Israeli Donations Double Since 2023, Keep Rising

Three years after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, something unexpected is happening with charitable giving in Israel. Instead of fading after the initial emergency, donations keep growing.

Ori Ben-Shlomo, CEO of donation platform JGive, watched donations jump from 160 million shekels before the attacks to 330 million in the immediate aftermath. His team wondered if the surge would last once the crisis eased.

The answer surprised them. Last year, donations climbed to nearly 400 million shekels. This year's numbers are even higher.

"We saw a significant change in Israeli society's attitude toward donations, solidarity, and the understanding that this is genuinely important for our resilience," Ben-Shlomo said. The platform now processes donations from hundreds of thousands of people annually.

The nature of giving has shifted too. In those first desperate months, money flowed toward immediate needs like food, supplies for evacuees, and soldier support. Now, as emergency response transitions to long-term recovery, donors are funding rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts.

Most donations still come from within Israel itself, not just from Jewish communities abroad. Israelis increased their own charitable giving and have maintained it, creating a culture of sustained support rather than one-time emergency response.

The Ripple Effect

The way people donate has changed as dramatically as how much they give. Digital platforms now let donors support specific organizations directly, bypassing traditional intermediaries.

"In the past, central institutions had much more power," Ben-Shlomo explained. "Today, people like to give directly." Donors in the United States and elsewhere can now choose exactly which Israeli nonprofit or project receives their contribution.

This mirrors broader consumer trends toward direct access. People want to see exactly where their money goes and connect personally with causes that matter to them.

The shift doesn't eliminate traditional fundraising organizations, which still play crucial roles in major philanthropy. But it adds a parallel stream of direct giving that puts more power in individual donors' hands.

JGive responded to the moment by creating a national emergency fund that distributed money to organizations every evening during the crisis. The platform helped donors worldwide find where help was needed most when they felt overwhelmed by options.

Three years later, the generosity that sparked in crisis has become something more permanent: a new normal of community care.