tzedaka – Page 2 – Ezer Mizion

Lottie’s Kitchen 2013

The magnificent home of Adele and Jody Laboz in Deal, NJ was the site of a happening on July 11. Over 2000 women converged in support of Lottie’s Kitchen in Israel which provides meals for families dealing with serious illness.

Professional food demonstrations were presented by the foremost leaders in the world of cuisine such as Susan Shweky, Alice Adjmi, Geila Hocherman, renowned author of Kosher Revolution, the New Thinking about Kosher Cuisine, Florence Douek Chera, founder of Beyondmyrecipes.com, Victoria Dwek and Leah Shapiro, celebrated authors of the Made Easy Cookbook series, Tammy Carmona Polatsek, well-known event designer for The Breaking Dawn and 2009 Oscars, and the famed Joy Pierson & Chef Jorge PInede of Candle Cafe. Continue reading Lottie’s Kitchen 2013

Lightning Strikes Twice by Yaron Kellner, Yediot Achronot

They could not believe it was happening to them again: Nine years after taking their daughter Adi to Ezer Mizion’s summer retreat for cancer patients, the Diamants are going back there again, now with their son Shmulik. Continue reading Lightning Strikes Twice by Yaron Kellner, Yediot Achronot

Lottie’s Kitchen Event Coming Up

It was a stormy night. The wind howled, rain poured down. Inside it was quite stormy also. With nine kids, it often was. She was tired. The clock, her friend, smiled at her and reassured her that in one hour, the kids would be in bed and she could snuggle under her feathery quilt with a cup of tea and the book that had been waiting for her attention for days. Utter bliss after such a hectic day. The cleanup could wait till tomorrow. It wasn’t so bad. The laundry was all caught up. The kids had done the supper dishes. Miriam had even scrubbed the pot. She could head for bed with a clear conscience. Ahhh, heaven…

And then the phone rang. Continue reading Lottie’s Kitchen Event Coming Up

I Would Have Missed It…

Menachem Weiss, a special needs teen, reports every week to Merkaz Ha’inyanim on an angle of life that he alone can talk about

Shalom dear readers!

Every year, a group of Lelover Chassidim go up to Meron for a Shabbat together with the Rebbe. This custom began a few decades ago, about sixty years back, when the previous Lelover Rebbe, Rabbi Moshe zt”l, traveled on a Friday, erev Shabbat B’ha’alotcha, to harvest the wheat for the following year’s matzoh-baking. The wheat harvest took place at Rosh Pinah in the North. When the harvesting was completed , they began traveling home to the center of the country. On the way, the Rebbe became concerned that they would not get back in time, and so he decided to remain in Meron for Shabbat. Continue reading I Would Have Missed It…

Mental Health Mentor Training Seminar

Ezer Mizion’s Mental Health Division hosted a seminar to train mentors and coaches. The seminar was geared for new staff members who recently joined the division as part of the mentoring and coaching staff. The goal of the event was to give the new workers knowledge and practical tools to assist them in their important and challenging task of supporting people struggling with mental illness. Continue reading Mental Health Mentor Training Seminar

A Very Special Day

Special-needs children from Ezer Mizion’s activity clubs across the country went on their annual trip to the Kiftzubah Park near Kibbutz Tzovah. The amusement park is full of exciting attractions, most of which are accessible to the disabled. The outing provided the children with hours of fun and loads of pleasure.

Pathways to Recovery

Improving Communication in the Family

Hundreds of people participated in the annual seminar hosted by Ezer Mizion’s Mental Health Family Support Center. The seminar this year focused on dilemmas and pathways to recovery. Continue reading Pathways to Recovery

A Need, An Address, A Solution

pr failure Mental illness. It shatters families. They need help desperately yet they cower in a corner, too ashamed to ask. Helpless, they try to cope. And when they cannot? Distraught, they search for an address. Someone they can trust. Someone who really cares. Someone who will turn their own schedule upside down because they really want to help. They approach Ezer Mizion. Where the staff understands. Where they do not have to be ashamed. Where they will receive everything they need and more.

Several families of patients hospitalized at Gehah Psychiatric Facility contacted Ezer Mizion reporting that, unfortunately, there is no Shabbat atmosphere at all in the facility., Week after week, the religious patients have no opportunity to experience the beauty of Shabbat, a basic component of their previous lives and so vital to their eventual rehabilitation. Some of the family members have to walk in all the way from nearby cities in order to create the Shabbat atmosphere for their relative.

Moshe Yisraeli, Ezer Mizion Petach Tikvah branch director, understood the need. He contacted the ward heads and senior staff. The facility agreed to his plan and every Shabbat, volunteers will come to the ward and organize a Kabbalat Shabbat prayer, with joyful song, Kiddush, and a Shabbat aura, so that the patients in this ward, too, could experience Shabbat joy. The volunteers were hand-picked and trained regarding the regulations of the facility and what to expect from this group of special-needs patients. Technical details in dealing with the complexities of Shabbat laws regarding electric doors etc. were expertly handled.

Problems arose. Problems were solved. And the project became a reality. Shabbat had entered the portals of Gehah Psychiatric Facility courtesy of Ezer Mizion.

No Challenge Too Great

In less than a month, Shaul will, G-d willing, celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. The preparation for this special landmark is being done while he is hospitalized. Rabbis from Ezer Mizion are teaching him to read his Torah portion, just like all of his classmates.

Mental Illness: When the Security of Childhood is Shattered

“Hello, Ezer Mizion calling…”

My knees buckled. My blood ran cold. Mentally, I counted my kids. I had just spanked my two-year-old for running in the street yesterday. Did he…? Is he…? Or Mimi? Was all that howling about a stomachache more than just a ploy to skip school? Are they operating now? Did they catch it in time? Or maybe it’s Daniel. I always told him not to climb…or Avi or…

“Thank you for registering as a volunteer driver. We need you to do a pick up today.”

The knees straighten up and the blood flows smoothly again. I had forgotten about my registration. Thank G-d, all is well with my family. But for another family, all is not well at all. The caller gives me the details. It’s two little girls. Continue reading Mental Illness: When the Security of Childhood is Shattered