Rachel Cohen, at 40 years old made aliyah to Israel from Memphis, Tennessee in 2015. A sparkle in her eyes, six children, and a dream, they flew with great hopes. Her husband, David, an aspiring Judaics teacher, found a job quickly in nearby Jerusalem. The couple lives in a small 3 bedroom rental in Tzur Hadassah. Rachel found a job as a cashier, six months after their arrival and picked up shifts at nighttime as an English tutor. “It was that gap, in salary and our savings that really took a toll on us,” Rachel described.
The children, Meir, Yonah, Nachum, Ariela, Yoni and Hadar acclimated well to Israeli culture. Five year old Yoni and three year old Hadar would bring home weekly small baked Challahs from school. This, the family would learn, would be what they would use to welcome Shabbat. In adding up expenses, the couple calculated an obscene cost to making sure they could observe Shabbat early. The Cohen’s learned that they are not alone.
In order to relieve the stress, Meir Panim launched the “Challah for Shabbat Project.” The organization distributes 3,000 loaves each week to families in need. Watch as Mimi Rozmaryn, director of global development of Meir Panim, distributes these food items, a sister program to Meals on Wheels.
“We are one of the top, leading organizations that provides hope to families in Israel that struggle financially and often, when we sit at the Shabbat table, we have a hard time fathoming those who are not able to serve basic necessities. To that end, we make sure that no one feels cheated by what should be a warm, peaceful, meaningful, inspirational Shabbat experience and day of rest,” Mimi adds.
As the winter season approaches in Israel, please consider donating in support of Meir Panim’s Challah for Shabbat program. Meir Panim works year-round to alleviate the poverty crisis in Israel through a network of Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchens, Meals-on-Wheels, holiday food packages, food shopping cards, and After-School Youth Centers.
Your support touches many in need and helps change lives.
Click here to donate.
Written in cooperation with Meir Panim.
