Who We Are
Operation Manna is a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to providing essential aid to Israeli civilians affected by conflict. Our mission is to ensure that displaced civilians have access to basic necessities, and we also work to document attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Israel. Through our efforts, we aim to raise awareness and gather donations to support our cause. Learn more about our team and the impact of our services.
Our Story
Operation Manna was founded by a group of international students studying abroad in Tel Aviv during the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War in October 2023. While most international students evacuated the country, we decided to stay behind and help with the humanitarian crisis.
How it all began
Seth and Oceane, two law students from The University of Texas, arrived in Tel Aviv on October 2nd, 2023 to participate in an exchange program with Tel Aviv University. They decided to take a few days to travel around Israel before classes started, and were staying in a hostel on the morning of October 7th, when they were awakened by the sound of gunshots and explosions. Thousands of Hamas militants had breached Israel's border, and were perpetrating the worst massacre in Israel's history.
Later that night, they finally managed to return to Tel Aviv. The following morning, hundreds of Israelis were gathered outside, packing boxes of food and toiletries for civilians displaced from Israel's southern towns. Seth and Oceane wanted to help, and used their social media to solicit donations from their friends and family in the US. They quickly raised enough money to fill shopping carts full of food and toiletries.
Over the next week, Seth and Oceane continued to raise donations. They traveled to various collection sites and hotels hosting displaced civilians, bringing them food, clothing and toiletries. At a student-led collection site at Tel Aviv University, they met other international students eager to help with the humanitarian crisis. Together with Ari from New York and Yana from Czech Republic, they declined to take the charter flights evacuating foreigners from Israel. Instead, they stayed behind and formed Operation Manna; an NGO dedicated to helping civilians in Israel impacted by the war.
Since then, Operation Manna has provided thousands of displaced families with basic necessities. Volunteers from Israel, Canada, Germany, Malta, Nigeria, Hong Kong and the UK have joined their American and Czech counterparts to help Operation Manna's relief efforts.
