First USY Day - Horse and Hunger Relief Mitzvahs

First, a few general updates. The economic crisis is worldwide. Many familiar storefronts and restaurants here in the German Colony have changed since I left 11 months ago. Joy Express was merged with Shnitzi, the wine bar next door, the upscale place next to it (next to Masaryk), Michal Negrin, Tarantino, all gone. Jaffa road is completely torn up except for one lane. The Light rail construction continues at its glacial pace - the odds of the Messiah coming before the light rail opens is something like 5:2, if you can get odds at all. There is some small amount of inflation here compared to the US, and prices for most basics are higher. Gas is of course, outrageous, between $70-$80 to fill a 12 gallon tank.

Today we worked with our first USY groups of the season, meeting them for a sumptuous morning youth hostel repast (actually its not bad) at 7:30. After an introduction and some sharing of information we boarded the bus for Netanya to visit the Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association (INTRA). The teens were able to meet with the founder and force behind all therapeutic riding in Israel, Anita Shkedi at INTRA's beautiful site overlooking the Mediterranean. It was hot and muggy but the USYers helped shlep building materials, painted the rider's lift and shovelled some muck, contributing about 40 hours of labor. We ate our box lunches overlooking the sea, and got back on the bus at about one to go back to North Jerusalem.

There we met with Moshe Kott of Lev Ramot, a grass roots food recovery non-profit that serves about 250 families around Jerusalem. They collect uneaten food from Caterers and restaurants, overstocks from food producers (like osem, strauss and tenuva) and purchase staples at a discount which they then deliver in the most respectful ways - volunteer delivery person and recipient never meet, no one stands in line. A call is made to say the package is coming, and then the delivery person (a volunteer using their personal car) knocks on the door, leaves, and only then does the recipient pick up the package. The USYers packed a couple of hundred packages with canned goods, dried beans, oil, sugar, pasta, rice and other provisions that will be delivered this week. I also got a few minutes alone with Moshe where gave me some very good advice. We were able this summer (with your help) to double what we gave Lev Ramot last year and increase by about 40% what we gave them at Pesach. The USYers worked hard in the hot sun to finish the job and would have done more if more was available.

We went back to Agron Street for a wrap up session, I did some business with the USY office, and then Danny and I went to dinner at a great neighborhood Yemenite place (Marvad HaK'samim). Other that writing this and a short walk, turning in early - back-to-back USY groups is a lot of work - in two weeks we have 4 groups, Sunday through Wednesday without a break.

Look for more Mitzvahs tomorrow. Life doing this work is very good (tov me'od).