Dear Friends,

A few years ago, right before Chanukah, I was on a trip to Eretz Yisrael and I went to visit one of Yad Eliezer’s coat distribution centers, located in a small apartment on the 3rd floor of a dimly lit building. Crumbling steps and narrow hallways didn’t deter the people who were waiting in line.

As usual, I was curious about the recipients, and wanted to learn how we at Yad Eliezer could improve our services.  I began chatting with one of them, a young father.

“Three years ago,” he began, “I received brand new coats for my 3 children from Yad Eliezer.  They never had new coats before and were ecstatic! But let me first tell you what happened the day I brought those coats home. It was not yet cold outside so when I walked into the house I started to hang them in the closet. My son Gedalya (then almost 6) saw that one of them was his size, and his eyes widened. He said in disbelief, “Is that for me?”  Gedalya put on the coat, which fit perfectly, and refused to take it off. Despite the warm weather that coat stayed on – throughout the school day and even into the night until finally, we convinced him to take it off.”

“I wish” the father continued, “that the donor of Gedalya’s coat could see the joy on the faces of all my children as they wore their coats that year. The warmth that they were given wasn’t just physical. It was warmth that comes from compassion and love – a unique warmth that never dissipates.”

For Gedalya and thousands of children in Eretz Yisrael, an essential winter coat is a fantastic gift. And for countless Israeli families, receiving a box of food essentials – rice, flour, pasta, and oil – allows them to prepare warm, nutritious meals for their children. A few cans of baby formula is something we may consider a basic essential, but for a mother who is too malnourished to nurse her baby, and would otherwise water down the formula to make it stretch, a full supply of the precious powder is a treasure.

Please help us provide for so many of our brothers and sisters with these basic necessities wonderful Chanukah gifts. For only 4360 you can provide baby formula for a baby for a full year. For 418 a young child will wear a brand-new coat. A box of basic food supplies for a month is $54.

May we all be Zocheh (merit) to warm, feed and shelter those who need us most.

Please help us provide our brothers and sisters with these essential gifts and make it a brighter Chanukah this year.