Orit Seif: Providing Comfort to Army Families with Gift Cards During Israel’s War Efforts

Attorney Orit Seif made aliyah with her family 10 years ago. The family of eight – five boys and one girl (who was born in Israel) – settled in the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the West Bank.

Six years ago, Seif began working as the director of Kedma, a nonprofit organization with a volunteer base dedicated to giving back to Israeli society. Founded 25 years ago by Rabbi Maury Kelman, Kedma has helped many in the Israeli community, including battered women in shelters, the visually impaired, people with special needs and others.

When the war broke out in Israel on Oct. 7, Kedma was one of the first groups to offer assistance to army bases. 

“It was Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 10 o’clock at night when I received a phone call from Keren Dahan, CEO of Sar-El [a volunteer organization],” Seif said. “She said, ‘I need volunteers now. We need to get gear out of the storages and warehouses and get it to the soldiers.’”

It took Kedma 48 hours to get clearances and gather all the required gear.

“On Oct. 11, nobody was coming to Israel because there were no flights, so we were sending volunteers when no one else was around,” said Seif.

“On Oct. 11, nobody was coming to Israel because there were no flights, so we were sending volunteers when no one else was around.” – Orit Seif

An army of volunteers, many of them Orthodox, joined the war efforts. They cooked for the soldiers, delivered food to their army bases and the Gaza envelope and organized a massive toiletries drive. They also provided support for the families left behind — women with children who suddenly found themselves caring for their families alone and dealing with the financial burden. 

“We put our emphasis on the home front because if we don’t have a strong home front, how can our soldiers be strong? How can they fight if they know that their families are suffering and struggling at home?” Seif said. “So, within two weeks of the war, we started our army meal program. We provide army families with gift vouchers so they can choose which restaurants to order from.”

While there are organizations that have volunteers cooking for such families, Seif noted that it’s not always enough. Plus, it puts women in an uncomfortable position of having to ask the community for help. It’s especially difficult once the holidays are coming around and everyone is busy cooking for their own families. Receiving a gift card makes it a lot easier and allows them to feel more comfortable with receiving help.

 “When you have five or six kids at home, it’s not easy financially. We were afraid that the families would break down and burn out,” she said. “Some of them choose to use it to order Shabbat dinners and some to dine out with their children, get a break for one evening and have a fun night out.”

This gift cards not only help the families, but the businesses as well. Tourism to Israel had declined significantly since the war started, and the war itself has taken its toll on the Israeli society. 

“Money is tight, so people aren’t going out as much. These businesses have really come to rely on us. They get an infusion of thousands of shekels from us each time when we buy vouchers for families, so it’s a win-win situation.” 

Seif emphasized that when people donate to Kedma, they invest in Israel society. 

“The money is going someplace where it’s needed,” she said. “Unfortunately at the start of the war, many people donated to purchase gears for the army and it got stuck in customs for months or they couldn’t use it because it wasn’t up to code, but when they donate to us, it goes directly to purchase vouchers and directly to the families.”

Donations have been coming from Israel and Europe, but primarily from America. Not only donations, but also volunteers. Among them, mainly Orthodox families in Israel for vacation, but instead of taking their time to explore the country and relax, they visit hospitals and provide food to patients, work with special needs children, help the visually impaired and work on farms that don’t have enough workers due to the war.

“We have 14 different categories of volunteer opportunities. We also have volunteers who work in the municipalities, with kids from high-risk homes, they do tremendous work on a weekly basis,” Seif said. “I am so inspired by all the missions and the groups who are coming to Israel and want to volunteer. It’s heartwarming.”

Despite the situation, Seif said that she and her husband Yehuda are happy to live in Israel and feel very secure and blessed.

“We are grateful to live here.  We have given our six children the opportunity to live the dream. My husband and I both went to Columbia University. That’s where we met. It’s heartbreaking to see the encampments and what’s going on there.”

She continued, “I can tell you that looking at what’s happening in the diaspora, the rising rates of antisemitism are petrifying. So you know, for us it’s the opposite. We look at the world as a scary place and we feel safer in Israel than anywhere else in the world.”

For more information about Kedma and to donate, visit Kedma.org.