One Heart – Emergency Civil Aid

One Heart – Emergency Civil Aid (Hebrew: לב אחד – סיוע אזרחי בחירום, "Lev Echad") is an Israeli registered nonprofit association (amuta) that operates a nationwide volunteer infrastructure for civilian emergencies. Its model rests on three pillars: recruiting volunteers from within the affected population and turning them into active participants; working directly and in a coordinated way under the local authority; and training action teams in peacetime so they can be "called up" at any moment. Since its establishment in 2005, One Heart's volunteers have taken part in numerous missions both in Israel and internationally, including earthquake relief in Turkey and Morocco, the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and successive Israeli operations. The organization began during the 2005 Gaza disengagement, when a group of young people from the Ein Prat pre-military leadership academy, led by their instructor Ilay Tzur and initiated by graduate Yaara Firon, decided to help evacuated residents regardless of their political views. They took over an office of the Disengagement Administration, printed a note reading "One Heart – youth and students for the unity of Israel" with a phone number, and began mobilizing volunteers. Between August and December of that year they deployed thousands of volunteers to assist evacuees — unloading trucks, renovating homes, raising donations, and running activities for children and teenagers. In July 2006, during the Second Lebanon War, the same infrastructure was activated in northern communities under fire, with about 1,500 volunteers delivering food, restoring shelters, and supporting local authorities. That year One Heart became the national aid organization for emergency situations. Over the following years the organization assisted civilian populations nationwide under rocket and missile barrages, and in natural disasters such as storms and floods. Its success in Israel led the government of Serbia to request its help during the severe floods of early 2014; One Heart set up control centers, guided volunteers, and trained the local population to cope with similar emergencies in the future. By September 2014 the organization had activated more than 26,000 volunteers nationwide and had gained recognition from official bodies including the Home Front Command, the National Emergency Authority, the Ministry of Welfare, and the Ministry of Education. Its activities are funded by donations. In November 2014 it received the "Ot HaMofet" (Distinguished Service) award for social activity at the Sderot Conference for Society. During the 2023–2024 Iron Swords war, One Heart established 18 national situation rooms (chamlakim) in which some 50,000 Israelis volunteered, and set up an aid center for the families of hostages. In 2024 the Jerusalem situation room established during the war, in cooperation with Hitorerut B'Yerushalayim, the Jerusalem Union, and various protest organizations, received the President's Award for Volunteerism. The organization continues to operate as a donation-funded civilian emergency aid body, with a focus on youth centers for evacuated teenagers, support for the agricultural sector, assistance to security-force families and wounded soldiers, and aid to hostage families.

One Heart – Emergency Civil Aid began in 2005 during Israel's Gaza disengagement plan. A group of young people from the Ein Prat pre-military leadership academy ("Ein Prat – the Academy for Social Leadership" in Kfar Adumim), initiated by graduate Yaara Firon and led by instructor Ilay Tzur — who also served as the organization's first director — decided to help evacuated residents of Gush Katif regardless of their own political views. They entered an office of the Disengagement Administration, took it over, and printed a note reading "One Heart – youth and students for the unity of Israel" with a phone number, which marked the start of the organization. Between Tisha B'Av and Hanukkah — August to December of that year — One Heart activists deployed thousands of volunteers to assist evacuees: unloading trucks, renovating homes, raising donations, and running activities for children and teenagers. In July 2006, during the Second Lebanon War, the infrastructure built in the summer of 2005 was activated in northern communities under fire. About 1,500 volunteers moved among the rockets to assist the population that remained in the north, providing food, restoring shelters, raising morale, and assisting local authorities. That year One Heart became the national aid organization for emergency situations. Between 2007 and 2009 the organization operated in Sderot and the Gaza envelope under heavy rocket barrages; volunteers arrived at impact sites, helped authorities treat casualties, and held regular marches with drums and Israeli flags to raise national morale. Over the years One Heart assisted civilian populations nationwide during hostilities, including under rocket and Qassam fire, and in natural disasters such as storms and floods. Its success in Israel led the government of Serbia to request the organization's help during the severe floods that struck the country in early 2014. One Heart helped guide volunteers and train the local population to cope with similar emergencies in the future. The organization's unique model was shaped by its experiences during the disengagement and the Second Lebanon War, which highlighted the need for a permanent volunteer infrastructure operating in an organized and concentrated way from within the civilian population itself. The model has three components: working under the local authority, in cooperation with the municipal volunteer coordinator, providing a recruitment and activation system that can manage thousands of volunteers simultaneously; training action teams in peacetime throughout the year so that in an emergency everyone knows their place and purpose; and recruiting volunteers from the local population, aiming to create a critical mass of local volunteer infrastructure in emergencies, turning those in need into active and involved participants and building social and civic resilience. When an emergency breaks out, a control center is opened in local authorities, mapping immediate needs and operated by a situation-room head, a volunteer coordinator, a task coordinator, and a logistics coordinator. Local and external volunteers are recruited and sent on missions such as home visits to elderly people needing medicine and food; operating children and teenagers in shelters; running day-care centers for the children of doctors and nurses so clinics and hospitals can function; and collecting support equipment for volunteering. Operations are diverse and adapted to local needs: during Operation Cast Lead, One Heart volunteers ran a supermarket in Sderot that lacked workers; during Operation Pillar of Defense, the organization recruited volunteers to run an evening of folk dancing in Kibbutz Alumim to relieve tension, and sent a medical clown to an elderly person under great stress in the Gaza envelope. In another case, unrelated to the security situation, the organization deployed a team of 150 ultra-Orthodox volunteers from the Givat Shaul neighborhood of Jerusalem to locate a Haredi child missing from home. During the snowstorm in Jerusalem in late 2013, the organization deployed hundreds of volunteers with jeeps who rescued stranded drivers and reinforced the city's and Welfare Ministry's emergency hotlines, which received thousands of calls. Notable operations include: 2005, assistance absorbing evacuees from Gush Katif at the caravilla sites and rehabilitating community infrastructure after the disengagement; 2006, assistance to the civilian population in northern communities during the Second Lebanon War; 2007, assistance in Sderot under Qassam barrages; 2009, assistance to southern communities under rocket fire during Operation Cast Lead; 2010, assistance in evacuating residents and helping rehabilitation after the Carmel disaster; 2012, assistance to southern communities during Operation Pillar of Defense; January 2013, assistance to residents of Bat Hefer after heavy floods; December 2013, assistance to Jerusalem residents cut off from electricity during the heavy snowstorm; May 2014, assistance to the government of Serbia after severe floods, setting up control centers, guiding volunteers, and assisting the local population; July 2014, assistance to the civilian population during Operation Protective Edge, activating 8,150 volunteers at 11 locations — nine in the south, one in Jerusalem, and one in Tel Aviv — visiting the homes of elderly people and children with disabilities, helping in nursing homes and shelters for battered women, running day-care centers for the children of doctors, evacuating and cleaning shelters, and helping educational institutions, birthday celebrations, and shelter activities; November 2019, assistance to Gaza envelope residents during Operation Black Belt; March 2020, assistance to the civilian population during the COVID-19 lockdown, with emphasis on the elderly; and May 2021, civilian assistance during further hostilities. By September 2014 the organization had activated more than 26,000 volunteers nationwide and had gained recognition from official bodies including the Home Front Command, the National Emergency Authority, the Ministry of Welfare, and the Ministry of Education. Its activities are funded by donations. In November 2014 it received the Ot HaMofet (Distinguished Service) award for social activity at the Sderot Conference for Society. During the 2023–2024 Iron Swords war, One Heart established 18 national situation rooms in which some 50,000 Israelis volunteered, and set up an aid center for the families of hostages. In 2024 the Jerusalem situation room established during the war, in cooperation with Hitorerut B'Yerushalayim, the Jerusalem Union, and various protest organizations, received the President's Award for Volunteerism.

• 2024

  The Jerusalem situation room established during the war receives the President's Award for Volunteerism.

• 2023

  During the Iron Swords war, establishes 18 national situation rooms and an aid center for hostage families.

• 2021

  May: civilian assistance during further hostilities.

• 2020

  March: assists the civilian population during the COVID-19 lockdown, with emphasis on the elderly.

• 2019

  November: assists Gaza envelope residents during Operation Black Belt.

• 2014

  May: assists the government of Serbia after severe floods. July: activates 8,150 volunteers at 11 locations during Operation Protective Edge. September: has activated over 26,000 volunteers nationwide. November: receives the Ot HaMofet award for social activity.

• 2013

  January: assists Bat Hefer residents after heavy floods. December: assists Jerusalem residents cut off from electricity during a heavy snowstorm.

• 2012

  Assists southern communities during Operation Pillar of Defense.

• 2010

  Assists in evacuating residents and rehabilitation after the Carmel disaster.

• 2009

  Assists southern communities under rocket fire during Operation Cast Lead.

• 2007

  Assists Sderot under Qassam barrages.

• 2006

  Registered as an association; assists civilian population in northern communities during the Second Lebanon War; becomes the national aid organization for emergencies.

• 2005

  Founded during the Gaza disengagement; volunteers assist evacuees from Gush Katif at caravilla sites and rehabilitate community infrastructure.

A donation-funded Israeli nonprofit that turns affected populations into active volunteers and works under local authorities during emergencies.

Product categories. Emergency volunteer mobilization · Situation rooms (chamlakim) · Youth centers for evacuees · Support for security-force families · Aid to hostage families · Disaster relief missions abroad

1. 1דף הבית | לב אחד | סיוע אזרחי בחירוםlevechad.org
2. 2אודות | לב אחד | סיוע אזרחי בחירוםlevechad.org
3. 3One heart Emergency Civil Aidwikidata.org
4. 4לב אחד - סיוע אזרחי בחירוםhe.wikipedia.org