Support from abroad pours in to rebuild Israeli cities hit by Iran’s missiles

The message to Israel from Taiwan, said its Economic and Cultural Office head, is: You are not alone.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Private organizations, Jewish communities and even countries have begun sending help to Israel to aid in rebuilding neighborhoods and facilities hit by missiles over the 12 days of the Israel-Iran war, which has left some 30,000 homes damaged or destroyed, according to the Israeli building industry.

The rabbi of the city of Foshan in the Guangdong province of China offered his community’s help to the chairman of the Israel Renovation Contractors Association, according to Ynet.

His city, wrote Rabbi Gadi Luzon to Eran Siv, “is one of the leading and largest centers for the production and supply of building materials and construction services in the world,” including aluminum, wood and glass products, plumbing and flooring.

The Jewish community would like to not only provide comprehensive aid in the materials needed for reconstruction, Luzon added, but could also help bring over professionals in the field to do the work, as “we are in contact with the largest and most respected human resource companies in China, who have already expressed their readiness to recruit and select … skilled workers in all different fields of construction.”

Asia was the source Monday of a direct contribution of aid when the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv, which serves as Taiwan’s unofficial “embassy” in Israel, visited Bat Yam, where a direct hit from Iran demolished many apartment houses and killed seven people.

Accompanied by the mayor and three Knesset MKs, Abby (Ya-Ping) Lee toured the devastated area and said, “Taiwan is once again among the first to work with civil organizations to save lives. We are sending a very clear message of solidarity to our Israeli friends: You are not alone.”

Taipei donated $160,000 to the ZAKA emergency response organization for mobile lighting equipment, as in so many cases, rescue squads work through the night to find people buried under rubble in the first crucial hours after an attack.

In March 2024, the Asian nation, which compares itself to Israel as a fellow democracy under threat (from China), gave half a million dollars to 12 Israeli cities to create teams of volunteer responders for crises. It had also donated $70,000 to Israeli families and soldiers in need through the Pitchon Lev nonprofit just weeks after the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023.

On Monday as well, the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) announced that it had allocated $10 million in Israel Emergency Funds to 19 partner organizations to meet new and emerging needs resulting from Iran’s missile attacks against the Jewish state.

“We want every Israeli to know that the North American Jewish community has their backs and will continue to step up in meaningful ways, whether that means supporting hospitals, upgrading conditions in public bomb shelters, or helping evacuees and victims of terror,” said Jeff Schoenfeld, the incoming vice chair of JFNA’s board of trustees.

A fifth of the funds will go to the Jewish Agency to provide immediate assistance for bereaved families, the severely injured, and those whose residences have been destroyed by missile attacks.

Another $2 million will go to purchase essential equipment for hospitals.

Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, which took a direct hit to its surgical floor last week, will receive part of this money. The hospital also just became the beneficiary of a $100,000 donation from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California.

“Our institution was founded by the Jewish community in Los Angeles to serve all those in need. It is an honor to support Soroka in this moment of great need,” wrote Dr. Peter Slavin, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai, to his counterpart in the largest hospital in Israel’s south.

Ballistic missilesBat Yam missile strikeIsrael IranJewish Federations of North AmericareconstructionTaiwan