Monday, December 19

Ohel Esther - the tent that feeds hundreds

Ahavas Chesed, the welfare arm of the Belz Chasidus was founded by my dear friend and room-mate, Rabbi Aaron Feibush from Bene Beraq, Israel.
What started as a food distribution initiative in the local Shul, has mushroomed into a national organisation that helps hundreds of destitute families make ends meet.
Twenty years later, Ahavas Chesed has managed to alleviate life-threatening problems from many children, by preventing the effects from malnutrition - a scourge in the lower income groups in the Holy Land.
Apart from food programmes, Ahavas Chesed now has an employment advisory line, a job placement office, a career training project and a host of similar activities - all geared to improve the lot Belzer Chasidim and others in the Ultra-Orthodox community.
In 5773 (2013), the total combined income of the families that were helped by Ahavas Chesed reached two million NIS.
The projected income for 5774 (2014) is ten million NIS, a 500% increase YOY, which will be reached by the many strategic investments and operational improvements that were introduced in the past couple of years.
Last year in Tammuz 5773 (July 2013) a new food distribution facility was opened in Bene Beraq, financed by the extended Scharf family from Antwerp, in memory of the unforgettable, dynamic one-woman Chesed institution Mrs Esther Scharf OB"M, who was taken away from her nine children in the prime of her life at the age of 46 years.
The decades that passed since her passing have not diminished the pain that is felt by all who know her or came into contact with her through her many acts of loving kindness and the love she dished out to whoever crossed her path.
Ohel Esther, the tent that carries her name is enabling hundreds of families in the cities of Bene Beraq, Ashdod, Tel Aviv and recently Kiryat Gat to manage their weekly budgets in a survivable manner.
The half a dozen industrial freezers and giant sized fridges - situated near the many pallet racks and filling stations empower the volunteering team to fulfil the many requests for help coming from the poorest segments of the community, thereby ensuring that no one is turned away empty handed.
May this laudable project engender much heavenly blessing on all involved, may it encourage others who are blessed with plenty to share their bounty with others less fortunate and may her soul up above reap the many merits that this powerhouse Ohel Esther is generating on a daily basis - Amen.

First published on 01 July 2014, on Jewish P.O.S.T. - the Jewish Voice for the People Of South Tottenham (this Blog is now defunct).

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