JHF Emergency Grants Support the Tel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation approved emergency grants totaling $25,000 to the P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds for the Tel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center, Israel's first and largest rape crisis center.

"Since the attacks of October 7th, the Tel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center has been at the forefront of addressing the aftermath of the atrocities committed that day. The Center, led by Miriam Schler, has offered crisis counseling, support groups, and other services to survivors of rape and sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on October 7th as well as the broader Israeli community as it deals with the trauma of those events," said Danny Rosen, PhD, MSW, vice chair of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation's Board of Trustees. "There has been a significant increase in demand for the Center's services, and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation's funding allows the Center to expand programs to address the ongoing trauma of survivors."

Since the October 7 attacks, the Center has seen a steep rise in crisis intervention needs on its three separate hotlines for women, men, and religious men in response to the horrific accounts of sexual violence.

The Center is contacting evacuees from the attack sites and offering services at hotels and in communities where they are currently being housed, as well as providing trainings and supervision for mental health professionals and staff who are working with evacuees. The Center is also serving as a resource for families of the attack victims. Considered an expert resource on these subjects, the Center has already facilitated multiple training courses for volunteers and staff of other support organizations by providing secondary traumatization prevention and resilience training.

The Center is also sharing its professional knowledge and resources with the public by developing tools for parents and educators regarding how to speak with children and teens about the trauma of this situation.

"With the Foundation's contribution, you are enabling the Center to buttress our crisis interventions, so that every survivor, triggered or trapped, and their loved ones receives the care they need and that Center volunteers have the tools to face these new challenges," said Miriam Schler, executive director of the Tel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center. "The Center could not answer this surge of need without your help."