Rabbi Sholo Gamiel

Almost 40 years ago, Rabbi Sholo Gamiel took tikkun olam into his own hands by bringing his poverty-stricken elderly neighbors into his own home to provide them with food and care. Now, at 106 years old, he still plays an active role in Ezrat Avot (Helping Our Fathers), the agency he founded, which helps elderly Israelis remain independent and active – with dignity and respect. 

Since its inception, Exrat Avot has been a family affair. In the beginning days, Rabbi Gamiel recruited his granddaughter Naomi to help and as their capacity grew, another generation – Naomi’s son Sraya – returned to Israel to manage the agency. Ezrat Avot is committed to helping its elderly clients remain safe and comfortable within their own homes. To this end, the agency provides not only traditional forms of assistance like Yad Eliezer (Meals on Wheels) and food packages but also classes, home repair service and financial assistance if a client has a small financial emergency. 

Last year, Ezrat Avot broke ground on a visionary, multiservice senior center in the busy center of the city, which will allow them to expand programming to include fitness and financial classes as well as medical care.

Rabbi Gamiel and his family continue to serve the elderly in Israel, and if his commitment is any indication, they’ll continue to do so for many more generations to come. 

Naomi

The post Advocacy in Israel: A Multi-Generational Commitment to Elderly appeared first on MAZON.

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Image via FRAC

Earlier today, our very own Josh Protas, Director of Government Affairs spoke in support of SNAP at an anti-hunger press event hosted by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Congressman James McGovern (D-MA) and Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH): 

“In Leviticus 19, we are commanded:  “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the corners of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest… you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger.”

This fundamental statement is one of more than thirty direct references in the Torah about our collective responsibility to care for the vulnerable people among us.

That obligation drives the work of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, to end hunger in this country. We are fortunate to have many partners in the faith and nonprofit communities working towards that shared goal. But charity alone cannot solve a problem that is so large and widespread.

Our federal government represents the voice of the American people. It functions to address our collective responsibility to one another and carry out our national priorities. Today, some Members of Congress are actively failing all of us in this responsibility as they turn their backs on millions struggling with hunger.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the cornerstone of our nation’s nutrition safety net. It is nothing short of a lifeline for millions of Americans.

We are stunned by proposals in both chambers of Congress this week that would drastically cut funding for SNAP. It is appalling that Members of Congress are playing politics at the expense of millions of our neighbors assisted by SNAP – families with children, seniors, members of our military, people with disabilities, the working poor.

Rather than embracing the bi-partisan, balanced approach used for decades, they have mired the Farm Bill in misguided attempts to realize budget savings that will do real harm to vulnerable people across the country.

We are outraged that so many Members of Congress seem focused not on why millions of Americans need help putting food on the table, but rather on what it costs to help them. They are blinded by the large price tag, which they then use as justification for slashing the program.

Rather than attempting to solve our nation’s financial woes with a sledgehammer, we urge our leaders in Washington to take a more discriminating approach to find real efficiencies in governmental spending instead of being complicit in Draconian cuts that will tragically increase food insecurity.”

MAZON reacts to 2013 Farm Bill proposals in Congress  | Why the Farm Bill matters – to MAZON and to you

The post Protesting Cuts to SNAP appeared first on MAZON.

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MAZON believes that we can end hunger by ensuring that hungry people have access to the nutritious food they need today and working to develop and advance long-term solutions so that no one goes hungry tomorrow.

We reached out to some of our grantee partners – food banks and food pantries across the country – to find out what items they need and want for their clients. We urge you to choose nutritious, healthy items that your family would eat!

The post Foods to Give appeared first on MAZON.

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Photo licensed from Creative Commons from flickr user katmeresin

Many MAZON supporters and partner synagogues wonder how they can become more involved in our fight against hunger. Each contribution looks a little different, yet our collective hopes are the same – to eliminate hunger in the United States and Israel.

Here are examples of a few ways in which Adath Jeshurun in Minnetonka, MN has been involved:

• The synagogue’s initial commitment, which it has maintained for 25 years has been to encourage congregants to donate 3% of what they spend on life-cycle celebrations.
• The synagogue’s Hesed (Social Action) Committee enthusiastically supports the local emergency hunger response, but have also helped our congregation understand that no amount of canned goods can fully address the scope of the hunger problem, and that we must include advocacy as part of our any anti-hunger effort. 

Adath Jeshurun built its level of commitment with MAZON over a the span of 25 years. We invite you to do the same. All you need to do is find a strategy that fits for you and take that proverbial first step. 

Read the full article in our Spring newsletter. 

The post How to Get Your Synagogue Involved with MAZON appeared first on MAZON.

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Name

Location:  Be’ersheva, Israel

Mission Statement:
To supply hot, nutritious, healthy meals for the needy in Be’er sheva and the surrounding area. 

Recently, Be’er-Sova has been developing an advocacy program both for and with their clients.

MAZON grantee since 2000

Why it was founded:
Be’er-Sova was founded by community members in Be’ersheva who were horrified by seeing people scavenging in trash cans in search of something to eat.  Be’er-Sova is a play on the name of its location, meaning “Well of Fullness.” 

A volunteer in the Be’er-Sova kitchen

Who they serve: 
Today Be’er-Sova’s “restaurant” is and remains the only kitchen in the city preparing freshly cooked free meals (about 2,000 per month) to anyone who comes.  Other programs include:

• Meal delivery to 70 housebound seniors
• Food box distribution
• Homework and supper programs for at-risk youth

The Need:
Be’ersheva has a higher than average unemployment rate, with  about 24% of the community on welfare.  As government support decreases, more people will depend on Be’ersheva. 

“Ken and I have made several visits to Be’er-Sova.  At one of our meetings, Executive Director Erez Nagawker told us, “Giving food is great, but we need to give it with responsibility.” Be’er-Sova stands out for its holistic thinking about charity.  They don’t just provide calories, but rather, healthy food, and they match that with tools to help their recipients move beyond the need for charity. At their after-school program “Gamal” (“Camel”) Club for at-risk youth, the kids are learning about the importance of healthy eating and the families receiving monthly food packages learn how to prepare that food in the healthiest way.  But perhaps most innovative, Be’er-Sova is exposing their clients to information about their rights and reasonable expectations, a crucial first step so that they can learn that different and better food exists and that there are ways to access it.” – Christina Hecht

Executive Director Erez Nagawker shows Ken Hecht the Be’er-Sova vegetable garden

The post Advocacy in Israel Grantee Profile: Be’er-Sova appeared first on MAZON.

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We would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to the following congregations, organizations, restaurants and individuals who hosted Hunger Seders dedicated to hunger awareness and activism this year. 

We are so grateful for your generosity and support – thanks for making the Hunger Seder 2013 such a success! 

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As we are seeing obesity rates rise around the world, unfortunately we’re not surprised that obesity is affecting more and more Israelis too. 26% of children and 62% of adults in Israel are currently overweight or obese while 19% of the population are considered to be food-insecure.  (continued below)

The reasons that obesity affects low-income families at a higher rate go far beyond a lack of access to affordable, healthy foods.  Here are the main 6 reasons according to FRAC (Food and Research Action Center):  (continued below)

We once thought that being overweight was a sign of abundance – now it’s most likely a sign of need. 

The post Advocacy in Israel: Obesity & Food Insecurity appeared first on MAZON.

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As you plan your Seder we hope you’ll consider asking The Fifth Question: Why on this night are millions of people still going hungry? 

We’d love to see pictures from your Seders and how you ask The Fifth Question during your celebrations – send them to us on twitter (@StopHunger) or facebook using #FifthQ. 

Find The Fifth Question materials here. 

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In Israel, as in most developed countries, food insecurity is almost always a result of poverty – the lack of means with which to purchase food. According to the report, 25% of Israeli adults and 36% of Israeli children are below the poverty line. (Israel measures poverty as relative to the standard of living across the whole population.)

“If you are needy in Israel, you probably rely on the weekly box of staples. Your family usually skips breakfast, and the best lunch you can provide for your child – if you can provide any – is white pita bread with a spread (the classic being chocolate spread). If you are lucky, your child is in one of the charity-operated after-school programs that include a meal.” – Christina Hecht

Just like those who are food insecure in America, the food insecure in Israel are forced to make tough choices between buying groceries and paying for other necessities like rent or heat. Unlike America though, the food assistance they receive is limited to a weekly box of food from local charitable organizations. Despite this aid, at least one in ten Israelis still doesn’t have enough food.

Download Poverty and Social Gaps Report by National Insurance Institute 

The post Advocacy in Israel: Food Insecurity appeared first on MAZON.

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In our first month in Israel we visited all eleven MAZON grantees. We are happy to report they are compassionate and committed people who work diligently to help impoverished members of Israeli society.

In addition to those meetings, we have also had in-depth conversations with dozens of experts, from academics to government ministry officers, from members of the needy population to a Talmudic scholar. The information we’ve gathered from this wide range of perspectives has given us a preliminary but relatively robust understanding of the complexities of Israeli society and the outcome of varied efforts to alleviate hunger and improve nutrition within Israel’s borders.

A 2011 survey conducted by the Israeli National Insurance Institute indicated that nearly one in five of Israelis lacks access to an adequate nutritious diet. (By comparison, about 14.5% of the U.S. population – nearly 1 in six – is food insecure). The adult obesity rate in Israel is over 30% (33% of U.S. adults are obese). The data also show a significantly higher rate of overweight and obesity among low-income children as compared to their higher income peers.

In the early decades of the State of Israel, the government operated a school lunch program that included nutrition and food preparation studies. By the mid-seventies families could afford to provide lunches from home, and in 1977 the school lunch program ended. Starting in the nineties, however, food insecurity has been steadily growing, yet the government and many Israeli citizens have been disinclined to recognize the magnitude of the problem. Instead, a huge number of charitable food assistance agencies, guided by the Jewish imperative of tzedakah, have been formed to respond to the growing need for food.

Unfortunately, the scope of the food insecurity problem is now larger than can be solved by charity alone. In recent years, and thanks to the work of committed advocates, there is growing acceptance that State-sponsored solutions are required. The government has authorized and is now rapidly expanding a program that provides subsidized school lunch to children in low-income communities. And last year the Ministries of Health and Education began a “healthy living” campaign aimed at preventing obesity. Still, much remains to be done.

We see tremendous opportunity and untapped potential for MAZON to enhance and enrich the work that’s already being done in Israel. And the recent elections show that Israelis, too, are looking for change in the socio-economic sector. In the coming months we will be working to build the advocacy capacity of MAZON’s grantees, to identify key issues on which to focus such advocacy, and to create stronger relationships between and among the many partners who are concerned about food insecurity in Israel.

More to come soon! Learn more about our Advocacy in Israel work. 

* C & K Hecht Consulting is headed by Ken Hecht, former Executive Director of California Food Policy Advocates for 20 years.

The post Advocacy in Israel: A Short Synopsis appeared first on MAZON.

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