A nice day with USY Group 9 – we started with our opening in the morning, and split the group between Shalhevet, and apartment house in Katamon for wheel-chair bound adults and the Rabbanit Kapach. I went with the group to the Rabbanit’s. I just visited her during Pesach, but she looks well and her voice was stronger (she had abdominal surgery this winter) that she did in April. She was great with the USYers and told her story in her usual engaging way.
She was a bit down after discussing her 50th year of running her summer camp, saying she had hats, t shirts and backpacks for the kids, and that usually there are school supplies to put in the backpacks, but this year there was no money. Then I told her I had just given her son Aryeh a $2000 grant from the Mitzvah Heroes Fund, so that she would have the money for the supplies. 7800 NIS – not a bad tzedakah morning, and the Rabbanit was thrilled.
After yet another mediocre youth hostel lunch (I’m trying to forget the mushroom quiche; my stomach has not forgiven me yet) we split the group into 3 and Danny, Arnie and I led Mitzvah hero tours of center-city Jerusalem. I can’t speak for exactly what my colleagues did, but our stops were at Meled, Crossroads, Village Green (one of the first businesses in J-lem to hire disabled adults), a toy store owned by a volunteer of Lev Ramot where we did some Mitzvah shopping of items to help injured soldiers in rehab pass the time (board games, brain teasers, 3-D puzzles) and a few other spots (where Ruth Shlossman from Gift of Comfort was at the corner of King George and Jaffa when the bombing of the Sbarro inspired her to provide alternative therapies to improve the lives of terror survivors). We spent about and hour and three quarters in the mid-day sun, finding shade where we could and returned to the base at Agron for Danny’s wrap up and a talk by Mitzvah hero Channa Greenwald, who provides support to families of wounded soldiers. We also had a sizeable donation for Channa. Not a bad day so far.
A quick dinner with Danny at Schnitzli (disappointed a bit in the burger – their predecessor, Joy Express, was a better eatery), then a shower and off to Har Adar, so that Yossi, Dina and I can spend some of Monday winery hopping in Binyamina and the surrounding area – I will report on that on Tuesday.
Laila tov,
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ReplyDeleteTotally awesome opportunity for USY-ers to meet so many incredible people in a short period of time. I wouldn't wonder if their heads were spinning - the Rabbanit, Meled, Crossroads & the Village Green w/o catching a breath???? Glad to hear the Rabbanit is feeling stronger... and gladder still that others were able to help support her work by donating to Mitzvah Heroes Fund.
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