The Genesis 123 Foundation is committed to provide long term needs, specifically related to trauma, specifically related to at-risk populations., and specifically for children who already have challenges in their lives, classified as “at-risk” by Israel’s social services, and who have witnessed and suffered additional, often unspeakable, traumas since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack and massacre in their community. Their own experiences, and those of their parents who do not have the parenting skills to protect their children as they ought to be protected, and who suffer all kinds of trauma as well, pressed the need to look for a long-term solution for those for whom without which may carry their trauma with them in life, as members of society, and as parents themselves one day, transmitting trauma rather than empowerment to the next generation.

Sderot is the largest Israeli community on the Gaza border, less than one kilometer at the closest point. It is a city of some 35,000 people that has seen tremendous growth over the past decades. But it is also the city which has suffered the greatest number of rockets fired at its residents by terrorists in Gaza over the past two decades. Children today, and even young adults in their 20s, have grown up with the stress of living in a city that is sometimes under threat of rockets so much that they cannot leave their houses, or being away from their bomb shelters. Young parents today who were raised in Sderot are now raising another generation possibly at risk. The urgency is to stop that cycle of trauma being passed to the next generation, regardless of the security and economic situation, and to give young children today the skills to grow beyond their traumas.

The Genesis 123 Foundation has identified urgent and ongoing needs and is committed to a long-term investment. We are partnering together with many organizations to provide funding for critical therapies, many more of which are needed over a much longer time. We do so with partners that exhibit the highest programmatic and fiscal integrity and hope that you will join us, to make a long-term investment that makes a long-term difference. Since October 7 with many more needs, the Mayor of Sderot has tapped our partner to increase the breadth of their activities. Initial needs focused on the families in Sderot, and the trauma, providing food, counseling, and other kinds of support. In the weeks that followed, they were challenged to move activities to where the tens of thousands of Sderot residents had evacuated for safety. It was critical to maintain a connection with their community, and be responsive to address the new challenges that all Sderot residents were facing.

Because it already had a well-respected and established infrastructure, and was well suited to be a national example of supporting residents of an entire city, the staff had no rest in managing needs and programs for a community of people now disbursed across the country. Please join us to help make a long term, lasting impact among at-risk youth, and to invest in their future.