CHAI - How to Help

To promote compassion for animals, students can initiate projects of their own. An entire class in Israel or abroad can adopt a particular shelter in Israel, or an individual student can develop a special project. Talya Klirs, of Annandale, Virginia, U.S., invited CHAI to make a presentation to about 200 students at her school. Special activities highlighted the fact that animals and people have the same feelings and needs. Kevis, rescued by CHAI in Israel, joined Talya to make her project an exciting event. Read about Talya and Kevis.


Assisting at a student project		Student display for a school event

Help us research and write foundation grant proposals and notify us of any foundations in your area that might support the work of CHAI and Hakol Chai. We also need people to research and develop educational materials or who would like to work on media projects. This could be done from your home or in our office in Israel or in the U.S., where we especially need help with general office work.

If you see animal abuse or neglect, please call the Mayor and the police of the city in which you saw the problem follow up with a letter or fax. Encourage the Mayor to support the local animal shelter, if there is one, or to establish one if there isn't one.

If you are visiting Israel, let the Mayor know that tourists are negatively affected by this suffering. Letters can be addressed simply Mayor, Tel Aviv, Israel (or whatever city you visited). Send a copy of your letter to the Minister of Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism, Jerusalem, Israel. Make your voice heard! A continuing flow of letters will put the issue on the agenda.

If at any point you meet city or national government officials, make sure to raise the issues of animal abuse with them.

You can also write letters to the editor of newspapers. If you do not write Hebrew or Arabic, it's fine to write in English. They will translate your letter and may print it.

When Avi, a Hakol Chai volunteer, discovered that horsemeat was being sold as beef at the market in Lod, he immediately alerted the media and municipal authorities, who confiscated the illegal meat and took action to prevent its sale in the future.

Donate veterinary medical supplies or ask your vet to donate supplies or equipment (surgical suture for spaying and neutering). Often human hospitals discard outdated surgical instruments in favor of newer models, and these can be used. Ask the head nurse of the operating room or the person in charge of supplies. Please read about the supplies needed for the mobile spay/neuter clinic. If you are a veterinarian, you may want to offer your time to work in our mobile clinic for a day or more. Please contact our office.

If you are in Israel, instead of selling your old computer or car, consider donating it to Hakol Chai. If you are in the U.S., please sell your used equipment, donate the proceeds to CHAI, and we will send you the receipt for a tax deduction.

The more people who know of the situation and the need, the greater the likelihood that voices of concern will reach the ears of the officials who can make a difference.

Whether you live in Israel or abroad, ask newspaper, magazine, radio, or TV reporters to write a story about the need to help animals in Israel and about our work, or ask a public relations firm to help pro bono. Or if you know a reporter anywhere in the world who will spread the word about our vital work, you can contact us.

If you are outside of Israel, ask the local Jewish paper if they would run an article about CHAI and Hakol Chai or print our ad. If you are a member of a Jewish organization, ask it to print an article or our ad in its newsletter or invite a speaker from CHAI or Hakol Chai. If you're affiliated with a synagogue, give our Jewish Humane Education Kit to the principal, ask the newsletter editor to print our ad or an article about CHAI and Hakol Chai, or ask the social action committee to become involved in helping. The synagogue as a whole or a particular class of children could adopt a specific shelter in Israel.

Host an outreach table at an event. We have flyers, newsletters, and posters available for distribution. You can also print and hand out CHAI's brochure.

CHAI Member Pauline Jacobson hosts an information table for CHAI at the United Jewish Communities General Assembly, the annual meeting of Jewish Federations, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Paula Kislak, DVM, and the Kislak family sponsored CHAI's table, which drew a lot of interest. Many delegates to the convention signed up to help.

In Israel: Contribute to airing a public service announcement (PSA) featuring Israeli and American celebrities on Israeli TV. There are no free PSAs in Israel. All TV time must be purchased.

In the U.S.: Sponsor an ad in a local paper, or distribute one of our ads as a flyer or small poster.

Tell your friends, relatives, and neighbors about CHAI and Hakol Chai and purchase gift memberships.

If someone you know will be making a donation to CHAI or Hakol Chai and asking others to do so for their Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah, order this colorful self-standing centerpiece ("Bar Mitzvah board") and tear-off information sheet/donation coupon to place on a table at the celebration. You can also display it at club meetings and school gatherings.

And remember — in the U.S., your annual contributions to your local federation can be earmarked for CHAI!

The CHAI community can commemorate those companion animals who have left us, and also celebrate those who help make life thrilling and worthwhile. You are also welcome to send stories and photos of other companion animals to celebrate special events, or simply in celebration of their lives. You can also make a donation in honor of a person or special event.

See a special donation in honor of the Bat Mitzvah of Caila Brandt, from The Mitzvah Kids of the Emanuel School, Sydney, Australia.

By making a contribution to CHAI on behalf of your animals or those of family or friends, you are also helping to provide a better life for animals in Israel who are in desperate need. You can use our Donation Form to make Memorial and Tribute contributions.

Organize a fundraising event in your city or at your home to help raise funds for one of our many special projects. Your help will make it possible for CHAI and Hakol Chai to:

Continue our Living Together program, which brings together Jewish and Arab children to work cooperatively on hands-on projects helping animals.

Expand our media campaign to provide information on the proper treatment of animals.

Hire, or locate volunteers, to help with the process of exposing animal-abuse cases. (Hakol Chai is looking for researchers and photographers.)

Provide hands-on training to municipal veterinarians, heads of shelters, and shelter workers in more cities throughout Israel.

See, for example, the poster for Ilana Silver's Bat Mitzvah fundraising project. Ilana distributed the poster, together with a copy of CHAI's brochure, to the local synagogues, the faculty office at her middle school, and several vet offices in her area. See also Miriam Kohn's articles for her Bat Mitzvah.

Remembering CHAI in your will ensures that your gift of caring will continue our vital work to help animals long into the future. There are numerous planned giving options. For example, CHAI can be named as beneficiary of life insurance policies, bonds and other securities, houses, and trusts. Securities can be willed to CHAI with the provision that you will continue to receive the interest from them throughout your lifetime. A house can be willed to CHAI with the provision that you can remain in the house throughout your lifetime. Check with your lawyer, estate planner, or financial advisor for advice and assistance.

These are only a few suggestions. There are many ways to help. If you have any ideas, we would be glad to hear from you. For those of you who have email, send us your address so we can send you news and special alerts. Thanks again for caring and for being willing to take action to make a difference for animals.