Earlier this year I visited the Tsafon Roasters coffee shop in Haifa, where I had the most delicious cup of coffee.
Since I'm not even much of a coffee fan, I suspect that what I really fell in love with is the story of the owners Timur and his business partner Ilya. Timur arrived in Israel a year ago from Kyiv, where he ran several successful coffee shops. Now, his family finds itself yet again in a country torn by war. The only difference is, now, in the Jewish state they feel safe despite the tensions brewing less than 30 miles away from the border.
Timur turned to SparkIL for a loan to open their business as they were not able to receive this loan from the bank, and he hopes to continue his dream of serving people and putting a smile on their faces by providing them with a warm cup of coffee brewed from the heart.
This loan, though, is not your typical loan where you sign your life away to a bank at an exorbitant interest rate. Instead, it's interest free and the loan doesn't come from an anonymous source, rather it's a series of micro-investments from concerned people from all over the world who want to invest in the future of Israel.
A visit to SparkIL's website demonstrates that stories like Timur are not unique. There are various small businesses all over the country that have beautiful dreams ahead of them, they just need a little bit of help to get there.
When SparkIL's CEO Na'ama Ore told me about the concept of the platform, I was hooked from the start. Not only because it made sense financially — after all, how often can some $25 positively change the trajectory of someone's life whom they've never even met before?
I really fell in love with the concept of Jews helping each other in meaningful and specific ways because with SparkIL, you're not just writing a check. You're investing in someone's dream.
Unfortunately, after October 7, so many dreams were put on hold. Israel called up some 350,000 reservists and Israel's economy has taken a devastating hit as a result.
This is why I was honored to help the organization find partnerships in my home city of Boston where we could find hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people in the Jewish community who would be willing to answer the pleas of small business owners across Israel.
As someone who very much believes in making connections to get things done, I got to work. Thus, I've been working closely with Jewish schools and synagogues in the Boston area to see how they can collaborate with SparkIL to help scale their vision and help the next generation foster a deep and meaningful connection to Israel. Together, we have an opportunity to help individuals and small businesses across the country in a time of urgent need.
While many more conversations are in play at this moment, we're very proud to welcome Gann Academy High School in Waltham, Mass., as the first educational institution that will collaborate with SparkIL. As such, my husband and I will be donating funds to provide each high school senior with $36 to invest in a SparkIL business of their choice, exposing these high school teens to the importance of lending a helping hand to these small businesses and, in turn, allowing them to learn about Israeli society during these trying times. During their visit to Israel in their last year of high school, it is our hope that they're able to see the impact they were able to have on the individual businesses they chose to invest in and also see the contributions they made to the country's future.
While these partnerships are exciting, I'm just one layperson. Which is why I encourage all pro-Israel advocates to join me in figuring out how they can leverage their network of contacts to forge partnerships and truly make a difference for Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora who want to help the country when they need it the most.
I've done just that by looking into my own network, where I've encouraged SparkIL to explore collaborations with young professional groups in the Boston area.
In fact, this Purim, a group of young professionals will host an impact lending dinner to learn about the Israeli entrepreneurial ecosystem and how they can invest in the backbone of Israel's economy despite being an ocean away. This will empower them with the knowledge of how they themselves have the ability to make a difference, before deciding which small businesses best match their values and interests. With many in Generation Z interested in grassroots efforts rather than backing large organizations, this is a way to meet this generation where they are.
When it comes to giving back, the choices can be sometimes overwhelming, especially for young people who see the idea of committing time and/or money as daunting. With SparkIL, the buy-in is minimal and it can be done at any place and any time and, best of all, they choose the person and cause they want to help. From Ethiopian immigrants to Ukrainian refugees, to single mothers attempting to make ends meet, there are myriad examples of real people grappling with the aftermath of October 7.
Ultimately, SparkIL is about people to people, where we can make life-changing investments for people without the risk. As young adults dip their feet in the pool of philanthropy and many of their peers drift further away from Israel, this is a model that sets the tone for what kind of member of Am Yisrael they choose to be in the future. It's a bold first step into a journey of connecting with something so much bigger than themselves.
Rachel Chafetz is the founding co-chair of the Boston IAC Council; she is also a member of the board of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies and vice president of the board of Momentum and serves on the board of Code for Israel.
