For almost 25 years, Mrs. Devora Benjamin has been helping orphans and widows make their wedding days despite the most difficult of circumstances. Her organization, Keren Simchas Chassan V’Kallah, started with donations of only $10 here and there; now, Keren Simchas Chassan V’Kallah raises over $1.6 million dollars a year, and continues to grow.

Shemos 22:21 tells us to take care of widows and orphans. The Torah doesn’t differentiate between different “types” of Jewish widows and orphans, and neither does KSCVK – instead, they help people from around the world, from New York to Australia to Israel, and across all sects of frumkeit.

Although KSCVK’s focus is – and has always been – on helping our community’s yisomim and almanos, they also provide support for people who are working hard but are unable to supply the finances necessary for the wedding. The staff of KSCVK researches each potential recipient to make sure that every penny donated to the organization goes to a family who is truly in need.

KSCVK also supplies emotional support for brides and grooms who are making their wedding in crisis – for instance, while grieving the death or navigating the sickness of a close family member. Making a wedding is overwhelming at the best of times; in crisis, it is truly impossible to do it alone. KSCVK offers free consultations with experts that can help these families plan, reserve, and manage the many factors of their wedding and guide them through the process.

In addition to giving the chassan and kallah the financial, emotional, and logistical support they need for their big day, KSCVK also provides them with the dignity, privacy, and respect they deserve. From an outsider’s perspective, there is no perceptible difference between an assisted and non-assisted wedding, including the presence of the KSCVK staff, many of whom work as regular party planners.

Keren Simchas Chassan V’Kallah is the number-one resource when the unexpected strikes. Twelve years ago, Hurricane Katrina forced an entire wedding party to evacuate New Orleans the night before the wedding, leaving their suits, gowns, and wedding hall behind. KSCVK was called in, and the next day, they had rebuilt the wedding from scratch outside the city. This year, a groom flying to his wedding in New York was held up at Canadian customs the day before his wedding. 24 hours later, because of KSCVK, the chassan and kallah were under the chuppah at the wedding of their dreams – in Montreal.

Keren Simchas Chassan V’Kallah is honored to continue serving klal yisrael as they have for over two decades, and one of the main ways they can do this is through their annual fundraising auction. This year, the auction will be taking place on January 20 for their men’s event and January 21 for their women’s event. Please go to kscvk.org for more information on the auction, or call (917) 416 – 6269 to learn more about how to get involved.