In the face of rising and evolving threats to Jews in Europe, the Yael Foundation launched a project that will build a holistic response to anti-Semitic threats in communities around the continent.

Those involved in the project have mapped the Jewish communities of Europe according to threat levels using intelligence, research, and other available capabilities, and they have assessed those communities that can immediately implement the project on a holistic communal level. Schools will be the primary recipients of the security assistance because they are public targets for anti-Semitic attacks.

The first communities that will receive assistance are in Italy, Romania, Georgia and Belgium. Starting in January 2025, these communities will receive assistance in communal resilience, protection, training, education, operations control, security officers and the creation of a voluntary security patrol, among other services.

The Yael Foundation will initially provide more than one million Euros each for the first phase of the project, and a project manager will also be selected in consultation with all of the relevant parties.

“We are witnessing distressing levels of Antisemitism across Europe, and communities need assistance in creating and shaping a robust and enduring response to these threats,” said Uri Poliavich, co-founder of the Yael Foundation. “It is time for a centralized and holistic response to Antisemitism which serves the needs of individual communities, but is backed up by real-time intelligence, constantly learning best practices and sharing them, and combating Antisemitism in real-time.”

“I am delighted that we are launching this unprecedented project that will keep Jewish communities safer and more secure, for them to thrive and flourish.”

Founded by Uri and Yael Poliavich in 2020, the Yael Foundation is now a leading philanthropic initiative currently working in 35 countries impacting 13,000 Jewish students, and leading change to promote excellence in Jewish education. In collaboration with other foundations and philanthropies, it’s many initiatives and grants are having an extremely positive impact on the future of the Jewish people worldwide.

The Yael Foundation’s grantees nurture a strong sense of Jewish identity in their students to help them become tomorrow’s Jewish leaders, and is uniquely driven by the conviction that all Jewish children, irrespective of their geographic location or community size, should have access to high-quality Jewish and general education.