What We Can Do to Help Israel Now - by Charlie Savenor

What Can We Do for Israel? "The Mah Initiative"

At the end of December, 2013, I turned 45. In Hebrew every letter has a numerical equivalent in a system called gematria. The number 45 has the numerical value of the Hebrew word “mah” that means “what”.

Reaching this chronological milestone, I wondered what can I do to help the world?

With this in mind, I introduced “The Mah Initiative”, what we can do to make tomorrow better than today, to help lone soldiers in Israel.

In the Israel Defense Force (IDF), a lone soldier is defined as a serviceman or woman without parents or family in Israel. There are roughly 4,000 lone soldiers in Israel, mostly from North America and Russia. I find their commitment to Israel and the Jewish people to be deeply inspiring. Many lone soldiers frequently have no one to go home to and, in some cases, have no home at all on weekends. I have heard heartbreaking stories from these young soldiers who sleep in city parks because they had no place to go on leave, including Shabbat.

Recently my family and I visited Israel and had Shabbat dinner with several lone soldiers through United Synagogue's Family Israel Experience. We were deeply inspired by the soldiers' stories about making aliyah, joining the army and deciding to serve their country and people. One thread of their stories is that they had to make these choice on their own, without their families around them. The mere thought of making these commitments without parents and siblings is daunting.

To address this issue,United Synagogue’s Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center set up a program three years ago to provide meals and housing for lone soldiers who need a place to stay on weekends. The Fuchsberg Center has designated a room for lone soldiers in memory of Michael Levin z”l, a lone soldier from Philly who died in service of Israel.

It costs $10,000 a year to run this program. Our initial gift from Marc Savenor, my brother, ran out, so the time has come to raise funds for this vital cause.

It is my goal to raise $10,000 to cover next year, and we are nearly at $7,000. Any help you can offer will be much appreciated.


I invite you to support lone soldiers through a financial gift:

·         $2000 sponsors a holiday meal for 100 soldiers at Fuchsberg

·         $360 houses four lone soldiers for a weekend at Fuchsberg

·         $180 houses two lone soldiers for a weekend at Fuchsberg

·         $90 houses one soldier for a weekend at Fuchsberg

·         $45 covers meals for a soldier

·         And $18 shows you care about these brave men and women who protect Israel.

 
You can donate online at https://secure2.convio.net/uscj/site/Donation2;jsessionid=137D02F91AC61A6D3C05C6C66AC44F69.app202a?idb=309022701&df_id=1180&1180.donation=form1&idb=0. You can direct your gift to "lone soldiers". 

You can also send your gift to: United Synagogue – Lone Soldier Initiative, 820 Second Ave, 10^th Fl., New York, NY 10017


Your donation is not going toward bricks and mortar, rather every penny goes to room and board for these modern day heroes of Israel.


If you ever wondered what you can do to support Israel, I invite you to participate in “The MahInitiative”. Israel needs our help now more than ever!

Praying for Peace,

Rabbi Charlie Savenor