About Us
We created Helpthisjew.com in 2010 because of our training and background that teaches us that no Jew should go wanting for the basic necessities of life that we all take for granted. The Jewish community is blessed with a well-designed network of institutions that help thousands of Jews cope with the needs of everyday living. But then we realized that despite the existence of a plethora of social service agencies, too many needy Jews “fall between the cracks” and suffer from the travails of facing an emergent need with nowhere to turn. Jews who may be too embarrassed to ask for help; Jews whose need is so urgent that they are in desperate need of an “angel” of hope; Jews who simply need a friend to come to their rescue; Jews who deserve a chance to get back on their feet and put their lives together. “All Jews are responsible for one another,” instruct our Sages.
In an age of instant communications, the “angel” these Jews so desperately seek is only a click away. All they want is a chance to deal with an unexpected calamity that often threatens the very fabric of their quality of life, strength of their family unit, and overall condition of their health and well-being. How gratifying it was for us to create a vehicle through technology to match the needs of these desperate Jews and their heart-rending stories with benevolent Jews who share our vision that “no Jew should face abandonment.” This simple act of “chesed” (benevolence) has made a difference in our lives, even engaging our families, most notably our young children, in keeping their own vigilance on the status of the urgent on-line pleas for help. What better way to transmit the ancient values of our Torah on the imperative of helping a fellow Jew.
We are gratified by the early response to Helpthisjew.com from diverse sources. Donors have stepped up to the plate to provide relief for the cases posted on the site. Community leaders offered their blessing for an innovative concept that fills a major void in our midst. Activists rallied around our idea to make sure that the organization had the benefit of the advice and input of some of the most competent professionals in our community. Rabbis and educators who see this voluntary endeavor as an elementary and essential ingredient of healthy family living in the spirit of our heritage and tradition.
We invite you to join us at any level, to share our passion to help the needy, to take a few minutes each day to review the cases on the site, to invite family and friends to partake in this “mitzvah,” and most importantly to offer hope when there is a feeling that there is none.
Hadas Benyacov
Lipa Rosenberg
Yanky Mayer
Shmuli Mandel