We are a group of trauma-informed therapists from AMEN - a healing center for women survivors of sexual violence who have heeded the urgent call to head down south to the Dead Sea hotels and provide first-aid mental-health support to survivors evacuated from Kibbutzim and cities close the Gaza border. We have been on the ground since October 9 aiding women, men, and children, some are orphaned, and all have family members who are dead, missing, or abducted. As you are all aware by now cases of wartime sexual violence have occurred in this attack. As experts in the field, we are part of the delicate work of responding correctly to these specific cases.
We have 2 treatment stations. At the Dead Sea, we have been working with Kibbutz Beeri survivors since the beginning of the war we have a 20 volunteer therapists team offering individual and group work. We offer about 180 individual treatments a week, group work, and an open Salon for women to come to nurse the babies and get support and community. It's amazing how the volunteer spirit here is so strong and we can operate these stations on a shoestring, never lacking volunteers.
We have been operating a second center in Eilat since the middle of November. We have a 20-volunteer trauma-informed therapist team running 2 stations - a hotel station with kibbutz survivors and a community women's clinic. There are about 60,000 evacuees in Eilat, so the needs are immense.
December 20, 2023 update:
We reached the fundraising goal of $180,000! We want to express our deep appreciation (and, on behalf of both our team members on the ground and the survivors they are helping – heartfelt thanks) to all the donors, who have responded, each in accord with their ability, to this heart-rending crisis. As we stated in our last update in late October, this covers our expenses until the end of 2023. Toda Raba!
Our Next Target Level is $280,000
Because of our good work and the trust we have earned with these communities, we have been asked to continue operating our stations at least until the end of June 2024. As the weekly running costs are $13,000, we aim now to cover the next two months - another $100,000 to bring us to the end of February. The new target is $280,000, calculated by $50,000 monthly costs. In reality, we need to fund $300,000 to take us until the summer, but we will take it one step at a time.
We are looking for foundations and family funds who wish to give sizable donations, so we may continue our healing work. Please contact Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan with questions and instructions about big donations, bank transfers and EIN transfers. Please write Rabbi Ruth if you want to do a bank transfer or send a check, so we track your donations and make sure they get to the right place.
If you are a funder visiting Israel and would like to visit our centers please write Sivan Levinovits at funds@ohela.org
In parallel, we run a three-month-long treatment program for women survivors of sexual violence at the AMEN Healing Village that started in December. This is to provide women survivors of sexual violence not just with first-aid but with a full-time healing program, which has proven to be the most helpful for post-trauma sufferers. Time is of the essence here, and people who can get this kind of professional care close to the trauma are often able to live life without PTSD. The full cost of a three-month cohort is $150,000, Our ambition is to open a cohort every three months. so any surplus from this campaign will roll into the next cohort. Please consider a monthly donation.
We need your help so we can care for, support, and offer hope and healing from this devastating experience.
We have enabled the campaign for “ambassadors”. This means that you can open your own page by clicking “Create your campaign” at the top of this page. This is an easy way to share this with your friends and encourage them to donate. We are looking for:
1. Communities who would like to “Sponsor a day” (raise $1,900) “Sponsor 2 days” (raise $4,800) or “Sponsor a week” (raise $13,000) in the Dead Sea and Eilat therapeutic stations.
2. Individuals who care for this cause and have family and friends they can approach to Fund a Day, Fund a Week, or fundraise for any amount that is feasible to them.
Write Rabbi Ruth to get some help in becoming an ambassador. We will share with you tips and templates to make it easy for you.
Thank you for your love and care,
The AMEN team
p.s. if you wish to receive tax benefits in Canada, please use our Jgive site: https://www.jgive.com/new/en/ils/charity-organizations/2067
photos all published with permission. No photos of survivors are shared.
Our front desk. The posters say: "Sister, I am here for you" and "There is a place where you can go to heal" (the Amen treatment center, where we will open a three-month healing cohort in December, with your help)
Our Station: from desk and treatment tables. behind the screen, discreet sessions are held.
A team meeting (no photos of survives are shared)
A mother is being treated, a volunteer is holding the baby
