Mitzvah Heroes dinner – watching the sparks rise



The Rabbanit Kapach with Steve



As my friends know, despite my level of religious observance, I have a bit of a rational streak running through me, that tends to be, well, understanding that some people find comfort and enlightenment through mysticism; it doesn’t usually work for me.  However tonight on

Rachel Imeinu Street

, I saw the holy sparks rising.

We held our annual Mitzvah heroes dinner at the new Village Green in the German colony (I missed the quiche but the lasagna and cheese cake were terrific).  Watching Kalman Samuels discuss children with the Rabbanit Kapach, connecting Ruth Schlossman and Karyn London, both who work with survivors of terror attacks, who were able to discuss plans and maybe even refer each other to volunteers.  It was just amazing. 

Yael Rosen is beginning a project to reach out to Righteous Among the Nations who helped Ethiopian Jews leave Ethiopia, and she met, for the first time, Sarah Eynor, who 20 years ago began a scholarship fund for helping Ethiopians students in Israel.  There was so much positive energy, and so much good came out of the room, connections between Moshe Kott, who helps nearly 300 families in his Ramot neighborhood meet their weekly nutritional needs and Chana Greenwald, who works with soldiers in rehab facilities, and now Avshalom Beni wants to help Chana’s soldiers – all because we bring them together in time and space.  This is when I really feel we are doing holy work.



Yael Rosen of Atzum with Sarah Eynor

 So now we have successfully distributed $16,000 of our donors tzedakah in just one week in Israel.  Not a bad hobby.  The next few days are devoted to some meetings with Mitzvah heroes and some work I am doing to prepare for the most amazing 60th Anniversary JEA conference to be held in February here in Jerusalem.  I'll likely report in.  After all, there may be some good meals or shopping along the way.

When a Mitzvah Clicks, Demonstrations and Transportation

Thursday, July 28, 2011

We began the morning with USY group 6 to describe the day, and then by 8:45 we were on our way to Hod HaSharon - we had a bit of a transportation issues and a group of 9 USYers were being checked out by a doctor, and before we got out of town, 7 were cleared to join us so we doubled back to get them.

In Hod HaSharon we met Mitzvah hero Dr. Linda Mosek, founder of Click, a series of projects that benefit, occupy, and support older adults in Hod Hasharon.  There are workshops, a craft kit factory and social programs, including a recently completed multi-week seminar on computers and social networks and e-mail so that these seniors can be in closer touch with their families.  Linda, a master social entrepreneur keeps coming up with great ideas to benefit and improve the lives of the seniors in Hod Hasharon.  As I told the teens, don't think that these people are just having fun doing art projects.  In some cases, these are life saving activities; people who contemplated suicide, were shut ins or who weren't eating are now  socializing, earning additional income and creating meaningful relationships were they didn't have those before.  It is amazing work.

We returned to Jerusalem (just ahead of the gay pride demonstration and parade) to meet Yael Rosen, the social worker who is in contact with all Righteous Gentiles living in Israel through the organization that she works for, Atzum.  Yael shared stories of the rescuers with the teens, and the teens made Rosh HaShanah cards for the rescuers.  Atzum is helping these magnificent human beings in their golden years, helping them live in dignity and also bringing them together when possible to get together.  We at Mitzvah Heroes Fund see this as a unique privilege to participate in this mitzvah of Hakarat HaTov (appreciating the good in life) and we are proud to financially support Atzum's work with this and other projects.

There have been a lot demonstrations this summer in Israel, many based on economic issues.  Facebook has played a major role in facilitating people joining a page on a particular issue, and then those friends of the page communicate and plan a demonstration that then thousands of people can attend.   The first major demonstration this summer was over the removal of government supports for cottage cheese and that all 3 major dairy producers raised their prices (the same amount, to about $2.25 a container) and as a result of the protests the prices droped about $0.70.  Tonight (I'm writing this Saturday night after shabbat) there is a big demonstration over the high cost of housing in Israel.  There are tent cities set up in protest all over - I've seen them in Gadera, Netanya, Jerusalem, Kiriyat Malachi.  The cost of living is rising, salaries are not.  Social networks are playing a huge role.  To understand the phenomena, check out Clay Shirky's book Here Comes Everybody.

I ended Thursday with a transportation challenge.  With the Gay rights demonstration, many streets in the center of Jerusalem, including Agron St where I was with the USYers, were closed.    I was going to Pardes Hanna (north of Hadera) to play poker.  I ended up taking a 45 minute bus ride to the Central Bus station in J-lem, an express bus to Tel Aviv and the train to Pardes Hanna - 3 hours of travel.  Had a great Falafel in the train station, though so it worked out.  Also, I lost 4 Shekels (about $1.20) but had a great time.

Living the Zionist Dream – Picking Onions and Sweating in Sdreot

"Today’s blog entry is brought to you by USY Group 7, and the fabulous projects of Leket Israel and Amutat Reut/Afikim BaNegev." We started the day early (if you liked Tuesday’s breakfast, you’ll love Wednesday’s – thankfully I like shakshuka). After giving the group an overview, we got on our way to the Schiller Farm to pick onions with Leket Israel (formerly known as Table to Table). The brainchild of Joseph Gitler, Leket Israel has grown and is now, after only 6 years, the largest food recovery/rescue agency in Israel. They have tens of thousands of volunteers annually and they work with over 400 farms and farms to collect unsalable produce, and with corporate dining facilities and caterers to collect unused prepared foods all over Israel. They do no direct service to end users. They work with about 200 existing organizations feeding hungry people in Israel. Produce picked is often in the hands of people in need the next day! They also collect factory overruns of canned goods, frozen foods and dairy products. 19 USYers and 4 staff picked about 1500 Kilograms (3300 pounds of onions) in an hour, picking from only 2 rows. It was intense, and the USYers weren’t ready to stop when we’d finished what we’d come to do.

I spent some time talking about Judaism’s system of social welfare, that it is one of the oldest recorded systems of economic justice in the world, and we have records of Jews supporting each other economically dating back 3500 years. We discussed the Torah’s agricultural laws relating to the protection of the poor, widows and orphans, and that no limits were ever set (setting aside too little or too much)."

After that we headed south to Sderot we meet the incredible people at Afikim BaNegev, a group of 240 families that have moved to Sderot over the last 10 years (even before the kassam missiles were being shot from Gaza, and families are still moving in). this group has made huge progress since I first visted Sderot in 2006. Most homes now have had safe rooms added; many schools and public buildings have been reinforced to withstand attacks, playgrounds now exist with shelters as part of the play equipment. There are after school activities, a yeshiva, community centers and things overall are improving. Israel’s equivalent of American Idol, Kochav Nolad, ended just last week and the winner was an Ethiopian woman from Sderot.  There are new houses being built all over town.

After learning about the group’s work, we went to an infant and toddler center (the birth rate there is climbing – the center has grown in 3 years from 80 to 150 children) where we painted some walls to prepare them for murals that were being planned. We had a lot of fun, though we were short a few brushes and rollers. There are all kinds of fun things for the little ones to do at the center, and it was a real happy place.

At the end of the day I showered, had a glass of Galil Mountain Rose, went out for dinner to Masryk, a great dairy restaurant around the corner from the apartment. I had their really terrific lasagna. I turned in relatively early – the Negev heat takes a lot out of you, though it was not as hot there as some of the days I’ve been there.

Tomorrow, the last of my USY days (for the season. Forever? Who knows).

Local Mitzvahs & Global Mitzvahs – No Small Mitzvahs

Days filled with Mitzvah work and teaching about Mitzvah work nearly always leave me feeling good.  Sometimes sad (we can’t do enough), sometimes inspiring (I wish I were more like her), sometimes frustrating (it doesn’t work when I try that).  But talking about good people doing good things is stimulating, makes me think of new things and almost always leaves me better off at the end of the day than at the beginning.

Today was spent with USY Group 2 (with some other Mitzvah work squeezed in between).  After a very inspired opening by Rabbi Jonathan Porath explaining the Soviet Jewry movement of the 1960s and 1970’s (for these teens, more than 20 years before they were born) and the mass immigration of FSU Jews to Israel in the 1990’s we went to the Diplomat Hotel, now home to about 600 Jews from the form Soviet Union.  Alice Jonah, our Mitzvah hero on site is no stranger to my regular readers.  For 20 years she has worked, nearly single-mindedly, to improve the lives of these immigrants who left their homes and families late in life to throw their lot in with the Jew.

One of the things Alice did about 10 years ago was help the residents start a choir.  You might think, “how is starting a choir such a big mitzvah”?  The short answer is I don’t know if it’s a big mitzvah – I just know I’ve seen first hand that there are no small Mitzvahs.  This choir brings joy and pride to the singers and the audience.  It creates community among people who might otherwise stay in their efficiency apartments all day.  Communal singing (in Hebrew, Shira b’tzibur) has probably been part of human communities for millennia – in our age of ear buds, play lists and personal MP3s, we don’t share music anymore in a public way.  I know my friends Barry Krasner and Eleanor Epstein understand this.  It makes you feel good to sing in a group.  These people feel good, and got the USYers singing and dancing with them (I shot a few seconds of video, hopefully I will be able to post them).  The happiness was infectious.

After a mediocre youth hostel lunch (which, btw, followed a disappointing dinner at a new restaurant in the German Colony, Roza (where Coffee Shop used to be – small portions, inattentive service, quality ok but not great – maybe 1.5 stars) we had a great session with Mitzvah hero Bradley Cohen, founder of all for the kids.  Bradley, one of our younger Mitzvah heroes, enlists Israelis travelling abroad to help him in performing mitzvot to benefit kids in India and Southeast Asia (he left this afternoon for Thailand, spent 4 months last year in India).  Bradley is trying, rather single-handedly, to both improve the lives of kids in orphanages and schools while simultaneously improving the image of Israelis abroad and teaching young post-army Israelis about Tikun Olam.  Bradley speaks beautifully, soulfully and in addition to the story of his own journey, takes the teens we work with through some meditation and martial arts centering techniques.

We ended the day with brainstorming and discussions about finding Mitzvah heroes to teach you how to do the good stuff, that you don’t have to wait for the perfect plan or the perfect opportunity – just start somewhere.

After a very full day (I was up at 3, working by 4:20 am) I was able to unpack my luggage, shop for some staples (milk for coffee, fruit to snack on) I ate my first ½ schwarma at Doron's and now I’m about to call it a night.

Is it still cooler in Israel than the US east coast?

And it was evening and it was morning (and then evening again) on the first day.

"Today’s obvious observation – Travel is a hassle. I don’t know why; it just is. I guess if you travel between bases where you have your own stuff, and don’t have to deal with baggage (of the luggage variety), fees, and shlepping, it’s probably not as bad, but it seems to me we pay an awful lot of money to be inconvenienced these days.

Through the wonders of jet lag its 0600 and I’ve been working since 0330. Third cup of coffee in my hands.

So here’s the plan – within about 13 hours of arrival I’ll be with my first group of USYers, to visit the residents of the Diplomat Hotel in Jerusalem. These are predominantly elderly Russian olim (immigrants) from the last two decades. Alice Jonah, their Mitzvah working angel, help with social programming, Hebrew classes, music classes and a choir, art therapy and helping the infirm get home health care. Alice, who herself is a volunteer does amazing work for these residents and has for about 20 years.

In the afternoon the teens will meet with Bradley Cohen; founder of all for the kids, and an all around great mitzvah guy. Bradley, who spent 8 years living and studying and teaching in Southeast Asia, returns there frequently to help kids there by building schools and teaching in them, and by enlisting Israelis travelling in those countries to assist him. His story is inspiring and his presentation is terrific.

Tonight I’ll be meeting with Robbie Sassoon, completing his rookie season as director of Crossroads, an outreach program to anglo youth in downtown Jerusalem.

Hopefully my luggage has enjoyed its London layover and will join me today. I’m in Israel without my favorite travel corkscrew, and I don’t know how long I can last."

Here is the facebook status I've posted:
Remove Post

Steve Kerbel

Thank you British Airways for the free workout in Terminal 5 so I could make my connectling flight - (think 1970's OJ Simpson Hertz commercial with added 21st century twist of my pants falling down since I didn't stop after security to put my belt back on). Wish you had worked as hard to move my luggage as I had to move my tuches.

Anyone think BA will respond?

Summer 2011 Begins

Well here goes, another summer, another blog of Israel travels, Mitzvah work with Mitzvah heroes and hopefully some winery visits and tastings.  The style hasn't changed though the URL has - Blogspot deleted my former blog.  I have a new camera, so hopefully we'll have a few images, a few comments and some updates of some great mitzvah work.  The photo below is me  last summerat the Holon Parenting center with Begal D, who a year ago was a 4 month old puppy, and now is a 65 kilo (x2.2 to get his pounds - he's big) dinosaur who works hard and plays hard with HAMA (Humans and Animals in Mutual Assistance).  Begal D is named in loving memory of my friend Bill Begal's dad, David, z"l,  who was a dog lover and who died unexpectedly in January 2010.

The adventures continue - keeping checking back for new posts.