The global economic crisis reminded even those that preferred to repress, that when it rains, everyone gets wet. The domino game that began with the collapsing of the rich corporations, led to the fall of everything that was in their way and swept with it also the "tycoons" that went down alongside the ordinary saver that stood by and watched as its pension was shrinking. The blast waves of this explosion have hit with full force also the associations that are based mainly on donations of wealthy donors in Israel and abroad.
Mrs Judith Yoval Recanati, Chairman of the NATAL association talks about the affects of the economic situation on Israeli philanthropy, describes how her occupation affects her private life and even reflects on possible collaboration with similar associations in Israel.
How does your activity look in light of the recession?
The innovative and exiting project that we started last year is "NATAL children". A donation we received from the German government enabled us to provide special treatment to children in the south region of the country. We trained volunteers to treat them, we opened an interactive website for children and our goal is to expand the project throughout the country. In addition, we are developing treatment for youngsters after combat service. Immediately after their service they are thrown into civil life and they don't always have the strength needed for this step. Our goal is to enable youngsters not to carry with them untreated traumas, just to find out in 10-20 years that they suffer from chronic post-trauma.
How do your plans look for 2010?
We need 12 million NIS for the year 2010, just as we did in the passing year. I wish I could say that the 2010 budget is closed, but it is ongoing work. We have a donations plan for the next 6 months. We are now making contacts in England, because we are not well known in Europe. We are also planning a fundraising event, in which we will approach our strong Israeli donors, where we are hoping to raise about one million NIS. In addition, we are planning smaller events, like a movie screening, professional conferences or an open house event at NATAL. In 2010, in addition to the existing projects, we are about to begin a project that will train Arabic speaking volunteers and professionals in order to raise the awareness among Israeli Arabs to the issue of trauma treatments. In addition, we will deal with the issue of knowledge development in the organization and will create an information portal that also other bodies could learn from. We also want to develop social networks in order to reach larger audiences.
What is the state of Philanthropy in Israel?
The 3rd sector in Israel is in a state of development. The attitude is more respectful, that of the public side as well as the private one. It's not like it was 10 years ago, when anyone that was linked to an association felt uncomfortable because the public opinion wasn't very positive. Today there is an understanding that the 3rd sector dominates a large group of people and billions of people, so its existence cannot be ignored anymore because a lot of its initiatives are actually replacing the government ones.
Do you think that associations like NATAL should be receiving governmental funding?
In regards to NATAL, I am quite disappointed. The Ministry of Health is working with us and the Ministry of Defense is cooperating only in forwarding patients to us, yet the government is not supporting NATAL. I suppose the reason derives from the fact that my presence at NATAL leads the decision makers to think that I will take care of everything that is needed at NATAL. In the framework of my commitment to NATAL, which is very high, the entire administrative aspect, which is 22% of the yearly budget, is funded by our family fund, the Gandir Fund, which was founded by me, my husband and our three daughters. I think the government should definitely get more involved and take responsibility on the citizens' mental health, but "unfortunately", the fact that we end each year with a certain surplus, since we cannot allow ourselves to reach the 31st of December with zero money, is hurting us. We have been told that "you haven’t had a deficit in the last 3 years, so you don't need". This is absurd.
In Israel there are a large number of associations. Does this lead to competition?
The competition has been growing over the years and it is not only in regards to the Israeli donors, but also the foreign ones. Besides the Jewish organizations that are knocking on doors, there are American organizations as well. On the on hand, there are many people with constructive initiatives in Israel that decide to set up associations for worthy causes, on the other hand there is competition between the organizations and the reality is difficult and requires patience and the ability to deal with frustration. One needs to invest a lot of soul in order to achieve good results. You need to bring new initiatives, new ideas. You need to try and create income sources also by selling additional services in Israel and abroad, such as training US teams in preparation for the return, hopefully soon, of the forces from Iraq and Afghanistan. They will need to develop services for the trauma victims and NATAL is a knowledgeable body that can sell services.
How does the community service affect you personally?
Firstly, it is very interesting. It's an empowering activity, there are encounters with new people all the time, there is regeneration, and it brings out hidden parts of me that I didn't know existed. Sometimes the fundraising part is very difficult for me, the responsibility I have also towards the organization's employees, the volunteers and the patients. It's a heavy burden and I try to preserve my strength, but I don't always succeed. Sometimes I feel that I need to "enlist" myself all over again. In addition to NATAL I also have a family, I have grownup children, three grandchildren and I want to make some time for them. The intensive work hearts my social life as well.
What is the most exciting case you encountered during your activity?
Actually, all the people that come to NATAL for therapy or to the social-rehabilitation club know me. Once in a while one of them will approach me and say "because of you I get out of bed in the morning" or "because of you I am alive, connecting with people, not isolated in my home alone without any support system". I find this very moving.
Do you think there is a chance you will cooperate with other associations?
At ELEM, an association that deals with troubled teenagers, I think we can provide post trauma training to the counselors. I am sure that some of them or someone from their families was hurt during a terror attack. It's important that the counselors will also know how to identify teenagers that were hurt, so they are treated and receive information regarding the available treatments. In addition, the Gandir fund manages 60 projects that involve accompanying youngsters in finding jobs and in empowering of youngsters in their communities and it may be possible to create a similar project with ELEM.
Judith yovel recanati, 58, has a Masters in treatment by arts and is the graduate of the psychotherapy program at the Psychology school at the Bar Ilan University. Married to Israel Yuval. Mother to three daughters, a grandmother to three.
The NATAL association helps trauma victims of terror and war to rehabilitate and improve their quality of life.
