Community

From Despair to Repair: A Conversation with IsraAID

Name: From Despair to Repair: A Conversation with IsraAID
Start: 2025-11-10T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-11-10T20:30:00-05:00
Location: Edlavitch DCJCC

Adults (18+)

Date : Monday, Nov 10

Time : 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location : Edlavitch DCJCC
1529 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC

Join the EDCJCC and Adas Israel Congregation for a conversation with IsraAID, an Israeli non-governmental international humanitarian aid organization. We’ll hear about their efforts to deliver aid and assist in recovery efforts in the region, as well as how they are supporting the healing and recovery of former hostages, their families, and children in Gaza.

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Join the Edlavitch DCJCC and Adas Israel Congregation for a conversation with IsraAID, a non-governmental international humanitarian aid organization based in Israel that is supporting communities in Israel and Gaza following the October 7 attacks and war in Gaza. As the situations on the ground in Israel and Gaza change, learn about IsraAID’s role in delivering aid, fostering dialogue, building resilience, and supporting recovery efforts for both returning hostages and their families and the children of Gaza.

This conversation, moderated by Rabbi Lauren Holzblatt of Adas Israel Congregation, will provide an inside look at IsraAID’s efforts and an update on their humanitarian operations, strategic partnerships, and the opportunities ahead.

Following the program, please join us for a reception with the speakers. Click here to learn more about our speakers.

This event is free to attend, but space is limited and advance RSVP is required. Registration will close on Friday, November 7, at 5:00 PM. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@edcjcc.org.

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About the Speakers:
Yotam Polizer is the Global CEO of IsraAID, Israel’s biggest humanitarian NGO. Over the last 15 years, Yotam has built and led humanitarian missions in Afghanistan, Greece, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and more. In 2015, he established IsraAID Germany to provide long-term support for Yazidi and Syrian refugees in Germany. He is a graduate of Tel Aviv University and Israeli Open University, serves on the Board of Directors of Society of International Development and the advisory board of Justserve, and is a Schusterman Fellow and the 2023 Charles Bronfman Award Laureate.

Matan Sivek is the co-founder of Hostage and Missing Families Forum, U.S., a vital platform for families of hostages held in Gaza. For his leadership and humanitarian efforts with the Hostage Families Forum U.S., Matan was recently honored with the Foley Foundation Humanitarian Award. Matan has previously served as the Executive Director of the Israeli National Parks Foundation, where he worked to preserve Israel’s most cherished natural reserves, and as an Advisor on Minorities Affairs at Israel’s Ministry of Education, where he promoted coexistence and positive change within the Arabic-speaking community. He holds an MPA in Global Leadership from Columbia University, an MBA, and a B.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt is a co-senior rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation and a key figure in spiritual leadership and national Jewish and interfaith engagement. She has welcomed two sitting U.S. presidents and numerous world leaders to Adas Israel and has officiated at significant national events including the funeral of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (z”l). Rabbi Holtzblatt has been recognized by The Forward as one of the “32 most inspiring rabbis” and on the “Forward 50” list, is a proud senior fellow of the Schusterman Fellowship, and serves on the Chancellor’s Cabinet at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the national board of Avodah, and the joint steering committee of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.