It started off as a small sale of cosmetics to raise money for the people of Israel.
But now Beauty4Israel has become a massive fundraising drive backed by New York’s cosmetic doctors — who are offering treatments including Botox and boob jobs to help out.
The apparently trivial response to the crisis could not be more serious, with six figures and counting raised for Israel’s national emergency and blood bank service Magen David Adom, and IsraAID, an emergency response organization.
Nearly a dozen board-certified plastic surgeons are offering Botox, nose jobs, filler and micro needling for the initiative spearheaded by New York City-based beauty writers Gabby Shacknai and Zoe Weiner.
Beauty4Israel had its first sale on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Maxwell Social in Tribeca and has since raised more than $115,000 via sales and donations on social media.
“We were so shocked and so devastated by what happened. I had the idea to do a small beauty sale… it very, very quickly evolved into this massive sale,” Shacknai, who tapped into her network of dermatologists, plastic surgeons and beauty industry insiders told The Post.
“We’re connected to so many incredible doctors and estheticians, we said, ‘Why don’t we also sell some services and treatments?’ We realized there was even more demand by doing it virtually through Instagram.”
When Astoria-based Jenna Prager, 35, saw her Manhattan-based dermatologist Rachel Nazarian was offering up three treatment areas of choice for a Botox injections for $750 — a steal compared to the $1,190 value — on Instagram, she purchased the offer on the spot.
She sent a Venmo to Beauty4Isreal and plans to get Botox shots in her crow’s feet and forehead come December.
“It’s something I would spend money on anyway. I’m just happy that it’s going to a really great cause,” Prager, who works in fashion, told The Post.
“I’m Jewish-American born here. I don’t have family in Israel, but being someone who is Jewish that’s your homeland. I feel connected to it. I love that I can help in a way that allows me to donate across multiple organizations,” she said.
“Since this was something I was going to purchase regardless I can now spend half the money from Botox on another donation.”
Upper East Side-based plastic surgeon Dr. Ira Savetsky was in Jerusalem on vacation with his family during the October 7 Hamas attack when they had to evacuate to the bomb shelter of their hotel. They flew home safely days later.
On returning home safely, Savetsky volunteered with the Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association for a medical mission to bring specialist physicians to Israel to aid in hospitals.
“There’s a very high chance within the next week or two, I’ll be going over [to Israel],” Savetsky told The Post.
Until then, he’s offering up a liquid rhinoplasty (nose job) for $1,200 (a $2,500 value) and $600 microneedling, a cosmetic procedure that involves puncturing the skin with sterilized needles to prompt the skin to produce more collagen and elasticity, valued at $1,200.
“It’s a time where people feel helpless; it gives them an opportunity to donate to a good cause that will lift their spirits up a little bit,” Savetsky told The Post.
“People need a little bit of a self care when they’re going through difficult times, as hard as it may be.”
Dr. David Shafer, who runs Shafer Clinic in Midtown, specializing in breast augmentations that typically run around $17,000, told The Post, he is donating his time and costs to bring the price down to $8,500.
Shafer, who has also volunteered to fly to Israel to assist in reconstructive surgeries needed for victims of the war, is also offering one year of filler (eight syringes) for $4,500 – an $11,000 value.
“It’s an elective thing you want to separate from the horrible war, but think about how it’s a cause that you’re raising money for too,” said Shafer.