WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023
YEA R S
GREETINGS FROM OUR PRESIDENT Dear Friends, I sat in front of a blank page, wondering how to write these greetings. So much has happened with ELEM since I last wrote to you, but it all pales in comparison to what our Israeli brothers and sisters are facing. We celebrated 40 years of lifesaving work this past October. Our annual benefit took place days after the events of October 7th. Our colleagues in Israel made it clear they wanted - needed - us to go on with the event. Our work has never been more crucial, our fundraising efforts never more urgent. Virtually an entire generation became youth at risk due to the Oct. 7 attacks and the war. I’m not being hyperbolic. The numbers coming out looking at depression among Israeli youth these days are staggering. And no wonder. While I’m writing this, Israel is very much still at war, and ELEM has been seeing hundreds of youth nightly at special pop-up spaces we now operate in towns hosting displaced Israelis from areas around Gaza and Northern Israel. That includes thousands of youths. Some of the youth we see are nothing short of survivors. They have witnessed friends killed at a party, family members dragged into Gaza, parents murdered while protecting them. It’s a whole new world when it comes to treating these youth at risk. Even youth that weren’t immediately affected are likely to know someone who was. Not to mention that all of Israel is still dealing with rocket fire. In this newsletter, we’ll share our extraordinary work, and it’ll become clear, once again, why we call ELEM a lifesaving organization. We also want to tell you about our 40th anniversary event, as so many of you helped us raise immediately needed funds that are already being used in Israel. Thank you for your committed support and for helping the youth in Israel during such an unprecedented time. Stay safe, and have a peaceful new year. Lenore Ruben, President