All over the world at this time, women are doing additional acts of chessed. Below, we have posted some beautiful examples of chessed from around the globe. If you have a chessed project to add to the list, or would like to list chessed that someone else did for you, please click chessed list. This is so important because it gives the rest of us ideas for chessed that is valued and ideas of the best way chessed can be done. This list will be updated periodically.
Name: annonymous
Project: I work with special children taking care of their needs. i also try to set people up for shidduchim.
Project: I try to set people up for shidduchim. i have been successful three times in the past. i would love to be successful once again.
Project: Since that the economic situation here isnīt good a group of women from our local shul decided to give bags of food to those needed, we started giving to 23 families and B"H we grew to help almost 60 already, at the begginig we were sponsored but that money was cut back so we collect the necessary funds to keep our project going. Itīs a great feeling to see the faces of these people (including those who live alone, eldery,with special needs, a large families)that know that there is somebody thinking on them.
Bina Drazin
3627 Berkeley
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
216-321-9393
Anyone wishing to donate a gently worn wig, sheitl machers with extra stock are encouraged
to send their donations here, as well.
Thank you
Name: Dina bas channa
City: anonymous
State: anonymous
Country: in europe
Email: (Please Enter Your E-mail Address)
Project: After consulting the rav, an expert on a specific matter, for a sheile, he gave
us advise and told us to act as soon as possible.The rebbetzin in my hometown did all the
effort to help us, and even left her family alone to do so. She indeed is an eshes hayil,
and we are very grateful that Hakodeshborchu assigned those people for guiding.Baruch
Hashem!
Name: anonymous
City: brooklyn
State: ny
Country: usa
Project: Several years ago, I had a chance encounter with a family breadwinner who had
lost her job. I made a few calls and was able to find her a position which enabled her to
support her family and which provided the family with medical insurance. She loved the
position- she still works there! This inspired me to make this my special Chesed project.
Whenever I hear of someone in my community who is in need of a job, I try to see what I
can do- we all have contacts who have other contacts- a little persistance goes a long
way. So far I have been able to find good positions for four people who are the
breadwinners of their families, and have been able to help several other people make
contacts that have helped them get jobs. I feel fortunate to have the zichus of being the
sheliach who has helped people help themselves. It is a terrific feeling- I hope this
inspires others to do the same!
Name: Andrea Harris
City: Riverdale
State: NY
Country: USA
Email: Andharris@erols.com
Project: In memory of Beth Meislesh z"l, with the help of Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, we have undertaken to help members of our shul who are in need. Barbara Sopher, Sharon Fogel and I are coordinating visits and phone calls to homebound people. In addition, we are doing light shopping for them. We also take frail people to medical appointments, when it is needed.
Name: DEVORAH BENJAMIN
City: BROOKLYN
State: NY
Country: USA
Email: DGOLD41431@AOL.COM
Project: My name is Devorah. I started and run a HACHNOSSOS CHOSSON/KALLAH
ORGANIZATION. With Hashem's help, I either raise money for the wedding which inc. the
hall, caterer, band, photo clothes and piece of jewellery for the kallah.
If a chosson or kallah comes either out of town or out of the country, we give them
clothes and a piece of jewellery for the kallah. We have even paid for a chosson and
parents to go to their own wedding.
You are probably asking what type these chasanim and kallahs are. Well they are either
yesomim, from divorced homes but learning in Yeshiva or from large families. B"H I
have raised with the help of my husband and few friends over $250,000 and made over 500
wedding.
If anyone wants more info or can help name org KEREN SIMCHAS CHOSSON VE KALLAH (tax
deductible). I need now to raise $10,000 for chassanas in elul. Tizchu lmitzvos.
May we only join each others simchas bemazel tov.
Name: Judi Klatzko
City: Cleveland Hts.
State: Ohio
Country: USA
Email: BKlatzko@aol.com
Project: I am pleased to inform the Jewish community of Cleveland, that within the next few months I will be opening a dress and gown Gemach, l'zecher nishmas our son, Gavriel Eliyahu ZT"L. This Gemach will feature over one hundred and fifty beautiful, elegant, and tzniusdika dresses will be available. Stay tuned for upcoming announcement. Anyone with a beautiful dress that would like to participate in this chashuva mitzvah, please contact me at 216-371-1698 to make arrangements for delivery. Tizku L'mitzvos!
Name: Varda Berkovitz
City: Passaic
State: NJ
Country: USA
Email: Berkovitz@aol.com
Project: The Passaic/Clifton Shidduch Newsletter
Available by email subscription. Lists profiles of singles (without names or
identifying information) and how to contact their sponsors (married people who know the
singles well and agree to act as their shadchan). Service is free. For back issues and
subscriptions contact:
laddi@us.ibm.com
Email singles' profiles to: Berkovitz@aol.com
For further information contact: 973-472-6588
Name: Bar-Nahman, Yaakov & Odelia
City: Beitar Elite
State: Harei Yehudah
Country: Israel
Email: absag@actcom.co.il
Project: My husband is an Avrekh (kollel member). We have four boys, Baruch Hashem. My husbands family gives us no support. I am an orphan, with occasional gifts from relatives. We live very simply. Yet we pay extra rent for a 5 room rented apartment. Two of those 5 rooms are dedicated to use by our Chessed projects, which include: clothing, toy, and items for babies, used furniture, food, and distribution to other needy families. Also since my husband has a good bit of background in health care, he has a chessed "clinic," providing private care for chronic and acute conditions. His care has helped a lot of people whom the standard insurance clinics, harmed more than helped or could not really help. People under his care feel truly cared for.
Yes it's a bit tough on us, but we love it, since we're helping people that would be suffering a lot otherwise.
Name: A. Becker
City: Karmiel
Country: Israel
Email: abecker@boscom.com
Project: A chesed someone did for me that I never forgot.
While expecting my second child, my husband and I were both bedridden with strep. We found it extremely difficult to look after our one-year-old. I finally called a single girl I knew and asked her to help. She answered that she had to go out somewhere, but she would be happy to take the baby with.
Little did I know that she was going out on a shidduch! She turned up for the date, beautifully dressed, wearing my son in a backpack. What chessed!!! Needless to say, the bachur was so impressed with her chessed that he married her!
Name: Anonymous
City: Brooklyn
State: NY
Country: USA
Project: This is a message for people seeking shidduchim.
When I was in seminary in Eretz Yisroel three years ago, I moved in with a family with a severely disabled child in exchange for room and board. It was a wonderful situation for me on many levels: it allowed me to stay in Eretz Yisroel and learn for longer, and I know that being involved in chessed coupled with my learning was a big part of my spiritual growth.
When I first interviewed with the family, they told me that every girl who had had the job before me had gotten married shortly afterward. Some of these were "hard to match." I was also "hard to match," so this made me hopeful. I started dating in Eretz Yisroel. It didn't go well and I began to lose hope. But three months after returning to America, guess what? I met the man I eventually married. So, single ladies, please take heart. The biggest segula for finding your bashert is doing chessed. And may you all find your zivugim soon, b'shaa tova.
City: St Petersburg
State: Florida
Country: USA
Email: anon@mci2000.com
Project: As part of local G'milut Chessed Committee, we have decided to bring a woman who
is in a wheelchair to our home for meals on Yom Tov. She has been treated for cancer and
recently lost her mother. So far she has been with us for Pesach Seder and on Rosh
Hashana.
We find our home feels more alive and a special light fills the air when we have her with us. It is a small thing, but for a woman who is only 50 to live amongst so many who are over 85 and hardly ever get out, this little excursion into our home is a "breath of fresh air."
Email: gro@jmw.vienna.at
I am the husband of one of the women involved in a chessed project. The women involved are
all too modest to publicise it, but I think it's very inspiring what people can achieve in
doing a mitzvah.
There is one woman in our community with 7 children, the youngest then still a baby. A year ago she suffered a nerve stroke. She is completely paralyzed; she has to be given artificial respiration. The only thing she can move are the globes of her eyes. These she uses to communicate with the world. Her brain functions 100% and she is aware of everything.
For about half a year she was in a hospital in Vienna but she had to be transferred to another hospital where her treatment would be more intensive. The second hospital, however, was in Innsbruck, at the other end of Austria, a 5 hour train ride away. While she was at the first hospital she had many visitors, but once she was transfered, it was thought virtually impossible to find visitors for her, since there are allmost no Jews in Innsbruck, let alone frum Jews.
The frum women of Vienna got organized and this lady sees at least one, and often two women visiting her every day for six months. For Shabbatot her husband usually goes to be with her. These women have to take a train at 6:00 am in order to be there on time for the very strict visiting hours and come home at about 10:00 p.m.
Now that it's summer, many families are away on holidays, and there are not enough women from Vienna to go there. It's no problem, however, because women from Zurich who do not even know her fill in on those days where no one can go from Vienna.
I want to applaude Mrs. Lea Wachs who has taken upon herself to organize this from the beginning on and has had a very difficult time herself since her husband had a heart attack during this time, but she never gave up and this chessed is still going on.
Please pray for this very sick woman in Innsbruck hospital who is an eshes chayil, a shomeres miztvos and is suffering a lot. Her name is Elisheva Bassya Bashe Shoshe bas Chana.
Name: Georgia Katz
City: Petach Tikva
State: Israel
E-mail: georgia@netvision.net.il
Project: Helping a man who is 42 years old, father of 2 children who needs a urgent heart
transplant in the USA. The family does not have this kind of money, and without this
operation, he is expected to only live 6 months more. Please pray for this man to help any
way possible.
Name: Yocheved Leah Cassorla
City: Medicine Bow
State: Wyoming
Country: USA
E-mail: TeknoTwitt@aol.com
Project: Because of something that happened years ago, I frequently awaken in the middle
of the night and am unable to return to sleep for hours. I often sign onto AOL and chat
with people across the country/world. A woman named Gabrielle Benezra has shown me such
kindness, spending hours chatting with me until I am calm enough to return to sleep. I
cannot begin to tell you what an act of chesed this has been. This woman is very special
and caring, a true eshet hayil. I have recently learned that she is a cancer patient and I
ask that you add her name to your prayers. Her name is Gabriella Miriam bat Channi Rivkah.
Name: Anonymous
Country: USA
Project: A young mother of six children, four of whom are disabled, has just found out she
is no longer in remission and her breast cancer has spread. I think she has had lots of
offers of help, but people are not giving her what she needs, no matter how well-meaning
they are. She needs to feel like she is still in control of her domain, since so many
things are being taken away from her. So I didn't offer her a specific task, I asked her
what she wanted. The thing she most wanted was for someone to help do laundry, but she was
embarrassed to ask! She has trouble lifting the laundry in and out of the washer and
dryer, and was embarassed for someone to see the dirty stuff. Such a simple thing! So we
made a "laundry appointment" for twice this week. I am also going to be getting
a market list. I will discuss which brands she uses instead of buying what i would use.
Instead of cooking a meal for her, I have found out that she really wants very specific
things. For instance, the doctor told her she should have certain vegetables, but they
must be prepared in a certain way and cut up small. she simply didn't have the energy to
cut them into small pieces. Such a simple thing we can do to make a sick person happy, by
doing a task we take for granted that might be too difficult for them. Sometimes we feel
we don't have time to help a sick person, yet they may not want a "big" thing.
sometimes our egos get in the way so that we do the chesed because it makes us feel good
or because we want the mitzvah, and we forget that the purpose is to help the other
person, and the way to do that is by doing something that would make the sick person
happy, not us!
Name: Denise Levin
City: Toronto, Ontario
State: Canada
E-mail: levcom@globalserve.net
Project: A week ago I was diagnosed with pneumonia and my friends have been terrific. They
sent fish and challah for shabbos as well as chicken and potato kugels and an iced cake
for dessert. They have shopped, returned things and have gone to the library to return
books for me. Erev Shabbos, a friend brought me flowers. It is a really special feeling
and I can't wait till I'm altogether better to be able to reciprocate.
Name: anonymous
State: CA
Country: USA
Project: At least in our area, there are many, many children in need of loving foster
homes; drug exposed/ high risk babies are especially lacking for homes. We have had many
of these children over the years. It is a true blessing to see them change from sick,
uncomfortable babies too happy, healthy toddlers. Hopefully it will have added to their
lives and a better world, if only in a small way.
Name: H.G., NYC, NY, USA
Project: After attending the KEY event, I went through my closets and found many items
that no longer fit my children or myself. I'm arranging for these clothes to get to people
who could use them and might not otherwise be able to acquire them.
Name: Malka from Berkeley, California, USA
e-mail: cam-man@ix.netcom.com
Project: My friends read the psalms in a healing way to a friend who has cancer.
Name: L.W. in Allentown, PA, USA
E-mail: jonah.wahrman@lvcg.org
Project: Someone in our community started a program called MOMS and TOTS, where mothers
with young children visit a local nursing home which has a Jewish wing, delighting the
elderly residents.
Name: Lori Raskin
City: Cleveland
State: Ohio
Country: USA
E-mail: raskin@stratos.net
Project: I have been teaching a group of mentally retarded adults from the jfsa group
homes about the jewish holidays and just finished teaching them about israel. last night
we had israeli dancing and they loved it. i have been volunteering at the jfsa for a year
with the same 9 mr/dd adults from the agency.
Name:YB
State: NY
Country: US
E-mail: steinf@interlog.com
Project: For Rosh Hashanah my mother invited 26 people to our house for the second day
lunch. So I tried to help out by making all the desserts. Although I think my Ima did the
real chessed here!
Name: Karen Bresinger
City: Morristown
State: NJ
Country: USA
E-mail: RCACOP@aol.com
Project: we decided to expand our bikur cholim project in local hospitals.
Name: Yosefa Schwartz
City: Baltimore
State: Maryland
Country: USA
E-mail: yschwart@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us Project: in june i had a blood test to determine
whether i could possibly be a bone marrow donor to koby from teaneck. this is something
that everbody should do. there is a national registry for bone marrow donors. once a
person is registered there, they never need to be retested.
Name: Michelle Nichole Swartztendruber
City: Cedar Falls
State: Iowa
Country: U.S.A.
E-mail: garlanm6224@cobra.uni.edu
Project:I tried to introduce two jewish friends of mine for a possible match. I helped
another friend after a break up, let her stay the night with my husband and I so she would
have company. she doesn't have much money, so I have her over for dinner a couple times a
week.
Name: S. G.
City: Miami
State: Florida
Country: USA
Project: Here in miami we are undertaking a project called JOY. JOY stands for joining
older with younger. we will match younger people with older people to give the older
people an important connection. Younger people will provide services like cooking food and
will also serve as a companion and friend.
Name: S. C.
City: Yerushalaim
Country: Israel
Project: I will be visiting sick people and helping a blind neighbor.
Name: Fran Manushkin
State: NY, USA
E-mail: franm@pipeline.com
Project: I visited a member of my congregation in the hospital. She has leukemia and told
me she loved a particular song. I have the song on tape at home, so I made a copy for her
and brought it to the hospital. i also brought her additional music to keep up her
spirits--one of Debbie Friedman's tapes.
Name: Anonymous
I was out on the street, and I saw an old woman I knew from the synagogue, and I looked away from her; I didn't want to see her. And then I remembered what I heard from the KEY lecturer at our event, who suggested bringing harmony into the world by saying hello to others and not waiting for them to greet you first. Her words started to play in my mind, and I said, "No! I have to say hello to this woman!"
So, as the old woman was crossing the street, I went up to her and said hello. Suddenly, I noticed that she was carrying a shopping bag. I said, "Please, let me take your bag." I took her bag and I walked her home (her apartment was just half a block away).
As I turned to go, she began to thank me. She gave me this big kiss and blessed me. That conversation playing back in my mind was just awesome, awesome! So I really want to thank you for a kiss from an old lady, a very loving kiss from a grandmotherly old lady.
City: Thornhill
State: Ontario
Country: Canada
Project: The week before Pesach I gave birth to my third beautiful baby.I am still in
university and also working, I was working up till 3 days before I had the baby. We had a
nanny who quit only days before I gave birth. I thought I was finished, with just giving
birth(9.4lbs!) and having to make pesach. Everything had been left to the end because I
have a very small house and I was concerned the older children(2&4) would track
chometz everywhere. What was I to do?
I didn't realise what a wonderful community I lived in.One friend gave me her nanny for 2 days to help me clean- including the day before pesach! Every day I would find fresh meals at my door- even up till erev pesach when I recieved pesachdic meals. Many of these meals were from women I barely knew. Women who had full households and crowds coming for yomtov. It was amazing. One women offered to shop for Yomtov clothes for my older children, others took them for the afternoon or day. I really felt blessed.
Please check back again in a couple of days, and thank you for your interest in KEY's World-Wide Chessed Project. (Please click on the word "KEY," above, to return to KEY's home page.)