How do Charedim Uplift Israeli Society Through Chessed and Nonprofit Work?

Last updated on 13 Aug 2025

One of the least understood—and most overlooked—contributions of the Charedi world to Israeli society is its vast network of nonprofit organizations built around chessed, emergency aid, health, welfare, and communal support.

These organizations are not side projects or PR initiatives. They are at the very core of how Charedi society functions—rooted in the Torah values of ahavas Yisrael, hachzakas haTorah, and gemilus chassadim. While the media often fixates on army exemptions or budget allocations, thousands of Charedi men and women are quietly, and often anonymously, saving lives, helping the poor, rescuing the vulnerable, and lifting the broken-hearted—all across the country.

From running Israel’s largest medical aid organization, to the country’s fastest emergency response teams, to the largest free-loan gemach system in the world, Charedim are not just participating in society—they are carrying parts of it on their shoulders.

How Many Charedi Non-Profits Exist in Israel?

According to conservative estimates by the Israeli Nonprofit Registrar and data collected by JData Israel, there are well over 2,000 active nonprofit organizations in Israel that were either founded by Charedim or are primarily operated by Charedi communities. These include:

Chessed organizations
Medical and mental health support networks
Educational initiatives
Kallah and orphan support programs
Financial counseling and aid
Kiruv and outreach groups
Volunteer emergency services
Burial societies (Chevra Kadisha)
Free loan funds (Gemachim)
Halachic and rabbinical guidance centers

Many operate on shoestring budgets, powered by tens of thousands of Charedi volunteers. Some are national in scale—serving Jews of all backgrounds—and others are hyper-local, serving a neighborhood or a single kehillah. Many never seek credit or visibility.

The Overall Impact

Though hard to quantify fully, the economic, social, and emotional impact of Charedi nonprofits is staggering:

Billions of shekels saved annually for Israel’s healthcare, welfare, and social service systems through volunteer-driven chessed organizations like Yad Sarah, Ezer Mizion, and United Hatzalah.
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens—secular, Dati Leumi, Charedi, and non-Jewish—directly benefit every year from services provided by Charedi-founded nonprofits.
Communal resilience and social cohesion are strengthened through hyper-responsive local support systems built by Charedi communities—often faster and more trusted than government bodies.

More than anything, these efforts are driven not by ideology or politics, but by the enduring Charedi conviction that Kol Yisrael areivim zeh lazeh—that every Jew is responsible for one another.

In a world of loud headlines and divisive debates, the Charedi community’s quiet army of chessed continues to serve—without recognition, without demand, and without fanfare.

Top 10 Charedi-Founded Nonprofits & Their Impact on Israeli Society

1. Ezer Mizion

Founded by: Rav Chananya Chollak
Mission: Medical and emotional support for the sick and their families
Key Impact:

Operates the world’s largest Jewish bone marrow donor registry with over 1.2 million registrants.
Has facilitated over 5,000 life-saving transplants.
Runs 50+ support programs including hospital transport, medical equipment loans, therapy services, food for patients, and more.
Reach: Tens of thousands served annually across all sectors of Israeli society.

2. Yad Sarah

Founded by: Rabbi Uri Lupolianski
Mission: Loan of medical and rehabilitative equipment for home use
Key Impact:

Saves the Israeli healthcare system over NIS 1.5 billion annually.
Has over 100 branches nationwide.
Provides wheelchairs, crutches, hospital beds, and other equipment—free of charge.
Also offers legal aid for the elderly, emergency alarm systems, and transportation for the disabled.
Users: Over 750,000 people per year, including secular and non-Jewish Israelis.

3. United Hatzalah (Ichud Hatzalah)

Founded by: Eli Beer (from the Charedi community in Jerusalem)
Mission: Emergency medical response
Key Impact:

Over 7,000 trained volunteer medics (including many Charedim).
Average national response time: under 3 minutes.
Volunteers respond to over 2,000 calls a day in Israel.
Uses “ambucycles” (motorcycle ambulances) to reach patients faster than standard ambulances.
Notable: Serves all Israelis regardless of religious background. Played a critical role during COVID-19, Meron tragedy, and terror attacks.

4. ZAKA (Disaster Victim Identification)

Founded by: Yehuda Meshi-Zahav z”l (Charedi from Mea Shearim)
Mission: Honoring and recovering bodies in disaster zones
Key Impact:

Volunteers collect remains after terror attacks, accidents, and natural disasters.
Known worldwide for their dedication to kavod haMeis (honoring the dead).
Worked in international disaster zones like Haiti, Nepal, and the U.S. after 9/11.
Often the first on scene in tragedies, even under personal danger.
Volunteers: Mostly Charedi, working with security and rescue agencies nationwide.

5. Yad Eliezer

Founded by: The Weisel family in Jerusalem
Mission: Alleviating poverty through food, support, and weddings
Key Impact:

Distributes millions of shekels in monthly food packages.
Runs a wedding fund providing thousands of poor couples with full weddings.
Supports widows and orphans, job training, and more.
Entirely run with low overhead—most funds go directly to families.
Clients: Over 18,000 families across the country.

6. Lev L’Achim

Founded under the guidance of: Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l
Mission: Kiruv, education, and family rehabilitation
Key Impact:

Places thousands of children from secular homes in religious schools.
Runs mentoring programs, women’s helplines, chavrusa systems, and guidance for at-risk youth.
Operates with thousands of Charedi volunteers nationwide.
Many Dati Leumi and secular families receive support and life direction through Lev L’Achim.
Impact: Countless Jewish homes transformed through connection to Torah.

7. Or Simcha

Founded by: Rav Yitzchak Dovid Grossman (Migdal HaEmek)
Mission: Rescue and rehabilitation of troubled youth
Key Impact:

Provides housing, Torah learning, therapy, and job training.
Thousands of Israeli youth have been saved from addiction, crime, and spiritual loss.
Highly respected even by secular institutions for reducing crime in the north.
Notable: Rav Grossman was awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2004.

8. Mesilah

Founded by: Charedi askanim in Jerusalem
Mission: Financial education and empowerment in the Charedi community
Key Impact:

Offers budgeting courses, financial coaching, and business mentoring.
Works with thousands of families to achieve economic independence.
Recently began working with other religious sectors and municipalities.
Goal: To end the cycle of poverty through education, not dependency.

9. Bayit Lepletot / Girls Town Jerusalem

Founded by: Rav Moshe Hirsch
Mission: Housing, education, and care for orphaned or at-risk girls
Key Impact:

Over 400 girls housed and educated at any given time.
Alumni go on to establish stable, healthy Torah homes.
Fully supported by private donations; no girl is ever turned away.
Legacy: 60+ years of building futures for girls with no home or family.

10. Keren Hachesed Cholim

Founded by: Local Charedi communities across Israel
Mission: Aid for families coping with illness
Key Impact:

Funds medications not covered by insurance, transportation, meals, and emotional support.
Has hundreds of local branches in Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Elad, and Beit Shemesh.
Often fills gaps left by overwhelmed hospital systems and social workers.
Note: Every shekel comes from community donations and volunteer efforts.

Final Thought

These organizations are only the tip of the iceberg. There are tens of thousands of active Charedi volunteers, quietly doing Hashem’s work without glory or publicity. Whether helping the living or honoring the dead, healing the sick or educating the young, the Charedi community gives far more than it takes.

It does so not out of obligation to the State, but out of obligation to Torah and Klal Yisrael.