A City at Risk: The Fight to Save Kiryat Shmona

A Woman Who Refused to Abandon Her City

Irina Maman never left Kiryat Shmona, the “capital” of Israel’s North, situated just 3 minutes away from the Lebanese border by car. While most residents evacuated during the war, Irina chose to stay behind to watch over her city and the IDF soldiers stationed there.

A seamstress by profession, Irina set aside her sewing machine and spent her days cooking home-cooked meals for IDF soldiers stationed along the Lebanese border. Her famous Moroccan fish nourished soldiers throughout months of missiles.

Coming Home to a New Reality

When residents were finally given permission to return home, Irina hoped life would resume where it had left off. But the reality she encountered was painful.

Two years of evacuation have taken a devastating toll on Kiryat Shmona. Businesses are shuttered, streets are quiet, and the sense of normalcy that once defined the city feels distant.

Irina reopened her seamstress shop, waiting for customers who never came.

“I wait all day, until 8 PM,” she shared, “and I’ll be lucky if two customers walk through the door.”

Families Without Income, Communities in Crisis

While Irina’s husband manages to bring in enough income to support their household, many of their neighbors are not as fortunate.

“Almost everyone in Kiryat Shmona is crying that they have no income,” Irina explains. “Parents with young children don’t know where to turn for help. How long can a person live without income?”

The statistics paint a stark picture. Since the war began, 21,000 businesses in Northern Israel have closed, unemployment has risen by 49%, and the city now stands on the brink of economic collapse.

“We Can’t Lose Kiryat Shmona”

“We can’t lose the city of Kiryat Shmona,” says Aryeh Lurie, founder of Yad Ezra V’Shulamit. “That is exactly what Hezbollah wants. We can’t let it happen.”

For many families, survival now depends on help from others. Today, 400 families in Kiryat Shmona, and thousands more across the North, receive weekly food baskets from Yad Ezra V’Shulamit.

Each basket provides essential food to feed a family of six for a full week, including fresh fruits and vegetables, staple dry goods, bread, chicken, and grape juice for Shabbat, giving families the strength and stability they need during this difficult time.

On the Ground, Where Help Is Needed Most

Yad Ezra V’Shulamit is actively distributing food in Kiryat Shmona while continuing its vital work across 93 locations throughout Israel, feeding hundreds of thousands of people who are struggling to make ends meet.

At a time when so many families are trying to rebuild their lives, consistent access to food is not just relief, it is a lifeline.

Standing Strong for Israel’s North

To meet the urgent need, Yad Ezra V’Shulamit has launched a matching campaign with a goal of $2.0 million, dedicated to feeding financially devastated families in Kiryat Shmona for the coming year.

This support gives families time. Time to find work, reopen businesses, and begin restoring the communities they love.