The Latet (Give) Israeli Humanitarian Aid is hosting on Monday, September 14, a groundbreaking virtual conference with prominent American and Israeli leaders to discuss the humanitarian responses to the Covid-19 health and social crisis (register here).
For the first time, key speakers from the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors will join together to discuss their handling of the pandemic in order to identify the best practices in reducing the effects of Covid-19.
Guests will include Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York; Ronni Gamzu, Israeli Coronavirus Czar; Rachel Garbow Monroe, President and CEO of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation; and Jeff Swartz, Social Change Investor & Chairman, American Friends of Latet.
“During the first wave of the outbreak, the nonprofit sector has demonstrated its agility and efficiency, as a key component in the fight against the virus,” said Gilles Darmon, founder and president of Latet. “Unfortunately, the Covid-19 crisis is here to stay, and therefore this dialogue is a unique opportunity for the NGOs to build up their impact on the field. Bringing together Israeli and U.S. expertise will only make this discussion even more powerful.”
The conference will concentrate on three main topics: Food access in times of quarantine: a critical challenge for vulnerable populations; Surviving Covid-19: the new normal of the elderly and Holocaust survivors; and Covid-19 crisis management: the need for a tailored response, for example with the Ultra-Orthodox community.
“When New York was at the epicenter of the pandemic, friends and colleagues in Israel reached out regularly to show support and offer comfort. And as Israel has gone through multiple phases with the virus, we’ve stayed closely connected to help make sure our partners there are equipped to serve those in need. Maintaining a strong relationship between our Jewish communities is a top priority – particularly during Covid-19,” said Goldstein, adding, “The Latet conference is an important opportunity to bring us together, to share and learn from each other as we collectively grapple with the very serious challenges ahead.”
Israeli-American journalist Michal Divon will moderate the dialogue. Speakers at the conference will include Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender, President, Achiezer; Gilles Darmon, President and Founder, Latet; Ronny Douek, Founder, Veshamarta Project, Sheatufim, Zionism 2000; Yael Eckstein, President & CEO, IFCJ; Pr. Ronni Gamzu, Israeli Coronavirus Commissioner& Director of the Special Operations Control Center; Melissa Greenberg, Executive Vice President, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia; Joel Greenberg, Co-Founder and Board Member, Seed the Dream Foundation; Eric S. Goldstein, CEO, UJA-Federation of New York; Yoav Heller, CEO, Maoz; Stuart Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer, Selfhelp; Rachel Garbow Monroe, President and CEO, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation; Yehuda Morgenstern, CEO, The Bnei Brak Economic Dvlp Corp.; Maj. Gen. (Ret’) Roni Numa, Israel Defense Force, Coordinator of BneiBrak Corona Virus Task Force for IDF; Alex Roth-Kahn, Managing Director, Caring Department, UJA-Federation of New York; Jay Sanderson, President & CEO, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles; David Schizer, Dean Emeritus, Columbia Law School and former CEO, JDC; Bill Shore, Executive Chair, Share our Strength; Jeff Swartz, Social Change Investor, Chairman, American Friends of Latet; Eran Weintrob, CEO, Latet, Israeli Humanitarian Aid.