It has been 618 days since October 7th, 2023. That’s 618 days since the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Since the front lines shifted from distant threats to Israel’s backyard. Since the global Jewish community—and many beyond it—opened their hearts and wallets, donating hundreds of millions of dollars to help Israel prepare for what everyone feared could come next.
Now, that “next” is here. The war with Iran is no longer theoretical. It is open, active, and unfolding in real time. And yet—astonishingly—many of the same organizations that fundraised under the banner of readiness are back with urgent appeals, claiming they now need more resources to meet the moment.
How is that possible?
If you raised vast sums in the name of preparation, how can you be unprepared? If your mandate was to equip, supply, and stand ready for escalation—what exactly did you do for the past 618 days?
This isn’t a callout of any one group. It’s a call for integrity. Israeli soldiers are still short on basic gear. Displaced families are still waiting for consistent aid. Meanwhile, polished marketing campaigns and influencer-filled galas roll on—often with no clear breakdown of where previous donations went or how impact is being measured.
Israelis have shown up—on the battlefield, in hospitals, in shelters, in volunteer centers. The least they deserve is for those who speak in their name to do the same.
Preparedness means action before the crisis. If organizations collected money to be ready, and now claim they're not—then something is deeply wrong.
And it’s time people started asking harder questions.
