Why It's Still A Dry Winter

B"H the heavens have opened, the rain is here, and the Kinneret is rising.

Over at Lema'an Achai, the phones continue to ring, as local families face the biting poverty of the two-years old recession in Israel.

Families who were poor previously, are in a worse situation that they were, because basic commodity prices and the cost of utilities have gone up (water by 50%!!), while Government benefits and employment opportunities have both gone down.

And the phenomenon of middle-class families calling Lema'an Achai for help, has gone from being an exception, to now become a regular occurrence.

People who used to be generous donors, and whose neighbors and friends consider to be financially well-established, have become unemployed or under-employed, indebted, and without back-up from their families who
have themselves been hit by the international financial downturn. For these struggling families to cut their cost, and seek out supplementary sources of revenue, is in many ways no less traumatic than any other families suffering the effects of poverty.

Lema'an Achai has even established a new concept in community assistance to help these nouveau poor and struggling middle class families - "Community Consultants".

"Community Consultants" is our team of professional Financial Counsellors, Employment/Career Consultants, Get-Your-Rights Experts (including both the intricacies of National Insurance and Employer/Employee regulations) . Our "Smart Chesed" experts have developed innovative methods and solutions, and have gained unparalleled experience in helping local families over the past ten years of Lema'an Achai. All this expertise is now available on a subsidized consultancy basis for ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. Call 02-9991553, and ask for Motti for details.

Lema'an Achai's services, which are the jewel in the crown of Ramat Bet Shemesh, have no equal or equivalent in any other community in Israel; Lema'an Achai has been accoladed in 2009 by Israel's Minister of Welfare Isaak Herzog and invited to participate in proposing changes in national policy regarding poverty.

Lema'an Achai's highly professional services are critical for the wherewithal of our whole community

And yet, the one phone which is quiet at Lema'an Achai is the donations line.

Lema'an Achai receives no government funding (which we are fighting to change!) and is totally reliant upon balei-batim, regular households, to continue helping local families in poverty.

Of course donors are especially generous at the giving-seasons, such as Purim, Pessach and the Yamim Noraim, and of course we account for these cyclical ups-and-downs in preparing our annual budget - which
strive to give everyone who needs our help reliable 24/6 service, and regular dependable assistance throughout the year.

But the actual donations right now are a shocking 47% lower than projected and budgeted. That means we have shortfall this past month (for example) of over 80,000 NIS ($20,000).

I know you plan to give generously to Lema'an Achai come Purim and Pessach. And, on behalf of the families we help, we are sincerely appreciative of that critical support.

But please, please don't forget that the poor and distressed have constant and desperate needs throughout the year.

You can give now securely on-line at https://www.lemaanachai.org/donations.aspx

Please consider making your donations monthly, throughout 2010 - either by credit card, or with a direct debit arrangement (we will deal with the banks for you): https://lemaanachai.org/lemaanachai-horat-keva.pdf 

Or mail your tax-refundable donations (in Israel, USA, UK and Canada)to Lema'an Achai, 40/7 Nahal Lachish, Ramat Bet Shemesh 99093 or your local Lema'an Achai mailing address.

Yes - B"H it's raining outside here in Israel.

But the communal pot is going dry.

--Tizku Lemitzvot,

David & R.Avrohom

P.S. Please feel free to pass this message on to your friends, family who may be interested to help Lema'an Achai's incredible "Smart Chesed" programs for combating poverty, and for getting families out of the cycle of poverty.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Morris and Rav Avrohom Leventhal
Chairman            Executive Director

Lema'an Achai - It's All About Caring
www.SmartChesed.org

Tel: +972 2 9991553
david@lemaanachai.org
avrohom@lemaanachai.org

The Lema'an Achai Center
40/7 Nahal Lachish,
Ramat Beit Shemesh
99093 ISRAEL.

Minus Eight Million Shekels?!

3M = Magic at Lema'an Achai

People often ask "what makes Lema'an Achai different from other great charitable organizations?"

To begin to answer this question, we have focused on the team of three of our professionals at Lema'an Achai, whose amazing activities give insight into "what makes Lema'an Achai not just different, but Unique".

We call them 3M – Meir Crandell + Meir Jaffe + Motti Weisner

-----------------

Minus Eight Million Shekels

Can you imagine the double blow??

First, Mrs R learned that her husband had died, suddenly, at the age of 58.

As the shock set in, Mrs R then learned that her late husband has left behind enormous debts.

A staggering Eight Million Shekels.

And the debts had now been 'inherited' by Mrs R….

To cut a very long story (over twelve months) short… thanks to Meir Jaffe's Citizens Rights Program at Lema'an Achai, Mrs R is now free to rebuild her life, with a clean financial slate. Her Eight Million Shekel debt, was reduced to a very manageable 100 shekels/month.

-------------------   

Meir Jaffe made Aliya from South Africa over 50 years ago, and is a spritely 77 years old. Meir lives on Kibbutz Tzora near Bet Shemesh, and as a pensioner volunteered for five years at Kehilla's Citizens Rights Center in Kibbutz Tamuz (Bet Shemesh). Meir joined Lema'an Achai three years ago, and has helped Ramat Bet Shemesh residents face and overcome numerous obstacles and crises with

·         National Insurance,

·         Debt & Bankruptcy,

·         Legal Aid,

·         Housing Subsidies

·         City Taxes

·         Legal and Para-Legal Advocacy.

"I was looking for an organization which went beyond the band-aid approach, and really helped families as a holistic unit. In my experience, Lema'an Achai is the only organization doing this.

"It is only because I am part of a team, that I am able achieve everything I do to help families at Lema'an Achai."

-------------------------- 

"50 Shekels Too Much"  

Mr F was diagnosed with a chronic medical condition affecting his whole nervous system. He could no longer work, and was adjusting to a new phase – "the rest of your life" – living with this degenerative and incurable condition.   

Mr F applied for a Housing Subsidy, which would enable him and his family to continue renting an apartment in Ramat Bet Shemesh. He was dismayed and distressed when the Ministry of Housing sent him a curt rejection letter. There was no way Mr & Mrs F could afford to live in their apartment without this subsidy.

Mr F visited the Lema'an Achai Citizens Rights Center, and showed Meir Jaffe the rejection letter.

"Why have they rejected me, and what can I do now?!" Mr F asked.

Meir got to work, and found out that the reason for the rejection was that Mr J was deemed "too wealthy" to qualify for a Government Housing Subsidy.

"Too wealthy", in Mr F's caser, meant he was 50 shekels a month above the upper income limit. He was therefore not entitled to the 1000 NIS/month housing subsidy.

"It took us twelve months to do it, but we fought and won Mr J's case, and he did obtain the full housing subsidy."

Lema'an Achai also helped the F Family with many issues, including financial counseling, psychological therapy and helping them through the medical system.

Mr F says he is "forever grateful" to Lema'an Achai, which has helped him and his family through so many aspects of dealing with his crippling disease, including Meir Jaffe's specific achievements in obtaining the housing subsidy – enabling the family to keep on living in their apartment.    

--------------------------

Meir Jaffe has helped well over 100 families through their struggles with "the system".

"We have a close-to-100% success rate in obtaining our goals with these families. Given the right knowledge of the system, and persistence, we make sure we get "Yes" for an answer.  By getting the Government to pay what is due, we save the families tens of thousands of shekels. Why should our donors' tzedaka money be used to pay instead of the Government?!" asks Meir. 

---------------------------

Unsmart Chesed

A tzedaka organization was generously helping an impoverished single parent family, discretely transferring 1000 shekels every month into the mother's bank account.

Little did they know that for each shekel which was transferred, she was losing a shekel of her government benefits.

"The rules are absurd", Meir explains. "A shekel for a shekel on donations; and it's 60 agorot deducted for each shekel that she earns. Where's the sense in this? Where's the motive for people to help, or for her to seek out employment and pay for child-care for her kids?"

For this reason, Lema'an Achai is lobbying the Israeli Ministry of Welfare, including direct discussions with Minister Isaac Herzog, to change many aspects of the National Insurance system to better serve the needs of Israel's most needy citizens.