Of course, our biggest commitment in the past year has been fallout from the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza. In Israel we’ve sought out some new Tzedakah projects that reflect Kavod’s principles of finding direct and impactful ways to make an immediate difference in the lives of the recipients, and we’ve continued to support our longstanding projects as they’ve adapted to the new needs of a society under siege.

Here is a list and some brief descriptions of our projects in Israel, North America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Wherever possible, direct you to the websites to learn more about these amazing people doing extraordinary act of Tikkun Olam

KAVOD’S PROJECTS IN ISRAEL

Our friend Rabbi Edgar Nof performs an astonishing array of Mitzvot in Israel on just about a daily basis. His organization Gesharim Letikvah/Bridges for Hope works with impoverished families, kids with disabilities, new immigrants, elders, Holocaust survivors, and many more people on the periphery of Israel’s social and religious communities, including Ethiopian and Russian olim. In the wake of October 7, Rabbi Nof has doubled down supporting people who might otherwise be slipping between society’s cracks. Our contributions have provided meals for impoverished children in Haifa’s school, supported his work with and have supported Rabbi Nof in creating meaningful and honorable simchas/Jewish life cycle events for children and families.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068064370442

Members of Kavod’s Board visited the devastated site of the Nova music festival and the kibbutzim of the eastern Negev in the summer of 2024. We also had the opportunity to meet the heroic people who are working to rebuild hope among devasted families and communities. The Eden Association is a long-standing non-profit in the region that promotes and advocates on issues of gender, with a special focus on trauma care and education. Since Oct. 7, much of their care has been directed to addressing the trauma of the survivors of the attacks—including the survivors of the terrorists’ sexual assaults. We were deeply moved by the dignity and power of their work, and we’re glad to bring them into Kavod’s network.
https://edenassociation.org/eng/

Kavod has worked with Dr. Anita Shkedi, one of the world’s premier experts in equine-assisted therapy, since our inception. She puts broken bodies and lives back together with the help of a team of professionals and, of course, her wondrous horses. Transcending Trauma is her resounding response to October 7 and the war. The horses and the therapy groups are part of a holistic approach healing the chronic PTSD of the victims of the attacks, the soldiers, and so many others. Simply put, Anita is a genius—one of the world’s consummate experts in how horses are an indispensable tool in repairing broken lives.  https://www.anitashkedi.com/transcending-trauma/

Yad Elie is alleviating food insecurity by providing school meals to hungry students in both East and West Jerusalem and by promoting nutrition education in some of the poorest parts of the city, Jewish and Arab children alike. Currently, they work with 12 different programs across the city in the most grassroots ways imaginable, providing food and tutoring in Jerusalem for all children in need—with a special eye on their outreach to Ethiopian-Israeli children.

https://www.yadelie.org/

Israel’s Declaration of Independence promises religious freedom and equality to all of its citizens. Hiddush, a non-denominational, non-partisan organization, was established by our Zionist hero Rabbi Uri Regev to pursue the promise of Israel as a democracy and as a Jewish state. Hiddush is on the frontlines of the perpetual fight for religious freedom and civil liberties in Israel. They commission studies of Israeli society (including their Annual Religion & State index), providing crucial data for policymakers; advocate tirelessly for civil rights throughout Israeli society; provide legal defense for victims of religious discrimination; and host powerful and informative education programs and webinars. At a time when Israel’s democratic institutions are under threat, we are grateful to be able to some of democracy’s most effective and important advocates.

www.hiddush.org

For years the Israel Religious Action Center has been one of the most prominent, effective, and public voices of justice, egalitarianism, and civil liberties in Israel. Now, at a time when antidemocratic voices have been elevated to some of the most powerful platforms in Israel, the work of IRAC is more important than ever. Under the directorship of the awe-inspiring Orly Erez-Likhovski, IRAC is our crucial bulwark against religious extremist and racist ideologues. We are so grateful for their tireless voice—on behalf of all of us.

www.irac.org

“For every person there is a place.” Beit Uri in Afula, Israel is home to 100 residents, ages 7-67, who live with a variety of physical and developmental needs. In recent years, Beit Uri has been focusing on making their outdoor spaces completely accessible for all residents (and their visiting families) as well as providing outdoor classrooms, including spaces for music classes with outdoor instruments for musicians of all abilities. The community that they have built in Afula is dignified, compassionate, and full of light.

https://www.bet-uri.org.il/

TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN 2024: $110,500

NORTH AMERICA

BirdieLight was born out of tragedy—the accidental death by fentanyl overdose of Eli Weinstock, an undergraduate student at American University. Founded by Eli’s mother Dr. Beth Weinstock and his sister Olivia Weinstock, BirdieLight’s mission is to educate young people about the dangers of fentanyl and to deliver tools such as test strips and Narcan training where they are needed most. Fentanyl is the leading cause of preventable deaths for Americans aged 18-45, and we are honored to support BirdieLight’s life-saving work in Eli’s memory. In addition to our Tzedakah, we encourage universities, religious organizations, youth groups, et al, to access the resources BirdieLight provides and to bring Beth to local communities to share her story and her message.

www.birdielight.org

Leket—the Biblical injunction to rescue the gleanings of a harvest and distribute them to people in need—is happening in Massachusetts. Boston Area Gleaners supports an equitable, just, and sustainable local food system. By working closely with local farmers, volunteers, and hunger relief agencies, they power a supply chain from farms to those in need, reduce food waste, and promote long-term farm sustainability. With their teams of volunteers and partners, they have been able to rescue over one million pounds of produce annually and deliver it directly to hundreds of hunger relief organizations in New England.

https://www.bostonareagleaners.org/

Eudaimonia: A Purposeful Period Band gathers some of the Boston area’s most creative and talented musicians in the historical music field, performing chamber music that especially features the works of women composers. These concerts support grassroots Boston-based social services and justice initiatives. Eudaimonia organizes and executes each concert to draw attention to the partner organization’s work and to bring it recognition and financial support through audience contributions and visibility. We are proud to support this extraordinary group of musical virtuosos and to help perpetuate their important work.

https://eudaimonia-music.org/

Naomi Eisenberger has been one of our primary role models for our style of grassroots Tzedakah work since we created Kavod. Since establishing The Good People Fund in 2008, Naomi’s leadership has been the absolute exemplar grassroots Tikkun Olam. In a time of crisis, she is often our first phone call or email for advice about how to efficiently get Tzedakah into the hands of people who will make a difference. The Good People Fund lifts up great organizations by making their work more visible. Not only do they provide essential tzedakah, they also make connections to an international network of people who can provide needed funding and supplies in a cost-effective and meaningful way. They have been a conduit for us to several of our Mitzvah projects, but it is also our great privilege to support their work broadly as well. The annual GPF Journal of Good, available at the Good People Fund website, is essential reading for anyone who is interest in our style of maximum-impact Tzedakah is all about.

www.goodpeoplefund.org

New York’s Hebrew Free Loan Society was founded by leaders of the Jewish immigrant community in 1892. A perfect illustration of Maimonides’s highest level of Tzedakah, HFLS is supporting people in need in a wide variety of ways: education bills, health care, housing, starting new businesses and vocational training, recovering from the devastating economic impact of the pandemic, and much more. As loans are repaid—their repayment rate is 99.9%!—the money is “recycled” to help others navigate financial emergencies and land on their feet. Now that’s what we call a good investment of Kavod’s money!

https://hfls.org/

The Torah that is learned in the NYC classrooms of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion gets directly translated into the Mitzvah-action of their soup kitchen: The students and community members of HUC-JIR go the extra mile not only to nourish hundreds of weekly guests physically, but also to nourish their sense of kavod. They provide food as well as a dynamic, welcoming community environment. HUC partners with law students from NYU as well as volunteers from local high schools and colleges in order to create an atmosphere that is joyful, uplifting, and empowering. 2025 is Soup Kitchen’s double-chai (36^th) anniversary, and Kavod is delighted to be a long-term supporter of their important work.

https://huc.edu/about-huc/our-campuses/new-york/soup-kitchen-2/

Shelter Music Boston performs classical music concerts and cultural events in shelters and organizations that serve individuals who are homeless or in recovery. Just consider: For a homeless or recovering person, an interactive, dignified concert can deliver the therapeutic power of classical music and provide hope, self-worth, and renewed energy to address the challenges of dependency.

And their performances are truly inspiring. In 2019 they performed a chamber opera called “Florence Comes Home,” celebrating 20^th Century African American composer Florence Beatrice Price, who wrote more than 300 works and was the first woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra. In 2022, they have presented a new initiative, “Voices of Hope,” with three Boston-based African American poets, pairing them with local African American classical musicians, to create a program that will increase the representation of what classical music can be. By all means, check out their YouTube site and see their amazing performances – the very essence of what kavod is all about.

https://www.sheltermusicboston.org/

Kavod board member Rabbi Susan Lippe connected us to this great group of people who are doing extraordinary work with people on the edge in Austin, TX. TOOF is a grassroots homelessness services organization that provides shelter, support, food and medical care, access to showers and other basic necessities of human dignity, and case support in a unified effort to move people from dependence to independence. Especially awesome are the four neighborhoods they’ve constructed under the rubric “The Esperanza Community,” offering safe shelter and stepping stones out of crisis for people facing homelessness.  The fact that their name is an allusion to one of the greatest of Grateful Dead songs is purely a bonus!

https://toofound.org/

AFRICA

Achvah is an activist organization that supports and raises awareness about the Abayudaya Jewish community in Uganda, especially as they fight for full recognition by the State of Israel as a world Jewish community. After October 7, the members of the Abayudaya community grieved just as Jews did everywhere. And the Passover concert reflected this. If you haven’t seen the climax of the concert, an incredible original song called “Bring Them Home (We Miss Them),” check it out right now on YouTube at this link. It is incredible.

In addition to supporting the Abayudaya Music to the World Choir, we also were able to make a special investment a member of the Abayudaya community: we’ve provided a scholarship for Aaron Mateka to attend university to work towards a music degree.

www.achvah.org

Kavod Board member Rabbi Jay Moses brought this inspirational Mitzvah project to our attention. Restore Elikia is the vision of Nicole and Will O’Brien, whose deep faith inspired them to build better lives for the women and orphans of a remote rural area near Lodja in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Elikia means “hope” in the Lingala language.) The DRC has an estimated 5 million orphans, who are at serious risk of becoming the victims of sexual violence, child trafficking, or becoming child soldiers. Restore Elikia seeks to transform lives by partnering with local leaders to develop stabilizing and safe institutions. We’ve been watching the evolution of the medical clinic and school that they are building, and it is simply astonishing; grassroots Tikkun Olam in its purest form.

www.restoreelikia.org

Tevel B’Tzedek is an Israel-based NGO that combats extreme poverty at its roots in small farming villages in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many of these communities lack essential services like health and education, and the devastation from climate change has created devastating crises in some of the most vulnerable human communities. Much of their work is now focused on Zambia, which in the past year has suffered from devastating drought.

This is where Tevel comes in. Under the leadership of the extraordinary Rabbi Micha Odenheimer, Tevel’s model mobilizes and empowers young adults from the local villages as they transition from subsistence farming to sustainable small-scale commercial farming. Tevel’s unique model has created trust and partnership with the local communities. Thanks to their work, hundreds of rural villagers will benefit from irrigated land, growing high-value crops, and transition away from environmentally harmful practices. Rabbi Odenheimer is a profound expert on building these partnerships to create sustainable, self-sufficient, and flourishing communities—and he is also a zealous advocate for social and climate justice in Israel and around the world. It’s a profound pleasure to support Tevel’s growth.

https://tevelbtzedek.org/

EUROPE

The Jewish Community Center in Krakow has been a key focal point of the renewal of Jewish life in Poland. Since the Russian assault on Ukraine began, the JCC has mobilized on behalf of Ukrainian refugees pouring into Poland, providing food, medicine, hygienic supplies, clothing, and toys for children. They have also been housing refugee families, including creating safe spaces for mothers and children and providing daycare and preschool, Polish and English classes, psychological counseling, and job training. It is all very inspiring, amidst the tragedy, to see the work that the Jewish community is doing on behalf of all the refugees, Jews and non-Jews alike.

https://www.friendsofjcckrakow.org/

Naomi Eisenberger at The Good People Fund (see elsewhere in this report) alerted us to this amazing program that directly supports elderly Ukrainian Jews, many of whom are survivors of the Shoah and now find themselves again, late in life, the victims of forces mobilized on behalf of tyranny. Their stories and their work are simultaneously shattering and inspirational. This is precisely what we mean by “grassroots”: small scale, high impact Tzedakah work. We directed our contribution to The Survivor Mitzvah Project through The Good People Fund.

https://www.survivormitzvah.org/

Through a directed grant, we helped assist a in the construction of a safe room for an Israeli family living near the Lebanese border.