Friday, February 10, 2006

This is What Tzedakah is all About

While this is not an endorsement and there are many other funds about, I thought that the variety of what is being done by Jews abroad and what is needed to be done should get another outlet.

So, read on:-

Subject: All4Israel January Mission: Hugs, Tears, and Success!

Thanks to our generous donors, volunteers and partners, my visit to Israel last month was our most successful "tzedeka tours" to date. We visited over 50 families affected by terrorism and dozens of families expelled from Gush Katif.

In addition to the several hundred families who received monetary grants from All4Israel, our Healing Hands program provided medical assistance to several badly injured terror victims, both here in the United States and in Israel. Each of the families I visited left an incredible impression on me. Their faith, strength and resilience are extraordinary. I am more committed than ever to continuing this essential work. I want to take a few moments to share some of my impressions. After all, you and your fellow All4Israel supporters are what make our chesed missions possible.

. We met with the Shok family, whose father/husband Yossi Z"L HY"D was murdered less than two months ago leaving Sagit a young widow with five children. Sagit told us how the three older boys argue about who misses their beloved father the most.

. Meeting Rachel S. - Had the honor of meeting Naomi Ragen who took us to Meha Shearim to meet Rachel. Seeing the conditions of her apartment & Rachel on a respirator was gut wrenching. Her living conditions are deplorable. All4Israel is honored to be involved with Naomi in moving Rachel to a new apartment in Tzfat.

. Hero cop Gary, who is in a special police force in charge of tracking terrorists. Gary was shot in the head after his unit eliminated the terrorist responsible for the Stage Club, Chadera and both of the two Netanya bombings. His wife, a policewoman and four young children (ages 2 months to 8years old) are praying for his recovery. Gary's wife was on maternity leave which has expired. All4Israel will pay her salary until her husband recovers and she can go back to work. Now the family can concentrate on Gary's recovery instead of worrying about paying their bills!

. Itzik Buzaglo Z"L HY"D was murdered nearly a year ago, leaving behind Linda and their two children. Linda was critically injured in the same bombing and spent months in the hospital. She continues to need medical treatment. The couple had been waiting for six years to move into a new home but the fatal tragedy put that dream on hold . . . until now. With the help of donors like you, All4Israel was able to buy $7,000 in appliances which will enable them to move into their new home very shortly. Several families from Newport Beach, California have "adopted" the Buzaglo's, and are providing additional financial, emotional & social support.

. Cooling the pain. Last summer, 16-year-old Bettie Levi was injured in the Netanya mall bombing. All4Israel has previously helped the Levi family with a number of expenses, including an air conditioner to help relieve the horrific pain Bettie suffers from exposure to any heat. Now, we have arranged for Bettie to visit with
one of the world's leading plastic surgeons who will evaluate her condition and recommend a course of treatment --- if necessary, she will be sponsored by our
Healing Hands program to come to New York.

. Rachel Cohen lost her son, St.-Sgt. Kevin Cohen Z"L HY"D in a terrorist attack on 8/20/02. The family continues to suffer greatly from the loss of their son as well as from the discomfort and indignity of their impoverished situation. Kevin's family did not even have beds in their bedrooms - they were sleeping on thin mattresses - All4Israel will provide beds. We will also provide monthly financial aid until their condition improves.

. Five surgeries - and counting. Yael Ben Chamu was severely injured in a Jerusalem bus bombing in January 2004. The young woman sustained many painful burns and injuries, which have required - and will continue to require - many operations. Yael is committed to moving on with her life, and All4Israel has been there to help, enabling Yael to attend law school with tuition assistance and emotional support.

. Dror Zicherman is a hero. On 12/29/05, Dror and Uri Binamo Z"L HY"D, intercepted two terrorists who were carrying large explosive belts, thus preventing a deadly attack in Netanya on Chanukah. Dror may never walk again, but as he says, "If I lose my leg and saved dozens of kids on Chanukah, I accept it." We were happy to honor Dror's request for a laptop computer. It was delivered by our wonderful partners Menachem Kutner & Jeremy Goldzal.

. Let them eat chicken. Rivka Madar helps to feed and supply household necessities to 70 families in Nitzan but can only afford 200 chickens each month. That means chicken only once a month for those poor families. Our goal is to make it possible for Rivka to give out 200 chickens each week - because no Jew should ever be hungry on Shabbat.

. From despair to determination. Three years ago, Inbal Davidi's father was severely injured when a suicide bomber boarded the bus he was driving. Since then, the family has suffered a number of financial setbacks. Inbal, a strong and determined young woman, decided to pursue a law school education so that she could support her younger siblings and parents. She was cleaning houses and doing any odd jobs people would hire her for, attending law school, and taking care of her family,
all at the same time - a daunting burden, to say the least.

All4Israel helped Inbal cover her tuition expenses, and - well, we'll let Inbal herself tell you the rest of the story:

Last year, a dear man, Zalman Indig heard about my condition and offered to help me with my studying payments. I can't explain how I felt in that very moment, I felt like G-d knew how hard it was for me and sent Zalman to help me. Every time I thank Zalman for what he is doing for me, and for all the help that he is giving to my family, he keeps saying that I shouldn't thank him, because he couldn't do it
without all the Americans who open their hearts and donate money. That money helps us to go on in life and fulfill our dreams, even with the bad times we had, I finished my studying very successfully and I start to work in a law office for the next year. After the final exam, I will be a lawyer!

I want to thank you all for helping me fulfill my dreams and for helping may family in very bad times and for giving us hope to go on with our lives. The Bible says, "am Israel arevim ze laze" - "all Israel takes care of each other". You make this sentence come true. AND SO, MY FRIENDS, DO YOU!

So please - for Inbal, Rivka, Dror, Yael, Rachel, Bettie, the Buzaglo and Shok families, and the hundreds of other families your support has made possible, please keep helping by giving whatever you can whenever you can. As you can see, your support can make a vital difference - and continue to do a world of good.

You can make your donation online in less than one minute!
Just visit.

Or mail your donation to:

All4Israel
53 Dewhurst Street
Staten Island, NY 10314
877-812-7162

Thank you, and G-d bless you!

Sincerely,

Mr. Zalman Indig
Director
All4Israel

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