According to a report from Israel’s Employment Service, since the onset of the second lockdown, Israel’s unemployment rate has drastically risen and there are close to 1 million Israelis currently unemployed.

As of July, the data showed a steady increase in the amount of newly unemployed Israelis relative to those going back to work. In September, the number of people who registered with the Employment Service increased by 205,000. It also showed that just over 25,000 went back to work. 

During the second lockdown, the service and sales industry suffered the greatest hit totaling 35.4% of all unemployed Israelis. This is a significantly larger increase from August (23.3%) and an even greater increase than the initial closure which took place in March (27%).

The report stated that in the month of September, women, and teenagers had a greater chance of filing for unemployment at higher rates than they did during the first lockdown.

As more and more Israelis suffer from unemployment, their ability to buy food and feed their families becomes more and more difficult. The good news is that there is one charitable organization who made it their mission to ensure that those very Israeli families don’t starve. That organization is Meir Panim.

Known in Israel for their Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchens, Meir Panim provides Israel’s hungry with a warm, quality meal each day to those who need it most. During closures, when restaurants (and even soup kitchens) weren’t allowed to operate, Meir Panim pivoted to Meals-on-Wheels and Takeout Meals. This way, newly unemployed families with no way of buying food can have their meals delivered right to their doorstep.

In order to keep up with the influx of new families suffering from food insecurity, Meir Panim needs more donations. And they need them now.

So if you are blessed enough to have not been financially impacted from the coronavirus crisis, now could be a good time to thank the Lord by feeding the hungry in Israel. Click here to make a donation to Meir Panim today.