SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– Philanthropists Andrew and Erna Viterbi have offered a matching gift of $1 million to help care for and shelter civilians and soldiers in the south of Israel from the rockets, mortars and tunnel infiltrations from Gaza.
Announced on Friday, August 1, by the Jewish Federation of San Diego and to be chaired by the Viterbis’ son and daughter in law, Alan and Caryn Viterbi, the Reach Out for Israel Campaign “will help move 45,000 children in the south of Israel to trauma counseling centers in the north,” according to a Federation circular.
The money also will “supplement hospitals in Beersheva and Ashkelon, which are caring for hundreds of injured civilians and soldiers–victims rarely mentioned throughout the media.”
Furthermore, matching contributions to the fund “will provide trauma counseling to people thoughout Israel, including children and Holocaust survivors who are again experiencing the trauma of sirens and explosions.”
Michael Sonduck, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation, noted that numerous communities will be aided by the emergency fundraising campaign, including those of Sha’ar Hanegev, the Federation’s partnership region which lies alongside the Gaza border.
Sonduck said that every gift made to the Federation’s Emergency campaign, up to $50,000, will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Viterbi family grant. Andrew Viterbi was a co-founder of Qualcomm, a San Diego based communications technology company.
The Jewish Federation’s chief executive also said that every dollar raised in the emergency campaign “will go directly toward humanitarian aid,” without any being deducted for administrative expenses.
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Preceding based on information provided by the Jewish Federation of San Diego County.