Passover is next week, and preparations continue apace for many organizations and the People of Israel worldwide.
The Postal Authority today deposited a large quantity of letters that it has received addressed to God in the stones of the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz supervised the operation. The Western Wall is part of a supporting wall King Herod built around the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – in 20 BCE. As the only surviving structure from the Temple, destroyed by Rome in 70 CE, the Wall has become a site of pilgrimage and prayer for the Jewish people.
The Jewish Diabetes Association has released its Passover guide, which can be viewed in Hebrew or English on the organization's website (http://www.jewishdiabetes.org). It is being distributed worldwide free of charge. The guide was produced in order "to help you enjoy your Pesach (Passover)holiday to the fullest and still stay within your regimen, living happy, healthy, and wise. Pesach is a hectic time, and for those with diabetes the challenge of staying focused is always coupled with questions of how to get by with all the changes in eating patterns and lifestyle," writes JDA guide editor Nechama Cohen. The guide covers both medical issues that arise for people with diabetes during Passover, as well as relevant issues of Jewish law arising from the medical needs of those with diabetes.
While the JDA warns that it does not give medical advice, and that any change in regimen should be verified with a competent rabbi and health care professional, the organization's advisory board includes such Torah luminaries as former Chief Rabbi and Rishon Letzion Mordechai Eliyahu, the Bobover Rebbe and Rabbi Z. N. Golberg, as well as leading medical experts from Israel and the United States.
Unfortunately, with the difficult economic situation in Israel this year, many people are having a hard time providing for their holiday needs. To ease the burden, in what has traditionally been known in Jewish communities as kimkha d'pischa (flour for Passover), two disparate organizations – among many other charities – have launched Passover campaigns to help.
An Israeli commercial bank, Discount, is organizing and providing Passover supplies to thousands of people throughout the country. Discount Bank has purchased prime airtime on radio and television to encourage the public to bring Passover supplies to their branches, which then send them along to various distribution centers. Discount Bank has turned away no one seeking to receive the supplies, even those who may not be truly in need, with the objective of helping as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.
As in previous years, in a more targeted but sadly necessary project, the Victims of Arab Terror (VAT) International organization is dispensing Passover subsidies to needy bereaved families whose loved ones were murdered or injured in Arab terrorist attacks.
"The budgetary cuts implemented by the Israeli government this year has caused numerous terror victims and their families to contact us for help for the Passover holiday," said Shifra Hoffman, founder of VAT International. Hoffman encourages families in need of assistance to call the VAT office in Jerusalem at 02-5821-106. All those wishing to donate can send their US tax deductible contribution to: The Victims of Arab Terror Passover Emergency Fund at POBox 32l03, Jerusalem, Israel.
The Postal Authority today deposited a large quantity of letters that it has received addressed to God in the stones of the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz supervised the operation. The Western Wall is part of a supporting wall King Herod built around the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – in 20 BCE. As the only surviving structure from the Temple, destroyed by Rome in 70 CE, the Wall has become a site of pilgrimage and prayer for the Jewish people.
The Jewish Diabetes Association has released its Passover guide, which can be viewed in Hebrew or English on the organization's website (http://www.jewishdiabetes.org). It is being distributed worldwide free of charge. The guide was produced in order "to help you enjoy your Pesach (Passover)holiday to the fullest and still stay within your regimen, living happy, healthy, and wise. Pesach is a hectic time, and for those with diabetes the challenge of staying focused is always coupled with questions of how to get by with all the changes in eating patterns and lifestyle," writes JDA guide editor Nechama Cohen. The guide covers both medical issues that arise for people with diabetes during Passover, as well as relevant issues of Jewish law arising from the medical needs of those with diabetes.
While the JDA warns that it does not give medical advice, and that any change in regimen should be verified with a competent rabbi and health care professional, the organization's advisory board includes such Torah luminaries as former Chief Rabbi and Rishon Letzion Mordechai Eliyahu, the Bobover Rebbe and Rabbi Z. N. Golberg, as well as leading medical experts from Israel and the United States.
Unfortunately, with the difficult economic situation in Israel this year, many people are having a hard time providing for their holiday needs. To ease the burden, in what has traditionally been known in Jewish communities as kimkha d'pischa (flour for Passover), two disparate organizations – among many other charities – have launched Passover campaigns to help.
An Israeli commercial bank, Discount, is organizing and providing Passover supplies to thousands of people throughout the country. Discount Bank has purchased prime airtime on radio and television to encourage the public to bring Passover supplies to their branches, which then send them along to various distribution centers. Discount Bank has turned away no one seeking to receive the supplies, even those who may not be truly in need, with the objective of helping as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.
As in previous years, in a more targeted but sadly necessary project, the Victims of Arab Terror (VAT) International organization is dispensing Passover subsidies to needy bereaved families whose loved ones were murdered or injured in Arab terrorist attacks.
"The budgetary cuts implemented by the Israeli government this year has caused numerous terror victims and their families to contact us for help for the Passover holiday," said Shifra Hoffman, founder of VAT International. Hoffman encourages families in need of assistance to call the VAT office in Jerusalem at 02-5821-106. All those wishing to donate can send their US tax deductible contribution to: The Victims of Arab Terror Passover Emergency Fund at POBox 32l03, Jerusalem, Israel.