About the fund
The Elisha Fund was founded in memory of Elisha Rothfeld Hy”d, murdered at the Nova festival on October 7, 2023. He was 24.
After the shiva, Josh and Dena Rothfeld met survivors who could not get the therapy they needed, or could not afford to keep going. They began paying for it. Friends from Ra'anana's English-speaking community asked to help, and by Chanukah forty families were giving. The fund was founded on the fourth night of Chanukah, Sunday, December 10, 2023.
It raises money from donors in Israel and abroad and gives it as grants to therapists, retreat programs, yeshivot, mechinot and youth movements.
On this page
People
Yoni Kessler
Executive director, since 2024
He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, made aliyah in 1998 and lives in Ra'anana. Before the fund he spent twenty years running operations at medical-device companies in the Sharon region. He has known Josh and Dena Rothfeld from their shul in Ra'anana since Elisha was a boy. His salary is part of the running costs the Rothfeld family pays.
I answer for every grant this fund makes. When a survivor writes to us, we reply within 10 days, and the committee's decision comes in writing. If you want to know where your gift went, write to me and I will tell you.
Board
- Chair and co-founder, Elisha's father
- Josh Rothfeld
- Co-founder, Elisha's mother
- Dena Rothfeld
- Treasurer, CPA, Ra'anana
- Jeremy Adler
- Community coordinator, Ra'anana
- Rena Greenwald
Survivors committee
- Clinical psychologist, chairs the survivors committee
- Dr. Orly Feinberg
- Clinical social worker (MSW), survivors committee
- Adina Morgenstern
- Co-founder, Elisha's mother
- Dena Rothfeld
How decisions are made
- Survivors committee. A committee of 3: Dr. Orly Feinberg (chair), Adina Morgenstern and Dena Rothfeld. It meets every two weeks and decides therapy grants, retreat places and study or work grants. A therapy grant needs the approval of two of the three members. A member who knows the applicant steps out of that decision, and if that leaves fewer than two, the board names a replacement for that decision.
- In writing. For therapy, retreat and study or work requests, we send a decision in writing within 30 days of a complete application. Scholarship and seminar requests are considered at the next board meeting, in Cheshvan or Iyar.
- Scholarships and seminars. Decided by the board twice a year, in Cheshvan and in Iyar. The board sets how many scholarships each yeshiva and mechina receives.
- Paid directly. We pay therapists, retreat programs and institutions directly, on behalf of the people we support.
- Privacy. We never share the names of survivors we help.
Money
Since the fund was founded on December 10, 2023, donors have given $2,148,600. This is where it stands.
- raised since December 10, 2023
- $2,148,600
- granted
- $1,712,400
- committed to therapy already approved and to next year's scholarships
- $391,500
- not yet allocated
- $44,700
As of September 11, 2026
The Rothfeld family pays the fund's running costs, including card and transfer fees, so every donated dollar goes to the programs.
Grants are paid in shekels. Figures on this site are in US dollars, at the rate on the day of each payment. The year by program is on Our work.
Legal status
The fund is registering as an Israeli nonprofit (amuta).
Registration with the Registrar of Nonprofits is in progress, together with the approvals for Israeli tax benefits for donors. Until they are complete, gifts to the fund carry no Israeli tax benefit. To give by bank transfer, or to ask about giving from a donor-advised fund, write to us and we will send the details.
Page address: elishafund.org/about.html