The Fund for Women and Girls at the Jewish Community Foundation of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, The Miriam Fund (Boston), and Women of Reform Judaism.

“Speaking for our funding collective, which was unanimous in support of these five organizations following a rigorous vetting process, we are proud to elevate and move their impact forward,” Weiner continued. “We are grateful to Melanie Roth Gorelick, CEO of Elluminate, and Stephanie Blumenkranz, Director of The Hadassah Foundation, for their influence and partnership in this effort and bringing these organizations to the table.”

The five Israeli organizations receiving grants, each for $25,000, are:

• The Adva Center, based in Tel Aviv, advances equality, social justice and gender-responsive policies in Israel, including giving voice in the Israeli government to women at a time when they are often excluded from decision-making. 
• Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, based in Jerusalem, raises awareness within Israeli communities and government of gender-based sexual violence and harassment; provides support, resources and advocacy for survivors; and leads calls internationally for accountability for the sexual terrorism committed against Israeli women on Oct. 7. 
• Itach Ma’aki – Women Lawyers for Social Justice, based in Tel Aviv, empowers and gives voice to Israeli women facing social, geographic, national, ethnic and economic discrimination by providing legal aid, engaging with activist groups and other allies, and identifying and promoting changes in national policy and legislation.  
• The Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center, based at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, promotes the status and rights of women in matters of family law and works to end gender discrimination and inequality in Israel through advocacy and legislative change. 
• WePower, based in Azor, works to elevate women to influential and decision-making positions in Israel, focusing on erasing the gender gap in public and political arenas by identifying potential female leaders and training them for leadership positions, promoting gender-aware legislation to remove barriers, and advancing gender equality as a societal foundation.

“Out of the darkness of Oct. 7 came a real opportunity for leading Jewish women’s organizations to come together in the moment and to meet the moment,” said Elluminate President Stephanie Garry. “We saw not only an opportunity to step out of our individual silos, but most importantly the imperative to do so, and create a collaborative paradigm of what women’s leadership can and should be to meet outstanding needs, work for permanent change, and unleash the visionary and philanthropic power of our collective community.”

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About Women of Vision

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Women of Vision group was founded in 1994 to impact the lives of self-identifying Jewish women and girls across generations and geographic boundaries through strategic grantmaking, advocacy and educational programs leading to social change and social justice.  

In addition to the above grantees, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, separate from the Women of Vision Endowment Fund, Women of Vision made a special one-time grant of $30,000 to the Civil Commission on Oct. 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children in February. This funding was allocated to support the Civil Commission’s work documenting the systematic and deliberate gender and sexual-based violence that Hamas committed and advocating for necessary changes on the international stage. 

In June of 2023, Women of Vision members voted to award grants to three organizations supporting women’s rights in Israel, investing $137,328 in programs that will affect change: Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (ARCCI)’s “Improving Law Enforcement Systems for Victims” program, Yozmot Atid’s “Micro-Business Entrepreneurship” program, and ELI Israel Association for Child Protection’s “Protecting Haredi Young Women and Girls” program. For more information about Women of Vision, contact Director of Women of Vision and Campaign Pipeline Shara Swift at sswift@jewishphilly.org or 215.832.0841.

To see the original announcement, click here.