Corona crisis jeopardizes activities to strengthen ties with Diaspora Jewry • "Movements crash, emergency fund needed"

• Will the Corona hurt Diaspora Jewry? New immigrants from France (archive) // Photo: Yossi Zeliger

Will the Corona crisis also hurt the connection between Israel and Diaspora Jewry and encourage immigration to Israel? In a letter he sent to the heads of national institutions, Ophir Liebstein, head of the Sha'ar Negev council and chairman of the Habonim Dror youth movement, warns that "the Corona crisis, which has never been like it, is causing the youth movements to crash."

The youth movements, including Habonim Dror, Zionist Youth, Bnei Akiva, Betar and Maccabi Hatzair, scored a number of participants who canceled their participation en masse, and the budgets were used to manage the crisis and the welfare of participants in the country. For example, "Habonim Dror" eliminated many participants from participating in programs in Israel, and about a third of the organization's annual budget went out only in the last month for emergency management.

Following the situation created, the chairman of Habonim Dror, Ophir Libstein, sent a letter to the heads of the national institutions (Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund and the Jewish Foundation) requesting a budgetary, logistical and mental response for the organization's participants.

"Because the activity of the movements is only in the Diaspora, the Corona crisis, which has never been like it, causes them to crash. Now, most of the future activity is in danger ... Also, the global youth movements carry draconian costs of isolation, the issuing of aircraft on their behalf, renting apartments for groups And unless an emergency fund that includes immediate assistance is established, both on the economic and logistical levels, mental values ​​for teams, global Zionist youth movements will not be able to sustain themselves, "the letter reads.

The Bnei Akiva movement, which is responsible for bringing about 15,000 Diaspora youths, is concerned about the future of activity and dealing with the crisis. The Secretary General of the Movement, Roy Abaxis: "There are two main angles to our problem, one is the angle in Israel. 50% of trainees were sent to their homes, but the remaining 50% required very complex logistics. The second angle is the endangered summer activities; Thousands of people are scheduled to go to summer camps in Israel, where they receive important educational content, and it is all likely to be canceled. Beyond that, even in the Diaspora, 50% of our emissaries had to come back and they are an important connection with the same communities and also that we had to cut. In the financial aspect, we anticipate a very difficult problem. "

Dudu Gottlieb, VP of Operations and Marketing of Israel Programs at PZC Abroad, is responsible for the hundreds of trainees currently in the movement's programs in Israel: "This is the first time we are in such a situation but, nevertheless, the Zionist programs have always worked and in every emergency, we have worked on time. Attacks, war and intifada, and we do not stop in the new challenging situation as well. " Hundreds of trainees scattered in kibbutzim and cities around the country are in regular contact with the staff and are dealing with mental distress - anxiety attacks, panic, stress - while trying to create a routine and fill the void.

Gottlieb points out in favor of the kibbutz studios that "manage to work in an almost impossible reality and have found creative ways to continue all activities, in the spirit of the mutual guarantee that characterizes the kibbutz movement." Gottlieb also emphasizes the full cooperation and extraordinary help of the Jewish Agency enlisted to help.