Amalyah’s work and impact as featured in the following publications.
Syria
Torah Scroll rescued from ancient Syrian synagogue to be returned – report
“A delegation of Syrian Jewish businessmen will be returning a Torah Scroll to Syria, which was previously salvaged from the country, according to a Jewish News report, citing Moti Kahana, who rescued the holy texts. The move is set to come during the delegation’s expected visit to the country in early 2025. In 2013, during the Syrian Civil War, Kahana visited one of the oldest synagogues in the world, the Jobar Synagogue, situated in the Damascus district.”
In Conversation with Moti Kahana: Discussing the Israeli Philanthropist’s Background and His Significant Humanitarian Work During the Syrian Civil War
“When the Syrian government started shooting their own people, I knew I had to do something… As Jews, we said, ‘never again’ regarding the Holocaust and other genocides. I later translated ‘never again’ not only to us—the Jewish people but also extended it to other people as well.”
Rescuing the last Jews of Aleppo
“The plan to rescue the last Jews of Aleppo was hatched in Brooklyn during the waning days of summer. Two months later, in a white minibus commandeered by pro-Western Syrian rebels, the Halabi family whizzed from Syria into Turkey in the dark of night. But the journey to that point was difficult – and getting them out of war-torn Syria did not turn out to be the end of the story.”
On a one-man mission to help the Syrians
“Israeli Moti Kahana has funneled $2.2 million from his own pocket into helping Syrian victims of the ongoing civil war, hoping to nurture good neighbors.”
Israeli-syllabus school set up in Syrian area controlled by armed groups
“Reports on the establishment of a school with an Israeli syllabus in a Syrian area, an initiative supported by humanitarian groups including Amalyah.”
The ‘never again’ imperative: Why and how Israelis are helping Syrians
“Exploring the motivations behind Israeli humanitarian aid for Syrians, featuring the work of Moti Kahana and Amalyah.”
Helping Syria War Victims Poses Special Challenges
“Moti Kahana, an Israeli-American businessman who splits his time between New York and a farm in neighboring New Jersey, said he has spent $100,000 of his own money trying to help Syrian rebels opposed to Assad. He said he has also helped coordinate the delivery of an additional $2.2 million worth of humanitarian assistance to rebel-controlled areas in Syria.”
Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s Last Jew Leaves After Taliban Takeover
“Moti Kahana, an Israeli-American businessman who runs a private security group that organized the evacuation, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the 62-year-old Simentov and 29 of his neighbors, nearly all of them women and children, have been taken to a “neighboring country.”
After Afghanistan’s last Jew refused to leave, his would-be Jewish rescuers helped dozens of other Afghans escape instead
“Moti Kahana, an Israeli-American businessman who helped extract people from war-torn Syria, was paid to get Afghanistan’s last Jew out. When he refused to leave, the mission pivoted to help dozens of other Afghans, including national soccer players, escape the Taliban.”
Four young siblings who had been hiding alone in Afghanistan have been reunited with their mother
“Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, president of the Tzedek Association, a nonprofit that has been working to evacuate high-risk individuals out of Afghanistan, joined the effort. He worked with the White House and other government leaders to help collect the necessary documentation to get the children into the airport.”
Last Afghanistan Jew’s would-be Jewish rescuers save Afghan women soccer team
“An ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn fixer and an Israeli-American businessman rescue athletes, prosecutors and judges from Taliban rule after Zebulon Simantov refuses to leave.”
Ukraine
‘Jewish soup’ is keeping soldiers and refugees warm at the Romanian-Ukrainian border
“This nephew is none other than Israeli-American businessman Moti Kahana, who has drawn attention for leading audacious missions to extract thousands of Jews and other people in need from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is now working at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, a place that has a personal connection for him.”
Congo
How a US mission to push a Trump deal in Congo unravelled
“Kahana had a track record of extracting people from dangerous places. His exploits included rescuing about 200 Jewish orphans from Ukraine in 2022 and the last Jew from Afghanistan when the Taliban took control in 2021.”
Jewish American facing death sentence among three repatriated from Congo
“Amalyah was instrumental in the repatriation effort of three individuals from Congo, including a Jewish American who was facing a death sentence.”
Global & Other Operations
Saving lives in war-ravaged countries
“Entrepreneur Moti Kahana describes his company as a ‘war-zone Uber,’ saving people in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and Ukraine – even catching the attention of celebrities like Kim Kardashian.”
Israeli-US farmer who masterminds international rescue missions
“NOMI KALTMANN meets Moti Kahana, whose extraordinary success in organising the rescue of people trapped in dangerous Middle-Eastern countries has made him a figure of legend.”
Jewish and Israeli organizations deliver emergency aid to refugees on frozen Greek island
“Details on the coordinated effort by several organizations, including Amalyah, to deliver critical winter aid to refugees in Greece.”
Standing up to genocide is a Jewish obligation
“An opinion piece highlighting the moral and ethical imperative for Jewish individuals and organizations to act in the face of genocide, citing Amalyah’s work.”