Activity booths, gifts, donuts, treats, games, contests, songs and lots of joy characterized the Chanukah parties that were held at Meir Panim – Power of Giving branches throughout Israel.

Many hundreds of disadvantaged families participated in the Chanukah parties that took place (on December 27, 2005) with the cooperation of the "Meir Panim – Power of Giving" organization, Bat-Ami (young women in National Service), the Himmelfarb School in Jerusalem, and the Zoharim rehabilitation village, and enjoyed a wide range of activities for children. The celebrations began with the Chanukah candle lighting, after which the other activities got underway.

The activities in the game booths throughout the country were run by young women doing National Service in the framework of Bat-Ami. These booths included – among other programs – art, shooting darts, treasure hunts and bingo.

At the Chanukah celebration held in Jerusalem, the boys' orchestra from the Himmelfarb School electrified the air, adding to the excitement generated by the other fun activities.

At the end of the evening, each child received gifts that were delivered especially to these parties from Belgium, as a donation from the Clicstoys company, thanks to the efforts of Belgian Friends of Meir Panim – Yad Rivka.

An art workshop for young artists, youth clubs, professional training courses, volunteer training, various classes – all these and others are special projects that have been arranged in the wake of the establishment of a coalition of organizations on behalf of the Ethiopian community.

The circle of needy people among the Ethiopian population throughout Israel continues to expand with every passing day, drawing many additional families and their children. These crisis-ridden families have difficulty functioning on even the most basic levels of food, household supplies, education, and employment. These hardships make it difficult to manage day-to-day life and do not allow for even a minimal standard of living.

In an effort to provide at least a partial response to this crisis, the Meir Panim – Power of Giving organization decided to establish a coalition of organizations spanning the spectrum of Israeli society (Shtil, Yedid, Be'atzmi, Assistance Center for Religious Women, the Efshari organization, Eishet Chayil, Gevanim, Hagshamat Chalom, the Hatzvi organization, Fidel, and others) with the aim of developing cooperation and a coordinated, systematic method of involvement in the community, and which will combine the organizations serving the community, advocacy groups and local grassroots organizations among Ethiopians.

The project was launched approximately five months ago and began its work in the following cities: Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi, Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva. It will deal in the areas of communal reinforcement, finding employment solutions, including accompaniment after the beginning of employment, education, community volunteering, developing young leadership, and others

Over 300 volunteers from throughout Israel attended the annual Meir Panim – Power of Giving gathering held at the Air Force Center in Hertzelia.Mr. Rafi Elul, chairman of the Ru'ach Tova organization, greeted the attendees and commended the work of the volunteers and the importance of volunteer work generally.

Rabbi Shai Piron, principal of the Yeshurun Academy, which educates its students towards giving and kindness and is the home of several kindness initiatives, including the nationwide hotline of Meir Panim – Power of Giving, showed a video about the academy and the charitable activities that take place there.

A particularly emotional feature was the video that was shown of the Zoharim addiction rehabilitation village, entitled "Addicted to Giving." It told the inspiring stories of the great satisfaction and considerable change these people have experienced as a result of volunteer work and contribution to the community, which earned them the community's sincere affection.

The highlight of the evening was the ceremony in which certificates were presented to outstanding volunteers for their work in the various branches.

South: Hershko Zoborovsky, POG Ashkelon; Lilian Cohen, POG Kiryat Gat; Aliza Zamir, Meir Panim Kiryat Gat; Masoda Levi, Meir Panim Dimona; Neli Zomorovsky, POG Yerocham.Jerusalem: Esther Shimon, Meir Panim; Nicole Azarzar, POG.Netanya: Lili Zeitoun, Meir Panim; Itzik Solimon, POG.Tel Aviv: Shoshana Yechezkeli, POG.Or Akiva: Meirson family, Yisrael and Lula.Migdal Ha'emek: Moshe Bendo.Kiryat Shemona: Rosa Ochayon.Acre: Roital Speizman.Haifa: Tamar Abramov, Natan Stolar.Tiberias: Nissim Cohen, Yaakov Bindis.Safed: Mark Zuckerman.Chatzor Haglilit: Zohara Ben-Lulu.Yokne'am: Rachel Mualam Mishael.

The evening was graced from beginning to end with the beautiful performances of the children's choir of the Tokiar School.

The Israel Center for Third Sector Studies, in conjunction with the Forum for Improving Nutritional Security and the Advancement of Poor Populations, held a conference in September presenting the results of the cooperation between these two organizations in mapping the various food charities in Israel.

Participants in the conference included decision-makers as well as representatives from organizations, the government and academia. Among the participants were: MK Professor Yuli Tamir; Professor Yossi Tamir; Dr. Chald Abu Asbach; Dudi Zilbershlag; Yael Shalgi; Yoram Gabai; Uri Yafeh; Nili Dror; Ronit Hed, and others. Professor Binyamin Gidron, director of the Center for Third Sector Studies, and Mrs. Sari Fox, chairman of the Forum for Improving Nutritional Security and the Advancement of Poor Populations, opened the conference. The event earned extensive media coverage.

The Center, in the framework of which the mapping was conducted, affords great importance to developing research tools for devising policy ("policy relevant research"). From the research perspective, this is important in light of the need to understand characteristic development trends and roles of the third sector in Israel generally, as well as what is occurring in charity organizations that support and provide food for the poor, a realm in which the number of organizations and target populations have grown considerably particularly over the last several years. And from the viewpoint of policy, great importance is given to empirical studies for the purpose of reaching decisions and devising a well-grounded and well-conceived policy. Several practical recommendations were produced from the study conducted by Mrs. Esther Levinson (Mapping of Non-Profit Organizations: Scope and Forms of Activity, 2004), who was accompanied by a steering committee led by Mrs. Yael Shalgi of Matan.**

* The Forum coordinated over fifty foundations, donors and federations for the purpose of dealing with the harsh economic conditions in Israel. The Forum's objective is to promote the development of an overarching, systematic policy on the basis of research and study of the approaches taken to solving similar problems in other countries.

** The study may be purchased through the Center's offices, and the recommendations are available through the Forum for Improving Nutritional Security and the Advancement of Poor Populations: 02-671-1478

A Meir Panim-POG volunteer has undertaken a heartwarming initiative. Rafi Sofer, a volunteer for Meir Panim, has set up a new internet site called "Rak Tov" ("Only Good"), to encourage good deeds and publicize them. The site was established in memory of his son, Guy, who passed away last year.

Guy chose to depart this world last year, leaving his family with an enormous void, struggling to deal with this painful loss. But Guy continues to influence, influencing people to act kindly through this internet site, encouraging the public to perform good deeds and tell about them on the site.

Four months ago, Guy appeared in a dream to his father, Rafi Sofer, and showed him a heart upon which was written the words, "Rak Tov," thereby expressing his desire that this be the name of the website.

The outline of the site was set up the very next morning. Rafi Sofer tells, "We set up the site 'Rak Tov' in order to collect stories of good deeds which will work to offset all the negative stories to which we are exposed, and to publicize only that which is good and beautiful – 'Rak Tov'."

Hundreds of surfers have visited the site since its launching, some of whom have added their personal stories. One of them, the "backgammon story," tells of a lonely, angry, bitter, dejected person who "came back to life" thanks to the efforts of another person, who by chance visited his filthy, unkempt house and gradually penetrated his heart through a game of backgammon.

All these stories – both big and small – are inspiring and emotional to the point of tears. Some were written by youngsters, and give the reader a sense that it is possible to make a change, and that we have the ability to do "only good."Rafi Sofer is an active volunteer for the Meir Panim – Power of Giving organization, devoting much of his time to fixing and renovating computers that are then given to needy children.

Rafi calls upon you to help him build a better world, a world of good deeds that will provide each one of us with great personal satisfaction.
Please visit the site and be inspired by these stories; and spread the word in any way you can, for the benefit of all of us.

Visit the site at: http://www.raktov.com

A “Meir Panim for the Family” club opened last Thursday (Nov. 3, 2005) in Kiryat Gat and will run next door to the Meir Panim restaurant in the Veradim Tower. The project is being run in cooperation with the Bagir-Polgat company, under the leadership of its director-general Mr. Ofer Gilboa, and “Bat Ami” is helping by arranging for volunteer work by girls in Sherut Leumi (National Service program).

The club will serve a wide range of ages. In the morning hours, the city’s elderly population will have the opportunity to benefit from the club’s facilities, which will offer games, hot drinks, activity workshops, academic enrichment and a listening hear.

During the afternoon, approximately 25 children from grades 1-4 will attend the club and receive a hot lunch, help with their homework assignments, games, and counseling.

The festive evening to celebrate the club’s inauguration was attended by representatives from Bagir-Polgat, the coordinator of “Bat Ami,” and the children attending the club. The event began with the mezuzah-affixing ceremony, after which the guests were treated to a festive supper, prepared by volunteer Devora Megis.

100 members of the Bnai Brith movement took part in a major event held by Bnai Brith in Frankfurt to discuss the various ways to advance Meir Panim's activities through the community in Germany. The event took place thanks to the invitation Presidents of Meir Panim in Germany, Ralph Hoffman, and his wife, Simona, in order to lay the groundwork for extensive cooperation between the German Jewish community and the organization.

At the beginning of the event, Meir Panim's chairman Dudi Zilbershlag and director Moshe Levkovitz described the organization's work, and the president of Meir Panim in Germany spoke of the importance of cooperation between the communities as a means of creating a bond between Jews. The Chief Rabbi of Frankfurt, Rabbi Menachem Klein shlit"a, commended the participants for their investment of energy and money on behalf of the organization's work.

Meir Panim chairman Mr. Dudi Zilbershlag described the visit as a very important one, during which many seeds were planted for cooperation between the warm community in Frankfurt and Meir Panim, and he expressed his hope that this cooperation will continue to grow and blossom.

As Rosh Hashanah approaches, we are busy preparing for our annual "Meir Panim Le-chag - Something That Brings Joy to Someone" project, in cooperation with Army Radio, Hashomer Ha'tzair, Ynet, and many commercial companies. Our focus for this coming holiday is needy children. We will be raising funds on their behalf, to purchase children's meals, toys, sweets, books, new clothes, and… dreams.

Bouquets of flowers will be distributed to the elderly for the holiday, such that they will receive both some attention from the volunteer, as well as decorative flowers. As part of this project, thousands of households throughout Israel will receive purchasing tags and food to enable them to observe the holiday in appropriate fashion.

Both religious and secular youth groups will take part in this project, as well as thousands of volunteers and regular citizens. The collection of products will take place in malls throughout the country.

The following products can be donated at the collection centers listed below or to Meir Panim - Power of Giving branches:

Dry food: Rice, pasta, breadcrumbs, honey, chocolate spread, wine, cakes, cookies, sugar, flour, oil and canned foods.

General items:
Toys, new clothes, sweets, snacks, books, and anything children love…

Partners in the project:
Army Radio, Ynet, Paz Gas Tel Aviv, the volunteer department of the Welfare Ministry, Sheraton, Ru'ach Tova, Zer4U, Bagir, Polgat, Amodex, Microsoft, Bank Mizrachi, Aviv-Shigur, Fishman, Matan, Jetix, Mci, Bnei Akiva, Egged, the Israel Youth Award, Ha'shomer Ha'tzair.

List of malls participating in the project:
Jerusalem Mall - Malcha, Jerusalem
Haifa Mall - Freud Rd., Feliman 4
Dizingoff Center - 6 Dizingoff St., Tel Aviv
Harel Mall - Mevaseret Tzion; Ma'aleh Hakastel, Mevaseret Tzion
Or Yehuda Mall - 120 Sa'adon Eliyahu, Or Yehuda
Em Ha'derech Mall - Bet Yannai interchange, near Moshav Bet Cherut.
Power Center, Petach Tikva - 17 Rabin Rd. (by the entrance to Jumbo)
Weitzman Center - Weitzman St., near Ichilov Hospital
Giron Mall, Ashkelon - near Ashkelon Municipality
Lev Ha'ir Mall - Lachish Blvd., Kiryat Gat
Home Center - "Big" complex, Be'er Sheva
Drachim Mall #1, Yokne'am - 2 Hatamar, Yokne'am Ilit

At a festive ceremony held at the Variety Center in Jerusalem, three new welfare initiatives in the city were formally launched, all of which will work under a multi-organizational team founded and led by Mr. Arkady Gaidamak, president of KAROR - the Congress of Jewish Communities in Russia. The establishment of these projects was made possible thanks to Mr. Gaidamak's generous contribution.

The first project launched is the "Child Development Center" of Meir Panim, Variety Jerusalem, Haddasah Hospital, and the healthcare union. The initiative to bring together the various organizations was that of Sasson Amit, a member of Meir Panim's administration and owner of the "Tzamtzam" chain, who took it upon himself to further the cause of children's health in Meir Panim's agenda.

The second project that was launched is the establishment of a Power of Giving warehouse in East Jerusalem to help families in need. The project will run in cooperation with PMPI company in East Jerusalem.

The third project is a "start-up center" for Ethiopian immigrants. The center will assist in employment and occupational training among this sector, and address issues involving domestic violence, education and sports.

At the launching ceremony, Mr. Gaidamak remarked that Russian Jews are thinking of Israel and are committed to her. Through his contribution, Mr. Gaidamak wishes to convey a message to Diaspora Jewry, urging them to contribute as much as possible to the cause of alleviating economic distress in Israel. Mr. Gaidamak further commented that "we are starting small today, but the assistance will continue to grow."

Speakers at the ceremony included Welfare Minister Mr. Avraham Ravitz, who discussed the need to help needy families in Israel; Mr. Yoram Blashar, chairman of the world healthcare union, who praised the initiative, particularly in light of the fact that many families do not have the means to purchase medications; Amnon Angel, chairman of Variety Jerusalem; Karni Kav, from the Israel Volunteering Council; Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, Chief Rabbi of Moscow; and Mr. Dudi Zilbershlag, who created this coalition of organizations.

In his address, Dudi Zilbershlag spoke of the need for cooperation and resource pooling between different organizations in order to make a significant change in Israel.

In the annual scale (2005) published by the newspaper The Marker, Dudi Zilbershlag, chairman of Meir Panim - Power of Giving, was ranked among the ten most influential people in Israel in the area of social welfare, and among the one hundred most influential people on the Israeli economy generally.

Three years ago, a group of Jewish students at Cheltenham High School formed a club called "American Teens for Israel" sponsored by Simcha Noznisky, a teacher at the school. The members of this club show their concerns and support to the state of Israel by organizing schoolwide activities. Among these activities were guest speakers, posting articles and photos around the school, all on behalf of Israel. The students also conducted several fundraising activities and they donated the money to different organizations in Israel. The club members were touched by the mission of Meir Panim and decided to donate $200.00 to help and show their support and appreciation of Meir Panim's relief efforts on behalf of Israel's needy.

Rosh Hashanah is soon approaching, and the Meir Panim organization is already intensively involved in preparations for the Meir Panim Le-chag ("Shining Faces for the Festival") project, during which toys, clothing and food packages will be collected. We will help fulfill a dream, by collecting donations from around the country on behalf of underprivileged children. Standing at the head of the campaign is Mrs. Gila Katzav, wife of the Israeli president, who is leading the public-communal effort on behalf of the needy, together with the Deputy Welfare Minister. Partners in this project include youth groups, Army Radio, the y-net internet site, and many public and commercial companies who have taken it upon themselves to lend a shoulder on behalf of children and the elderly this Rosh Hashanah.

The project's overseer, Mr. Amos Elad, says that "the 'Chag Savei'a' ('Satiated Festival') project held this year before Pesach proved to us that the need to assist the underprivileged before the holidays, when family expenses are high, is exceedingly critical. I call upon whoever can to join this campaign and lend assistance, so that with his help, another child can celebrate the holiday with joy and good health."

Underprivileged children in Kiryat Gat were given the opportunity to attend camps this past summer vacation, thanks to the successful partnership between the "Bagir" company and its president, Mr. Tzvika Birenbaum, and chairman, Ofer Gilboa, and Meir Panim. The "Bagir" company provided funding for the children's participation in the camps, and Meir Panim supplied 19,000 scrumptious, wholesome meals for the children.

For both the children and their parents, this was an especially happy summer. It should be noted that the "Bagir" company is a key partner in the establishment of the Food Factory for Negev Children.

Hundreds of toys, books, cleaning and maintenance supplies, suits and clothes were put on sale for a shekel per item. Within four hours after the event began, over eighty percent of the products donated to the bazaar were sold. In all, approximately 2500 people took part and came to Paz Park to shop, enjoy, browse, and to shower the people working there with compliments.

The bazaar was held on Aug. 23, 2005 at Paz Park in Kiryat Gat, allowing the city's residents to purchase quality items for a joke of a price. At the same time, a plethora of activities were run at the park for families, and food stands distributed hot food to the participants. The "Bagir" company donated 53 new suits, which were also sold for just one shekel. The rest of the clothes were supplied by the city's Power of Giving branch, after having undergone a thorough process of cleaning, ironing, starching, and packaging at Bagir factories.

Another member of the team was the Zoharim Rehabilitation Center, which sent young volunteers to help run the project. Mr. Ron Harosh, Meir Panim's southern region director, says, "Enabling the residents to enjoy a wide range of items for just one shekel, as part of a fun day for the entire family, while at the same time helping youngsters from Zoharaim to integrate into the community, turned this project into something very special, and everyone did everything they could to ensure its success."

Ron Harosh thanked the city's residents who answered his call to come and enjoy the large carnival, and for the many enthusiastic responses to this very successful initiative.

The event went over flawlessly thanks to the cooperation of many different partners, including Bagir Polgat, Meir Panim, Power of Giving, the Hamitnasim chain, the Kiryat Gat municipality, and Zoharim village, as well as the contributing companies in the city: Mei Eden, Ma Nishma newspaper, DJ Millennium, Rap-and-Snap, Tzameret Boutique, Ron Sport, Hadasi Toys and Writing Utensils, the "Acharai Project," and the "Kiryat Gat On-line" internet site. Special thanks go to the dozens of volunteers from Bagir Polgat, Shomer Hatza'ir's scouts club, Gat Hostel, and many others who joined the POG and Meir Panim volunteers over the course of the carnival.

"Finally, I have air and light in my eyes," says a mother of a needy family whose children's room in their home was redesigned and refurnished with the initiative and guidance of Racheli Chazan-Zelk from the "Tal Chayim" organization, with furniture and materials provided by the "Meir Panim - Power of Giving" branch in Petach Tikva.

Racheli, a graduate of the Askola School of Design, appealed to "Meir Panim - Power of Giving" to take part in a project to redesign and redo rooms in the homes of needy families.

Mr. Lior Arieli, manager of the Petach Tikva branch, responded with joy and enthusiasm, and promised to supply all the necessary materials.

With the help of furniture, toys and work materials from "Meir Panim - Power of Giving," and a team of volunteers including Racheli's mother and close friends, Atad and Alon, students of the Adar School, the "Tal Chayim" staff and the deeply motivated children of the needy family did the impossible - they created a magnificent living room for 6 children. The room, which was painted with bright colors, became lively and spacious, and with the help of modern designing techniques, an area was built for each child.

"Now, my brother in the army will have a shelf to put his dog tag and deodorant," remarked the excited 11-year old girl.

Lior Arieli summarizes the experience this way: "This was a terrific project that happened thanks to a wonderful staff. We would be happy to respond to additional requests, as necessary."

New finance minister says he is troubled by poverty situation for 'three years,' but says no change of policy will take place

Finance Minister Ehud Olmert visited the soup kitchens of the southern development town of Ashkelon, and met with pensioners and residents badly affected by the lowering of their retirement fund.

Olmert also visited two families who faced crippling poverty in the area.

The finance minister announced the setting up of a public bureau to fight poverty in Israel, to be headed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

For three years now, the poverty issue had disturbed me, and I have been coming to sites like this during those years. Now I am in the position of finance minister and can do something.”

It did not take long for Olmert to see the difficulties of those living in the development in the town, as he met Ethiopian demonstrators at the entrance to Kiryat Malahi, who were protesting.

The soup houses in the town, run by rabbi Dudi Zilbersheleg, and the “power to give” charity, provide the Ethiopian children with food.

Olmert heard how 70 children arrive for meals every day the soup houses.

'We haven't had the resources'

He was asked repeatedly why the Finance Ministry has not worked to alleviate the poverty. “We haven’t had the resources up to now to deal with this poverty, but the market is now showing signs of growth, and we must direct resources, so that not only the top wealthiest enjoy their benefits.”

Olmert brought a large entourage with him, including representatives from the Finance Ministry. “I wanted them to see the situation here first hand, and not through others. They should see what it really looks like,” said Olmert.

The Brightening Faces organization sends around 20,000 food packages a day to the area, including the schools. Kiryat Malahi’s mayor, Moti Malaha, said that “for some children, this is only the hot meal they will see throughout the day. The meal costs one shekel.”

However, Olmert made clear that he had no intention of changing the pensions policy set by the government. “The answer to this type of poverty is the growth of local businesses,” he said. “We are not planning on changing government policy, but we are changing the emphasis to social aspects.”

The pensioners who met Olmert did not discuss the reduction of their funds, but did welcome him and wish him success. For them, the fact that Olmert made the effort to meet them seemed to suffice.
Source: YNETNEWS - Tova Dadon