Empowerment
Starts With You
The Jewish Defense Fund is a grantmaking and direct-action institution stewarding capital to strengthen Jewish continuity, security, and resilience—today and for generations to come.
Our Four Pillars
How JDF Contributes to a Secure Jewish Future
Endowment
Permanent Capital
Supporting Jewish life across generations.
Grantmaking
Strategic Allocation
Funding effective initiatives and organizations.
Direct Action
Targeted Intervention
Responsible action where immediate needs demand.
Proof of Reality
Operational Reach
25M+ reached through mission-aligned efforts.
Defending Our Community,
Securing Our Future
Jewish Defense Fund protects Jewish communities from rising Antisemitism through funding self-defense training, security enhancements, media accountability, legal advocacy, and community empowerment programs.
IMPACT
Direct Action Self-Defense Class
New York Area Yeshiva High School
Take the Next Step
Two powerful ways to multiply your impact today.
Start a Fundraiser
Create a personal fundraising page and rally your network. Supporters have raised thousands for Jewish communities.
Get StartedOpen a Giving Fund
Allocate, reserve, and deploy your giving over time — while taking a tax deduction at moment of contribution. Control over where your dollars go — like a personal foundation for Jewish security.
Learn MoreWhy Action Is Urgent
The data is clear — antisemitism is accelerating. Here's what trusted sources are reporting.
Stories of Empowerment
With Antisemitic incidents at record levels—9,354 reported in 2024 alone, a 344% increase over 5 years—Jewish communities face unprecedented challenges. Nearly 70% of such hate crimes in America target Jews. JDF responds with direct action, empowering individuals, communities, and students to face these realities with preparation, not fear.
Building Confidence in the Next Generation
HAFTR High School, Long Island, NY
Professional self-defense training brought directly to Jewish high schools — building confidence, unity, and real-world skills in the next generation.
Defending Students on Campus
Campus Self-Defense Series
Semester-long Krav Maga and situational awareness training for Jewish college students facing rising hostility on campus.
Strengthening Our Communities
Free Community Self-Defense Classes
Free self-defense classes in Jewish communities nationwide — strengthening communal bonds and showing that our community stands ready.
A Legacy of Survival.
A Mission for This Moment.
JDF was founded by the grandchild of Holocaust survivors — a descendant of Rav Yeruchom Levovitz, spiritual leader of the Mir Yeshiva, the only European yeshiva to survive the Holocaust intact and today the largest yeshiva in the world.
That history is not background. It is the reason JDF exists.
Our StoryStories of Jewish builders
Highlights from Big Shot — celebrating Jewish entrepreneurial resilience.
Disrupting industries with purpose.
Breaking silence on what matters.
Entrepreneurial spirit in action.
Disrupting industries with purpose.
Breaking silence on what matters.
Entrepreneurial spirit in action.
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