Sunday is a regular work day here and we were up bright at early to meet with USY Group 7. We look them to the North Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot, to pack about 260 bags of groceries with Moshe Kot and Lev Ramot. Moshe left his printing business about 10 years ago to work full time in tzedaka work. These are hard times; former sources of prepared foods; caterers, hotels, restaurants and corporate and army cafeteria are not long over-cooking as they used to, and less food is available for donations. Moshe has to raise money to purchase many of the items he gives out, and donations are also down.
We provided the labor (during a heat wave that will likely last the week) to pack the bags, and then we went into a shaded park to hear Moshe's story. The synagogue where we used to bring the groups to hear Moshe has become his storage area, increasing it's holiness as a Mitzvah Machsan (Mitzvah storage room) and the synagogue moved upstairs but we weren't able to use it.
In the afternoon, I took half of the group to meet Libby Reichman at the big Brothers Big Sisters of Israel clubhouse near the Jerusalem Mall. Libby now has a staff of nine to perform the volunteer screenings, supervision of volunteers and recruitment, and raising the funds to keep this staff paid is a recurring burden on her. Libby does so many mitzvot, the BBBS is much more that a mentoring organization - it's not about play datesfor kids. It is about saving lives, giving kids accessible role models who can help them succeed in school and in life. Please contact Bill, Mary or me if you can help this year with a significant donation.
The other half of group 7 met and heard Ruth Schlossman, founder of gift of Comfort, a non-profit with a shoe string budget (about $6,000 US a year) that provides non-traditional therapy to survivors of terror attacks (some are military) that insurance won't cover - therapeutic massage, accupuncture, reflexology, etc. Ruth finds therapists to volunteer, pays a half time coordinator to match the therapist and the client and help make the appointments; then gift of Comfort provides a small gift certificate to the volunteers. It is a very lean, efficient operation, and Mitzvah Heroes Fund is proud to be a significant funder of this project.
After the wrap up, I met Scott Littky for what was an epicurean highlight of the summer, a steak at the Buffalo Steak House. I had never been there before, and it exceeded my expectations, one of the best-prepared steaks I have ever had.
Monday morning I had a few meetings, and then made my way by bus and on foot, after asking many people for directions around the Knesset to get to my friend Shlomi Zadok's office so I could spend the evening with his family at Moshav Gefen. We went to a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Ramle (authentic Indian, including most of the customers) called Maharaja and it was excellent; we had samosas, something that looked like potato knishes (with more seasoning) black lentils, a chick pea dish and it was all excellent. I finished the evening with a glass of Ben Hanna Shalem 2006 (a bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc). I am now back in Jerusalem, meeting my former student Daniel Shibley for lunch at Burgers Bar, and then finishing up some shopping and packing in the afternoon.
Tonight is another high point, the Israel Museum wine festival, an event I look forward to all year. It is a change to meet, greet wine people and taste a wide variety of what is new and terrific about Israeli wines.
I'll likely have the chance for one more entry before I fly Wednesday night. Short, intense trips are a challenge to capture.
Lehitra'ot
