NORTHAMPTON — A local nonprofit working to address health challenges faced by Palestinians and Israelis has awarded three organizations money to underwrite their work.
Healing Across the Divides, a Hatfield nonprofit, awarded $25,000 each to Citizens Building Community, Jiwar and Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak.
The Hatfield group, founded by Norbert Goldfield, M.D., has been doing this work for more than two decades.
Citizens Building Community is an Arab-led humanitarian organization working to build community resilience in Lod and Ramla, providing mental health services to Palestinian families in those Israeli cities, according to a statement from Healing Across the Divides.
“Services include home-based family counseling, therapeutic playgroups for children and coaching for at-risk teens, aiming to reach 130 participants in its first year,” the statement said.
Jiwar, which means “neighborhood” in Arabic, trains local community ambassadors across the Middle East to host conversations at home, providing a safe space to have discussions about mental health, trauma, parenting and financial stress, the statement said.
Over three years, the organization plans to train 150 ambassadors to lead 600 gatherings across 50 towns in Arab localities in Israel.
The initiative aims to reduce stigma and create opportunities for Arabic-speaking communities to ask for help, according to the statement. The group hopes this will become a “scalable model for community health,” the statement said.
The third organization, Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, has provided people with a “vital refuge for creative healing,” following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Israel.
Through its work with Healing Across the Divides, Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak will provide an art-based therapy program that will focus on women’s intergenerational well-being, coping and resilience, the statement said.
The Women’s Therapy Program will support 100 participants annually, the statement said.
Veronica Vigdorchik, a program director for Healing Across the Divides, said in the statement that the work these organizations are doing is a “powerful reminder” of the on-the-ground efforts and innovation.
”I look forward to my monthly follow-ups with each organization to track their progress, hear their stories, and ensure they have the support they need to succeed,” she said.
The local group will also distribute $35,000 among two of the three groups to “expand and sustain impactful initiatives in Palestinian communities,” and it will extend its partnership with a third.
Programs will include rooftop gardening and health workshops in refugee camps, chronic disease management for women in Jenin, and fitness and nutrition programs for adolescent girls and their mothers.
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