MIRACLE MAKERS!
That’s what I call them – all of them. There are the “I give whatever I can” donors who value the difference their $1 (sic) has done for us through donating to our projects. And there are those who have given amounts that have totally astounded us! You are all Miracle Makers in our eyes! If you are one of these Miracle Makers or you are wanting to be one – please read this page – though it be lengthy – it’s for you!
Looking at my blog and seeing the more than 170 000 views since it began – I always say, if only everyone who read one article and got some joy from it had donated just $1 / ₪4 as a way to say thanks – I’d be able to devote myself completely to Torah outreach, build a small centre to teach in, and progress further with our other projects. If you’re one of those readers thinking your $1 would have been meaningless – read the above again. That is the difference you can make in another’s life with just $1 – because you may think you are only one, but you are a part of hundreds of thousands of others – who also think their “one” will achieve little.
Chessed Ve’Emet began some 7 years ago and without any budget at all (read: no capital,) we set up this site just 6 years ago using every free utility imaginable! In the beginning, it was filled with text only. Since then, we’ve included graphics, buttons, photos, videos and some neat slideshows. Due to new Israeli law, we have even had to redo our entire site on WordPress making it Web Accessible! It’s the actual content that makes it what it is though – and the information it provides to our online Torah teaching services, our Wedding Project and more!
To put things into perspective – my original blog was made for sharing Torah thoughts – and this site which was built up a little later, for working on different angles such as Mitzvah projects, and the general theme of sharing what we do in a practical way (Torah teaching etc.) With all that – we could not have done any of this without YOU!
Incidentally we had also begun a blog – Welcoming Olim (still operating, though slowly these days – having received over 160 000 hits – see paragraph 2 above) assisting new Olim to understand the Israeli system better and be able to integrate into life in Israel in an easier manner. My wife created her own blog where she expressed her own ideas too. There was her weekly international Tehillim group (cancelled after more than 4 years of intensive work, for lack of funding to keep it going.) There were also other odds and ends we did to assist others, but the list becomes too long for this page.
The image shows me in my favourite room! Okay, living in Israel often means having only one room to live in… but still, it’s the favourite! You’ll see my love for books and studying Torah (all of it!) – something my wife shares with me! You’ll see the computer we’ve used all this time in creating the site as well as for teaching purposes using Skype. That machine looks pretty great, but that was quite a few Operating Systems ago…
Though an acceptable “Cheetah” back then, Microsoft well knew that they needed fancier software, and – well – time has gone by and it seems I’ve skipped quite a few OS’s in the meantime! The “Cheetah” that once was, turned into a snail. With much gratitude to a few supporters who have allowed us the freedom to finally obtain a new computer we were able to purchase a new one. This computer not only helped with our new site – but we were able to prepare all our books on it!
The truth is, Chessed Ve’Emet has only been able to continue its projects and Torah outreach because of a variety of generous donors throughout the years.
This is our love – Torah, Kedushah and living in Israel. The Miracle Makers still abound but we want to do so much more. Our lending library is just beginning and in addition to this, we’d so much love to be able to run our own Kollel/Yeshiva with at least a small group of committed and dedicated scholars in the future. Just imagining now the beautiful Aron Kodesh with Torah scroll – a Minyan of dedicated and devoted young men who value the greatness of concentrated prayer. It’s needed! Governmental grants (when they are given!) – contrary to popular belief – do not provide any real value to anyone needing to eat during the month, and in fact, those involved in Torah learning cannot really spend that time in Kollel etc. without constant outside assistance.
Our own Aliyah story requires a book of its own. It includes a saga of an uncomfortable 5 moves by the time our first year was over! It includes living amidst some awful and unhealthy mold – but with no choice and no other means to rent anything livable – this is what we were left with. It even includes living directly underneath an apartment that went through repairs for 9 months of the year from 6am to sometimes as late as 10pm with constant jackhammering, things flying onto our balcony and even having our items broken. In Israeli law, none of this is judged in favour of those renting – simply because they do not own the apartment!
It’s impossible to explain the dissonance all this causes in daily life – practically being unable to get on with anything, except packing boxes, opening them (in the hope of living again) and then packing them again when preparing for the next move about to occur quite shortly etc. Breakages during moves is normal – though payment for damages from the moving companies is not.
Not owning our own home, nor our own furniture (save for our library) has been our biggest set-back in becoming settled and being able to give over so much more of ourselves – on to even bigger projects. While we have paid our rent over the years in Israel – enough in total (amazingly!) to qualify for – at the very least a mortgage, it is impossible to get the mortgage without a minimum 30-40% (usually the latter) down-payment. It doesn’t help to explain to the banks that one pays one’s rental on time and regularly – to assist in obtaining the mortgage. Real estate is one of Israel’s most booming businesses with costs of apartments having more than doubled within the last 8 years! This is frightening for any newbie house buyer, because this amount most often comes out to at least 700 000 – 1 million Shekels – an impossible amount to earn within such a short space of time (or ever!) for the minimum wage earner! I recall my prediction when moving into our current “home” that prices here would double and triple in no time and wishing we could somehow purchase our home then… and in fact…they did, leaving us with the wish once more of acquiring “double what we never actually had!” The more we try to make a start, the faster prices climb and we are unable to get the start we need.
The constant moving is particularly draining. It’s the additional costs of the movers, the time for packing and unpacking, the trying process – yet again – of fitting in to yet another community with the need to form new relationships, new clients, and spend time getting to better understand the bus routes, buildings and shopping locations and “best deals” in one’s new location. You’ll well know the exhaustion and demands this puts on one, just to keep moving on in life – let alone keeping up with a regular routine of finding a way to get by.
Have you seen our projects? Do you think we have something to offer others? Do you think we’ve shown ourselves as wanting to reach out more to the community and do even more? Do you trust us enough to consider our direction in life as being something worthwhile?! Are you a Miracle Maker? Are you a Music Maker? Are you a Melody Maker – bringing the tune of happiness into the lives of others?
The Internet has shown us some amazing people. In 2005, many people from around the world assisted one young man to become a millionaire by purchasing pixels on his webpage – for just $1 a pixel. He had one million pixels available. The site still stands. Our goal has nothing to do with pixels… It has to do with having a home and Torah centre (connected) – that stands in real life, that brings warmth to those who enter it – in real life – not just dots on a page that exists in cyber space. We don’t know how many “bricks” it will have, but we are aware that the “cost of pixels,” and the cost of bricks to make a home happen is not very far off!
We’d like to get our own start in life – and instead of using a popular crowdfunding site on the Internet, we are placing our appeal on this very page. It’s for all the Miracle Makers out there who value what a Jewish home is – and who want to help a couple to begin their own. It’s much like our Bayit Chadash Project – only, it’s the most basic unit of all – the Dira, the very house itself. While outright monetary gifts will certainly help – we would be beyond appreciative to anyone able to assist with a long term large loan, to allow us the freedom to finally put our bags down – just one last time, and form the basis of our organisation – a place where others can come through to, learn at, and feel comfortable in, without having to fear the landlord’s eviction notice.
Can you help us? We have our main Partner with Us Page, as well as two “Buy Now” buttons which allow you to “buy in” to our projects, and our organisation. Please assist in any way you can, or become a monthly regular donor – and make the difference in our lives we so much need!
It must be made clear – for those contributing to this project, your donation here is money that is given directly to us. We do not offer any magic returns on the money and the money will not be donated on to anybody else (like projects such as our Bayit Chadash Project.) To those who are serious donors who wish to know more about our current financial situation and our further projects etc. we would be more than happy to call you directly, speak on Skype with webcam, or show any necessary financial documents that would help you to understand our current situation. You are welcome to contact us.
NOTE: There may be many readers looking at this page wondering about the benefit of donating money / offering a large loan (even to start the mortgage,) when one thinks of society’s idea of everyone earning enough before they purchase a home etc. If you feel this way – we ask you to please share our main webpage and the services we offer, including Torah teaching / Chatan & Kallah classes etc. or to book a service yourself and help us to reach our goal this way too. We have advertising opportunities on all our sites and blogs and your taking an advert will assist us to be able to own our very own home! That is the gift you will be giving us through your advertisement!
Whatever you can give to this project will help us to get our start in life. There’s so much we still want to do. Please help us in any way you can.