Social Distancing (Somewhat) at Yad Eliezer

Physically, yes. Personally, no.

by Karen Reiffman

0 Comments | Sunday, June 07, 2020 under Volunteering, Food Boxes, Feed-a-Baby, Shabbat Chicken, Big Brothers and Big Sisters Program, Widow and Orphan Fund, Job Training, Emergency Fund, Adopt-a-Wedding , Kol Kallah Bridal Fund, Bar Mitzvah Project, Holiday Fund, Medical Support

Ok, I’ll admit, the title is a bit misleading-I don’t want to scare anyone off.
Physically, yes, absolutely, Yad Eliezer’s staff and volunteer workers are keeping the required health directives: 2 meter distances, masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, the works.

But if you think about it, despite the fact that in our time the phrase “social distancing” has come to mean keeping physical distance, it can also be interpreted in another way: distancing ourselves from one another on a personal level.

And that’s something that Yad Eliezer will never do.

We haven't been doing it, in so many ways

When it comes to helping Israel’s poorest families, Yad Eliezer is constantly working to figure out what their ever-changing challenges and needs are. What will stabilize their home environments, what will make their lives easier. How we can prevent bad circumstances from becoming worse. You can see it in the variety of programs we offer and the effectiveness at which we run them. Weekly food boxes delivered throughout the country and vouchers for Shabbos and holidays, wedding sponsorships at our beautiful subsidized halls, grants via wire transfer for single mothers, Big Brothers/Sisters mentoring for thousands of kids at risk, emergency financial aid, medical support for cancer patients, job training to pave the way for better futures and so many more. We have decades of experience under our belts and have been changing lives for just as long.
 

Corona Emergency Relief Campaign
 

Most recently, when physical social distancing became a necessity due to the outbreak of covid 19, we immediately set up our Corona Emergency Relief Campaign to help thousands of people who’ve been suffering the effects of lost salaries and income due to business closures. Plunged into borderline poverty levels overnight, we were there right at the beginning to provide parents with emergency assistance to help keep their homes stable and prevent them from getting trapped in debt for the rest of their lives. Donations through the program are helping people pay their rent, buy groceries, keep their electricity connected... whatever it takes to retain the feeling of “normal” in the home, and get them through the crisis until they can get back on their feet. 

We've brought relief to countless families like these

Having distributed over $3 million in assistance so far, it would be impossible to tell you the stories of the countless people we’ve reached with this aid. But here are just three situations in which we were able to make a difference:

The G.s were a stable, working family. Mr. G. owned a small catering business, and Mrs. G. worked in a medical office. Their salaries got them by throughout the years and after some time they were able to carefully invest their savings in an apartment that they rented out. When the crisis hit, the G.s’ three incomes ground to a halt. There was no one to cater for, the medical office’s hours were dramatically reduced, and the renters, who at the time were outside the country, didn’t come back. This suddenly left the G.s high and dry, with no way to pay any of their bills. 

Sara B. worked as a metapelet (babysitter) in a daycare center. When Covid 19 pushed the country into lockdown, she immediately lost her job and salary. Abruptly finding herself jobless and without an income, the expenses in her family’s home began growing out of control.

Ezra S. owned a busy travel agency. Once flights stopped and tourists disappeared, so did his business, which was the main source of income for his family. Ezra’s wife worked a part time job but her minimal salary nowhere near covered their costs and they grasped to pay for even basic necessities, like groceries and rent.

Our Corona Campaign provided emergency support for these average families and so many others just like them. With funds to cover their most urgent bills, they were able to stay afloat until their situations changed, whether it was through the reinstatement of their jobs after the country began opening again, or they were able to find new employment opportunities and other sources of income. 

It seems like every day there is a new development in this Corona crisis and we certainly don’t know what will happen next. But thanks to Yad Eliezer and the donors who support us, we will be able to continue looking out for Israeli families in need, supporting them and bringing real relief in their most trying times. And definitely not social distancing.
 

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