A year of relief
and service for
Israel's needy.

Daniela Berkowitz

Special to the Jewish News

A

s we reflect upon the past year,
we remember our struggles and
our high points. For organiza-
tions like Meir Panim, Rosh Hashanah is
a natural time to make this assessment
while looking forward to the next year.
Sadly, the problem of poverty in Israel
remains dire: more than 1.7 million
Israelis — about 22 percent of Israel's
population — are living below the pov-
erty line, according to the 2013 National
Insurance Institute's annual report. One
out of every three children and more than
180,000 elderly live in poverty. While
the report found a 0.5 percent drop in
the number of people living in poverty,
439,500 Israeli households still are living
below the poverty line.
Throughout the year, Meir Panim, an
organization committed to relieving the
strains of poverty across all sectors of
Israeli society, offers an array of services
to aid those most in need. When chal-
lenges arise, Meir Panim implements pro-
grams that serve Israel's neediest popula-
tions with respect and dignity. Since 2000,
the organization has been responding to
the poverty crisis in a variety of ways,
serving all Israelis, regardless of ethnic-
ity or religious background, through food
and social service programs.

The Jewish Holidays
In Israel, the Jewish holidays are of utmost
importance, a time to celebrate and feast
with family and friends. However, for
many, these are lonely and trying seasons,
particularly for those who face financial or
emotional hardships. For example, Meir
Panim's unique "Kulam B'Seder" cam-
paign links up hosts offering a seat at a
Passover Seder to a guest in need. Project
coordinator Shalom Cohen reported that
most inquiries came from people who
feel lonely and find it difficult to celebrate
the holiday without family or friends on
whom to lean.
"This is a sensational program that has
an overwhelmingly positive response. Last
year, we received nearly 10,000 inquiries
and paired more than 2,000 guests and
hosts for Passover:' Cohen said.
In another program, before Rosh
Hashanah and Passover, Meir Panim teams
up with social workers across the country
to distribute food shopping cards. Funded
by Meir Panim, each debit card is pre-
loaded with 250 shekels and is awarded to
needy individuals and families who can
use them at major Israeli supermarket
chains to purchase food and household
items. The cards are programmed with
technology that tracks purchases, block-
ing their use for alcohol or cigarettes, but
still granting recipients the flexibility to
customize their purchases. Nearly 2,000
people receive these cards.
Asher, a Jerusalem resident who lost his
parents at Auschwitz, spends his days beg-
ging for money at one of the city's busiest
intersections. Daily, he earns between 50
and 60 shekels from the small change peo-

ple donate, he estimated. Upon receiv-
ing a food card from Meir Panim before
Rosh Hashanah, Asher said, "This is
going to save my holiday. I'm going to
use this to buy myself a chicken, some
fruit and vegetables. If I'm able to, I'd
like to buy something new for my apart-
ment"
In addition to the special holiday
programs, Meir Panim branches across
Israel annually serve approximately
350,000 free meals out of restaurant-
style soup kitchens, which also prepare
meals-on-wheels for delivery to an addi-
tional 190,000 people.

Above: Low-income children have fun at an
amusement park.

For The Children

Moreover, Meir Panim gives special
attention to children in impoverished
areas, offering hot lunches, afterschool
clubs and summer day camps. These
programs serve as a safe haven and
touch the lives of thousands of youth
and their families.
This past summer, Meir Panim oper-
ated a highly subsidized day camp for
young children of low-income families
in Or Akiva. The camp caters to children Many hungry people receive meals through
Meir Panim.
who come from single-parent house-
holds, suffer from learning disabilities
Or Akiva Program Director Shalom
or come from broken homes, with most
of the children falling into one or more of
Suissa said that the program's purpose is to
these categories. The Or Akiva branch is
give these children an experience that is not
just one of several camps and afterschool
only fun and educational, but also makes
programs run by Meir Panim across Israel.
them feel "just as worthy" as any other child
At the Meir Panim afterschool clubs, chil-
who is not dealing with the same difficul-
dren enjoy enrichment activities, receive
ties as they are. At camp, children partici-
assistance with their schoolwork, counsel-
pate in exciting activities, from sports to
ing from professional social workers and
arts and crafts, and go on at least one field
develop lasting friendships.
trip a week — to the zoo, the local amuse-
Helping Hands on page 54

September 25 • 2014

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