Right now, we are closer than ever to making this happen!

Months after Hanukkah, Share the Light is in an advanced and hopeful stage, working to bring together two meaningful delegations of Bar and Bat Mitzvah teens from Kibbutz Nir Oz and Kfar-Aza.
After two years of loss, and uncertainty, these teens are ready for something different. Something that celebrates life, identity, and belonging.

Share the Light was born in Austin, just weeks after October 7.
In the darkest moment, a small group of women chose to transform a beloved Hanukkah tradition, giving Hanukkah gelt, into a bridge of love, solidarity, and connection with Israel’s children.

What began as one candle of light became a grassroots movement, carried by community, heart, and hope — reaching across the ocean year after year.

Hanukkah 2023: 400 evacuated children received 180-NIS gift cards, offering dignity, choice, and a moment of joy.

Hanukkah 2024: We embraced over 100 families who opened their homes and their hearts to the orphans of October 7, providing back-to-school gift cards and essential support for early-childhood private education (ages 0–6).

This year, Share the Light is dedicated to Bar and Bat Mitzvah teens — including one teen who returned from captivity and from frontline kibbutzim whose worlds changed overnight.

To help these remarkable teens end their Bar/Bat Mitzvah year with meaning, connection, and joy through a transformative, values-based journey that blends:

• Jewish values and identity

• Volunteerism, purpose, and giving back

• Healing, joy, adventure, and discovery

• Deep bonding among teens and parents

• Professional educational and emotional guidance

This is not just a trip. It is a turning point — from survival to hope.

The cost of sending one teen for a full week on this life-changing journey is $3,600.

Your gift — at any level — brings us closer to funding another child and completing these delegations

Choose your impact:

36 • 72 • 180 • 360 • 720 • 1,800 • 3,600 (Sponsor One Teen)

More Ways to Donate

Check:
Make check payable to: La’Aretz
Mailing Address: 2 Blue Slip, Apt 28J, Brooklyn, NY 11222

DAF:
La’Aretz Foundation
EIN: 88-2175488

Wire Transfer:
For wire instructions, please email: info@laaretz.org

Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law- La'Aretz Foundation is a New York-based 501(c)(3) charity.

About the La'Aretz Foundation

The La’Aretz Foundation provides direct, rapid, and low-bureaucracy assistance to Israelis in crisis. In just three years, La’Aretz has become a trusted partner to families and communities throughout Israel, delivering emergency cash grants, scholarships, and holistic care in partnership with municipalities, hospitals, and other organizations.

To date, we have supported over 1000 families with urgent relief and mobilized more than $11 million in philanthropic support. La’Aretz is unique in that we step in where government support is lacking or where no other organization operates. We stand at the critical intersection between local authorities in Israel and the Jewish diaspora abroad, ensuring that aid is delivered swiftly, directly, and with dignity.

*The trip is contingent upon meeting minimum participation and full funding; if not met, an alternative meaningful program will be provided in Israel.

Share the Light: Illuminate Their Mitzvah

Honoring the Bar & Bat Mitzvah Teens of October 7th Attacks