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JEWISH SENIOR LIFE
Wishes you a
Happy, Healthy and
Sweet New Year, 5775.
Thank You to the Community
for Your Continued Support
of Older Adults.
-Soldiers
receive a
delivery from
Meir Panim.
Helping Hands from page 53
Rochelle Upfal
Chief Executive Officer
Carol Rosenberg
Director, JSL Foundation
ment park and museums. The children
Diane Ackerman
Barbra Giles
Associate Director
Aging Services
Associate Director
Residential Services
Matthew Lester
President
Officers & Board of Directors
A. Alfred Taubman
Jewish Community Campus
15000 West Ten Mile Road
Oak Park, MI 48237
Eugene di Marcia Applebaum
Jewish Community Campus
6710 West Maple Road
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
Programs • Residences • Services
248.661.1836 - www.isimi.org
I
NINA•NACLEMORE
receive a nutritious breakfast and a hot
lunch, which many would not receive
otherwise. The camp also extends its
activities from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to allow
parents to work a full day.
Yair, a 14-year-old boy from Or
Akiva, spent much of his early child-
hood sifting through trashcans to find
bottles he could exchange for cash to
help his single mother pay the bills.
He often went to school hungry, with
no breakfast, and lacking basic school
supplies. Despite his difficult situation,
Yair said his life is not nearly as des-
perate today as it once was.
A graduate of both the Meir Panim
youth club and summer camps, Yair
has received assistance and encourage-
ment throughout the years from the
organization, helping him to grow as a
student and as a person.
Last March, Yair was able to take
part in a volunteer program to pass
out free meals to needy families on
Purim. The opportunity to realize that
he was in a position to give as well as
receive filled him with a sense of pride
and purpose. Making the rounds in his
local neighborhoods with a gigantic
smile on his face, Yair spread joy and
hope to all he met.
When War Hits
•
■
Suiting. Casual. Evening. Designer Collection. Made in New York.
550 West Merrill Street, Suite 230 • Birmingham
(enter parking from Martin Street off Southfield Road)
M – F 10 – 6 • Evenings and weekends by appointment • 248.430.4365
New York, Chevy Chase, MD, Atlanta, Aspen, Vail, Nantucket, San Francisco,
Palm Desert, Seattle, Cleveland, Easton & Chestertown, MD
www.ninamclemore.com
54
September 25 • 2014
When rockets rained down on Israel
from Gaza, Israelis around the coun-
try felt the state of emergency. This
urgency translated into service and
Meir Panim organized a massive dis-
tribution of much-needed food and
supplies to the tens of thousands of
soldiers defending Israel in Operation
Protective Edge. The organization
delivered more than 5,000 care pack-
ages to soldiers along the Gaza border.
The packages included food, clothing,
toiletries and other items needed by
soldiers hastily called to action.
Families across Israel donated
home-baked desserts, giving them to
Meir Panim volunteers to bring to the
front lines and offering soldiers a taste
of home during this difficult time. The
organization also has delivered hot
Shabbat meals to soldiers on military
bases across Southern Israel and the
Gaza border.
"There is no greater comfort in the
world like personally receiving sup-
plies or a home-baked treat in the
middle of a warzone," said Yonatan,
a soldier coordinating the deliveries
with Meir Panim. "We are fighting so
that safety and quiet will be restored
here in Israel. Knowing that organiza-
tions like Meir Panim and individuals
from across Israel care about us so
much gives us renewed strength to
carry out our mission. I feel that all of
Israel has become one family in this
turbulent time."
Meir Panim also coordinated care
packages for families in the South that
included toys and snacks to keep chil-
dren entertained during the difficult,
long summer days — often spent in a
bomb shelter. In the Southern town of
Dimona, Meir Panim's Free Restaurant
was forced to close due to the proximity
of incoming rocket fire. Staff and vol-
unteers cooked, packaged and delivered
meals to the needy in their homes and
in shelters. All of these efforts provided
encouragement to the hundreds of
thousands of Israelis in crisis.
"Thousands of individual volunteers
worked all day to give our soldiers and
needy families in the South everything
that they need in this time said Shmuel
Levy, director of logistics of Meir Panim.
"From hot Shabbat meals and socks for
soldiers, to toys for children, so many
Israelis from across the country stepped
up to help, donate and give'
Using precise and innovative strate-
gies, Meir Panim has made a tremen-
dous effort in relieving the burden for
thousands of needy Israelis, young and
old. As 5775 begins, we can only pray
that the need for such services dimin-
ishes. ❑
To join with Meir Panim in fighting poverty
in Israel, visit www.meirpanim.org or email
info@meirpanim.org. Donations can be sent
to 5316 New Utrecht Avenue Brooklyn, NY
11219, or by calling toll free (877) 736-6283.
All contributions are tax-deductible.