Wilf Family Foundation donates $5 million to Jewish Agency

The Livingston-based Wilf Family Foundation has granted $5 million to The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Senior Affordable Housing Initiative. Currently, there is a waiting list of 27,000 low-income Israeli seniors — half of them Holocaust survivors — for subsidized housing. 

Approximately 3,000 affordable housing units will be built on 17 sites in nine cities across Israel. 

“We are gratified that The Wilf Family Foundation is granting this generous and crucial support to assist some of Israel’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Joshua Fogelson, CEO of Jewish Agency International Development. “In addition to providing a lifeline for an at-risk population sector, increased access to affordable housing for seniors will contribute to the creation of a more equitable, inclusive, and vibrant Israeli society as a whole.”

The Israeli government has guaranteed to fund half of the project’s construction costs and will also subsidize 85 percent of the market rate of tenants’ rent for the next 20 years. Amigour serves as the Jewish Agency’s developer and manager of the project.

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The initiative’s first site, located on Tel Aviv’s Derech Hashalom Street, is under construction. In recognition of the extraordinary commitment that Joseph Wilf (z”l) made to support the needs of Holocaust survivors, and the Wilf Family Foundation’s generous gift, the Jewish Agency this fall will name and dedicate the building “The Joseph Wilf Building.” 

The Wilf Family Foundation is joined by a host of other major donors who have committed in excess of $27 million to the initiative to date. 

“Affordable housing for seniors is not only a crucial element in any community’s infrastructure, but also a true embodiment of the Jewish value of tikkun olam,” said Mark Wilf of the Wilf Family Foundation. “We are honored to support the Jewish Agency’s Senior Affordable Housing Initiative, a project that puts our values into action. We are especially pleased that priority will be given to elderly Holocaust survivors — a very fitting tribute to our father who dedicated so much of his time and resources to improving their lives and preserving their legacy.”