It's been eight years now that the Bnai Israel Matzoh organization, headed by Alan Hirsch of Brooklyn, New York, has been distributing Passover help to needy families of Judea and Samaria. For the past six years, the initiative has been bolstered by help from the on-location Hevron-based "Hachnosas Orchim," organized by Baruch Marzel.
This year, nearly 1,500 families will receive their basic Passover needs via the joint network. The help includes matzah, wine, grape juice, chicken, meat, vegetables - and a check of about $1,000.
“With the help of Hachnosas Orchim Hebron," Hirsch said, "we can get to every hilltop. We go where no one else can go.”
“This year, we will be giving away over 40 tons of food and over $150,000 in checks,” added Yisroel Bramson, a member of the city council of Kiryat Arba.
“With the intifada starting up again and the Israeli government freezing building, the need is greater than ever,” explains Marzel, who has been involved in helping needy families for years.
The Matzoh Fund also has distribution points In Gush Etzion and in Samaria (Shomron), from where volunteers pick up and distribute the products to each of the communities in the area. No expenses are incurred, the organizers emphasize. "All the work, both in America and in Israel, is done by volunteers, without one dime of salaries."
MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) sent out a call to Hirsch and others that "due to the economic situation, more money is needed this year to complete the job." He said that though there are many Passover help funds, known as Maos Chittim or Kimcha d'Pischa, in Israel, "this is the only one that goes to the heartland of Judea and Samaria... It goes directly to the people. Many of the people are tzaddikim [saintly people] with large families, some are victors of terror, and some have had their homes destroyed on the hilltops or in Gush Katif. All have valid needs."
In addition, Marzel says, "We arrange a Passover seder for Olim [new immigrants] in Tekoa [eastern Gush Etzion], and another seder in Kiryat Arba for those who need.”
Tens of thousands of dollars are still lacking. For more information, contact Alan Hirsch in New York at 718-377-8016.