Dear Friend,

Sometimes, heroes don’t look heroic at all.

Sometimes they are small and pinched, with sad eyes that fill with tears as they talk.

But heroes come in all sizes and shapes, and Mazal Alfasi is a hero by any definition.  She fought to keep her son alive despite every indication that he would not live.  She continued to feed her children despite deep and consistent poverty.  She kept them clean and cared for.  Mazal’s husband was diagnosed with clinical depression and she is often a nursemaid to him as well.

When Mazal walked into Yad Eliezer’s office this week, we understood immediately that something had happened.  She told us about her child, and with quiet tears, she told us about his death.  “Now, I need to make Yom Tov happy for my children.” She said, and she asked for food coupons so that she could buy food to prepare for the holidays.

Every day, Yad Eliezer deals with hundreds of people who scratch out an existence in the fringes of consciousness.  

Hashem wants us to remember them.  To pull them from the fringes to a central part of a psyche.  He wants us to care for them, to feed them, and to shelter them.

You can give them one meal, food vouchers to last through the Chagim, or meals for the entire year.  There are so many ways to help, and so many people who need it.  

May you be blessed with a New Year filled with good health, great joy, nachas, and bracha.

Yours,