XVII. Mitzvah Locksmiths

A. SAM'S STORY ($710.89)
During our programs, we frequently ask if anyone has a learning disability. Normally, more than a few hands are raised. Further questioning usually reveals that it took years for anyone to either diagnose or acknowledge the disability, and that it was a great source of embarrassment. When we discovered Samantha Abeel a few years ago, her story inspired us. Samantha was profoundly affected by a disability known as dyscalculia, the gross inability to comprehend numbers and time. If you think about the many ways we use numbers and time in our daily life, you know how debilitating this can be. Sam's story of how she overcame her disability can be found in her book, Reach For The Moon. We have purchased copies of this book and give them to individuals and schools where the book's lessons will be meaningful. The book is available at bookstores or from the publisher, Pfeifer-Hamilton, 800-247-6789, fax: 218-727-0505. Sam is graduating from Mt. Holyoke College this year and we are very proud of her! To find out more about working with people who learn differently, contact Samantha's mother, Betsy Abeel: 231-947-2058.

B. BRING ME THE OCEAN ($1,497.12)
Rebecca Reynolds has written an amazing book that recounts the powerful benefits of nature when it is brought to residential or medical settings. When the many senses of someone living in a hospital, nursing home, or closed-care institution are exposed to, perhaps, some seaweed, a bird's nest, or an animal, miracles can occur. Doors to the past can open and strong memories pour out. A new perspective on what has become a lonely and painful existence is frequently the result. We have contributed to Rebecca's program by purchasing her book, Bring Me The Ocean (VanderWyk & Burnham, 978-263-5906), distributing it at our talks, as well as directly supporting her work.

[Rebecca Reynolds, Seabury School, Inc., POB 155, Concord, MA 01742, 978-369-2585, aaiseabury@aol.com or rreynolds4@aol.com.]

XVIII. Free Services

A. INTEREST-FREE LOANS

1. IN ISRAEL ($1,100): Interest-free loans have been part of Jewish Life since Biblical times. Established in 1990, the Israel Free Loan Association (IFLA) has provided 13,000 loans, totaling more than $21,500,000 for recent immigrants, families with a member who has disabilities, large families, and other segments of Israel's population who benefit greatly from this particular form of Grand Mitzvah. As of March 12, 2000, Ziv's cumulative contributions of $24,210 have circulated and recirculated to amount to $154,700 (172 loans), a 639% return on our "investment" - an incredible stretch of our Mitzvah money.

[IFLA, c/o Dr. Eliezer Jaffe, 37 Azza St., Jerusalem, home phone: 02-563-7450, mselijaf@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il, www.freeloan.org.il. IFLA: 64 Azza St., POB 4579, 02-563-0248, fax: 566-9504. Tax-deductible contributions through PEF-Israel Endowments. See Section II:A above.]

2. IN ISRAEL: GOMEL L'ISH CHESED ($1,000): For many years our friend, Dr. David Weiss, has been part of this Israeli grass-roots organization which provides interest-free loans for people in need.

[Gomel L'Ish Chesed, POB 769, Jerusalem, Israel.]

3. PHOENIX FREE LOAN ASSOCIATION-MAIMONIDES FUND ($500)*: The Phoenix Free Loan's Maimonides Fund has a very specific mandate - money in this particular fund is used exclusively to assist people who are not likely to repay the loan because of their extreme circumstances. This is a vital part of any free loan association.

[The Phoenix Free Loan Association, Louis Kriegfeld, Chairman of the Board, 400 W. Camelback Road, #114, Phoenix, AZ 85013, 602-230-7983.]

4. PHILADELPHIA: ($250): The free-loan program at Beth Shalom in Elkins Park, PA, is one of several found in synagogues across the country. We strongly encourage every congregation to institute this type of program for their own members.

[Hebrew Free Loan Society of Beth Sholom Congregation, 12 Powers Place, Dresher, PA 19025, Attn: Bernard and Marie Granor, 215-885-2843, fax: 830-8599, bernard@granorprice.com.]

Ziv is a member of The International Association of Hebrew Free Loans (IAHFL). To explore establishing such a group in your community, contact Irwin Wiener, IAHFL President, 415-546-9902, info@hflasf.org, www.freeloan.org.

B. JEWISH FREE MEDICAL SERVICES ($2,500)
 We are dazzled by the tremendous number of programs the Jewish Renaissance Foundation sponsors. They provide medical care to the uninsured or underinsured. They run health fairs and screening programs. They offer medical assistance to communities around the world. Their Sukkat Shalom program offers housing and other support to victims of domestic violence, and the program that we have contributed to, Yaakov's Yadayim, gives Jewish teens with disabilities the opportunity to socialize through such venues as therapeutic horseback riding.

[Jewish Renaissance Foundation, POB 2506, 149 Kearny Ave. Perth Amboy, NJ 08862, Attn: Dr. Alan Goldsmith, 732-324-2114, toll-free phone: 800-954-3080, fax: 324-0256, www.jrfmed.org.]

We remind you of a similar project started by David Pomeranz in Boston (617-277-8989, dpomer99@aol.org) - "Community Health Access Program" (CHAP) (formerly the Boston Jewish Medically Uninsured Project-BJMUP). For current information, contact: Wayne Kessler, Center for Family Assistance at JF&CS, 617-558-1278, e-mail them at wkessler@jfcsboston.org, or visit their website at www.jfcsboston.org/services/chap.htm.

C. JEWISH FREE LEGAL SERVICES
We continue to stress the importance of free legal services for people who cannot afford to pay for such services. In particular, housing or family legal issues can be problematic for people living in poverty. We are familiar with several free-standing agencies that provide vital legal services on a pro bono basis. They are named, most appropriately, Bet Tzedek, "The Place Where Tzedek/Justice Happens."

We suggest that you call Joy Rothenberg at 513-984-6768, jhr@unidial.com to learn more about starting a Bet Tzedek in your own community.

Two current Bet Tzedek programs are (1) Los Angeles: Gina Lobaco, 323-939-0506, www.bettzedek.org, and (2) Boston: Wayne Kessler, 617-558-1278, wkessler@jfcsboston.org.

XIX. Peace and Reconciliation

A. BUILDING BRIDGES FOR PEACE ($2,450)
Melodye Feldman and her organization, Seeking Common Ground, are in the peace-making business. SCG is a fine example of promoting peace between Arabs and Jews by working with individuals, one-on-one. Their summer program unites young people from diverse cultural, religious, socio-economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Living together in a Colorado summer camp setting, they work toward understanding each other's background and differences. With the new skills and attitudes that they acquire, they return home to begin the arduous task of building peace within their own communities. We are very impressed with their results.

[Seeking Common Ground, Melodye Feldman, Executive Director, P.O. Box 101958, Denver, Colorado, 303-698-9368, fax: 698-9764, bbfpeace@aol.com, http://ajp.com/scg.]

B. A BETTER WORLD ($1,750)
Maureen Kushner's work with Israel's schoolchildren continues. Using the medium of art, these children produce beautiful paintings which reflect their feelings about the tension and unrest in Israeli society. She also worked in the United States with the five-year-old children who witnessed the terror at the Los Angeles JCC as well as with children at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital suffering from cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening illnesses. Her work brings smiles and happiness to many children whose lives are filled with pain and sadness.

[Maureen Kushner, Peace Through Humor, 122 Park Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217, 718-230-5369.]

XX. Marvelous Miscellaneous Projects

A. JEWISH SERVICE ($750)
Rabbi David Rosenn was one of Ziv's outstanding interns during the summer of 1993. Upon graduation from rabbinical school, he followed his dream to establish a place where Jewish college graduates could spend a year working with the very poor population served by New York's social service agencies. The pay is minimal, all interns (nine, the first year) live together in a group home in Brooklyn and the study of Tzedakah text is an integral part of their life. "Community building," in David's own words, "is one of our most valuable assets."

[Avodah, 443 Park Ave. South., 11th Floor, New York, NY 10016, Attn.: Rabbi David Rosenn, 212-545-7759, fax: 686-1353, info@avodah.net, www.avodah.net.]

B. THE SHEFA FUND ($500)
The Shefa fund supports many wonderful and original projects. It is also an exceptional resource for creative Tzedakah. We highly recommend their excellent publications on socially responsible giving.

[Shefa Fund, 8459 Ridge Ave., 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19128, Attn: Jeffrey Dekro, 215-483-4004, fax: 483-4429, info@shefafund.org, www.shefafund.org.]

C. OUTREACH AND INREACH ($250)*
The Jewish Appleseed Foundation, established by Rabbi Jo David, works on many different levels to promote Judaism within the greater community. Her public relations program provides news releases about Jewish holidays to the rural press, with the hope of educating the readers about Jewish life. Her outreach project offers information to those who are considered "marginal" or uninvolved Jews. Recently, the Foundation adopted a Russian-speaking congregation in Brooklyn and provided a Rabbi to a community in Germany. We are impressed with their efforts.

[Jewish Appleseed Foundation, Inc. Rabbi Jo David, Executive Director, PO Box 308, New York, NY 10021, 212-249-5142, fax: 249-0799, jseed18@aol.com, www.jewishappleseed.org.]

D. EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ($1,303.20)
We cannot stress enough the importance of the educational materials we produce. These materials are an integral part of getting our message across to as many people as possible. Just as we consider the Annual Report an educational tool (more than a vehicle for raising funds) so, too, our printed matter and tapes serve to educate people in the ways of Tzedakah.
 

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Last Update by 09/19/2002